ABBATravel: August 2023

Brisbane - To Do

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Brisbane Holiday
09-18thAug23

Administrative spending and guideline and budgeting on what we went for:
TRANSPORTATION
With Bargain Car Rentals: Haval AUD349.75 for 10Days
*Haval is a Chinese brand specializing in SUVs. Pretty spacious.

- Keeps you in lane automatically and alerts you of traffic approaching your blind spot when changing lane.
- Has cruise function and auto safe distancing.
Sometimes the car seems to fight you when you're changing lane. Pretty much 'hands free' driving but you still need to keep your hands on the wheel.*

*Once you have collected your luggage, please call 1300 729 230 and follow the prompts for shuttle bus pick up. Please allow up to 20 minutes for shuttle to arrive.

International Arrivals: After clearing customs exit into the arrivals hall and turn left. Exit the terminal building, head down the ramp, turn left and make your way to pick up Bay 3.*

Overall experience of Car rental from Bargain was car was good. Experience, so-so but it was cheap.

- Pickup took a bit longer than 20mins.
- We had a damaged wind screen on pick-up and tried to highlight it so that it would be waved on return but they just asked us to take a photo and show date time stamp to verify it on checkout which was a little inconvenient.
- They do try to load on add-ons which would of course almost double the price.
- Pick-up and drop off were convenient but the place where they had their fleet of cars looked like the back lot of a used car sales.
- Car itself rides beautifully with cruise and lane guiding functions which worked out very well.
Can consider trying another company if not too tight on budget and wanting extra coverage.

Would still highly recommend Perth's Baywaters Car Rental for cheap good and efficient car rentals.)

ENTERTAINMENT

Total spent for entertainment for the whole trip was AUD1657.67 for family of 3A+2C
(Movie World + Sea World + Outback Spectacular + Currumbin + EKKA Entry)

For theme park attraction the best deal seemed to come via KLOOK at AUD144.50/pax instead of ordering them from Village Roadshow Theme Parks. Same deal from from Village Roadshow is AUD179 (Check around for the best multi park hopper deal)
FYI Single entry ticket for WB and SEAWORLD were AUD105 Adult /95Child each. So depends if you're hitting a lot of theme parks or only a specific one.

We went with Klook for the 3 Day Attraction Pass which provided for entry to 3 parks (Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World and Wet‘n’Wild) Any 3 days entry over 5 consecutive days from first visit. It also provided Free Virtual Queue for Warner Bros. Movie World & Sea World* + Outback dinner & Show + Currumbin + EKKA x2day visit)

Day1 09Aug Wed
First Day Arrival

View of Pacific Fair located across from our AirBnB

Car rental is from 11am and Airbnb allowed for early check-in by about 1130am. Charged at approximately 230SGD/Night. Settling in and getting house supplies from Pacific Fair located across from the AirBnB.

Dinner and live entertainment at Miami Marketta Night Market

Opens Wed, Fri Sat Only
530pm-10pm

Un-fussy indoor & outdoor night market with live music offering global street fare, cocktails & beer.

Great atmosphere, vibes and street cart food. They have a private section which is a paid entry for themed events. That night theme was "Barbie in Drag." Highly recommended if in the area on one of those nights for some live entertainment.

Paid entry area.

Loads of food options from the various food stalls. Free seating and clean toilets with a cool setup.

Live performance sets.

Day 2 10Aug Thur
Currumbin Opens Daily 9am-4pm
(2A+2C Family deal) SGD152.25 KLOOK +1 Adult Total = SGD201.50

ABBATip:
- Lorikeet Feeding 8AM/4PM No Entry Required. Gold Coin Donation for Feeding. Note these are wild Lorikeet.
- As in nature, the birds just relieve themselves as they get full. Bring another layer that you don't mind getting soiled. This really is a fun attraction that's been going on for years and you don't need entry into the park. Anyone can come by and enjoy and have a breakfast at the cafe.
- Their claws are sharp so you might want to sleeve up to reduce scratching.
Check out these various shows throughout the day.

