Down Under Day Eight

We began our last full day in Brisbane AUS at a much more leisurely pace than the day prior. And there was not going to be any ghosting by fictional (prove me wrong!) adventure tour companies, because we had planned our own day of adventure. To wit, a ferry ride along the Brisbane River out to a Koala Sanctuary. We were to catch the ferry at the same pontoon (aka, jetty) where we had boarded the Sunset Cruise ferry the night before, near the State Library, Cultural Center, and Modern Art Museum, at 9 AM. This gave us ample time for a leisurely breakfast at the Ovolo The Valley hotel cafe before we caught a taxi down to the pontoon.

We arrived at the pontoon well in advance of the boarding time for the Mirimar ferry that would take us up river to the Koala Sanctuary. None the less, a cue was already forming, and we got on it. We secured less than ideal indoor seats on the boat for the ride to the sanctuary, but jockeyed for much better seats on the journey back.

The ferry ride to the sanctuary was a little over an hour and we had about three hours to kill at the sanctuary before the ferry was slated to push off for the return trip to town. It was more than ample time to see everything we wanted to see (koalas, kangaroos, emus, dingos, etc.), get some lunch at the sanctuary cafe (vegan veggie wraps, fries, and dairy free ice cream bars), and purchase a couple souvenirs for the grandkids (stuffed animals...a kangaroo and a koala). We returned to the sanctuary earlier than scheduled, in order to secure better seats on the ferry back, which we did. We sat next to a chatty Melbourner who gave us some good tips for the upcoming Melbourne leg of our vacation and encouraged us to check out the Brisbane Star Tower outlook, visible from the Cultural Center pontoon as a balcony high up on one of the city's nearby skyscrapers, and accessible by way of a pedestrian footbridge from our side of the river to the other (where the Star Tower was located).

The Star Tower excursion comprised crossing the footbridge (a fair walk) and following signs to a lift (Aussie word for elevator) that ascended up to the 23rd floor of the Star Tower building. We did not have long to wait for the lift and were soon privvy to some spectacular views of Brisbane from the 23rd floor of the Star Tower. Deborah's akrophobia was somewhat triggered by the elevation, so we stepped away from the edge of the balcony and enjoyed cold drinks at one of the many establishments on this popular floor of the building before descending back down to the ground floor.

Already on the bank of the river opposite the Cultural Center Pontoon, we located a suitable place from which to call an Uber and called one to take us back to the hotel.

Unsure what to do for dinner and somewhat spent from the day's adventures, we got a simple meal of cegan pizza at an Italian restaurant neighboring the hotel.

Then we slumbered, by way of watching an episode of Prime Target, a new TV series, on Deborah's tablet.

Fin.