Well our time in Brisbane was not quite what we were expecting. Early that morning as we were waiting to board our flight, I happened to notice on our Air Asia flight receipt going to Malaysia that the starting point said Gold Coast – Coolangatta Airport. I had not heard of any place called Coolangatta and knew that Brisbane was more or less considered part of the Gold Coast or at least very near it. But to be safe, I decided we’d ask someone at the help desk in Brisbane’s airport to be sure.
Me: “Sir is this the Coolangatta Airport?”
Worker: “Excuse me?!?”
“Is this airport called Coolangatta?”
(Increduously) “Ummm, no, this is not. (Chuckles) Coolangatta is some 100 km from here.”
“Okkkkk, so, do you know how me might best get there?”
“Well let me see. (Fumbles with maps for 5 minutes) There seems to be a train that goes that way but it doesn’t go all the way to the airport. You’ll probably have to take some buses or a taxi or something the rest of the way. Yeah, people make that mistake a lot, quite honestly.”
(Clearly not amused)” Awesome. Thank you sir.”
And so our time in Brisbane would be cut a day shorter and involve some extra leg work on making sure we got down to the right airport. Fortunately, the guy at reception at our Brisbane hostel was very gracious and very helpful and not only set us up with our own room when we should have had a 10 person mixed dorm but also helped me figure out the right train and bus to take to Coolangatta. I hopped online and found a suitable hostel in Coolangatta and we breathed a sigh of relief for catching the snafu when we did and moved on about our day.
Our day about the city did start precariously when Kris happened to lose one of our room keys which meant losing out on a 20 dollar refund for turning it back in. There was a lot of talking back from the ledge before we moved on from the fiasco. She might not still be quite over it (her words, not mine) but I continue to remind her of my similar follies (losing a credit card before road trip anyone?) which outnumber hers 5 to 1. We enjoyed the rest of the day walking like crazy along their fairly exceptional riverwalk and outdoor market. Before getting back to the hostel for cheap dinner and cards, we snagged a few groceries to make the next day cheaper on us. In the end we were grateful to get a chance to see more of Australia. That coupled with the city not offering a whole lot to do that didn’t cost lots of money, especially since Brisbane was not high on our priority list.
Getting to Coolangatta the next day was smooth as can be. Unfortunately we got the cloudy, windy day tucked between two warm, sunny days so the Gold Coast and beaches weren’t displaying their usual fervor. However, we got out anyways, took in the Pacific for the last time and WHALE watched!! We had heard there were chances for seeing whales at Point Danger, but were half expecting to see anything. I think I scared Kris a little when one popped up suddenly, much to my surprise. We spent the next half an hour taking pictures and videos that don’t really do it justice at all. Nevertheless, we were thrilled. Finished off the last of our Australian cash and tried to get sleep early since we were planning our second walk to an airport of the trip
Pictures: Our hostel in one of the oldest buildings in Brisbane, Brisbane along the riverwalk, the beach near Point Danger where we saw the whales, the coast in Coolangatta as the sun broke through
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