Brisbane: Rising, Top Option for 2020??!!

[TLCOhio]

For those interested in Australia, there was mention from Travel and Leisure magazine yesterday with this headline: “50 Best Places to Travel in 2020”.  They spotlighted attention as top options for: “Brisbane”.  T+L rates these top areas as "must-visit vacation destinations, and with something to suit every interest — food, shopping, culture, history, and nature."

 

Here are some of the story highlights for Brisbane:   "Though the massive Queen’s Wharf revitalization project in the Queensland capital won’t be complete until 2022, headway is already being made in the form of three buzzy waterfront recreation areas. Family-friendly Waterline Park courts outdoor enthusiasts with a climbing wall and other sporting equipment; Mangrove Walk focuses on indigenous culture and local wildlife, with educational signposts stationed throughout the quarter-mile path; and the initial section of a rehabilitated Bicentennial Bikeway features wider lanes, better sight lines, and improved traffic flow. A hotel boom in 2018 and 2019 brought such high-profile openings as the Calile, Ovolo Inchcolm, and Fantauzzo, but a host of five-star properties slated for the Queen’s Wharf — including a Ritz-Carlton and a Rosewood — will elevate the Australian city’s cache even further."

 

Is Brisbane rising more and meriting a future visit?

 

Full story at:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/best-places-to-travel-in-2020

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

[lyndarra]

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

For those interested in Australia, there was mention from Travel and Leisure magazine yesterday with this headline: “50 Best Places to Travel in 2020”.  They spotlighted attention as top options for: “Brisbane”.  T+L rates these top areas as "must-visit vacation destinations, and with something to suit every interest — food, shopping, culture, history, and nature."

 

Here are some of the story highlights for Brisbane:   "Though the massive Queen’s Wharf revitalization project in the Queensland capital won’t be complete until 2022, headway is already being made in the form of three buzzy waterfront recreation areas. Family-friendly Waterline Park courts outdoor enthusiasts with a climbing wall and other sporting equipment; Mangrove Walk focuses on indigenous culture and local wildlife, with educational signposts stationed throughout the quarter-mile path; and the initial section of a rehabilitated Bicentennial Bikeway features wider lanes, better sight lines, and improved traffic flow. A hotel boom in 2018 and 2019 brought such high-profile openings as the Calile, Ovolo Inchcolm, and Fantauzzo, but a host of five-star properties slated for the Queen’s Wharf — including a Ritz-Carlton and a Rosewood — will elevate the Australian city’s cache even further."

 

Is Brisbane rising more and meriting a future visit?

 

Full story at:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/best-places-to-travel-in-2020

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 226,439 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

And Queensland (Brisbane) is bidding for the 2032 Olympic Games.

[lissie]

3 hours ago, lyndarra said:

And Queensland (Brisbane) is bidding for the 2032 Olympic Games.

That is the relevant thing I assume.  i always  assume those types of articles are a paid advertisement of the various tourist  boards in those countries / cities. 

 

I'll probably get shouted down by others - but if I had to choose a capital city in Australia I'd probably rate Brisbane last - even after the often maligned Canberra.  I know Brisbane pretty well, we have family there,  but its a just a stepping stone to more interesting places for me. 

[Mr&MrsCookie]

I always say Brisbane is the best place to live..but as for a tourist destination not so much.  The thing that appeals to foreign tourists probably the most is that it is one of a very few places where you can cuddle a koala.

[lissie]

11 minutes ago, Mr&MrsCookie said:

I always say Brisbane is the best place to live..but as for a tourist destination not so much.  The thing that appeals to foreign tourists probably the most is that it is one of a very few places where you can cuddle a koala.

 

That's very true. I love, and continue to love visiting Sydney - but  I lived there once briefly and it was  nightmare.   My rankings of capitals for tourists would be: 

1. Sydney 
2. Hobart 
3. Melbourne
4. Adelaide
5. Canberra 
6. Darwin
7. Perth 
8. Brisbane 

For living it would be more like 

1. Perth 
2. Canberra 
3. Adelaide
4. Brisbane 
5. Hobart
6. Darwin
7. Sydney 
8. Brisbane 

[lyndarra]

2 hours ago, lissie said:

That is the relevant thing I assume.  i always  assume those types of articles are a paid advertisement of the various tourist  boards in those countries / cities. 

