After a yucky night in Surfer’s Paradise, I am so pleased to arrive in Brisbane. I check into the Brisbane YHA hostel, which is more like a hotel, and realize there is a free walking tour happening the next morning. Sold! I love free walking tours (as evidenced in Melbourne and Sydney).

Warning: this post is longer than usual because this is SUCH an epic day. Our three-hour tour turns into nine (!) because several of us hit it off and spend all day wandering Brisbane. It’s easily one of my favorite days on my trip up the east coast of Oz.

Tour guide Chloe gathers us in the hostel lobby. We find out later it’s Chloe’s first time running the walking tour, but you’d never guess it. She’s a natural.

Our first stop is at the weekly farmer’s market where we’re given about 30 minutes to wander around and have breakfast if we so choose. I’ve already eaten so I skip ahead to spend more time in the next spot — the gardens in front of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Wheel of Brisbane.

There are two upcoming shows: Venus in Fur and Blood Brothers. I approve of this theatrical programming.

(Theater nerd alert: it’s weird to NOT see Tony winner Nina Arianda’s face on the Venus in Fur poster… even though it’s currently making the regional theater rounds in the U.S. starring plenty of other talented actresses, she is so singularly associated with this show.)

I stumble upon a SNOWBALL challenge! Even though it’s technically winter in the Southern Hemisphere, Brisbane is fairly tropical year-round, so this is a fun activity.

Innocent bystanders can peek in on the snowball action through plastic portals… but watch out, lest you be pummeled by a ball of ice slamming against said portal! These youngsters have quite the arm power.

And this is the Wheel of Brisbane. I walk around the base, photographing it from various angles.

This is where I meet back up with the walking tour as we press onward down the riverside path.

There’s a Nepalese temple beside the wheel. While it’s pretty during the daytime, it’s even more luminous at night — as evidenced by photographs near the end of this post.

I love the details on this temple.

Our next stop is the Brisbane Lagoon. I’ve already planned to spend an entire half-day here, so this is just a preview (more coming tomorrow).

Right after I snap this photo, the little boy on the left below proclaims, “This is the best day EVER!!” with the enthusiasm of someone who’s just won the lotto. Then he jumps into the lagoon. He is my spirit animal of the day! I feel the same way by nightfall.

This kid spies my camera and poses with a thumbs-up. The kids here rock.

Gorgeous, right? This lagoon is free to visit, swim, and lounge.

This piece of art on the walking path catches my eye.

Our group hops on a free ferry that moves us further up the river. Around this time I get to know two other girls on the tour — Amy from the U.K. and Fiona from Canada. We hit it off immediately and chat the rest of the tour. Amy just received her Ph.D. in chemistry; she previously WWOOFed around Australia as a horseback guide and wine chemist. She also volunteered at gymnastics events during the recent London Olympics; she shows us her behind-the-scenes photos and they are so cool! Fiona recently graduated from uni in Toronto with a degree in science and a minor in film studies. What a neat combination of study. I feel lucky to meet such cool women.

I take the next few photos from a bridge spanning the Brisbane River.

Amy kindly allows me to photograph the city skyline reflection in her sunglasses.

The walking tour officially ends in Chinatown, but Amy, Fiona, and I convince our guide Chloe to join us for lunch. Another girl from the tour comes too.

Fiona finds a well-reviewed cafe called Bleeding Hearts so we head there for coffee and sandwiches.

I snap this photo for Instagram (username = AsHerWorldTurns).

Amy has a special travel companion named Duckie who accompanies her everywhere; she has photos of him all over Australia and beyond. It so happens that when you order at this cafe, they give you an animal figurine so the waiter knows where to deliver your food. Amy immediately envisions a photo shoot with these figurines surrounding Duckie.

Next we borrow ALL of the animals from the cafe counter. It’s a bonafide menagerie! Can you tell we’re having fun?

Here’s our group — tour guide Chloe (whom we’ve essentially kidnapped at this point) is on the far right. Next to her is Amy, and then Fiona. The girl on the far left hung out with us all day but was rather quiet and I (embarrassingly) can’t recall her name.

We walk back downtown and pass by this hair salon. I immediately recognize the musical theater lyrics adorning the entrance…

This is Queen Street Mall, several blocks lined with shops and restaurants.

We cut through one of the high-end stores and I snap photos of these pretty flats and family of stuffed camels (two photos down).

We find these kangaroo statues and embark on our second animal-themed photo shoot of the day.

Chloe is a very agreeable kidnapping victim.

By the way, Chloe is living and working in Australia for a year. She has a part-time job a Kathmandu, an outdoor adventure supply chain. She plans to continue traveling in New Zealand and Canada after her Aussie visa expires. I admire her passion for travel.

I think Duckie is a little intimidated by this steel ‘roo.

The farmer’s market that we first passed through this morning is still kicking. We all pick up flatbread pizza for dinner.

Chloe convinces us to visit Max Brenner for hot chocolate (we don’t need much arm twisting). It’s located near the Brisbane lagoon so we head back in that direction.

I love this public art display of a man riding a bicycle overhead.

After waiting in line for a good 30 minutes, it’s our turn to order. I’m the only one who ops out of hot chocolate in favor of a chocolate peanut butter iced beverage. I can’t resist the choco-PB combination.

Our group orders two milk hot chocolates and two dark hot chocolates. They look heavenly. I make a contingency plan to return the next day to get in on the Max Brenner hot chocolate action.

Here we are!

We have one last activity for the day: a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane. Fiona won free passes at a bar trivia contest the night before and generously offers to share them with all of us. Sweet!

The empty lagoon is a little creepy at night.

The Brisbane skyline is lit up colorfully as we walk back to the wheel.

Here’s a shot of the Nepalese temple we visited earlier. I love how it glows at night.

The Wheel of Brisbane, in all its glory:

Duckie proudly shows off his entrance ticket.

We hop on and get several spins around the wheel.

Afterwards we head back to the hostel. I think the tour started around 10am and it’s now nearly 8pm?

There’s a drum set just under this bridge. Random.

Chloe spies this motorcycle sitting right next to a “no motorcycle parking” sign. Hilarious.

The hotel signage below left catches my attention. Below right is the Brisbane YHA where I am so grateful to have stayed for two nights.

One last shot of our group. I would have liked to travel with them longer! Such great gals.

Brisbane, thanks for being so awesome. I’ll forever think fondly of this city, in no small part due to the new friends I’ve met here.

I still have one more day to relax here — I’ll be back tomorrow with odds & ends from Brissie (as the locals call it).