Australia Guide
Coastal Queensland
Brisbane
By far the largest city in Queensland, BRISBANE is not quite what you'd expect from a state capital with over one and a half million residents. Although there is urban sprawl, high-rise buildings, slow-moving traffic, crowded streets and the other trappings of a business and trade centre, there's little of the pushiness that usually accompanies them. To urbanites used to a more aggressive approach, the atmosphere is slow, even backward (a reputation the city would be pleased to lose), but to others the languid pace is a welcome change and reflects relaxed rather than regressive attitudes.
Brisbane is an attractive enough place, with the typical features of any Australian city of a comparable age and size – a historic precinct, museums and botanic gardens – though there are neither outstanding sights nor funky beach settlements. It's a fairly easy place to find casual, short-term employment however, and there's a healthy, unpredictable social scene, tempting many travellers to spend longer here than they had planned. As for exploring further afield, you'll find empty beaches and surf on North Stradbroke Island and dolphins around Moreton Island – both easy to reach from the city.
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