 

I'll probably get shouted down by others - but if I had to choose a capital city in Australia I'd probably rate Brisbane last - even after the often maligned Canberra.  I know Brisbane pretty well, we have family there,  but its a just a stepping stone to more interesting places for me. 

tHE ONLY REASON i GO TO bRISBANE IS TO SEE FAMILY OR IF A CRUISE STOPS THERE i GO AND SEE FAMILY. dAMN CAPS LOCK😫

[MicCanberra]

Love your work Terry.

[MicCanberra]

3 hours ago, lissie said:

 

That's very true. I love, and continue to love visiting Sydney - but  I lived there once briefly and it was  nightmare.   My rankings of capitals for tourists would be: 

1. Sydney 
2. Hobart 
3. Melbourne
4. Adelaide
5. Canberra 
6. Darwin
7. Perth 
8. Brisbane 

For living it would be more like 

1. Perth 
2. Canberra 
3. Adelaide
4. Brisbane 
5. Hobart
6. Darwin
7. Sydney 
8. Brisbane 

Having visited all these places and lived in a few, My list for visiting would put swap Melbourne and Perth around and also swap Canberra and Adelaide around.

As for living, home is where the heart is and depends on many factors but Adelaide and Canberra are high on my list with Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane low.

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate these various comments and follow-ups.  From the Travel Section of the London/UK Sunday Times last week, they had this headline: “Move over Sydney, Brisbane is Australia’s city on the rise” with this subhead: "The Queensland capital is bidding for the Olympic Games — and to supplant its southern neighbour as the gateway to the country."

 

Here are some of their story highlights: “Brisbane had a rough childhood. Queensland’s still youthful capital was born in 1824 as the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement — a supermax prison for the most hardened criminals in Australia. In the Second World War, it braced itself for a Japanese invasion; and from 1968 to 1987, under the autocratic Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, vicious police repression of protest and dissent earned the place the nickname Pig City.  Now Brisbane has come of age, announcing a £5.25bn plan to oust Sydney as Australia’s gateway city and to host the 2032 Olympics. And it might just pull it off: it’s closer to the Asian airline hubs and better placed than Sydney for the Great Barrier Reef, the beaches of the Gold and Sunshine Coasts and the Red Centre.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2019-12-08/travel/brisbane-is-australi-city-move-over-sydney-dt779zd2v

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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From the London Sunday Times, here is their visual of the Story Bridge, on the Brisbane River.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

[MicCanberra]

Interesting point of view, although once the new cruise terminal is completed, it may well become the premier cruise port for Australian cruises to the South Pacific.

[lissie]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Interesting point of view, although once the new cruise terminal is completed, it may well become the premier cruise port for Australian cruises to the South Pacific.

 

In the sense they would have more cruises leaving? Can't see that a terminal makes that much difference really.  And its hard to get a better location than The Rocks in Sydney.  There just really isn't that much to see in Brisbane for the average visitor. Sydney can keep anyone occupied for a week regardless of their interests. 

[SinbadThePorter]

4 minutes ago, lissie said:

There just really isn't that much to see in Brisbane for the average visitor.

 

Certainly not in the CBD where most visitors gravitate. It's a pity most of the interesting colonial architecture in Brisbane was knocked down in the 70s and 80s.

 

I agree that Brisbane is not really a good fit for cruising tourists because of time limitations, but I think the problem for most other visitors is that they head in the wrong direction. The Bay and the hinterland is where the tourist action should be.

 

Sydney has a lot of advantages, but I'd put Moreton Island and Straddie up against most natural attractions in other cities. There's even some history to be found at St Helena Island. There are probably a dozen places between Mt Warning and the Glasshouse mountains that are a match for the Blue Mountains. You can take a cruise from the Gold Coast to Brisbane via the Broadwater. There is one of the best whale watching spots on the coast at Point Lookout.

 

It's not Sydney, but neither is any other Australian city.

