Brisbane
When we had been planning our trip originally, Brisbane did not get a lot of coverage. We had to go to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, as that was where the test matches were while we were in the country. Then we had to go to Adelaide, as I had some good friends there. But Brisbane seemed not to have anything going for it - it was merely going to be a stop off point between Sydney and Cairns.
But then we realised that there would be a one-day international at the Gabba which could be fitted into our schedule. A quick phone call to Ticketmaster to check that there were tickets available and we were going to be staying in Brisbane for four nights.
I’m glad we made that decision. I really liked Brisbane - it had more going on than Perth and Adelaide, and the South Bank is a fantastic area. Imagine London’s South Bank, with pedestrian areas, theatres and cinemas, and funny-shaped bridges. Then add an artificial beach, with sand, a lagoon-shaped swimming pool with palm trees growing at its edge, and BBQs all around (by which I mean gas powered outdoor hotplates), and you will get some idea of what Brisbane’s South Bank is like. Pie and I wandered along the bank of the river on a balmy evening, then crossed over the Goodwill Bridge, from where there were views of the city. As with the other four major Australian cities, the skyline is made up of tall office blocks, but still very pleasant in the darkness. The square in the centre of the city contains metal structures which look like large footballs, which appealed to us too.
It is strange to say, as I am a person who doesn’t like being pestered or approached in the street, but Brisbane felt like a proper city because of the existence of Big Issue sellers, charity collectors, beggars etc. We had not seen that elsewhere in Australia, although I’m sure we must have just missed them.
The cricket obviously went as badly as the other five days of England-watching we have seen live on this holiday (although I suppose Perth was good at the time), so we decided on the following night to cheer ourselves up by watching Aussies trying to play football (they call it soccer over here). It was a big match too. It was the final match of the regular season, and Queensland Roar FC needed to win to get into the play-offs. A draw or a defeat and their opponents that evening, Sydney FC, would get through in their stead.
The big crowd of just over 30,000 were in the main disappointed after 25 minutes as Sydney got a deserved goal. The goal was caused by Pie, who decided to go to the bar to get the beers in. Yes, in Australia you can watch the football and have a beer at the same time. Admittedly, only mid-strength Aussie beer, but beer nonetheless. So Sydney took advantage of Pie not watching the game to score their goal. The Roar equalised just before half-time, but Sydney were in control after the break and Queensland could not score the goal they needed, despite the ref letting them have an extra man for the last ten minutes, when he sent off a Sydney player for not fouling the Queensland player at all in any way. Then he opted to show a Queensland player only a yellow card minutes afterwards, when he scythed down the goalkeeper in the box approximately 2 minutes after the keeper had caught the ball.
It was interesting to see a football match in a different country, and the Aussies are definitely getting into their soccer now. The league has been going in its present format for only eight years, and while the players are quite skilful, there is not the tactical nous or competitiveness among the players which you will see in England, even at Conference level.
On our final night in Brisbane, we were in a Chinese restaurant. There was only one other couple in there, so the woman started up a conversation with us. It quickly emerged that she’d had rather too many that evening, as she kept repeating how much she loved Cambridge, and how weird it was to meet somebody who had studied there (Pie) in Brisbane of all places. Good fun though, and that is what makes Brisbane a more real city than Perth or Adelaide.
But then we realised that there would be a one-day international at the Gabba which could be fitted into our schedule. A quick phone call to Ticketmaster to check that there were tickets available and we were going to be staying in Brisbane for four nights.
I’m glad we made that decision. I really liked Brisbane - it had more going on than Perth and Adelaide, and the South Bank is a fantastic area. Imagine London’s South Bank, with pedestrian areas, theatres and cinemas, and funny-shaped bridges. Then add an artificial beach, with sand, a lagoon-shaped swimming pool with palm trees growing at its edge, and BBQs all around (by which I mean gas powered outdoor hotplates), and you will get some idea of what Brisbane’s South Bank is like. Pie and I wandered along the bank of the river on a balmy evening, then crossed over the Goodwill Bridge, from where there were views of the city. As with the other four major Australian cities, the skyline is made up of tall office blocks, but still very pleasant in the darkness. The square in the centre of the city contains metal structures which look like large footballs, which appealed to us too.
It is strange to say, as I am a person who doesn’t like being pestered or approached in the street, but Brisbane felt like a proper city because of the existence of Big Issue sellers, charity collectors, beggars etc. We had not seen that elsewhere in Australia, although I’m sure we must have just missed them.
The cricket obviously went as badly as the other five days of England-watching we have seen live on this holiday (although I suppose Perth was good at the time), so we decided on the following night to cheer ourselves up by watching Aussies trying to play football (they call it soccer over here). It was a big match too. It was the final match of the regular season, and Queensland Roar FC needed to win to get into the play-offs. A draw or a defeat and their opponents that evening, Sydney FC, would get through in their stead.
The big crowd of just over 30,000 were in the main disappointed after 25 minutes as Sydney got a deserved goal. The goal was caused by Pie, who decided to go to the bar to get the beers in. Yes, in Australia you can watch the football and have a beer at the same time. Admittedly, only mid-strength Aussie beer, but beer nonetheless. So Sydney took advantage of Pie not watching the game to score their goal. The Roar equalised just before half-time, but Sydney were in control after the break and Queensland could not score the goal they needed, despite the ref letting them have an extra man for the last ten minutes, when he sent off a Sydney player for not fouling the Queensland player at all in any way. Then he opted to show a Queensland player only a yellow card minutes afterwards, when he scythed down the goalkeeper in the box approximately 2 minutes after the keeper had caught the ball.
It was interesting to see a football match in a different country, and the Aussies are definitely getting into their soccer now. The league has been going in its present format for only eight years, and while the players are quite skilful, there is not the tactical nous or competitiveness among the players which you will see in England, even at Conference level.
On our final night in Brisbane, we were in a Chinese restaurant. There was only one other couple in there, so the woman started up a conversation with us. It quickly emerged that she’d had rather too many that evening, as she kept repeating how much she loved Cambridge, and how weird it was to meet somebody who had studied there (Pie) in Brisbane of all places. Good fun though, and that is what makes Brisbane a more real city than Perth or Adelaide.
posted by Gaz man at 1:16 pm
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