By: Julie Maree Bartenstein (Malaysia Airlines, Brisbane) 

Brisbane is a cosmopolitan and lively city, the third largest city in Australia with a population of approx 1.6 million.

We call Brisbane “The River City” the Brisbane River runs through the city and is full of bridges the most famous being the Story Bridge opened in July 1940.  The city is full of parklands; The City Botanical Gardens offers a serene atmosphere to take a lunch time stroll through the gardens and along with river.  We are lucky from the MAS Brisbane office the gardens is a 2 minute walk away.

Early September the Brisbane River comes alive with “Riverfire” a spectacular light show of fireworks which spans the main reach of the river, make sure you book your stay well in advance.

We also have the Roma Street Parkland that was once a train depot and has now been transformed into Parklands offer an outdoor theatre which hosts concerts through the summer months.

Southbank is definitely worth a visit when coming to Brisbane, it is situated along with Brisbane River and has numerous alfresco dining outlets, and it has a man made beach “Kodak Beach” imagine a Beach in the city, yes Brisbane has it.

Arts and Theatre is also alive in Brisbane, we have a number of world class theatres such as the Lyric Theatre and The Playhouse Theatre, and these form part of the Performing Arts Centre which is located at Southbank.

Brisbane is a great outdoor city all year round; we have bicycle tracks through the city and parks ways, also along the length of the Brisbane River. Bikes can be hired for a small fee at the Botanical Gardens.  The River is also a place to spend the day, take a City Cat (Ferry) ride up and down the river, a day pass allow you to stop and start as many times as you wish.

Lone Pine wildlife sanctuary is located approx 20mins from the city centre; here you will find all the wildlife Australia has to offer.  The main attraction is our beautiful Koala Bears.  Make sure you have your photo taken cuddling a Koala.

Brisbane has a number of historic homesteads that are worth a visiting, they will show you the old traditional way of early life in Brisbane City.  Newstead House is 10minutes from the city and is fully restored, another is Ormiston House both offer morning and afternoon teas.  There is also a number day tours you can join which will take you further into the out lying country areas which are rich in history.

The Gold Coast is only 40 minutes drive along the motorway from Brisbane city. You can visit for a day but I do recommend taking least 2 to 3 days to enjoy the Gold Coast proper.  You can spend at least 3 days visiting the Theme Parks.

Brisbane offers a wide variety of accommodations types from B & B’s, hostels to 5 star luxury hotels.  We also have plenty of public transport and a great number of tour operators.

I love Brisbane because there are just so many things to do and see, every week-end something is on and it is easily accessible. Theatres, Concerts, Markets, Shopping, Sports, Multi Cultural Dining we have it all.

By: Sumathi T S Singham (Communications Division)

Our station colleagues celebrated Merdeka. Check out their photos:

Our colleagues in Melbourne celebrated Merdeka by getting their colleagues to answer quiz. Prizes were given away. 

They shared their views on What MH means to them.

What Malaysian Hospitality means to me?

In conjunction with our Merdeka celebration, Los Angeles airport keeps our flag flying high during check-in operations on 31 August 2009.

Malaysia Flag flying high at Los Angeles International Airport

MH celebration in Brisbane

Brisbane's team posted "What MH means to me" banner on their MH Bulletin Board 

By: Jamila A Mohamed Faritullah Khan (Inflight Services, Cabin Crew Line Operations)

I still remember when I first came up to the wide-body fleet back in 1993; where we used to have a week stay in Brisbane. It was one of the greatest moments in life as a cabin crew which we will always cherish as it has allowed us to create history and of course memories for us to share with our family.

Now, one whole week in Brisbane…! What do you think we would have done…? Of course! Drive to Gold Coast! But before that… I must tell you this… my first love… where I met my first love… yes, my first love, the cute, cuddly koala bear…. not a lasting one though.

Australia's oldest and largest koala sanctuary is Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Here, other than taking photos with cuddly koalas, one could also be able to get acquaintance with Australia's other icon animals such as kangaroos and emus. Something you can't afford to miss, as we only used to see these animals in the books.

You might wonder, what is there in Gold Coast? Well, it is nothing other than the famous three worlds. Australia's Dream World which is the closest thing to US Disneyland, Movie World, similar to the US's Universal Studio and of course the Water World, as to US's Wet n Wild. Who needs to go to US, when you can get all the fun and excitement in Australia's famous 3 World in Gold Coasts?

And after all these breathtaking experiences, what could be better than taking a cruise along Brisbane's River where you would be able to view the prestigious suburbs and historic buildings, including the magnificent sandstone buildings of Customs House, cruising under the Story Bridge and passing the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. A gentle reminder though, please do not get angry if you suddenly feel that someone is throwing stones at you! It might just be 'ice' rain.

Don't you think it's an experience one would cherish for a life time…? Well, I did! When is yours?