[NSWP]

On 12/11/2019 at 7:43 AM, TLCOhio said:

For those interested in Australia, there was mention from Travel and Leisure magazine yesterday with this headline: “50 Best Places to Travel in 2020”.  They spotlighted attention as top options for: “Brisbane”.  T+L rates these top areas as "must-visit vacation destinations, and with something to suit every interest — food, shopping, culture, history, and nature."

 

Is Brisbane rising more and meriting a future visit?

 

Full story at:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/best-places-to-travel-in-2020

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

 

 

Much appreciated Terry, but you have to get the lingo old son...it is BRISVEGAS, Like in Viva Brisvegas. Merry Xmas to you.

Edited December 14, 2019 by NSWP

[NSWP]

On 12/11/2019 at 5:38 PM, MicCanberra said:

Having visited all these places and lived in a few, My list for visiting would put swap Melbourne and Perth around and also swap Canberra and Adelaide around.

As for living, home is where the heart is and depends on many factors but Adelaide and Canberra are high on my list with Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane low.

Thou art a loyal Canberran through and through, onya young Mic.   I used to hate going into the national capital, but I don't mind it these days, plenty of facilities.  Now would I live there? Don't think so.  Adelaide would be my pick of the capitals.

Edited December 14, 2019 by NSWP

[lissie]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Thou art a loyal Canberran through and through, onya young Mic.   I used to hate going into the national capital, but I don't mind it these days, plenty of facilities.  Now would I live there? Don't think so.  Adelaide would be my pick of the capitals.

I lived in Canberra in the 1980s  after living in Broken Hill and Bougrainville. Seemed like a big city to me at the time - and it was so much quicker getting to Sydney for a weekend - compared to driving to Adelaide or Melbourne from Broken Hill! 

[MicCanberra]

On 12/13/2019 at 9:19 AM, lissie said:

 

In the sense they would have more cruises leaving? Can't see that a terminal makes that much difference really.  And its hard to get a better location than The Rocks in Sydney.  There just really isn't that much to see in Brisbane for the average visitor. Sydney can keep anyone occupied for a week regardless of their interests. 

The reason I meant it would be the premier location for cruises to the South Pacific is that they can do 7 day cruises  with 3 ports from there while Sydney needs 10 days to do the same itinerary.

[lissie]

4 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

The reason I meant it would be the premier location for cruises to the South Pacific is that they can do 7 day cruises  with 3 ports from there while Sydney needs 10 days to do the same itinerary.

Interesting Auckland has quite a few cruises with 4 stops. But I would cruise out of Brisbane in preference because the sea is likely to be smoother (I get seasick on  a river) 

[TLCOhio]

2 hours ago, lissie said:

Interesting Auckland has quite a few cruises with 4 stops. But I would cruise out of Brisbane in preference because the sea is likely to be smoother (I get seasick on  a river) 

 

Appreciate these various comments, background items and follow-ups.  Our experiences in Brisbane in 2014 were limited to just two times, both for passing through their international airport.  Unfortunately, that airport was not as ideally "user-friendly" as  we would have desired.  Clearly, Brisbane is on the "rise", but how it would work for us from a tourism spot remains up in the air and unclear.  Lots of places in the world still on our future to-do list.  

 

From the Wanderlust travel magazine, they had this headline: “How to spend 24 hours in Brisbane” with this subhead: "A thriving art scene, sunshine-filled days and more affordable than Australia’s southern states, add Brisbane to your Down Under must-visit list."

 

Here are some more of their reporting highlights: “The capital city of Queensland, Brisbane once sat quietly in the shadow of its southern neighbours, Sydney and Melbourne. However in recent years, ‘Brissie’ – as locals call it – has entered the spotlight.  A boom in contemporary art galleries, alfresco dining and 24-hour nightlife has transformed the capital, earning it the title of ‘Australia’s Hippest City’ by one guide book. It’s also home to Brisbane Festival, one of the country’s leading international arts festivals, which attracts around one million visitors annually.  The main sights gravitate around the edges of Brisbane River, which divides the central business district from the arts and entertainment precinct of South Bank.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/24-hours-in-brisbane/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

I think Brisbane is a nice enough place to visit, but not for any length of time, it is usually just a gateway to the beach areas north (Sunshine Coast) and south (Gold Coast) and also making it easier to get to the Far north as well.