Brisbane in six pars

Storm brewing over Story Bridge, Brisbane

My trip to Brisbane, in six paragraphs.

Day 1: Arrive Brisbane, new year's day. Skippy tells me to catch the train to Brunswick St. We eat dinner at Superbowl with Dr H and his girl. Girl doesn't like Skippy, which gives way to a new Skippy neurosis. Go for gelato where they are playing the Dave Matthews Band. Coincidentally meet Skippy's boy (Vampire) Slayer and a bunch of his friends. Brisbane turns out to be smaller than I thought. It's Slayer's flatmate Smokeless' birthday.

Day 2: Ride the City Cat river service for two hours, then disembark at Southbank in the pouring rain. Take refuge in the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA, G-o-M-A GoMA) by spending a couple of hours at the Andy Warhol exhibition. Have dinner at an Indian place called Sultan's Kitchen with Skippy, Slayer, Skippy's flatmate Melbourne Girl (MG) and the poet Ross Clark.

Day 3: Do the city walk from Roma St Parklands to QUT via Brisbane's monuments, then have Devonshire tea at T-licious in Southbank. Stock up on $7.25 worth of lollies at the Great Aussie Sweet Shop. Stop in at the Queensland Museum to see the Museum Zoo exhibition. Dinner is home-cooked (primo by me, secondi by Skippy), followed by a blackout and a lot of washing up.

Day 4: Head to the hills with the Bird, an old work friend, and her partner the Quail. Visit Eumundi, home town of PM Kevin Rudd, and have morning tea at the Berkelouw book store where the Bird discovers a long sought-after tome. Also do a circuit of Maleny, home of the most contentious Woolworths in Australia, buying up at Maleny Cheese and chowing down at Colin James Fine Foods. We spend the afternoon at Art on Cairncross and discover we look like The Wiggles.

Day 5: A sunny day! Fortitude Valley Markets, a long walk along the river via the Botanic Gardens to the Southbank Markets, catch 'I Am Legend' with MG and a couple of her friends. Meet up with Skippy who is with Green Man and his adorable dog Molly. Green Man comes for dinner, drinks wine and eats Maleny brie with Slayer and Smokeless.

Day 6: Wangle a last minute booking for 11:30am at High Societea in Clayfield for Skippy, MG, Slayer and myself. Although I invited Smokeless last night, his appearance is a surprise considering he arrived home from a bender at 8:30 that morn. Three tiers of tea-soaked goodness ensues. When am I coming back to Brisbane? (March!) Flight delayed for two hours due to storms. Pink Martini awaits me in Sydney.