Brisbane, Australia
Created | Updated Mar 30, 2002
Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, Australia. Constantly ridiculed by other cities such as Sydney or Melbourne (but not as much as, say, Adelaide or Hobart) Brisbane has described as "a large country town", "completely unsophisticated" and "totally dead after 9pm". Brisbane people are always curious about these taunts, because the people who make them seem to be the ones moving up to the area.
On the whole, Brisbane is a city that is just discovering that coffee is something good to drink, and hitch-hikers can't go anywhere in the city without tripping over the many coffee shops, cafes and mini restraunts that have sprouted from seemingly nowhere. Scientists have yet to explain the cause of this phenomenon and many latte-based invesigations are currently underway.
Which brings up another thing that people from Sydney or Melbourne (or overseas visitors from a colder climate) cannot seem to comprehend: Brisbane people seem to do things outside of buildings. Alcohol is consumed in things called "beer gardens", an enclosed area outside of the building where groups of what are loosely called musicians play "covers" of songs that other people played much better, while others stand, drink, listen and hurl abuse.
Food is usually eaten on the footpath as well, but alcohol is the real substance consumed in Queensland, as most hitch-hikers find out to their surprise and enjoyment.
If hitch-hiking is your preferred method of transport, the best way to do this is through people who drive semi-trailers. As a group they are only moderately insane and are relatively impervious to all manner of creature which may be unsuspectingly crossing the road. Be warned though: the distances travelled to other parts of Australia are extremely long - be ready for long conversations with these people. Some travellers can find themselves stuck for days on end with either an endless barrage of stories to listen to, or no stories left to tell the driver. Both of these situations are hazardous and should be avoided at all costs.
For leisure, the people of Brisbane leave, and drive for 2 hours to one of the many beaches nearby, which are the best in the world. For sport they poke fun at people from New South Wales (see the future entry called "Australian Rugby League") and for fun they either drink coffee, or become borderline alcoholics.
On the whole, Brisbane is a city that is just discovering that coffee is something good to drink, and hitch-hikers can't go anywhere in the city without tripping over the many coffee shops, cafes and mini restraunts that have sprouted from seemingly nowhere. Scientists have yet to explain the cause of this phenomenon and many latte-based invesigations are currently underway.
Which brings up another thing that people from Sydney or Melbourne (or overseas visitors from a colder climate) cannot seem to comprehend: Brisbane people seem to do things outside of buildings. Alcohol is consumed in things called "beer gardens", an enclosed area outside of the building where groups of what are loosely called musicians play "covers" of songs that other people played much better, while others stand, drink, listen and hurl abuse.
Food is usually eaten on the footpath as well, but alcohol is the real substance consumed in Queensland, as most hitch-hikers find out to their surprise and enjoyment.
If hitch-hiking is your preferred method of transport, the best way to do this is through people who drive semi-trailers. As a group they are only moderately insane and are relatively impervious to all manner of creature which may be unsuspectingly crossing the road. Be warned though: the distances travelled to other parts of Australia are extremely long - be ready for long conversations with these people. Some travellers can find themselves stuck for days on end with either an endless barrage of stories to listen to, or no stories left to tell the driver. Both of these situations are hazardous and should be avoided at all costs.
For leisure, the people of Brisbane leave, and drive for 2 hours to one of the many beaches nearby, which are the best in the world. For sport they poke fun at people from New South Wales (see the future entry called "Australian Rugby League") and for fun they either drink coffee, or become borderline alcoholics.
