Sunday Summary #11

Exploring Brissy

Hello ,

Welcome to An Urban Journey’s eleventh Sunday Summary. This edition of the Sunday Summary was written in bean. coffee shop in downtown Brisbane, Australia. Here’s a quick recap of what happened last week and what’s to come:

Last Week.

Last week we picked up a rental car and meandered up the eastern coast of Australia. After wrapping up our time in Sydney with exploring Centennial Park and getting a bite to eat in Spice Alley, we took 4 days driving up to Brisbane. Driving out of the city we saw many areas affected by the fires and also our first Kangaroo! Here are a few highlights from the last week: 

• Lunch in Newcastle. Newcastle was a unique stop for us because my sister studied abroad there last year. Queens wharf was a relaxing spot and the beaches looked very relaxing despite the overcast weather. 

• Relaxing in an AirBnB with a beachfront view. In Port Macquarie we found a quiet slice of beach life were we saw an equal amount of dogs to humans. The dog beach plus the Koala sanctuary made the visit one we will remember! 

• Visiting our second Aussie state, Queensland. We arrived into Brisbane late, and the city skyline was breathtaking. Exploring Brisbane the next few days opened our eyes to a fantastic city, from the public space and city beach at South Beach to the free City Hopper ferry, we have thoroughly enjoyed Brisbane so far. 

Yesterday we released a vlog, which you can access here if you missed it:

• Our easiest border crossing yet!

This Week.

We will be seeing our family off on Tuesday and it has really been special spending the month together. We will continue to explore Brisbane and then we’re off to Melbourne, Australia for a work-cation. Here are some of the things we’re looking forward to:

• Seeing more local wildlife in Brisbane, possibly Koalas, Kangaroos, and Wallabies.

• Taking a walking tour of Brisbane to learn more about the city. 

• Settling in on our home for the month and exploring the City of Melbourne!

After seeing the fire damage in our drives north, and seeing the displaced koalas in the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital it really drives home the devastation of the fires here in Australia. One might think that the Aussie people might be down, however, we have seen nothing but positivity, kindness, and an optimistic attitude that is quite contagious. Again we’re grateful for all of the volunteer firefighters who have risked their lives, rescued people, and saved animals lives in the midst of danger. If you are interested in helping the Australian firefighters check out the RFS and a comprehensive article about the circumstances around the current fire, both politically and environmentally is here. 

Cheers mate,Jenn + Elliot