We'll be leaving for OZ in less than a week and are planning to go to Brisbane for 3 nights as well as Sydney.

I'd love to get some ideas of what we should visit while there. As always, any helpful hints is appreciated.
LN

Brisbane has a pleasant downtown area, and the botanical gardens there are lovely. Across the Brisbane River from downtown is the South Bank Parkland, with a nice, manmade beach area, great open air market, restaurants, etc.

It's nice to take a ride on the CityCat, a ferry service comprised of twin hulled catamarans, from downtown until at least as far as the University of Queensland.

In the western suburbs, Mount Coot-tha has botanical gardens, and offers an expansive view of the area.

When we went to Brisbane, we visited personal friends, so spent some time walking through their neighbourhood to the banks of the Brisbane River, barbequed in their backyard, caught up with news, etc.

However, if I had 2 full days in Brisbane, and didn't have personal friends with whom to visit, I think I would spend 1 day in Brisbane and 1 day doing a field trip of some sort. What form that field trip would take would depend on what else I had seen or was going to see in Australia.

If the field trip approach appeals to you, you might research which of the following has the potential to interest you:

* Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

* Moreton Island where, for example, you apparently can watch wild dolphins at Tangalooma

* Australian Woolshed (Frommer's website says that Aussies are likely to cringe at the thought of anyone visiting this site, because it's such a corny, canned tourist experience -- nonetheless it may be of interest to a foreign visitor who may never have seen sheep shearing, sheep dogs in action, and such)

I have not visited Moreton Island, the koala sanctuary or the Woolshed, but have only read and heard about them.

In my experience, souvenirs (Aboriginal crafts and the like) tended to be cheaper the further north in Australia one went and more expensive the further south one went. If expense is a factor, that may be something to keep in mind. On the other hand, I like to travel lightly, and don't enjoy lugging unnecessary stuff around with me. I tend to go lightly on the souvenirs and, when I do buy them, I prefer to pick them up at my last stop in a country. Anyway, you might want to weigh the pros and cons of each approach.

Postscript. I now recall that our Brisbane friends stressed that it would have been fun, had we had the time to do so, to go dolphin watching.

We just returned from 2 weeks in Brisbane & SE Queensland (trip report coming soon!) Judy's suggestions are all excellent!! Here are a few more...

- Catch the train up to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo at Beerwah (45 min north.)
- The beaches at Surfers Paradise (especially at Coolangatta) are beautiful.
- If you have a car, Mt. Tambourine (40 minutes south) is a delightful area with incredible views, shops, wineries and a great distillery to see.
- The Queen St Mall in the CBD has a zillion shops, restaurants & two movie theatres and is a great place to people watch.
- Breakfast Creek Hotel (10 min north of downtown) is a must see to have a good meal, cold beer (get a FourEx "off the wood" in the private bar) learn a little about Queensland history and watch the footy with the locals.
- If you enjoy sport (Rugby League or AFL), catch a match at the 'Gabba or Suncorp/Lang Park/the Cauldron.
- Visit the clubs & bars on Caxton Street.
- St. Helena Island has a 130 year old jail (gaol) from the convict days.
- The New Farm suburb has interesting architecture along with lots of coffee shops, delis & restaurants.
- The RiverFestival is going on through Sept 14.
- If you're into markets, Eagle St Pier & Southbank are worth a look.
- Roma St Parkland is a really beautiful park in the middle of the city.
- North Stradbroke Island has beaches, fishing villages, Aboriginal tours, & freshwater lakes.
- Moreton Island has huge sand dunes and the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort.
- The XXXX (FourEx) brewery has an interesting tour that teaches about the brewing process and the history of XXXX in Queensland.

We've done all of these except for Moreton Island.

We found Brisbane to be a comfortable, friendly place. Other than driving on the left, we felt totally at home. It has all the conveniences of a large city while still feeling like a small town. We can't wait to go back.

John in Miami

LN, just to fill you in, about a year ago, we stayed at Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island. Although its not a 5 star resort, it was still very nice.
The dolphins are "only" fed at night time, so you wouldn't see them during the day. At night, people stand on the beach & mainly on the pier, and they turn on the pier lights. The dolphins come in around dusk, and various people are asked to feed them, whilst standing beside a staff member in the shallows.
However, you can still do a one day trip, which usually consists of:
* use of all hobie cats etc,
* they usually have "sand dune" riding included.
* They also feed the sea birds near the pier each day. (including the sea eagle, which flies down from the forest, to catch food thrown to it)
* I think they have a buffet lunch included in the day trips?
The water directly in front of resort is crystal clear and very pleasant for swimming.

Lone Pine is a good morning or afternoon. Go to the tourist info in the Queen street mall to ask the times of the boat trip down there rather than getting the bus. All sorts of other animals to see as well as the Koalas (which you can have your picture taken with). You can go and feed the Kangaroos which sit there and wait for their photo opportunity with you.

I believe now (others correct me if I'm wrong) there is now a bridge climb over the Story Bridge similar to the one over the Harbour Bridge. Not sure it would be quite as spectular somehow though

Avoid the Casino it's just a pick up joint these days, very seedy.

Surfers is a bit tacky but if you're adventurous you can get a ride in a Tiger Moth down the coast (acrobatics optional). Great fun especially the stall and nosediving straight towards the sea. Further down the Gold Goast is a nice drive and ther are some great Surf Clubs for Lunch.

For that genuine Aussie pub there's only one to go to - The Story Bridge. You can get one of the small ferries over to it or you can walk up from the South Bank. Its under the Bridge on the Kangaroo Point side. Great views of the CBD at night. It's also the place to try and find a Kangaroo Point local and get yourself an invite to a party for the River Festival.

The South bank is great to grab a picnic and chill for an hour on the beach (it's artificial).

If you haven't already booked a place to stay then use www.wotif.com.au. It gives last minute discounts. You can only book 10 days in advance. We never payed over AUS$150 for a room in 5* hotels anywhere in Aus. Even got a Harbour Bridge view in Sydney for less than that. Whatever your budget you'll get it cheaper on there.

On a side note, if you are going to do the Bridge climb in Sydney make sure you book a late afternoon climb. The whole thing takes about 2 hours and you're at the top after about 1.5hrs. Work out what time sunset is and try to be at the top for that. Just remember not to have a glass of wine with Lunch as they breathalise you.

Enjoy

oh my - you've all made me so homesick with all those great things to do in brissie! i'm living in dublin right now counting down the months until we return home to brisvegas !