Brisbane Guide For Backpackers 2007 edition (Abridged)

Introduction

The worst thing about travelling to foreign countries is travelling on a budget if you don’t know the areas you are visiting. Take it from someone who has been there, done that, I have visited many countries and hundreds of cities. Most travellers tend to buy one or two guides for entire countries or regions. Even the best known travel guides of this type cannot always represent specific cities in-depth. Some will do enough to keep you busy but for the rest of you here is the gap filler for Brisbane.

This comes down to a few factors. The main problem these travel guides have is dealing with time. As you would know from your own home town the best places to visit, eat, drink and sightsee will change every six months or so. Of course some of the main attractions never change- the Great Pyramids near Cairo; Stonehenge near Salisbury or the Great Wall of China. They have not changed for centuries yet access to them does and these small details, if overlooked, may make or break your experience on holidays.

This short guide to the city of Brisbane (dubbed Bris-Vegas by locals) was inspired by my love for this city and the realization that the travel guides most travellers carry are out-dated or overlook some real treasures that we locals take for granted. By all means don’t discount the strength of your travel guide books but this will be a more detailed guide for one specific region. If you have the time we have the sights and experiences and we want to share it!

How much time do you intend to spend in Brisbane and the South East Queensland region?

To get the most of your visit you will need to determine how long you intend to stay in the area. You have probably already made an itinerary and know when you will be leaving. Some of you will be travelling without a set plan. You may have only a day or night in Brisbane or you may be staying a month. Once you have decided this guide will give you a suggested time frame for most adventures to help you plan your visit. Hopefully some insight from a collaboration of locals will help with saving money and time alike.

Bear in mind that South East Queensland has many attractions for tourists. For most visitors to Australia the main attraction is our beaches and our rainforests. Brisbane is not known for its beaches but the surrounding areas most certainly are! This makes Brisbane a great base for day trips or as a chance to relax before hitting the road to your next destination.

As it is also the capital city of the state of Queensland it is the most likely place for you to find consulates, major foreign banks/travel agencies/airline offices, discount shopping for souvenirs (don’t forget your Duty Free goodies) are world heritage listed natural wonders that all visitors to Queensland should see. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and is also Heritage listed, it is the ideal destination for a camping trip and to enjoy some of the best beaches in the world.

Daylight Savings Time

In all (but one) states of Australia some allowance in made for the extra sunlight in Summer time. This enables you to get more sunlight at the end of the day as opposed to at 4am when only senior citizens and milkmen are awake. The state of Queensland currently is the ‘but one’ state. The advantage is that backpackers and revellers alike can return to their bed in daylight after a night on the town limiting the ability to sleep (unless you have good thick curtains).

Why is Queensland the only state that does not have daylight savings time? The answer is simple and confusing all at once. In 1988 the reigning Premier of our state was deposed from power. He reigned supreme for 19 years by installing a "gerrymander" voting system. This system ensured that the electoral boundaries gave the rural areas with small populations one seat each (amounting to the dominating percentage of seats) whereas populated areas such as Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton etc were allocated only a handful of seats. The political party with the most seats ruled and as the said former Premier was from a rural area he didn’t have to listen to the majority, only the rural minority. The gerrymander system was finally aborted in 1989. In the Referendum prior to this the rural minority voted NO and all governments since have failed to listen to the people on this matter. When polls were set-up to ask people why they had voted NO the answers received were extremely logical and worth considering-

"The cows will not come in to milk"

"It will fade our curtains more"

"Nobody wants to eat dinner when the sun is still shining"

It pains me to point out that the above are facts and not just jovial banter.

Another referendum has been tabled for "in the future" but no-one is holding their breath.

Confused yet? So was democracy. All in all Queensland is one hour ahead of other eastern states so if it is 9am in Brisbane it will be 10am in Sydney and Melbourne. This makes it possible for an actual 3 hour flight to Melbourne to last only 2 hours on your watch/clock.

