Travel Guides and Stories

My first time setting foot in Australia, I stayed in Melbourne for a week. During that time, I also visited Australia’s third-largest city, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast. Two days felt a bit rushed, but were filled with surprises and unique moments. (Melbourne travel notes coming soon.) To be honest, when I first thought of Australia, kangaroos and koalas came to mind, followed by the movie “Australia” and Nicole Kidman — not much else! In just two days, our guide took us everywhere, much like the classic “sleep on the bus, take photos off the bus” tours in China. Still, we enjoyed great food, beautiful sights, and here are some snapshots to share.

Day 1: Depart Melbourne – Brisbane – TREASURY CASINO – South Bank Parklands – Chinatown – Paradise Country – Gold Coast – Sea World Resort – Natural Bridge Park

At dawn, before sunrise, we set off from our hotel in Melbourne.

About three hours later, we arrived at Brisbane Airport. After meeting our guide, our tour officially began.

Our guide drove us past this building and gave us a detailed introduction. It used to be the Treasury Building, but now it’s a casino — money is always involved with this place!

I looked up this building when I got home. This is the former Queensland Government Treasury Building, built in 1889 — must have been quite impressive in its day. Wikipedia: ***_Building,_Brisbane

Entrance to the Art Centre.

South Bank Parklands, once the site of the World Expo, is located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River and covers 16 hectares. It’s the best place to enjoy Brisbane’s subtropical climate, featuring the clear waters of Streets Beach and lush green lawns. You can picnic and barbecue here, take a boat to enjoy the gardens, cycle through the trees, watch street performances in the square, or catch a movie in the IMAX theatre. Our guide always brought us to these free-entry spots.

The Ferris wheel. Cloudy skies didn’t do it justice in photos.

Self-service bike station — very well maintained, no signs of vandalism.

Mosaic tiles on the street.

They’ve preserved a Nepalese Pagoda from the original World Expo.

The water bus — this river is called the Brisbane River.

Guide’s map.

Barbecue grills in the park — super convenient, probably gas-powered. Just bring your own meat!

These trees with long purple flowers are special to this area, but I didn’t catch the name.

The floral walkway at South Bank Parklands.

Lining up for a photo. I don’t feel comfortable photographing kids or pretty girls, so I just took pictures of these flowers, birds, and fish.

South Bank Parklands was transformed from the 1988 World Expo site. Unlike other city parks, it has an artificial Streets Beach with clear water, soft sand, and swaying palms — truly the best place to experience Brisbane’s subtropical vibe.

This church near Chinatown deserves a special mention — it’s a Mormon church, formally known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Some consider it a cult, and one of its most controversial beliefs is the practice of polygamy. For more info: ***%E6%91%A9%E9%96%80%E6%95%99

Chinatown.

There’s even a Tong Ren Tang (traditional Chinese medicine) shop in Chinatown.

King Palace Hotel — Chinese people love to overcharge their own countrymen!

Australian lobster — pretty big, but not much cheaper than in China.

In the afternoon, we visited Paradise Country. Here’s a promotional photo from their website. The farm has kangaroos, koalas, circus acts, and performances — it’s fantastic!

The farm’s tour bus at the entrance.

These guys are probably alpacas — they look like “Chinese mythical beasts.”

You’ll see this symbol all over Australia — on planes, by the roadside, and of course as souvenirs. The national mascot!

Caught a candid shot of a beauty posing with a kangaroo. Hope I don’t get sued for this!

Snapped another candid.

Mr. Key makes his appearance.

My “Sleeping God” — no need to sneak a photo! Even if you’re blatant, the koala won’t mind. Still, I turned off the flash so as not to disturb it. Koalas are picky — they only eat eucalyptus leaves, which are full of sedatives, so they just sleep all the time.

Whip cracking, boomerang throwing, milking, and “sheep” shows — the performers were really dedicated, with lively expressions and exaggerated commentary that made everyone laugh.

The number of spectators was beyond my expectations — and the proportion of Chinese and Asian tourists was even more surprising, probably over 90%.

The highlight: the sheep shearing contest.

Little lambs take the stage.

This device helps sheep shearers save effort when bending down. Poor little lambs — all sheared!

At the end of the show, four audience members were invited onstage — some played strongmen, some wore wool wigs, some got wool bouquets. The cowboys were hilarious, keeping the crowd engaged. Bonus: Even though the cowboys spoke English, there was a Chinese translation, so there’s no language barrier. Just shows how many Chinese tourists visit!

After leaving the farm, we headed straight for the “Gold Coast.” I’ve been to the Gold Coast in China’s Nandaihe, but this is the real deal. The Gold Coast is 78 kilometers south of Brisbane, just over an hour’s drive. The weather wasn’t great — clouds, strong winds, just sand but no sunshine, and, more importantly, no beautiful girls!

So I took some bird photos for everyone to enjoy.

Graceful curves, seductive red lips, long legs, and a captivating gaze.

Lifeguards — reminds you of that TV show “Baywatch,” which was a huge hit back in the day.

Does it bring back childhood memories?

Lonely you, standing on one leg — what are you waiting for?

Watching the clouds roll by — maybe you don’t really want to leave; maybe you want to stay.

Not quite the best figure — all the pretty girls went home to avoid the wind.

I never figured out what this guy was doing — just gazing out at the ocean so intently.

Lots of seagulls will flock around you, but if you don’t have food, they'll soon fly away. Getting just 19.9 centimeters away from them is a magic feeling.

Dusk falls. A brother and sister collecting seashells. After a rest at the hotel, our evening plans included two things: stargazing and watching glowworms. But thanks to rain and clouds, we missed the stars. I wanted to see if foreign stars were brighter than those at home — maybe next time. But I still believe the starry sky at Asihatu is the most beautiful.      “Natural Bridge Park — the world-famous home of glowworms. After an hour’s drive to Natural Bridge at the NSW border, we visited the habitat of these amazing creatures. Glowworms are found only in a few places in New Zealand and Australia. When people first discovered them, they called them one of the world’s eight wonders. These insects are similar to mosquitoes, live only 1–5 days, and both males and females have a glowing organ at the tip of their tails, emitting a bluish-white light.      From the car park at Natural Bridge, it’s a 10-minute walk to a waterfall, and the cave behind it is where the glowworms live. As night falls, the cave ceiling sparkles with beautiful lights. When visiting, be prepared: there are no houses nearby, and the roads are all through dark forest.”

My first time walking through a forest park at night — never did this in China! We came to Natural Bridge Park just to see the magical blue glowworms. According to our guide, these blue glowworms are smaller and more fragile than ordinary ones, and are sensitive to light and sound.

No flash allowed — I fiddled with the shutter, aperture, and focus, but just couldn’t get a clear shot. That mysterious blue glow is truly mesmerizing.

No tripod — those amazing blue streaks aren’t worms crawling, just my hands shaking. ----------------------------------------------------To be continued.      Day 2: Sea World Resort – Port – Lunch – Sea World – Helicopter tour.

Lonely sandbar, cold winds, and plenty of seagulls.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HOG'S BREATH CAFE

The guide’s frozen pose is enough to let you imagine just how much he longed for what was inside. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taxis on the Gold Coast.