*Little dino side attraction*

WildSkies Free Flight Birde Show
*Whats great is that the birds really swoop down in between and just over the audience heads. Real up close and personal.*

*Meet Boo Hogg who's been there for years. 5m in length and weighing about 800kg!*

*Beautiful scenic enclosures*

*Fun interactive play area for kids.*

A classic and great to return to. It was unfortunate the steam train was under maintainece but the shows were well worth to catch. The iconic Lorikeet feeding has been on going since years past and is not to be missed at the start and/or end. 8am/4pm.

Day3 11Aug Fri
Warner Brother Movie World
Daily 0930am-5pm

ABBATip:
- Download Village Roadshop App to use. It's great as it shows the wait times for rides live as well as what shows and appearances are coming up next so you never miss a beat.
- Downloading the app allows for Virtual Queues so you can cut the line for the major rides.

The place has had some upgrades with shelter over main street. It is however small in comparison even to Universal Studios Singapore.

*Not as entertaining I felt as compared to the original Police Academy Show which is probably lost with the new generation.*

*The "Pop up shows are really just pop-ups. They literally appear and disappear in 2mins and under. So be quick if you want to catch a glimpse of any of the performances.*

*Great photo op spots of your favorite DC villans. The rides honestly lack luster or any story really.*

*The WB showcase is always fun to explore to see props from the movies. This time around it was Batman*

*The very impressive and exhilarating Joker Ride.*

Probably allocate about 3/4s of a day here is sufficient. The mega rides are still lots of fun but queues really build up. The pop-up performances are gone in a blink of an eye. 1 to 2 mins tops. Rest of the kiddie rides and decoration are so-so and may have lost its initial sparkle over the years.

Dinner at Hurricane's Grill & Bar Surfers Paradise
Best Lamb and beef ribs in town.

Click here for full review of Hurricane's Grill.

Day4 12Aug Sat

EKKA Opening Day! FULL Day
Free Parking around 9am at Gilchrist Avenue

*10AUD/pax regardless of age.*

ABBATip:
- There's no parking on-site. The nearest parking would be found at Gilchrist Avenue for a short 10min walk to the show grounds. Parking for us on visit per car was AUD35 for the whole day.

*Amazing addition and absolutely mesmerizing.*

- Bring a padding for the seats or to picnic. The wooden benches are hard on the behind when watching the EKKA nights. Definately STAY of the nightly fireworks and shows.
- Rides aren't cheap and big ones can go as high as AUD30/ride. Simple playhouse at AUD10/pax regardless of age.
These big agricultural events occur all over Australia. Click here for similar event in Perth. The Perth Royal Show.

*Iconic Dagwood Dogs. AUD9/piece

*AUD12/car. A pretty good length of time before coming to a stop.*

As I understood from locals, due to land sales over the years, much of the EKKA grounds have truncated to what it used to be in its heyday. They used to have a chairlift which brought you from one end of the grounds to the other. Iconic, fun but its a thing of the past now.

*Art works by the people up for competition. This category quilts*

*Agriculture hall with good eats and top lambs from the various farms winning awards*

*Feeding baby farm animals at the petting sections. AUD3/feed cup*

Still a great annual event. Ekka has been held every year since 1876 with only three exceptions - in 1919 due to the Spanish Flu epidemic, in 1942 when the grounds were used as a World War II staging depot and in 2020 and 2021 due the the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Day5 Nostalgic Brisbane 13AugSun
Ride up and down Brisbane River on the City-cat

The zonal tickets are easy enough to purchase from any news stand. Hop aboard the CityCat for a real fast and leisurely river cruise which is part of the public transportation system.

