Australian Adventure, Week 1: July 22-30

Hello from Australia! We have had a busy week getting settled into school, work, and life in a new country.

We took off on July 22 from Toronto to Brisbane with a connection in Vancouver. We arrived at the airport four hours before our first leg and had no issues with bag check or security delays. However, our Toronto to Vancouver flight was delayed. We were so delayed that we would have missed our next flight from Vancouver to Brisbane, but thankfully Air Canada held the flight for us. The flight was smooth, Webster walked every hour for his knee and I slept at least 16 hours of the 21 hours we were in the air (thank you Gravol!).

When we arrived in Brisbane it was six degrees celsius and pouring rain. We Uber'd to our place and had a pretty slow day unpacking, watching the new season of Only Murders in the Building, and exploring our neighbourhood. We also walked to the grocery store for some essentials.

On Saturday we had a big sleep in, and then headed into central Brisbane to explore. We walked through the Queen Street Mall, in the Brisbane Arcade, and along the main streets of shops.

On Saturday night, we headed to the Gabba to see the Brisbane Lions play Australian Rules Football. The game is similar to rugby and soccer. It was a game with lots of passionate fans singing and cheering for their favourite players.

On Sunday, we explored campus. I am studying for a Master of Global Management degree at the University of Queensland. Before classes started I wanted to make sure I knew where my classes were and how to navigate campus. On our walk we found some really beautiful buildings, gardens, and study spots.

In the afternoon we spent a few hours walking through the Brisbane Botanical Gardens and relaxing in the park.

On Monday, we made a trip to a camping store to get Webster some office furniture. We got a collapsable table and chair for him to use on our adventures over the next 12 months.

Then, we made our way to a few dealerships to test drive some cars. We have a 3 month road trip planned for later this year so it made the most sense for us to invest in a car we could use for our year. Since there is a car shortage in Australia, we didn't have many options that were in our price range, could fit two suitcases, and were automatic. We test drove a Kia, Hyundai, and Mazda.

On Tuesday, our test drive adventures continued. We made our way to a few more dealerships to drive our favourite cars again, and try some new ones.

Then, we spent a few hours in the Queensland Department of Transport office. We had to get a government number for our upcoming car registration. I guess no matter where you are in the world, government offices take a long time, and are filled with people.

On Wednesday, Webster spent the day trying out gyms across Brisbane. I had my first day of class. I picked up my student card, met a friends from Queen's for lunch and attended lecture. In one of my classes, I was assigned a group for a group project. We grabbed dinner after classes were over to get to know each other.

On Thursday, I was back to campus for a day of lectures. I had one online and one in person. Webster spent the day watching the AFL tournament.

On Friday, we went to pick up our car! We decided on a used Kia Rio. The dealership put new brakes and tires on the car before we got it. We are really happy with our decision and the freedom a car will give us.

On Saturday we woke up bright and early to go to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast has some of the best beaches in Australia and we are lucky to be only a short drive away. We parked at Burleigh Heads Park and spent a few hours walking along the beach and laying on the sand. Since it is winter here, it was nearly empty and we felt like we had the beach to ourselves - it was a wonderful end to our first week!

Thanks for following along! Each week a new blog will be published on Sunday morning.

Next week, we have plans to see a friend from Laurier, visit another beach, and go to Costco.