Farewell Brisbane

Wednesday, 12th March 2008

Hello all.

We're leaving Brisbane this morning for Sydney - only a short hop, apparently. It's been very humid and hot here (though the locals seem to think they've had quite a cool summer), so we're hoping for better things down in Sydney. We're staying at a Marriott Hotel and our room overlooks the opera house - there's posh!

Yesterday, Jane took us down into the city and parked up at the South Bank - a beautiful area that actually has its own beach and swimming/paddling area, complete with life guards etc. Also down there were lots of restaurants, shops, a lovely new events arena, and various museums - none of which we felt up to exploring, which was a shame. We took a river cruise which took us up river for 1.5 hours and told us a great deal about the city and its history, and it was also very cool so we all enjoyed that. Then we lunched, had a walk over the river into the city and back again, and then we came back to Ashgrove to recover. We went for a meal in a nearby suburb called Rosalie to an Asian restaurant, and met Aaron's father, Ian, and his partner. A lovely evening to round off our stay.

We have had the most marvellous time in Brisbane (Brizzy to the natives), and Jane and Aaron have been so kind and welcoming. They have a beautiful home, which they intend to improve again shortly by adding a swimming pool in the back garden! Wow! And they have introduced us to their family and their way of life - which is extremely enviable. Many, many thanks!

So - off to Sydney. Next blog from there, folks!

Christine and Richard