My Visual Travel Experience: Brisbane

In 2011, I spent 4 days in Brisbane. I was there with my then girlfriend, and now wife. We really enjoyed our time there. The main highlight was spending time with animals at the Australia Zoo and the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. In several Australian zoos, visitors are allowed to enter the enclosures of non dangerous animals, touch them, get photographed with them and even feed them, and that was really a unique, thrilling experience. Brisbane was also the city where I saw the final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, where India beat Sri Lanka. I went to one of the lively pubs on Queen Street and saw the match till the wee hours of the morning. The pub was full of Indians (we are everywhere, aren't we?), and the wild celebrations that followed after India's victory almost made me forget that I wasn't in India!!

Brisbane is Australia’s 3rd largest city after Sydney and Melbourne. It has a population touching 2 million, and it is the capital of the state of Queensland. The city has a charm of its own, and is also a stopping point for visitors interested in going to the Great Barrier Reef or the Gold Coast. The history of Brisbane dates back to 1823, when the Governor of New South Wales decided to move select convicts to a new location. Brisbane became the capital of Queensland in 1859. The presence of natural resources led to rapid mining, which in turn led to the city’s development.

City Hall dates back to 1930, and is famous for its soaring clock tower and classical façade. It lies in the heart of the city and is one of Brisbane's most prominent landmarks. Outside City Hall, there's an equestrian statue of King George V of England.

City Hall

Equestrian Statue of King George V of England, City Hall

Customs House, with its copper dome, is one of the city’s oldest buildings and is now used for civic functions. It was restored in 1994.

Customs House

ANZAC Square commemorates soldiers from Australia and New Zealand, who died for their country in various battles. The Greek cenotaph is the main sight in this square, and it has an Eternal Flame.

ANZAC Square

ANZAC Memorial

Eternal Flame, ANZAC Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial, ANZAC Square

Overlooking ANZAC Square, the General Post Office is an attractive neo-classical building completed in 1879.

General Post Office

St John’s Anglican Cathedral dates back to 1901. The cathedral’s architecture is of French Gothic style.

St John's Anglican Cathedral

High Altar, St John's Anglican Cathedral

St Stephen’s Cathedral, an English Gothic Cathedral, was completed in 1874. The cathedral has twin spires, and right next to it is St Stephen’s Church, Brisbane’s oldest church.

St Stephen's Cathedral

Queensland Art Gallery, which is a part of the larger Queensland Cultural Centre, boasts of works of art by Australian artists, but the collection also has some works by international masters.

Boyd's Berwick Landscape,
Queensland Art Gallery

Rivers' Under The Jacaranda,
Queensland Art Gallery

Rupert Bunny's The Bathers,
Queensland Art Gallery

Tintoretto's Rising Christ,
Queensland Art Gallery

Winifred Rumney's Barron Falls,
Queensland Art Gallery

Brisbane Museum, also a part of the Queensland Cultural Centre, has a vast collection that includes stuffed animals, dinosaur skeletons, automobiles, aircraft and other objects.

Aircraft, Brisbane Museum

Crocodile, Brisbane Museum

The Parliament faces the Botanical Garden, and is a large domed building.

The Parliament

Queens Street, Brisbane’s main shopping street, is a charming pedestrianized street full of shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes. 

Pig N Whistle, Queens Street

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary opened way back in 1927. It has a large collection of koalas, and boasts of a koala breeding programme. Other highlights include being able to mix freely with kangaroos & emus, watching sheep dogs round up sheep before their shearing, feeding lorikeets, and a host of Australian wild and farm animals.

Koala, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Kangaroo, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Emu, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Crocodiles, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Lorikeets, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Australia Zoo, set up by the well known TV presenter and animal conservationist Steve Irwin (tragically killed by a sting ray in 2006), ranks among the world’s top zoos. It allows visitors to experience animals like very few other places can. The zoo is 70 km outside Brisbane. Highlights include the 5,000 seat Crocosseum (where one can see shows with crocodiles and other animals), watching tigers play with trainers, seeing cheetahs being taken for walks on leashes, visitors getting to feed elephants, and visitors getting to touch animals like kangaroos and emus.

Bronze Sculpture of Steve Irwin and Family, Australia Zoo

Kangaroo, Australia Zoo

Koala, Australia Zoo

Crocodile, Australia Zoo

Trainer walking a Cheetah, Australia Zoo

So Brisbane was something really special and we really enjoyed ourselves. For animal lovers, it's really hard to match what the city has to offer. Besides that, the museums, the churches, the vibrant city centre with its shopping and eateries, and the friendly people all make Brisbane a really pleasant place for travelers.