I've been wanting to update this blog all weekend long, but it's been too hot to do ANYTHING here! Remember what I said earlier about the drought? Well, apparently the weather has begun to revert to the usual summer weather that the Aussies are used to. The high on Saturday was 97, and it was hot. The heat here is the same as it is in Virginia, but when you take a step into the sun it hits you like a sack of bricks! I'm amazed that I haven't gotten burned yet, perhaps it's because I've gotten really good at slathering on sunscreen every morning before I do anything. I had a little chat with an Aussie yesterday, and he told me that you can always tell the Queenslanders from the visitors because the Queenslanders all have hatch marks all over their chests and backs - from where the cancer has been cut out! Yikes.
Anyway, this weekend I moved in to my new room at John's apartment. He still seems really nice, so hopefully we can coexist peacefully. He is dating a girl who is doing her PhD in nutrition, so she's also on my campus. She seems really nice too. The two of them made me dinner tonight! The apartment is set up like a townhouse - two bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, and a living area/kitchen (and 1/2 bath) downstairs. It faces the city, so I have a pretty good view from the porch (see video!). I have to walk about 10 minutes to get to the Woolloongabba Bus Station, where I can catch a bus to anywhere. It will probably take me about 45 minutes to get to Herston from here, but I'll find out for sure when I try it tomorrow for the first time!
The map above shows my new home, Brisbane! My apartment is located right across from the Botanic Gardens in Kangaroo Point. The area just south of KP is called Woolloongabba - and it's where 'The Gabba' is located. This is the Brisbane Cricket Stadium, I can see the lights from my bedroom window! I'll have to hop a bus to South Bank in order to get to my campus in Herston, which is just to the left of the Royal Children's Hospital (in pink).
The CBD (Central Business District, or downtown area) is nice and compact, but still feels like a big city. Everything here feels like it was constructed with a purpose, which I love. I think it's a well-planned city. All of the streets here are named after members of the royal family. Streets that run east-west are females starting with Alice, then Margaret, Mary, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Queen, Adelaide, and Ann. Streets that run north-south are male: William, George, Albert, and Edward. Queen Street is smack in the middle of the city and is pedestrian-only for two long blocks. This is where the major retail stores are - there are two HUGE indoor malls and any shop that you need you'd be able to find here. Queen Street Mall is also the location of several restaurants (including Wagamama!) and pubs.
Across from the CBD to the west is South Bank, the area that I've talked about before. This place is so nice! I love going over and walking along the waterfront. The South Bank Parklands (in green on the map) are a lovely stretch of shaded walking paths (including the arboretum with the pink flowers). There are also several great restaurants here, and a large open air market is held here on the weekends. The river path curves around to Kangaroo Point, where it takes you past the cliffs here. The apartment building that I live in sits right at the top of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, which are about 65 feet tall and drop straight down. This is a popular spot for rock climbing and abseiling, and I'm hoping to meet up with the rock climbing club from UQ next week and do some climbing here. The cliffs are lit up at night, which looks really neat.
I have been really impressed with the transport in Brisbane so far. I guess coming from Charlottesville, anything will impress me! The buses are all very timely, and they're pretty new vehicles as well. The larger bus stations here all have electronic boards that tell you what buses are coming next and when they'll arrive. The Victoria Bridge runs directly from South Bank into the CBD, and some of the buses head to the Queen Street Mall Station from here. This station is huge, and is directly under the pedestrian mall. You can pop in to the department stores on either side and go down two stories to catch a bus underground. It's incredibly efficient!
Anyway, my first day of classes is tomorrow - I have Intro to Epidemiology. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes!
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