South Bank Beach

I like this beach on account of the lack of Potential Death you’d get at a normal beach. No fear of sharks or jellyfish, all you have to worry about are the hoards of small children but they’re easily dealt with with sticks.
If we had a man made beach just outside of any major UK city it’d be riddled with hypodermics, dog shit and dead, frozen homeless people within weeks.

Anyway, Emma’s in Perth visiting family at the moment and I’m waiting for Natwest to wire some money over to my Australian bank account so I can afford to do stuff apart from lie on a man-made beach in the middle of the city.
I’ve been spending a lot of time at the gym as well though, having spent 20 hours being fed processed airline food followed by copious amounts of beer and kebabs on arrival in the country I felt compelled to hand over distressing amounts of cash to Fitness First. I may also have signed over a portion of my soul and one or more of my limbs, I didn’t read all the small print so I’m not sure.

Culture Shock (Sort Of)
Woolworths over here isn’t the same as in the UK, over here it’s a supermarket like Asda or the Co-Op. There’s not a plastic cricket set or a cheap sun lounger in sight, just aisles of food which I’ve never heard of.

Kebabs are served to you by attractive young people in shops as opposed to fat, sweaty Greek men in vans. They are rolled and toasted (not badly packed and thrust at you in a polystyrene tray, slightly soggy and limp) and are in fact Food You Would Be Comfortable Consuming Whilst Sober.

You can’t get beer down the local 7-11 (like Spar), you have to go to an offy but no one here knows what an offy is, they call them bottle shops and the ones I’ve been in so far all have a massive chiller unit where you can buy a carton of 24 bottles (and not them tiny little bottles that contain about a thimble of beer either) for about $35 which is about £15.
Its no wonder drinking is a national pastime.

written by  Koala Bear on May 21, 2006 from Brisbane, Australia
from the travel blog: Sod Off Great Big Mission Round Oz
tagged Bollocks
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Yes, our first trip to Brisbane showed it up as a bit of an oversized country town. But the layback way of life in Brisbane grows on you.

written by  Jamie on October 11, 2008

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Fully. I went back at the end of my 2 years and spent 6 months there. Can't wait to get back now ay :)

written by  Koala Bear on October 11, 2008

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