Three days in Brisbane: Dreamworld, Surfers Paradise and South Bank

Prior to our recent trip to Brisbane, we'd been there only once before, during which time we'd been busy helping with the preparations for a wedding, so we didn't have any chance to go around Brisbane or to the Gold Coast. My father-in-law and his wife felt bad for that fact, but they more than made up for it this trip, bringing us to Dreamworld, Surfers Paradise and the CBD area, in addition to some of their favourite eats. Though our Brisbane schedule was not as hectic Sydney, it was quite impressive work for only three days. We are grateful to my FIL and his family for making this trip to Brisbane quite memorable and fun.

Dreamworld

This is Dreamworld Australia's largest theme park with many thrilling rides, but our toddler's favourite is the Wiggles World. The Wiggles is quite possibly our son's favourite Aussie band (Hi-5 is a close rival) and he was excited to see all the familiar characters and props in real life. The rest of us adults enjoyed the rides much more.

At the Wiggles World in Dreamworld:

With Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur, and a fairy:

At the Wiggles Show, which the boy enjoyed a lot, despite the fact that it was merely a performance by dancers in costumes to pre-recorded dialogues and songs. I was too distracted by the fact that three of the performers in the Wiggles costumes were actually females, given away by how they danced. The costume paddings also weren't enough to hide that fact:

Surfers Paradise

Queensland is blessed with such gorgeous weather during winter. Beautiful blue skies and sunny days, there were many who thought it was warm enough to don a bikini and head to the beach at Surfers Paradise (I, on the other hand, was quite happy in my turtleneck top and jeans).

The overhead sign for the main entrance to the beach, which was closed off:

Crossing the Esplanade:

Performers strolling by on stilts in cool costumes:

The boy having loads of fun with Granddad:

Brisbane CBD and South Bank

The CBD of Brisbane is pretty small, and reminded us of Perth's own CBD. The South Bank is a beautiful cultural and recreational area just across the river from the CBD. There's a free man-made swimming area, a playground, a museum, the Queensland Cultural Centre and lots of restaurants and cafés. Oh, and there's also a ferris wheel for those who would like to enjoy a leisurely ride.

Brisbane City Hall, considered one of Brisbane's finest buildings:

About to cross Victoria Bridge to the South Bank from the CBD for dinner:

View of the South Bank from the bridge at twilight:

View of the Brisbane CBD skyline at twilight from the South Bank:

A second view of the South Bank from Victoria Bridge, this time at dusk. My father-in-law was wondering why I took two shots of the same view. I just like the different lighting:

Brisbane is lovely, and I imagine it's a nice place to live. The food was yummy too, and stay tuned for more on what we ate in Brisbane!