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Pumicestone Passage is a narrow channel of shallow sand banks and islands which separate Bribie Island and the mainland. Bribie Island is located approximately an hour and a half’s drive north of Brisbane, Between Redcliffe and the Sunshine Coast (see map after break for directions).

This must do is not particularly one of my favourites; however, Bribie island is home to numerous parks and surf beaches which would make a great day out for those wishing to bring along the family or simply have a sea side picnic and possibly a swim. There are also a few recreational activities readily available throughout the island. The 150 must do campaign website also suggests taking a tour of Pumicestone Passage aboard the Bribie Island Ferry or exploring the passage on a small hire boat.

The few times that I have been to Bribie Island it appears to be a windy area, with an off shore breeze certain to come in and stir things up of an afternoon. Along with the winds, although the actual parks are lushes and green, some of the surrounding rivers are not the most healthy looking or smelling. However, after all is said and done, if you are looking to take the family for a BBQ picnic Bribie Island certainly is a place to investigate.

See additional photos from Pumicestone Passage.

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Queen Street Mall is Brisbane CBD’s main shopping strip. Boasting over 700 retailers, five major shopping centres, two department stores and four shopping arcades, Queen Street Mall is host to a large array of retail outlets, restaurants, cafes, bars, cinemas, salons, hotels, and the Conrad Treasury Casino. The mall is located in the heart of the city on Queen Street (see map after break) which ensures it is constantly filled with shoppers and dinners alike.

Constantly under going upgrades, as with the rest of Brisbane, the mall is ever changing. One reason achievement is the refurbishment of the intersecting Albert Street and the underground busway, giving greater access and more modern feel to the mall. The upgrades have also seen the introduction of regular artists playing both ends of the mall on weekends, along with the more traditional buskers performing shows during the week and on weekend at various times.

Working in the city means regular visits to the mall so this must do is not particularly a big feat for me, but for tourists and vistors of Brisbane shopping at Queen Street Mall is a great way to explore what Brisbane has to offer. With plenty to explore on the mall and with the rest of the CBD within walking distance it is a great way to start or end a day exploring Brisbane CBD.

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Mt Coot-tha is best known for its spectacular views of Brisbane city from its lookout. Approximately only a short ten minute drive from the CBD of Brisbane (see map after the break for directions), Mt Coot-tha is a great spot to go for a quick or lengthy visit during the day or at night. Personally I would recommend going both during the day and at night to see the contrasting landscape as night falls over Brisbane.

On top of the lookout there is a small café and gift shop, as well as the Summit Restaurant — which can get fairly busy as it is often considered to be a romantic restaurant with great views. The views and romantic feeling of the place is also the reason why you will often find newly weds getting their wedding photos taken on top of the look out.

While the lookout is the star of the show, Mt Coot-tha does have more to offer; Mt Coot-tha is home to the broadcasting stations in Brisbane (including seven, ten and nine) and also has a few parks, treks and picnic areas including JC Slaughter Falls and Simpson Falls. There are also plenty of places to pull over and park on the mountain road, which also offer great views, and tend to be filled with plenty of people during the annual Brisbane RiverFire.

See additional photos from Mt Coot-tha.

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Another software/firmware update; The NXE (New Xbox Experience) is finally here — simply by connecting to Live everyone should now have been presented with the NXE update. It’s a major overhaul of the xbox interface with a few much loved additional features such as “Install To Hard Drive”.

Head over to the New Xbox Experience website to find out more, or turn on your xbox and start exploring with your new avatar ;-)

This is a little old now, but there is a firmware update avaliable for the Sony alpha 700. The update is (currently?) only avaliable from the Sony Europe Customer Support site and contains several enhancements including:

• Added 3 shots 2 EV steps for auto exposure bracketing (single & continuous).
• Added the option to turn High ISO NR off.
• Improvements to the image quality in high ISO setting.
• Improvements to the auto white balance and D-Range Optimizer performance.
• Improvements of the reliability for communicating between camera body and vertical grip.

The update is free and easy to install (see download page for more instructions).