*The cuter smaller version called the KittyCat. So cute.*

Hang about South Beach for their markets

As with most markets, the weekends are when these places come alive with craft and items for sale. Much have changed over the years where it really featured local crafts but it seems to have pivoted towards common products. Look out for the various weekend markets that go on in Brisbane. Click here for one in the heart of the city. Brisbane City Markets every Weds!

Day 6 14AugMon

Sea World

Probably due to external pressures, the animal shows have lost a lot of their entertainment value. Would really skip on the rushing from one animal show presentation to the next as most of it was unguided and UN-entertaining honestly.

*Most fun with the ray feeding. AUD9/feed/family.*

*Shoot or be shot with water!*

*Good spread of children friendly rides.*

The addition of some new rides especially the Leviathan was both an impressive welcome and overall its still a good 1/2-3/4s of a day out probably. The ray feeding was still a huge draw and highly recommended for the experience and interactions.

Day7 15AugTue
Burleigh Beach and lookout

Australian Outback Spectacular Dinner Show

AUD99.99/79.99

ABBATip:
- Arrive early the enjoy the atmosphere and live music.
- If you like a different color banned cowboy straw hat, you can try asking for a swap later on. Its not terribly important to the plot of the show.
- They serve ice cold beer or lemonade with refills. Choice of wine too, included in the price of the ticket.
Doors to the venue open at 18:15. Show starts at 19:30 and last for about 1hr45mins with no interval.

Its a pretty nice show that utilizes the space with a mix of quality projections and portions of music singing. I'd personally preferred more of the horse riding performances but it still was an enjoyable night.

Unfortunately at these dinner shows, you're really not there for the food. Mains were honestly disappointing and not worth. Just frame your mind that you're there for the show.

The only the third dinner and show I've attended to over the years.

Click here for Dinner and Show at Medieval Times in LAX ( Cheer for your knights as they battle it out.)

Click here for Dinner and Show Shinjuku Robot Show (Fun, whacky and all thing Japanese pop culture)

Day 8 16AugWed (Public Holiday)
FREE SHOPPING DAY
*Shopping at Pacific Fair. KMART, TARGET, BIG W the works.*

Free Day of shopping at Pacific Fair and dinner at Hog's Breath after (Click here for review). A dining of nostalgia, unfortunately standards have fallen from years past.

Day 9 Spring Brooke National Park 17AugThur

Below were the key points which we hit, all drivable with ease of acess with the Twin Falls being the most challenging hike/walk.

Hinze Dam

*Recycles rain water for the water feature and the toilet.*

A nice toilet stop, with a cafe and panoramic lookout. Scenic and a perfectly placed stop between Surfer's and Spring Brooke National Park.

Natural Bridge Waterfall (The Must see do when at Spring Brooke)

The Natural Bridge is a stunning waterfall that flows through a natural hole in the rock formation, down into the cave below. It’s only a short kilometer round trip to see it and can be enjoyed by the whole family (walk in a clockwise direction).

1KM and very easy to navigate. The Natural Bridge is also the largest known glow-worm habitat in SE Queenland and is also home to a colony of microbats.

Best of All Lookout
600 metres return | 10-20 minutes | Easy walk

At approximately 3300ft elevation. Unfortunately we were clouded in and couldn't see. However walking in cloud was still a fantastic experience. Parking is available a short distance from there. 600m return.

Canyon Lookout

Park and instantly be rewarded with the views of the city and the valley.

Twin Falls Circuit
About 1.6km and easy to medium difficulty.

Its about 1.6km in total if parked at Tallanbana Picnic Area. This is the shortest route to the Twin Falls.

*A fallen tree*

*Great views as we make our way down*

*Very fun easy to pass through rock structures.*

Note the pathway isn't exactly that wide. It allows for two adults to walk abreast but with active children, be mindful of the edges which do not have a barrier and mostly a steep decent on the other side. However the route is interesting, entertaining and offers a lot of variety to keep one interested and engaged.

Day10 18Aug23 FRI Flight Back

BNE-SIN