On Brisbane
So...
I've been in QLD the last couple of days. Spent Friday and today in Brisneyland (I'd give you a google maps reference, but I'm at a crappy kiosk in the airport right now and can't.)
Some things that I've noticed have included..
* Brisbane is an odd mix of the ultra-modern and the ultra-backwards, the trend-setting and the trend-trailing. Example: my trip from the airport into the city by taxi was swift and smooth, aided by a new 2 (in some places, 3) lane (in each direction) highway called the inner-city bypass, that takes you over (and under, but mostly over) a whole bunch of suburbs - similar in length and purpose to the Cross-City Tunnel in Sydney. However, unlike the Sydney variant, it's well-utilised, it does what it's intended to do - and it's free. No toll at all, just free. On the flip side, to get out of the airport in the taxi, there's a $2 charge - nothing unusual there, Sydney has something similar. However, in Brisbane, this charge is collected by the taxi driver inserting a $2 coin into a kiosk as you leave the airport. Very quaint.
Unfortunately, I now have only 10 minutes before boarding, and I need to get to the other end of the terminal, so I must scurry. I'll muse on other topics, including the public transport, nokia chargers, and RiverFire, later.