Café’s, Restaurants & B.Y.O.- The distinction

In Australia in the past ten years there has been a large influx in personal wealth and with it inevitably comes a strong competition for your "Entertainment Dollar." Ten years ago the common experience of eating out in Australia would usually comprise of one of the following- fish and chips or hamburgers, a trip to a Chinese/Italian restaurant, Barbecue with family and friends, home delivered pizza or the world-wide Fast food establishments.

Now eating out is commonplace for most people at least once a week and perhaps daily for younger people- this should be a reflection of the wide range of foods available. To make your choices easier the idea of a Café in Australia is a place where you can either have a quiet coffee, cake or a good light meal without sacrificing your week’s budget.

A Restaurant is more likely to offer a meal prepared by sought after chefs and will most likely cost more than a café meal. Restaurants are more likely to require a booking but there are bound to be seats available for you if you arrive early with the exception of Friday and Saturday evenings. It is extremely rare to find restaurants that have a dress code and the general standard is "smart casual" which generally means clean and neat will get you in.

Of course fast food is the same the world over in many respects and you will find that many well know fast food chains are following the lead of Europe by offering low-fat healthy alternatives.

Some of the more common times people meet for meals are Sunday mornings for Breakfast or lunch, Friday and Saturday evenings. Afternoon and morning tea is also quite a popular meeting time on weekdays between 9-11am and 2-3pm with parents of school age children.

B.Y.O. is a term you will encounter and is the short way of writing "Bring Your Own." This most certainly does not refer to food but does to alcohol. Many cafes and some restaurants may not have a licence to sell you alcohol but may have a B.Y.O. licence which entitles you to take your own wine, beer or pre-mixed spirits (single serve cans/bottles only- you cannot bring a bottle of spirits and a bottle of cola). These B.Y.O. restaurants and cafes may charge a small fee for this right which is called "corkage." Many people take advantage of this type of dining experience and it is a great way to save money. For example at a licensed restaurant you may pay $40 for a bottle of wine but if you buy the same bottle at a "bottle shop" you may only pay $16 plus a few dollars corkage.

Popular Alcohol Varieties in Queensland

In Queensland the local beer brand is considered to be XXXX though many smaller breweries and in-pub micro-breweries offer prize winning specialist beers. Oxford 152 located in Bulimba has a wide range of such beers as does St Arnou located in the City and many others- see Pub & Club Guide. Common local spirits are Bundaberg Rum (dark rum with a very distinctive flavour distilled in Central QLD), Beenleigh Rum (White rum distilled 30km south of Brisbane just off the M1 Highway to the Gold Coast). Beer is the most favoured drink in Australia introduced by the European settlers and favoured in modern times for the fact that is a cold refreshing drink in our tropical heat. Beer comes in various strengths and can be distinguished easily- Full Strength-around 5%; Mid Strength around 3.5% and Light around 2.8%. The blood alcohol limit for drivers in QLD is .05 or 5% of alcohol blood content. Guidelines for how many drinks that may mean are available by law at all establishments but if you intend to drink and then drive be aware that in Queensland police have the right to stop you at any time and require you to test for alcohol by blowing into a machine. Driving under the influence of alcohol is the cause of many road fatalities across Australia and police do exert the right to stop drivers regularly. There are several "booze buses" specially designed for stopping large numbers of drivers at a time in Brisbane alone. (So if you hear the term "booze bus" do not expect a pub tour from it!) These can be located anywhere at anytime and avoiding main roads does not exempt you from their attention. Penalties can be very high and prison sentences are not uncommon for serious infractions. It is highly recommended NOT to drink and drive.

Wine is increasing in popularity immensely as wineries and vineyards develop their product to a world wide standard. There are several small wineries around Brisbane and day tours are available. Australian wines are known for being inexpensive but high in quality. There are many varieties available but the most popular red wine is currently Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc and the most popular white is Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. If there are a few people and you are not driving it is usually cheaper to buy a bottle. Most wines have approximately 6-8 standard units of alcohol per 750mL bottle.

