Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Small but relatively clean. Small bathrooms with thin towels. Not as nice as Pacific International Apartments in Sydney. Equivalent to a 2.5 to 3 star motel in USA.

7pm reservation under Richard Stone. Small restaurant which was crowded by 8pm. Food was very good, best among all the restaurants we dined at in this trip. Desserts were great too. Very good house wine.

Trip for Vickie and Richard. Recommended by Frommers -- the nicest way to get to Lone Pine is a cruise down the Brisbane River abouard MV Mirimar (Tel 07/3221 0300) which leaves North Quay at the Queen Street Mall, next to Victoria Bridge, at 10 am. The trip to Lone Pine takes 90 minutes and includes commentary. You have two hours to explore Lone Pine before returning, arriving in the city at 2.45 pm. The fare is A$44 for adults and includes a hotel pickup.

Shopping for Deborah. Great jewellery stores. I bought South Sea Pearls from Stones. Very good service.

Shopping for Deborah

Shopping for Deborah. Disappointing selection of stores. I preferred Brisbane Arcade.

Shopping for Deborah. This is a tiny store. Not worth the trip to Park Road if you're only going there for this store. Quite good coffee shops along Park Road, though.

8 pm reservation under Richard Stone. Moreton Bay bugs were fantastic. Fish dishes were ok, nothing to write home about. Only recommend ordering the Moreton Bay bugs. Good view.

Tours are every hour on the hour from 10 am to 4 pm. Best to make a booking a day before as maximum size per group is 25. Price is A$18 per adult, inclusive of four pots of beer at the end of the tour. We missed this because this is only opened Mondays to Fridays! So plan ahead!!

The market wasn't very large. Lots of stalls selling the same souvenirs.

Reservation at 8 pm under Richard Stone. Steak wasn't particularly different from any other Australian resutaurant, but the place was buzzing with activity and people as early as 6.30pm! Better to dine at the Spanish restaurant, rather than al fresco where you have to queue up for your own steak. Prices are the same whether you queue up for your own food, or at the restaurant! Beer is definitely worth coming here for, but the "off the wood" was sold out by 9pm!