3 Easter in Brisbane – Sunny Skies, People-Watching and More Rest

Posted on by Lea Ann Reynolds
The queen street mall is like an outside shopping experience with many restaurants and shops

Happy Easter from Brisbane!

Many ornaments like this throughout the city.

Today turned out to be an absolute glorious day — the kind that makes you forgive the 24-hour flight from hell. We had braced ourselves for everything to be shut tighter than a drum because of the holiday, but Australia had other plans. Apparently Good Friday is the serious “everything closes” day, while Easter Sunday is more of a “let’s get out and partaay” vibe. The city was buzzing, everyone was out and about, and the weather delivered pure perfection: sunny, warm, and beautiful.

The infamous city sign

We spent a lazy half-day at Queen Street Mall just people-watching. No big agenda, no frantic sightseeing — just soaking up the sunshine, sipping (slightly better) coffee, and enjoying the holiday energy. It was exactly the relaxed reset day we needed.

This koala has missed any meals for sure

The rest of the day was gloriously low-key: eat, sleep, and repack. Because tomorrow we kick off the next chapter of this adventure — our first of two cruises in Australia!

I was fasicinated by all the scooters lined up. They are rentals for Uber eats.

Week 1 is an 8-day cruise around the beautiful New Caledonian islands. Then comes the big one: a whopping 25-night cruise from Brisbane all the way to Seattle, Washington, with stops in the stunning islands of Tahiti and French Polynesia, plus two Hawaiian islands. We did this itinerary back in 2017 and absolutely loved it.

Albert Street Uniting Church – a victorian gothic style. Such beauty, openedin 1889

That 2017 cruise changed our lives in the best possible way. That’s where we met Tom and Jessica — the couple who completely rewired our brains about what’s possible in life.

You’ve heard me mention them before. Back in 2012 they sold everything they owned and became full-time nomads, traveling the world with no fixed address. When we met them on that cruise in 2017 and heard their story, we were hooked. I devoured every post on Jessica’s blog, soaked up their advice like a sponge, and in 2019 we did the same thing — sold it all and hit the road.

a Swamp Wallaby. Part of the kangaroo family, just much smaller

Then COVID hit and… well, we let it slow us down more than we probably should have. These days we travel differently and keep a home base, but Tom and Jess? They’re still going strong after 14 years of nonstop world travel. Absolute legends.

Here’s the best part: they have no idea we are going to be on this cruise. We kept it a complete surprise.

So tomorrow we set sail again with new adventures and a whole lot of excitement. The nomad life may look a little different these days, but it still feels pretty darn good.

May God bless you always!

Chuck & Lea Ann

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