Viva Bris Vegas

ASK your regular punter fresh off the plane to Australia where they wanted to go, they’d probably give you a standard range of responses.

Sydney, Melbourne , the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru would all be there; given the vast distances most people have to travel just to get there in the first place, a nice comfortable bed would probably feature pretty highly as well.

But while the country’s two largest cities are generally pretty high up on said lists, #3 on the Australian Largest Cities countdown generally doesn’t.

Queensland’s capital Brisbane has suffered from an image problem ever since its founding as a prison for the very worst of the New South Wales convicts. This endured through the 20^th century, with the typical photo from the city in the 1950’s and 1960’s not being one of the city skyline, but rather of rows of outhouses guarding the backyards of the typical Brisbane home. Floods in 1974 killed 16 people and caused nearly $1billion worth of damage, while Queensland ’s conservative government of the time meant that many looked upon Brisbane as an overgrown, backwards country town.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that Brisbane began to be seen in a more positive light. Brisbane hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games, with Matilda the winking kangaroo providing a highlight as the city proved it could host big events. Expo Oz the platypus was the next big animal to drag Brisbane onto the world stage with Expo 88, where Brisbane “showed the world” what it was capable of. In many respects Expo 88 proved a watershed in Brisbane ’s history, marking the boundary between the city’s old, conservative self with its new, flashier model.

That’s not to say the old traditions have been forgotten. Drinking in Brisbane still revolves around some old-time favourites: the Victory has Brisbane ’s only CBD beer garden; the Caxton, the Paddington, and the Normanby are all just outside the city; while Toowong is blessed with the Regatta and the RE (Royal Exchange). All bar the RE and the Victory (rebuilding after a 2008 fire notwithstanding) have been done up in the last 10 years and offer restaurant-style eating. Tip for the unwary though: most of these pubs have dress codes later at night – don’t be surprised if you’re asked to leave just for wearing a pair of shorts.

For those that want to dance the night away, it’s away from the CBD and into “The Valley” – Fortitude Valley to be precise. Named after the ship that brought the area’s first immigrants in, The Valley is absolutely rammed with entertainment options. Try Family, the GPO, the Alhambra , and the new Cloudland for starters; once again though watch out for quirky local customs. After complaints about alcohol-fuelled violence each weekend, some nightclubs are starting to scan ID’s and take fingerprints in an attempt to keep known trouble-makers out.

Brisbane’s main sights are few and far between. In the CBD, check out the Baroque sandstone of the Treasury Casino before spending a pleasant day in the Botanic Gardens. Nature lovers have many different options: native fauna at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary including Tasmanian devils, wombats, echidnas and aforementioned koalas; while Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo is about a 90 minute drive out from the CBD. For native flora, check out the Brisbane Botanic Gardens near Mount Coot-tha before heading up the hill for that postcard view of the city itself.

To get into some old-school Queensland culture, Milton ’s a good place to head. Queenslanders take their XXXX very seriously, with the iconic brewery featuring on XXXX logo. Check out the brewery and sample some of the nectar with a tour before heading next-door to Suncorp Stadium (formerly Lang Park ). Home to the Brisbane Broncos, the Queensland Reds and Brisbane Roar, the stadium really made its name as the home ground for the Queensland State of Origin side. While tickets for State of Origin are few and far between (tip for the newbie: don’t wear blue), the Broncos, Reds and Roar play virtually all year round. There’s also a stadium tour on Wednesdays for those that can’t get to a match.

Getting around Brisbane can be harder than necessary. The city has a brand-new integrated ticketing system that means the one ticket covers buses, trains and ferries; the new Go-Cards make it even easier - and cheaper - again. Most trains only go every 30 minutes outside of peak times and don’t seem to have network maps as standard; the extensive bus system makes full use of new busways, but finding where your bus leaves from in the CBD can be tricky. On the plus side, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts and their various attractions all use the same ticketing system, so that one Go-Card can save some serious cash.

Brisbane’s major star though is the river that runs lazily through the centre; the best way to see this is to jump onboard a CityCat ferry. Fast ferries cruising from the University of Queensland, up to the CBD and Southbank Parklands (redeveloped home of Expo 88), under the Story Bridge and up past the old wool sheds of New Farm and Teneriffe to Bulimba, the CityCats mirror Brisbane itself: moving fast while staying laid-back.

It’s a tough trick to perform, but one that Brisbane does well enough to entice thousands of Australians to move there; if word gets out Australia ’s #3 city might just move up on the tourist wish-list as well.