G'day mate, where the bloody hell were ya?!

So I mentioned previously that I was returning to Australia. Though I didn't specifically mention which part of Australia on this blog, many of you would have already known through Facebook and Twitter. It's none other than Brisbane, in the sunshine state of Queensland!I was really excited as the last time I came to Brisbane was over 16 years ago, and it was only a short stopover on the way to Gold Coast.

Arriving at Brisbane airport and being greeted by the customs officers in their thick Aussie accent, was a bit of nostalgia for me. I don't know whether the accent is thicker here or it's just that I haven't heard it for a while. Never mind that they were annoyed with me having to lug through my bike box through the zig zag lines!

I'm currently renting a room in Holland Park, about 10kms south of Brisbane CBD. It's one of the cheapest on Airbnb but it's not that close to the main shops if you are moving around on foot. And as public transport is pretty expensive here, I did travel A LOT on foot! But it worked out for the best, as I just landed a job in Logan Central, located another 20kms south from where I'm at. I wouldn't need to go through Brisbane CBD in peak traffic and I'll be going against traffic as well.

Meet Louie and Larry, two other residents of this place. They're so active, I could barely get them to stay still for a picture!

 

As much as I enjoyed walking 2-3 hours each day, I couldn't be any happier getting myself a car. And what better car than the same one as I used to drive in Perth! I managed to score a great price on a pre loved 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer ES, in sexy metallic red too! Next thing to do is to get myself a toll tag... we didn't have tolls in Perth. For the time being, I need to be careful to note which are the toll roads.

I've joined a local tri club - Reddog Triathlon Training. In fact, I signed up even before I got here as I need the Triathlon Australia membership to register for some races. Talk about getting my priorities right! I joined the club a swim session at the Yeronga pool. Took me 70 minutes of walking each way, so yes I'm very glad I have a car now. Head coach Trent Patten seems like a really nice guy, so I'm looking forward to more of their sessions. I did a couple of runs around the neighbourhood too. Boy, is Brisbane hilly! Plenty of steep climbs and fast downhills, all within a 5km block around the neighbourhood.

Club rules - no sticker, no ride. As all rides are sanctioned by Triathlon Australia, only members can join the ride.

So I'm settling in quite nicely. Things would become routine next week when I start working and start joining the club sessions more regularly. They don't call it the sunshine state for nothing. Sun rises before 5am here and many of the sessions start at 5am so I got to get used to sleeping early and waking up early. Li-Ann would arrive in about 3 weeks. I still need to look for a permanent place to stay... perhaps one REALLY close to the swimming pool, so I can minimize my travel time and maximize my sleep time? Hahaha.

Just like uni days again... $4.95 pick up yo!