We drove to Brisbane via the coast as we wanted to see some more resort towns on the Sunshine Coast apart from just Noosa. The first few beaches and towns were very sweet and resembled Noosa itself but very soon the prettiness was replaced by high-rise buildings and the towns lost their subtle charm, of which fortunately Brisbane had plenty. We walked around the centre of this lively city then crossed the bridge to the South Bank, which was beautifully developed - there was a lagoon with its own beach, lovely board walks, a big wheel, a Nepalese temple and of course countless restaurants and cafes. On our way back we stumbled across an open air cinema which showed an Italian film, which was an unexpected but very nice finish to our evening.

Next day we decided to take a city bus tour as we wanted to see the main sights as quickly as possible. It was also a relief to hide in the air conditioned bus from the blazing heat. We saw all the highlights of Brisbane of which Mount Coot-tha with its beautiful views of Brisbane was the most impressive. We finished our evening with a vile Turkish meal in the South Bank.