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Before Natalie and I head back to the good ol’ U.S. of A, we make one last stop in the land they call ‘down under’. This time, we’re headed to Brisbane. It’s Australia’s third largest city and it reminds me a lot of San Diego. One reason is the topography of the land, the other, the athleticism of the locals; they’ve got the same laid-back attitude as many of the people I’ve encountered from San Diego. There are lots of other reasons, too but you’ll have to read on to discover them. If you’re pressed for time, there’s a two-minute Johnny Jet video at the end of this week’s story. Plus, join Devin Janosov as he continues his trek through Scotland, still on the hunt for the Loch Ness monster. This week, we feature part two of his story. And as a special bonus, we’ve got our consumer affairs correspondent and watchdog, Buzzy Gordon joining us this week with a few words of warning for travelers headed to Baja California.
HERVEY BAY
Last week, we left off from the amazing Fraser Island. From there, Natalie and I took a 45-minute ferry to
Hervey Bay. Our flight wasn’t for a few hours and we were told by the boat deck hands that our best bet was to relax,
shop and have lunch at the marina. We did just that by pulling up a chair at Café Balaena. The restaurant serves a wide variety of decent
food but the service was painfully slow. The other disappointment was that their cookies don’t taste nearly as good as they looked. Café Balaena, Shop 7, Tourist Terminal, Boat Harbour, tel: (07) 41-2547-99.
HERVEY BAY TO BRISBANE
The Hervey Bay airport was much nicer than I had expected. It was indeed small but modern with a fine café and a tiny souvenir shop. There was no line at Qantas Link’s check-in counter and I was shocked that there wasn’t security. I’m not sure if this is reflective of the every day procedures because there was a metal detector but it wasn’t on and no one was manning it. To be honest, that didn’t bother me as much as the fact that my carry-on bag (which always fits into overhead compartments) would not fit on this Dash 8 plane. So, I was forced to check it ... and it essentially has my life in it, so I was not happy to be forced to part with it. If this ever happens to you, always take out all of your valuable belongings. It’s not that you really have to worry about your bag getting lost; it’s theft and damage that won’t be covered. So, I sat there in seat 4B, clutching my laptop and cameras (and a few other items I refused to part with) like I was a vagabond. Fortunately, the flight to Brisbane was a quick and smooth 50 minutes. And even given the short flight time, the flight attendants still managed to serve a snack and a spot of tea.
BRISBANE AIRPORT TO THE CITY
A funny chap picked us up at the airport, for the 30-minute drive (20 minutes without traffic) to our Southbank hotel. Note: A taxi normally costs between $40 and $50. Michael, who drives for Brunel Chauffeurs, had the thickest Australian accent you’ve ever heard. Don’t believe me? Check out the video below. I asked Mike what his favorite thing to do in the city was. He said that without a doubt, we should check out the Friday night Latin dance party (conveniently situated between the shops and directly across the street from our hotel). This surprised me – I didn’t expect Michael (or Brisbane) to be particularly multicultural. But I was wrong. The last Australian census (2006) showed that 21.7% of the population was born overseas and approximately 16.1% of households speak a language other than English. And as for Michael, that man can really shake it. We took his advice and headed down to the street party on Friday night and I just watched in fear. If I set foot on that dance floor, the authorities might’ve detained me for my suspicious convulsion-like moves. It’s too bad because occasionally, I do like to dance and in my mind, I’m comparable to MC Hammer (it’s Hammer Time!) Unfortunately, I’m told I move more like the Tin Man on crack.
SAVILLE SOUTHBANK
Natalie and I spent two nights at the 161-room Saville Hotel. Opened in 2005, the first seven floors are dedicated to the hotel while the rest of the building has 86 private apartments. Real estate is expensive here too, as the apartments go for a cool $1.7 million. The hotel is quiet, sleek and clean, in an almost sterile way. Our room was on the sixth floor with a gorgeous view of the Brisbane skyline. The rooms have a minimalist decor but I gotta tell you, it’s so nice to have accommodations with all the creature comforts of home: a living room, stocked kitchen, separate bedroom, a washer and dryer and two flat screen TVs. The bathroom itself was like an apartment -- big and stark with brown tile flooring and white tiled walls. The shower was one of those with just a half-door so the floor gets soaked no matter how you try and prevent it. The chic nozzle was to blame as it sprayed everywhere. The hotel offers Internet but it was broadband so only one laptop could be logged on at a time. Wireless access was only available in the lobby. Both cost $27.50 for 24 hours, which is ridiculously steep. Next to the lobby is Stone, the hotel restaurant. They offer an above-average breakfast buffet with eggs, an assortment of muesli, pastries, fruit (including passion fruit and star fruit) and fresh squeezed pineapple juice. Warning: The OJ is nasty. Be sure to get breakfast included in your room rate otherwise it’s $29.50 per person. Rates begin at $195. Saville Southbank, 161 Grey Street, Southbank; T: 07 3305 2500, for more information, email southbank.info@savillehotelgroup.com.
BRISBANE
When we first arrived, Natalie and I dropped off our bags and went for a walk along the main artery of the city; the Brisbane River flows just two blocks away from the Saville. We were amazed at how quiet the city was, even with the nearby freeways. And Brisbane is not a small city. It has close to one million people and greater Brisbane has close to two million. The best way to explore is either by bicycle, walking or taking the CityCat, a small ferry that runs frequently up and down the river, a form of public transportation. The city also does a fine job putting up street signs that explain everything clearly, so it’s easy to navigate and the modern high-rises don’t intimidate. In two days, you can see plenty of what Brisbane has to offer.
