I am awoken by the storms a few times through the night and decide that it is time for me to move on when I see the cloud cover once arising from my deep slumbers. Breakfast is taken next to some koalas which are conveniently housed a short stone throw from my bungalow and I can see how lazy they really are. I found out that eating the eucalyptus leaves causes them to get high and they just do that and sleep all day basically, tough life!
I briefly contemplate a fishing trip but the weather denies any opportunities to get onto a boat for the day so I head to the airport to hop on a plane to the mainland to see Brisbane and the Gold Coast a day early. I did what I came to do, the reef, and was ready to move on!
Once in Brisbane I check out Fortitude Valley, which is a small neighborhood with a bunch of outdoor bars and a lively alternative scene. A quick bite and a drink and I head downtown for a low-key night by anyone's standards.
If my initial impressions of Brisbane hadn't been glamorous, they were certainly tainted the next morning when I woke up to find my rental car towed from the spot that was assured was safe the night before by the concierge. The only positive that came from this experience was that I was able to take a walking tour of the city before finding the lot that my car had been towed to.
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