It is currently illegal to drink alcohol in public places in QLD. Being drunk in public could get you arrested but it is more likely if you are carrying an open bottle of alcohol at the time. Many people still have a few beers or a bottle of wine at a picnic lunch and it would be very unusual to be stopped by police unless you are being a public nuisance. Don’t flaunt your alcohol to passers-by and dispose of empty bottles considerately. Drinking alcohol whilst walking through public streets is also ill-advised and doing so in the CBD would almost certainly attract police.

Certain areas around Queensland are designated "Alcohol Free Zones" and any amount of alcohol will find you on the wrong side of the law without any doubt. There are only a few such areas and they are located in predominantly remote rural communities where alcohol consumption has caused serious social problems. For more information contact the local Police Department before travelling to remote areas.

Bottle Shops & Liquor Barns

There are subtle distinctions between the many places that serve or sell alcohol in Australia. Knowing these differences and the laws surrounding them can be very handy for the foreign traveller!

A bottle shop or liquor barn is the Australian term for a shop that sells alcohol for consumption off the premises. They are known in Britain as an off-licence. Prices do tend to vary and in some instances quite dramatically. There are always special deals at most places and the most common items to be discounted are the biggest sellers and their immediate competitors.

Bars, Clubs & Pokies

The main differences between Bars and Clubs are rather straight forward. Bars have normal opening hours of 10am-10pm though many bars extended licences which keep them open as late as 2-3am some nights. Though it is becoming increasingly rare you can still find some bars with pool tables. The most disappointing side to bars is the dreaded Poker Machine. ‘Pokies’ as they are know account for a large percentage of income for nearly every bar in Queensland. The Queensland Government has pro-actively increased gaming machine licences over the past 5 years to boost their own revenue. If everyone is making so much money it is obvious where that money comes from- you the punter. Supposedly Poker machines are set to pay out 70% of incoming money but beware that you don’t spend a fortune chasing the win as it seems the only real winners are the owners and the government!

The same as most places around the world a Club (or nightclub) can be distinguished by it’s devotion to late opening hours, live bands or DJ’s and of course dancing! Most of these clubs are found in the city (CBD) or the Valley (Fortitude Valley). There are only a few worthy clubs found in the suburbs but still a lot of great bars.

The Australian exception to the world wide definition of "club" is the Sporting Club or RSL Club. All major sporting teams have club houses that usually have a restaurant, bar and pokie room. Surprisingly some of the smaller sporting teams have large clubhouses worthy of a visit. The RSL (Returned Services League of Australia) has clubhouses throughout Brisbane that are essentially identical to the sporting clubs. Australians are very proud of their armed forces history and the retired servicemen and women are always highly regarded. A minutes silence for the war dead is observed in all RSL clubs across the country every day at 11am. If you do not keep silent you will be evicted immediately and at least abused so as long as you show respect you’re safe. Despite the multi cultural aspect of our nation the RSL clubs tend to have a strong presence of World War 2 veterans many of whom fought against the Japanese forces in the Pacific. Many captured Australian forces were treated harshly in POW (Prisoner of War) camps and most veterans still hold contempt for anyone of Japanese origin. Therefore it is recommended that Japanese tourists do not visit RSL clubs.

Smoking Laws* MAKE SURE TO READ THE BOLD ITALIC PRINT BELOW!*

In the last year Queensland introduced a wide expanse of Anti-Smoking Laws. These laws are aimed at reducing the amount of people who fund the government by way of the massive tax excise on tobacco products. How is it possible for a government to willingly and actively try to cut its income you ask? Its simple- they increase the gaming machine licences in a ratio to the decrease in tobacco sales! If you are a smoker the chances are that by the end of your stay in Queensland (and some other states as well) you will have been made to fell like a criminal in the order of Charles Manson by a non-smoker. The chances of you actually incurring a fine under these laws are so remote it hardly warrants a mention. However….

It is illegal to smoke within 4 metres of any entrance to any public building.

It is illegal to smoke within 4 metres of any government building or property.