OUR LOOP
We began by walking across the pedestrian-only Goodwill Bridge. We then took an impromptu tour of the Queensland University of Technology campus, then the Botanical Gardens (check out the Mangrove Boardwalk), then jumped on a CityCat boat ourselves to head to PowerHouse for lunch. After finding an over-priced restaurant in a museum, not quite what we were looking for, we hopped back on the boat to Riverside. There we had a great lunch at the Riverside Café, a perfect place for people watching and enjoying a view of the river. Next, we walked lunch off along the river to Queen Street Mall. There are no cars on Queen Street so the only traffic you’ll find are the hordes of people scrambling to go to one of the hundred or so shops and cafes. The malls and arcades are very similar to the ones in Sydney and one has my favorite juice place, FJ’s, the perfect pit stop for some freshly squeezed apple guava juice ($2.50) – it’s so yummy!
BRISBANE WEATHER
Though Brisbane has a humid, subtropical climate with hot, humid summers we were there just as spring was ... springing, so the climate was dry and mild, making it the perfect weather
to walk around in – even at night. To get back to our hotel, we walked across the Victoria Bridge. That put us in Southbank, near our hotel, the cultural arts complex, conservatorium of music and the Nepal peace pagoda, which is situated next to a bamboo forest with a beautiful meandering boardwalk. This whole Southbank area is so cool and was built up in 1988 for the World Expo. There are also high-end boutique shops, a movie theater, a monster outdoor swimming pool/manmade beach (much of it was under repair) and al fresco cafes, one after another. The entire area is quite pretty. There are flowers everywhere, perfectly manicured lawns and at night, the area is gently lit with white lights, giving everything a beautiful glow. Natalie said it felt like being in the pages of a storybook. Every kind of food is available and we settled for some average Malaysian food at the Satay Hut. Then, we walked back to our hotel in the crisp night air, under the pretty bougainvillea-covered pathway.
AUSTRALIA
Driving from the hotel to the airport, I asked our driver my usual snake and spider questions. Unfortunately, he was telling me things I didn’t want to hear. Example #1: He has king brown snakes at his house. That was the first thing I didn’t want to hear. Example #2: Growing up, he knew people who had died from bites. That was the second thing I definitely didn’t want to hear. So I asked him: “What would Australia be like without these dangerous creatures?” Anticipating his answer, I assumed he’d say it would be wonderful not to have to worry about lethal bites from creepy crawlies in the grass. But he looked me in the eye and without a moment’s hesitation said, “Boring.” There was a moment of awkward silence as I pondered this but the truth is, he’s right. One of the great appeals of Australia is the excitement of the unknown. In many ways, this country is similar to the United States or Canada. And in other ways, it is remarkably, unfathomably different. Of course it would be rare for a visitor to get bitten by a deadly snake or spider but it’s that element of surprise that keeps you just a little bit on edge. Natalie, who was scared at times, tells me that she actually misses the adrenaline rush of walking around Australia at night ... something that just a few short weeks ago, she was afraid of doing.
QANTAS
Australia’s official airline is Qantas
and most people don’t realize that the name is actually an acronym for Queensland And Northern Territories Aerial Services. I don’t know what it is about Qantas but the simple red tail and white kangaroo on the plane’s tail gets me all pumped up and their 747-400 series are my favorite planes to watch takeoff from LAX. To say that I was excited about flying home on Qantas would be an understatement.
BRISBANE AIRPORT
The Brisbane airport was packed and Qantas only had one line for all their international flights. That’s surprising. It took us 15 minutes just to clear the business class line; I have elite status with their One World partner American Airlines. I can’t imagine how long the economy line took since it looked about five times longer. But we didn’t stick around and went straight to security. Australia still has the old-school security rules in place so make sure you have everything in a baggie – even lip balm or lipstick. Once you’re through security, there are plenty of shops to pass time in and spend your leftover Australian dollars. Since our request for an upgrade didn’t get approved (bummer!) I stocked up for the 12 and a half hour flight. I bought TimTams for $3.50 and huge bottles of water (1.5 liter bottle for $4.50).
BRISBANE TO LOS ANGELES
When you can’t get upgraded, try asking for exit rows (if you are qualified through a frequent flyer/loyalty program). On our flight, those seats were already taken because the flight had originated in Sydney and those early morning passengers were no fools! The good news is that the plane wasn’t sold out and after asking nicely, the gate agent blocked off a whole center row (four seats) for me and Natalie to enjoy. That was key because Qantas doesn’t offer a lot of legroom. But our work wasn’t over; the way to protect those extra seats from slick travelers is to man the aisles. I took one end and Natalie took the other. Then, after takeoff, one person can lie down and sleep while the other watches TV on the 9-inch seat-back entertainment
system. There were an amazing variety of options to choose from; 60 on-demand movies, 200 TV programs, 20 radio channels, 150 CDs, 10 games and the in-flight map! This really helped make the flight seem quick and painless especially because coach doesn’t have power ports to plug your laptop in.
IN-FLIGHT SERVICE
The Qantas flight attendants were also impressive. For the most part, they were friendly and hardworking. They kept dishing out snacks, water and meals and they made sure the bathrooms were clean. At times, they even treated coach passengers like they were business class with hot cloth towels before each meal and handing out menus with a timeline of the service. The food and drinks came out within an hour of takeoff. The chicken and beef meals were just OK. In addition, they doled out mango creamsicles for dessert. Midway through the flight, we were treated to a goodie bag with snacks and bottled water. Two hours prior to landing, breakfast was served. When we touched down, I was feeling good.
VIDEO
Here's a two-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to Brisbane. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.
NEXT WEEK
Next week we travel to an island that the locals call the sugar island! It required three flights to get there from L.A. but east coast travelers now have nonstop service from New York’s JFK.
Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet
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Note:
This trip was sponsored by Australia.com.
Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet
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