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#CatTravels: Heading Down Under

By Catherine Toth Fox • November 26, 2012 • #CatTravels

When I was a kid, I had a map of the world taped to my bedroom wall.

And often, I would scan the mysterious continent-country of Australia.

I learned back then it was a penal colony, where Brits had sent their prisoners. Never mind there was already an indigenous population and, really, the British couldn’t technically claim they “discovered” it. But I digress.

This island continent is huge, with a land mass of about 3 million square feet. It’s the world’s smallest continent but the sixth largest country by total area. And everyone there — all 22.6 million of them — has an accent that I think is cool.

Australia has always been on my must-see list and, despite direct flights to Sydney, its capital, I’ve never been there.

Until now.

Tomorrow I’ll be joining the media group heading to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, on the inaugural flight from Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines. (And yes, Melissa Chang will be my roomie again!)

To be honest, I don’t know much about Brisbane. In fact, when I was invited to go, I had to Google it to find out where on the continent it was.

Turns out, Brisbane is on the southeastern corner of Queensland, centered along the Brisbane River. The city is on a low-lying floodplain and has seen its share of massive flooding, even as recently as last year.

But that’s all I’ve got.

So I’m spending most of today researching this fascinating city — and figuring out what we should do! — and packing for our five-day adventure Down Under.

The upside: it’s summer there. I won’t need to buy a parka!

If you’ve got advice for us, post it here. We need all the help we can get!

Follow my adventures in Brisbane on Twitter @thedailydish and on Instagram @catherinetoth.

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Catherine Toth Fox

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10 Comments

  • Reply aya November 26, 2012 at 8:07 am

    have funnnn!!! xoxo

    • Reply Catherine Toth November 28, 2012 at 1:52 pm

      Thanks, girlie!

  • Reply Lauren November 26, 2012 at 8:11 am

    I actually lived and went to school (Univ of Queensland) there a few years back (2004). Off the top of my hear, here are some things I’d recommend.

    *Take the ferry
    *Check out the UQ campus
    *South Bank Parklands
    *West End-eclectic area, lots of brunch spots
    *Outdoor Markets-Brunswick Street Markets, West End,
    *Take the train to Surfer’s Paradise

    Things to Eat:
    *Kebabs (not the kind of the stick) More like Gyro-type. I liked adding the sweet chili sauce and a white sauce (yogurt? I forget)
    *Fresh Fruit Juices/Smoothies
    *Chocolate tastes better. The Cadbury and Nestle brands sold in the grocery store actually taste much better than US made chocolate
    -I was not a big fan of food in Australia, but it’s been years since I have been there and I’m sure the food scene has changed. Try meat pies, sticky toffee pudding, and pavlovas since those are signature Australian food items.

    • Reply Catherine Toth November 28, 2012 at 1:52 pm

      OoOooOo, thanks for the great suggestions! We’re on the prowl for kangaroo, actually! Meat pies are AWESOME!

  • Reply Annoddah Dave November 26, 2012 at 9:24 am

    CAT: Don’t forget this place is like Japan and England as far as traffic pattern. Also it is really hot this time of year. Don’t forget to take pix of bathrooms!! LOL

    • Reply Catherine Toth November 28, 2012 at 1:51 pm

      So far, nothing exciting with bathrooms. I’ve checked them all out. But I’ll keep you posted!

  • Reply M November 26, 2012 at 9:54 am

    Hello Cat!
    Lucky you!
    I would like to go there, they have great places to Standup paddle and good downwind conditions.

    • Reply Catherine Toth November 28, 2012 at 1:50 pm

      The beaches are too far away… I wish I could get in the water, though!

  • Reply gigi-hawaii November 27, 2012 at 3:27 am

    have fun! I know you will…

    • Reply Catherine Toth November 28, 2012 at 1:49 pm

      You know me well! 😀

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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