Saturday, January 22, 2011

Brisbane before the Flood ~~

I was lucky enough to travel with my friends to Brisbane on Etihad Airways paying only staff price for the plane ticket ..

Before we left for Brisbane, we decided to rent our own car and travel around Brisbane which we believe is a more cost effective and convenient way.. Of cos, GPRS is essential.. I don't remember which website we've booked our car but it was at a pretty reasonable rate compared to the other car renting company. We've also gotten some discount coupon from some blogs. You can try researching online and see if you can get the same deal!! You can try: http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au/, however it is best if you do more research.

When we arrived at Brisbane Airport, we walked out to take the free shuttle bus that brought us to the car renting company nearby, after all the paperwork was done, we took the car and drove off to our 1st destination, a shopping mall close to the airport!! The DFO Airport complex, with 120 brand outlet stores!!





After some small buys (we didn't want to spend so much on the 1st day, althou we did went back a few days later =D), its time to check in to our apartment.


Since it was a budget trip and there are 4 of us travelling, we decided to stay in Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartment (http://www.kangaroopoint.com).

It was not too bad, considering it cost only approx S$ 200 per night. The apartment consists of 2 bedrooms, a small Kitchen and one bathroom (with bathtub). It'll rate it 3.5/5 for a mid-budget stay in Brisbane..







We went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary on the 2nd day. A must if you're big fan of Koala! You can take photos with them! They have a extremely strong eucalyptus smell but definitely adorable! I was really happy and satisfied with the photo taking! After they took the photo for you, you will need wait for awhile before collecting your photo at the store beside the photo taking area. Since I love animals and there’s no Koala hugging session in Singapore, it’s a very good souvenir to bring home. I’ve forgotten the price, but I remember it’s not too steep.














Tips:

- Bring along your student card, the entrance fee will be cheaper*
- www.koala.net

We roam around the sanctuary after the koala hugs and came across the lorikeets feeding.. Be sure to bring along wet tissue since all 3 of my friends brought home the “souvenirs” the lorikeets gave.. It’s best not to walk below a tummy satisfied lorikeets..


We proceeded to watched the dog show (amazed at how smart the dogs are), got chased by sheeps, and saw the most adorable puppy at their small animal farm..


Basically, since it’s a Koala Sanctuary, so we didn’t expect it to be as big as a Zoo.. After a few hours, we left and continue our journey to St John's Cathedral.











We had a hard time locating St John's Cathedral, but in the end, we managed to find it and it was very much worth the trip. Once you stepped in, the peace you get is just priceless.. Of course, most Churches do… We lit some candles, said some prayers and carried on with our trip..








During the night, we visited Conrad Treasury Casino, it was a little messy, but still managed to survive the crowd and earn some quick bucks.. The big problem was the parking. We didn't want to park in the carpark as the fees was freaking ex, so we went around searching for street side parking, took a bit of time and gamble, found a space but still ended up walking a fairly long distance..



The following day, we had a quick visit to the Queensland Museum (entry is free, but there is entry charges for the Sciencentre and some special events and exhibitions) Due to the same reason mentioned above regarding parking, we parked our car along the street side near the museum and walk our way there. http://www.qm.qld.gov.au (Can pay a visit if you have some spare time)








Next Up: Brisbane Part 2 (Sunshine Coast, Harbour Town)

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