It is illegal to smoke in any location serving food. (You may find some pubs/clubs have food for sale but currently a space of a metre or so between those areas and smoking areas seems to suffice. Despite the laws many cafes offer ashtrays to patrons who wish to smoke especially if they have an open air environment. How quaint)

Two-thirds of all poker machines must be designated No-Smoking. (Again you will undoubtedly find at most venues that these machines are located in a pro-smoking hub. How quaint)

By July 1st 2006 there will be a strict No-Smoking policy in all public venues including pubs and clubs. Until then it will be unclear how venue managers will flaunt their lack of concern for these new laws so as not to annoy their smoking patrons. We’ll keep you posted!

*The new anti-smoking laws are now in place throughout Queensland and it is illegal to smoke in any establishment that serves food or alcohol inside or out unless they have a designated outdoor smoking area and a smoking management plan in place. As at October 2006 many pubs or clubs still designate outdoors areas for smokers. Many others will allow you to smoke outside and re-enter though you need to ask establishment staff at each venue before ‘lighting up.’ Bear in mind it is still illegal to smoke in some public places so be respectful of other people even if you do find a so called ‘smoking area’- If you annoy a non-smoker they may get you fined!*

More info at http://www.health.qld.gov.au/atods/tobaccolaws/default.asp

Reading Maps and How to Say Place Names

It is often perceived that travellers who don’t appear to know where they are going are susceptible to expensive long journeys and unhelpful transport staff. In your travels around Australia it is unlikely that you will encounter this. You will be able to feel more at ease by having confidence in yourself.

Australia is a very multi-cultural nation. We take pride in our history and embrace other cultures with open arms. On your travels you will no doubt meet Australians from many ethnic backgrounds who speak many languages and with various accents. Many places are named after explorers and famous locals. It also common to find places named after parts of the world that modern Australians originated from. For example you can find Texas (U.S.A. and New South Wales), Perth (Scotland and Western Australian Capital) to name only a couple.

Many Australian place names derive from Aboriginal languages. There are about 2000 known Aboriginal Dialects but unfortunately many of them have disappeared into history over the past 200 years. Most of the names you will encounter may appear unusual in writing and you may second guess yourself when pronouncing them but if you read out the names phonetically you will get by just fine.

For example some famous places in Australia- Albury-Wodonga (pronounced all-beh-ree-wo-don-ga); Uhluru (oo-la-roo). Some suburbs of Brisbane- Bulimba (buh-lim-ba); Tugulawa (tuh-goo-la-wa). So you can see if you need to order a taxi or know where to get off a bus it doesn’t have to be daunting at all- you can talk with confidence!

Budget Travelling Options

One rule that you should definitely adhere to is NEVER HITCH-HIKE! Hitch-hiking may seem like a cheaper travelling option but rest assured that the world over it is simply not safe. Risking your life to save a few dollars is a bad judgement when you weigh it up. Use the public transport or budget car hire companies available and always travel safe. Anyone thinking of hitch-hiking should see the film Wolf Creek or read up on the Belangalo Forest Backpacker Murders or the Peter Falconio Disappearance case currently in court in the Northern Territory. After studying these 3 items should anyone still decide to hitch hike they should immediately visit the Psychiatric ward of any major hospital (stylish neo-white cotton jacket with enhancing straps provided- check your travel insurance for coverage details).

Wicked hire out vans you can pick up and drop off in most large cities around Australia for around $50 a day. Greyhound offer bus passes you can buy by the kilometre and operate Australia wide. Virgin Blue is the premiere budget domestic flight service with online specials offered to varying destinations every Wednesday between 1pm and 2pm. Prices start as low as $10 for one way tickets between major cities but make sure you look at the taxes and excess fees which can be around $30. Many Australians are making use of these cheap airfares and you need to be fast to snap up the cheapest tickets. Normally you can buy an airline ticket from Brisbane to Sydney through Virgin Blue on their website anytime for around $100 if you are willing to depart very early or mid afternoon. Booking a few weeks or more in advance usually ensures these cheaper tickets with the exception of holiday periods and peak times. If you do take this option bear in mind that public transport to the Brisbane Airport Domestic Terminal operates from around 5am and a taxi from the CBD will be around $40.

You are a champion, You are unique and among the few, Visitor Number

_