Australia Zoo is a wildlife conservation located approximately an hour and a half north of Brisbane, in Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast (see map after the break for directions). It is was the home of the Australian Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, and is now run by Terri Irwin. One of the first things that you will notice about the zoo is it’s size. Currently situated on over sixty acres of land, you will have plenty of places to explore throughout the entire day.

Entry fee is $53 per adult and $31 per child or alternatively a family of four (two adults and two children) pass can be purchased for $157, saving you $11 on entry fees. In my case I was lucky enough to obtain free entry due to failing EFTPOS machines :-)

One thing to note about is the car park. There are two car parks; a small one at the front and larger one at the rear. Due to the fact that only the small car park is visible from the main road, and is always full, it may deter some people from visiting. However rest assure there is a much larger car park just beyond the front car park, with lots of parking and still only a very short walk from the main entrance.

Along with all the traditional zoo displays there are three main Exhibitions at Australia Zoo: Tiger Temple, Elephantasia and The Crocoseum. The Crocoseum is the main stage, capable of seating 5,000, and is used for live animal shows and special performances such as Bindi and The Crocmen.

One of the shows that are held in the stadium is The Wildlife Warriors. Aiming to educate visitors and current wildlife conservation animal handlers present conservation tips and entertain the audience with live animal shows. Some of the animals on show include snakes, birds, and crocodiles. If you’re going to watch one of the shows it might pay off to get in a little early as to get a good seat in shade, as it can get very hot during the day. Another tip for photographers wishing to get some good bird shots is to sit about mid way down the stands towards the outside edges, behind the bars with rope on them, as this is where a lot of the birds on show are trained to land throughout the show. Additionally the west stand should give you a great view of the crocodile feeding.

I was a little disappointed with the Wildlife Warriors show, purely because the crocodile that they brought out on the day which I was there was not very active. Apart from a couple of leaps out of the water for food, the crocodile just lazed around the pool within the Crocoseum. Similarly, as I had not been there before, so I was not aware of the locaion where the amazing birds typically landed during the show; missing plenty of great photo opportunities in the process.

Opening hours are 9am until 5pm — You will need the entire day to see all of the shows and have a good look around the zoo. With plenty of things to see and do for both adults and children Australia Zoo is definitely well worth a visit. See additional photos from Australia Zoo.

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Queensland is turning 150 next year and the RACQ has started the 150 Campaign where they are promoting 150 great Queensland Experiences. Being a large state a vast portion of the 150 experiences are out of reach for a day trip, or even a weekend trip, and others are just not that interesting. I have compiled a short list from the 150 to come up with 20 Brisbane (or close enough to be a day or weekend trip from Brisbane) must do’s and a few Queensland like to do’s.

Over time I am going to be creating a new post entry for each item, along with Flickr photos, in order to track what I have done and give my opinion on each one. I will also update this list with links to the posts, striking out any completed items. Although I have already done several of the items I may do them again simply because they were that good or because I’m lacking photos of them.

20 Brisbane Must Do’s (no particular order):

1. Australia Zoo, Beerwah
2. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
3. Dive The Great Barrier Reef
4. Carnarvon Gorge
5. Explore Girraween National Park
6. Great Walk, Fraser Island / Take A Trip To Fraser Island
   
7. Riverfire
8. Discover The Natural Beauty At Springbrook
9. Pumicestone Passage, Bribie Island
10. Tuck Into A Steak At Brekky Creek Hotel
11. Lamington National Park
12. Workshops Rail Museum
13. View The City Lights From Mt Coot-tha
14. Glass House Mountains
15. Underwater World, Mooloolabah
16. Story Bridge Adventure Climb
17. Lose Yourself In The Bunya Mountains
18. Try Zorbing
19. View The Coastline From The Deck Of Q1
20. Shopping At The Queen Street Mall

Queensland Like To Do’s (no particular order):

1. Tour Sirromet Winery
2. Whitehaven Beach
3. Sea Kayak Along The Whitsunday Islands
4. Paronella Park
5. Join A Jungle Surfing Canopy Tour At Cape Tribulation
6. Mini Moke Around Magnetic Island
7. Relax At A Result On The Great Barrier Reef
8. White Water Rafting, Tully River