Notes from Australia – Post 3

Readers Note: My father told me a little bit of knowledge wasn’t a dangerous thing so long as I remembered it was only a little bit of knowledge.

With his words in mind, this first-time visitor to Australia offers “Notes from Australia – Post 3.” (Here are Post 1 and Post 2)

John
___________________________________

Brisbane and its surrounding areas are remarkably clean. Almost no liter on the streets or roadsides.

Yesterday I went out to a general aviation airport. I had to pass through some factory areas and even they were clean as compared to comparable areas in the States.

I’m told most other Australian cities are also clean.

There’s very little graffiti. On a per block basis, there’s not 10% of the amount you see in New York, London, Paris or Rome, for instance.

The city is quiet. There’s very little horn-honking and few police and fire sirens.

We’ve found public transport easy to use and able to take us where we want to go.

You can buy a day pass for zones so you can hope on and off transport as you wish.

That includes ferries that ply across the river at many spots and catamarans that journey up and down the river, stopping on both banks but moving quickly. The cats are heavily used by commuters.

Brisbane is “walker-friendly.’” Much of the central city and tourist areas are level. There are many parks and a fine botanical garden.

And the river walks! They’re beautiful!

There are walking paths all along the Brisbane River which winds through the city. There are many pedestrian bridges so you can walk across the river, go a ways on that side and then cross back a little further up or down the river.

But remember to keep sun-block handy and wear a broad-brimmed hat. Brisbane’s a subtropical city.

If you want to bicycle, there are shops that rent bikes.

I passed one of those bicycle shops the other day. It had a big sign outside: “We provide very professional cycle ogical services”

More soon