Surfer's Paradise
The Queensland coast south of Brisbane is known as the Gold Coast, and right at the heart of this glitzy, commercial stretch of land is Surfers Paradise. Surfers is the best example of what the Gold Coast is all about - impressive sky scrapers, golden beaches, theme parks, and non-stop partying. Though this isn't quite my cup of tea Justyna and I felt that it would be an interesting place to stop for a day and night to ogle at the glitz.
With a name like Gold Coast you are right to expect that everything is very expensive, so in our short time at Surfers we stuck to beach walks and window shopping!
Brisbane
The capital of Queensland and the third largest city in Australia is called Brisvegas by the locals because it carries on in the tradition of glitz and glamour of the Gold Coast. Spread over a large area with a healthy mix of high rises and normal sized buildings, with plenty of green areas around the winding river that makes it through the city, Brisbane makes for a nice place to spend a few days. Though the river's murky brown waters look like they'd give you something contagious if you so much as dipped your little toe in, there are places you can swim in the city! On the south bank of the river are the Brisbane Parklands, site of the '88 World Expo and now a large park and green area with an artificial lagoon and plenty of shady walkways.
With our time on the East Coast close to running out we decided to make the most of the free internet available at the State Library to plan out the rest of our journey in Australia - from a 4x4 adventure on Fraser Island, to camping in the Whitsundays and a drive along the outback!
Crickey!
One of our days in Brisbane was dedicated to visiting that great Australian institution that is Australia Zoo - home of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. I think that no trip to Australia would be complete without stopping at Australia Zoo.
Steve Irwin was dedicated to protecting native Australian animals and habitats, and the staff at the zoo carry on in his legacy and preaching his message. Steve believed that people would only really start to appreciate the environment if they fell in love with it, and there is no better way to do this than to have a close encounter with wild animals in a safe environment. Obviously you can't get close to the crocodiles, let alone give them a hug, but the display in the Croccosuem goes a long way in dispelling myths about these living dinosaurs and teaching patrons how to be 'Croc Smart' and live in harmony with the wildlife in their surroundings.
The zoo displays a plethora of Australian wildlife, from Echidnas to bearded dragons, from cuddly Koalas to hopping Wallabies. There are also some endangered species that Steve has rescued from less suitable homes, such as the giant Aldabran Turtles - relatives of the Galapagos Turtles that live on an island off the coast of Africa. These two turtles have been in Australia since the 1930s, going from one zoo to another, in fact they travelled around most of Australia before Steve got permission to house them permanently in Australia Zoo. The story goes that Steve drove his ute (pick-up truck in normal English!) down to Brisbane where the turtles were living, popped them into the back, and drove back up to Beerwah. As he was driving along he heard on the radio that people had spotted ET riding in the back of a pickup truck - his Aldabran Turtles had stuck their head out of the side to enjoy the breeze, and some Australians with a wild imagination thought they saw the friendly alien in the back of the truck!
A unique experience at the zoo is to hand feed one of the three Asian Elephants that were rescued from poachers by Steve - hundreds of zoo patrons form three orderly lines, and in the space of twenty minutes the elephants get their morning helping of fresh fruit, strait from the hands of excited travelers. Though its a very wet, sticky experience, there's nothing quite like seeing a 150kg trunk swinging towards your hand to pick up a quartered apple from your hand!
While walking around the zoo you get to meet plenty of locals, the kangaroos especially like being hand fed and don't mind the occasional pat or two, while the Koalas take a brake from sleeping and chewing on Eucalyptus leaves to receive a pat on the bum. Though for you and me the bum of the Koala feels really soft and fluffy and leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, the Koala hardly notices the interaction. Since they live and sleep in trees Koalas have developed a hard cartilage plate that they sit on while up in the trees, so they can hardly feel your touch.
The visit to Australia Zoo was certainly worth the admission price, the interaction with the animals left me with a greater appreciation for the beauty of nature and the conservation work being carried out by the Steve Irwin conservation foundation and its various branches working to protect tigers and elephants in Asia. This was also the best zoo experience I've had in my life - its the animals that get priority, rather than the humans paying the entry fee; the emphasis here is on giving the animals the best experience possible, and if the visitors can get a few kicks out of it too, then all the better.
That's it for Brisbane, next stop Hervey Bay, from where we take a 4x4 onto Fraser Island, the world's largest Sand Island. Stay tuned!
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