First, the lead up to Brisbane. It was spectacular. After a rainy night departing Cairns, a sunny day spotlighted the Australian "sunshine coast." Rugged in parts like the Oregon coastline, this vacation region (where the climate is still tropical) is dotted with exclusive resorts, yachting clubs, and picturesque lighthouses. It's the type of place I would have liked to have time to more deeply explore.
But the highlight had to be the unexpected dolphin show. Along the portside of the ship, a group of dolphins (I counted ten) followed in the wake of the Solstice. They kept up the ship (at about 20 knots speed) for about 30 minutes, jumping and diving. I was on the balcony reading when they first made their appearance. Though we have seen a lot of dolphins in Puerto Vallarta, this was like a Marine World show. The pictures don't do it justice.
As for Bisbane, our plans to visit famous beaches on the nearby Gold Coast were dashed, so we went into the city center and found a vibrant metropolis built on the scenic Brisbane River. Brisbane reminded me of a smaller, subtler version of Sydney. But with 1.5 million residents (Australia's third largest city behind Sydney and Melbourne), it is still a large city and the center of commerce for New South Wales. Its roots as a dumping ground for Australia's worst criminals have vanished. Now it is a city mixing colonial architecture with steel and glass high rises (though it was so rainy and overcast we could not see the tops of some of them).
The main thoroughfare in town (Elizabeth Street) is closed to traffic and is an impressive mall/shopping complex that stretches for four blocks. Every major international store is found here, along with restaurants and banks. You could have been in New York, San Francisco, or any other major city.
A short walk away, on the Brisbane River, winds Eagle Street. A local who we stopped on the street recommended Eagle Street when we said we wanted to have lunch at one of Brisbane's many seafood restaurants. Our goal was to have Australian Bug (we didn't know what it was but the the Aussies on the ship told us to try it). George's Paragon Seafood Restaurant, perched over the river, was packed ... And it had barbecued bug on the menu. So, in we went. 
We got our bug, which is best described as a local shellfish, larger than a crawdad and smaller than a lobster. It was very good, but you'd be wise to order at least three bugs if you wanted to fill your stomach.We were sorry that the weather was so bad here because Brisbane looked like a great city to get into. And they have had a rough summer. There was major flooding in this region last month, which followed record high temperatures. As I write this, Australia is facing major weather problems on both coasts. Port Hedland where we docked two weeks ago is being pounded with a category 4 cyclone (hurricane), and evacuations are underway; and yesterday, torrential rains and strong winds forced the closure of Sydney's huge airport.
Australian oddities: Though English is their language, at times it an be confusing, and not just because of the accent. An Australian woman that we sat next to at the show a couple of nights ago had compiled a list 76 words that are different, yet mean the same thing. Examples: the hood of a car here is called a boot; and they don't say TV, it's telly. And, though Burger King does exist here, it is known as Hungry Jack (and yes, it is the Australian home of The Whopper).Now, our last sea day, and it is a real rough one. The storm apparently churning up the ocean. On Monday, the 35 day cruise adventure comes to an end as we do our final docking in Sydney, and fly to Honolulu for a few days just to break up the marathon flight it otherwise would have been. Once we get to Hawaii ... some final thoughts, observations, and answers to questions about how we could pull off this cruise.
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