Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Today we had our first excursion since boarding. We docked in Brisbane at 8 am. After a buffet breakfast we disembarked at the terminal. The cruise terminal is relatively new to the area and located in an industrial area near the airport. The gangway in Brisbane was nearly a half mile long from ship to shore. It left us feeling like we got a workout just leaving the ship. Brisbane is also home to Qantas Airlines (Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services…who knew?) and they have a very large presence visible from the highway much like Delta does along 494 in Minneapolis. The locals are very proud of their hometown airline.

Brisbane is home to 2.5 million people and is nestled between the Gold Coast to the south and the Sunshine Coast to the north. We boarded a Kangaroo bus that took us to the Hinderlands up in the mountains. The weather was hot and sunny and we had incredible views as our bus climbed leaving Brisbane behind. Our tour guide pointed out pine plantations, pineapple plantations and farms that grow macadamia nuts. Both Joe and I were surprised by the sub tropical climate here in this area of Australia. It has been an uncharacteristically wet summer resulting in a very lush, green landscape.  After about an hour we reached the Glass House Mountains part of the Blackall Range. The vistas of the valley below ran all the way to the beaches on the coastline. 

We stopped in a quant little town called Montville. We had about an hour to wander around and visit the local shops. We spent the majority of our time in several art galleries and procured a beautiful photographic piece that we are shipping home. On our way back down the mountain we stopped at the Australia Zoo. This zoo was started by Steve Irwin’s family when he was just a child. He eventually took over the running of the zoo with his wife and family. The zoo is full of images of the late zookeeper and conservationist and is currently run by his wife, Terri, his daughter, Bindie, and his son, Robert. I think we are all familiar with “The Crocodile Hunter” a television program that was meant to educate its viewers on wildlife and environmentalism with extreme enthusiasm. We enjoyed the education piece surrounding his life and a crocodile show featuring one very large croc. CRICKEY! To say it was hot and humid, would be an understatement. We were dripping wet (sweaty) at the end of the show and immediately went to the children’s area and stood in the water features to cool down. After about a half an hour our clothes had completely dried in the heat. On our way back to the ship, we watched a 90 minute documentary that covered Steve’s life from boyhood. If I’m not mistaken, it was from YouTube if anyone is interested in learning more about his family. His mother and father were both animal lovers and it was obvious where his interest in wildlife began. 

Adjusting to the humidity is going to be an ongoing challenge for me. We’ve been warned that the further north we go along the coastline of Australia and along the Pacific rim, the hotter and more humid it will become. 

We were invited to a cocktail party for first time cruisers with Seabourn and mingled with other cruisers that hadn’t experienced the magic. This might be a good time to tell you that in every aspect, our expectations have been exceeded.