BRISBANE

We left New Zealand with a heavy heart. What a wonderful country! It’s easy to see why so many people want to live there. We would move there in a heartbeat. But you can only stay for ninety days unless you have a visa, and that can be a complicated and lengthy process.

Common Visa Types:

• Student Visa: If you plan to study in New Zealand, you can apply for a student visa. 
• Work Visas: If you have a job offer in New Zealand, you can apply for a work visa. 
• Skilled Migrant Category: This visa option is for skilled workers who have in-demand skills and experience. 
• Working Holiday Visa: If you’re under 30 and from an eligible country, you can apply for a working holiday visa, which allows you to work and travel in New Zealand. 
• Resident Visa: This visa allows you to live and work in New Zealand permanently. 
• Partner Visa: If you have a partner who is a New Zealand resident or citizen, you may be eligible for a partner visa. 
• Investment Visa: If you have significant funds to invest in New Zealand, you may be eligible for an investment visa. 

We flew on laid-back Air New Zealand from Auckland to Brisbane, Australia. The flight took four hours, and there was no drama. We landed at Brisbane Airport in the late afternoon and caught a shuttle to our hotel in the City Centre. Little did we know, but an epic storm was brewing several hundred miles offshore in the Pacific.

On average, Australia experiences 11 cyclones a year, although typically, only four to five of these cyclones will reach land. Australia is friggin’ huge—bigger than the whole US, including Alaska—and there are 2,500 miles between the east and west coast target areas. The last cyclone to strike Brisbane (midway up the east coast) was Zoe in 1974.

Well, we struck the weather lottery and the first Cyclone of the year, Alfred, a Category 2 beast, zeroed in on Brisbane around the same time we were visiting. We were lucky to explore the city before all hell broke loose, and we were on one of the last planes out with about five hours to spare before Alfred’s kickass landfall. It felt like the fall of Saigon.

After cruising around New Zealand, Brisbane definitely felt more upscale and cosmopolitan. It’s a hip, shiny metropolis of 2.5 million happy people, and it’s one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities. Brisbane is renowned for its unique blend of a vibrant urban lifestyle and stunning natural surroundings. There’s the Brisbane River, lush parks like South Bank Parklands, and easy access to nearby rainforests like Tamborine Mountain. Its consistently sunny climate makes it a great place for outdoor activities, and it has a relaxed, flip-flop atmosphere. It is often referred to as the “River City” due to its prominent river location. I called it Margaritaville.

Brisbane is geographically defined by the Brisbane River, which cuts the city in half like a winding snake, creating three sharp bends where inviting peninsulas have been formed. If you stand on the south bank and face north, it looks like a big, lazy W. It reminded me of Pittsburgh in many ways–only less rusty and way prettier.

There’s Kurilpa Point on the South Bank, the Gardens Point on the North Bank, and Kangaroo Point on the South Bank. The old part of town is on the north bank and the new city on the south.

The best way to appreciate Brisbane’s many cool attractions is to start your visit by strolling down the Brisbane River Walk, which runs along both banks of the river. The 11.5-mile loop trail is paved and sprinkled with boardwalks. It will take you about 3 hours to complete the whole circuit (not including stops) and will lead you past a lot of Brisbane’s best:

* Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art

* Queensland Museum

* State Library of Queensland

* Brisbane Sign

* Queensland Performing Arts Center

* Nepalese Peace Pagoda

* South Bank Parklands

* The Wheel of Brisbane (Ferris Wheel)

* Streets Beach (artificial beach in the heart of town)

* Epicurean Garden

* Confucius Statue

* Memorial Park

* Maritime Museum

* Kangaroo Point Cliffs (rock climbing with ropes)

* Kangaroo Point Park

* Queen’s Wharf Tower

The busy bridges connect the two halves of the city. On the west end, there is the handsome Victoria Bridge (buses only), and on the east end, there’s the historic Story Bridge, a steel cantilevered erector set beauty fashioned after the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal. In between, there are four more bridges. Two of them are brand new, spacy architectural marvels erected for pedestrians and human-powered vehicles only.

* Victoria Bridge

* Neville Bonner Pedestrian Bridge (Named for an Aboriginal lawmaker)

* Goodwill Bridge

* Captain Cook Bridge

* Kangaroo Point Pedestrian Bridge

* Story Bridge

I especially liked the Brisbane churches. I wish I could say that my namesake, the Catholic Cathedral of St. Stephen, was the most appealing, but that title went to St. John’s Anglican Cathedral and the delightful Cathedral Square. The eclectic churches along Ann Street are also a mishmash of rare grace. I was impressed that none of the Brisbane churches are grand or ostentatious—very much like the people of Brisbane. They were easily the smallest cathedrals I had ever seen.

Near the St. John’s Cathedral, there’s a hodgepodge of attractions that are well worth checking out.

* Eagle and Wharf Street Modern Buildings

* Customs House

* Central Rail Station

* Anzac Square

* Post Office

The City Botanic Gardens are charming, and the graceful trails lead to a myriad of flowering gems. My favorites were the ginormous figs and the goofy baobabs.

On the west side of the Botanic Gardens sits QUT, the Queensland University of Technology.  I spent an hour strolling through the eye-catching modern campus and sampling the college spirit.  And right next door, I stumbled upon some of the stately historic government buildings like the Old Government House and Parliament.  And nearby City Hall was definitely worth checking out.

You can shop ‘til you drop at the Queen Street Mall. This pedestrian-only shopping and restaurant district is one of the city’s most popular spots, and a great place to sit and people-watch.

Gambling is big business in Australia, and the locals were always telling us to check out Brisbane’s Star Casino. We explained that after getting married in Las Vegas, Inna and I had no desire to press our luck anywhere else.

Brisbane is all about alternative transportation, and its efficient bus service only costs fifty cents a ride. But they also offer the City Cat Ferry with multiple stops up and down the river for fifty cents a pop. It’s a very convenient and inexpensive way to get around town, and the locals love it. Unfortunately, the ferry service was terminated in preparation for Tropical Cyclone Alfred, and the multimillion-dollar boats had been pulled from the water and moved to higher ground.

I’m really glad we got to spend some time in Brisbane. It’s got a great vibe and is pleasing to the eye and spirit. The 2032 Summer Olympics will be held there, and the city will soon be getting a lot of attention. That will, of course, be the dead of winter down under, and it will be a delightful 70 degrees. Mark your calendars.

My last memories of Brisbane, however, will be of a city hunkering down in wary anticipation as Tropical Cyclone Alfred blew into town. Spinning clockwise, the cyclone had the opposite effect on Brisbanites than what happens with a hurricane spinning backwards in Florida. People didn’t flee. The roads weren’t parking lots. In fact, they were empty. Most businesses were closed and sandbagged well in advance. Many folks calmly headed for their designated shelters. Neighbors were busily helping neighbors, especially the elderly and the poor. There was apprehension but not panic. Nobody was freaking out, other than the TV weather wailers. It was a very interesting contrast to America.

The morning we left Brisbane, every flight on the departure board had been cancelled except the planes going north and away from the cyclone. And even those would be cancelled when the cyclone rolled into town two or three hours later. As we took off for Cairns and climbed into the dark clouds, throwing lightning in all directions, the Doors song “Riders on the Storm” suddenly came into my head, and I smiled with relief.

“Riders on the Storm
Riders on the Storm
Into this house, we’re born
Into this world, we’re thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the Storm”