Trip to Australia with SOTC: Part 2 (Brisbane, Gold Coast)

Trip to Brisbane!

We had an early morning flight from Melbourne to Brisbane. Our Bus took us to the Airport. Here we were supposed to do self-check-in, that means no standing in the line and waiting for officials to help you in check in. I have observed that in most of the parts of Australia the facility of self-check-ins is practiced. This was not complex but was something new to us. We took flight from Quantas Airlines. Flight was good and we were excited to see our next place. We reached to a beautifully relaxed city with pretty faces, vibrant natural flora, and fauna that was precisely sufficient in its own way.

Day 3: From the Airport, we were straight taken to Sea World Resort. We had a one night stay at the resort. Yes, Guys, the place was really fantastic. I have been to such resorts earlier, but as this was my first time with my husband, it was special. We were able to see all the marine life and live shows including the dolphin show and the jet ski show.  The shows offered were fantastic and well worth. There were also some touch and feel pools to feel the different textures of starfish, sea cucumbers, coral and plenty more marine life. The lunch and drinks were already included in our itinerary but it was really expensive. The taste of the food was average and for the price we paid, we expected much more. One of our best experiences in the sea world was the Helicopter ride. Though it was just a 5-minute ride, but, we got a chance to experience the strength of a chopper and how it feels to be in a chopper.

Day 4: Our second day in Brisbane started with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Today we were supposed to shift to our new hotel but it was supposed to be done in the evening after all the site seeing. Ticket for the sanctuary costs around $50 for an adult, but as this too was included in the itinerary, we didn’t wait in the line to get our tickets. Currumbin wildlife sanctuary is a place where you can interact with Australian animals including the kangaroos and the koalas. We got a chance to feed and touch the kangaroos and I even picked a koala in my arms. The sanctuary has many more experiences including the bird show where you tend to watch the biggest Australian eagle flying over your head. It is a large place but for those who can not walk much, the sanctuary has its own mini rail system with multiple stations. All you have to do is hop on the train and enjoy the sanctuary.

After having lunch in the sanctuary (which was something that seemed to be noodles and fries), we headed towards Movie World. The movie world is another theme park which is similar to Disney land, but not with Disney characters. My husband is a big fan of Superman and he likes adventurous rides too. So, this was a place more exciting for him than me. We took most of the rides and bought some souvenirs too.

Day 5: The third day started pretty early for us, we were supposed to wake up at 3 am in the morning in order to reach to our destination for hot air ballooning at 6 am. We started our day with watching the sun rise over the rolling hills of the majestic Gold Coast hinterland. This Hot Air Ballon trip was not included in our itinerary so paid its fee AUS$ 180 per person. Hot air ballooning is specially done in early morning hours in order to get a better view of the sunrise. For ballooning, we were supposed to reach to an open farm land named hinterland 20-23 Km away from our Hotel. We started at 4 am and reached on time. There we saw few huge balloons with a big strong basket which can carry a load of approx. 24 people easily. We both were very excited as this was our first flight in open sky 2000ft high. We climbed the basket and started to touch the sky and see rising red sun and green vast lands. This was absolutely safe, so there was nothing to worry at all, but due to early morning, it was little chilly up in the sky. The ride continued for 45 minutes and then we were taken back to our hotel by 10 am.

Our remaining day was free, as we didn’t opt for jet boat and dreamland tour. We wanted to explore the city on our own. Our hotel was very near to a beach, we were actually able to see the sea from our balcony. So to feel its grace we planned to go to the beach. The beach was very clean and tidy and sand was soft. The blue water with cool breeze refreshed us with joy and we enjoyed each other’s company. There was no time restriction and no one to call us to get back on the bus.

In the evening, we went to get some souvenir and scrolled the market. Brisbane is a beautiful place where even the streets look like a mall. We bought some little items for our family and special ore bracelets with healing properties for both of us. After dinner (which was included in our itinerary), we went straight to sleep as we again had an early morning flight to Cairns.