Recently, I had the privilege of being a tourist in my own city! My parents came to visit me last week from Michigan, and we packed our days full of things to do in and around the Brisbane area. They were only on the ground for six full days (it roughly takes a day to fly here and back from the US), so we made sure we had things to do each day. From going to The Star Casino for drinks and a little roulette to heading south to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, each day was filled with many memories.
The day that they arrived I remember being so excited. The nerves did not even hit me until I was standing at their gate preparing to see them. Emotions overwhelmed me as soon as I saw their faces, and we soon engaged in a busy first day. In hopes of keeping my parents awake all day, their first day in Brisbane consisted of a slow breakfast, touring my university, walking along the river, and grabbing an early dinner.
On our second day, we decided to head into the city! We took a ferry to Brisbane’s botanical gardens and walked from there to Queenstreet! This is a magnificent walk that allows you to see so much of the city. Since public transportation is so cheap here, hopping on a ferry to get from one side of the Brisbane River to the other was a no-brainer for us–we did this a lot! Walking around and from the Botanical Gardens, we headed into the luxury brand area of the city but found our favorite part of the shopping center was, of course, the souvenirs. Later in the evening, my parents got to meet the friends I have made here which was my favorite part of the day. This day we got almost 30,000 steps!
Our third day was arguably my favorite day. My parents and I traveled down to the town of Currumbin and visited their wildlife sanctuary! This zoo-like sanctuary featured some of Australia’s best wild animals! They are known for habilitating injured, endangered, or homeless animals. Although we saw many animals such as capybaras, Tasmanian Devils, emus, and pelicans, our two favorite animals to see were the koalas and kangaroos–we were even able to hold the koalas and feed the kangaroos! Holding a koala was one of the coolest experiences of my life so far. They are so soft, gentle, and surprisingly fast! Fun fact, koalas are so sleepy all the time because they primarily eat Eucalyptus leaves! Feeding the kangaroos was also amazing (I never thought I would ever get so close!) and I would recommend anyone to visit this or another sanctuary that allows you to indulge in Australia’s wildlife.
The next couple of days consisted of us laying out in the sun (and getting burnt), exploring more of the beautiful city, exploring food markets, catching a Brisbane Broncos rugby game, and even checking out the casino here in Brisbane!
The show “Bluey” is just as big here (if not more) as it is back in the US, but one of my favorite marketing strategies for the show is that the ferry company here created two ferries to represent the show–one that resembles Bluey and one that resembles Bingo! Fun fact, the show “Bluey” is created here in Brisbane and you can actually go see the house/neighborhood it is based on!
Taking the time to plan out each day in full detail before my parents arrived here was tiring, but it was so worth it to show them so much of this new city I now call my home. Seeing the things I do in my daily life made me more thankful for being able to do it every day, and I may start to take the ferry more or visit the botanical gardens more often!
Now that my parents are gone, I realize how lucky I am to have been given the opportunity to see my host city with fresh eyes! All of these images capture just how much fun I had to experience my city with other people, and I am so grateful that I was able to share a piece of this experience with other people. I am already eager to tell more people from home about these experiences. I love Brisbane!
Until next time!
– Kaiya 
The post Being A Tourist In My Own City appeared first on Off-Campus Study.