We said a reluctant farewell this morning to the beauty that is Hamilton Island. Connor said it best when he strode on our porch (with the lorikeets and cockatoos squawking and swooping nearby) overlooking the gorgeous, sunny bay and the lush mountains and said “Goodbye, Jurassic Park!” Our wonderful rental company once again took great care of us, showing up at checkout to get our luggage (which they brought via van to the airport) while we golf carted to the airport and left the cart for them to return. The line for bag drop/check in was nuts, as this is a tiny airport with only two checkin spots (and one security line) and there were two departing flights leaving within a few minutes of each other. We made it through in time and were off to Brisbane by early afternoon.

The flight to Brisbane was a relatively short and easy 1.5 hours. We got our rental car, and Rob expertly guided us through the city traffic (which seems surprisingly light for such a big city) in our car. All that practice driving on the “other side” has come in handy!! We found our awesome air bnb with no problem, and this time we are on the 24th floor of a Brisbane high rise building with a marvelous view of the river, a rooftop pool, and great walkability to tons of shops and restaurants around the Brisbane Central Business District (CBD) and West End. Our view could not be more different than our Hamilton Island view, but so far I really love the whole vibe of Brisbane.

We took a walk around our area, had dinner in a revolving sushi bar, and Jenna and Connor headed home to chill and take sunset photos from our place, while Rob and I checked out the arts district and then found (surprise) a brewery and tried some nice local beers.

As much as we loved HI, we are thrilled to be here in Brisbane (especially with J and C!) and looking forward to more adventures tomorrow as we head out to Tamborine Mountain! Thanks for adventuring with us!