Magic in Brisbane and Gold Coast, Australia

One week ago I flew to Australia to embark on another magical adventure. My first stop was Brisbane, and already I'm very impressed with this country!

I left Ottawa just after the cold snap of -35 degrees. Landing in Brisbane at +35 degrees was definitely a treat. There were some complications with my travels, making for 48 hours of travel from my front door to this hostel. With broken naps and a 16 hour time difference, I didn't know if I was hungry for an evening breakfast, or a morning dinner.

I decided to go to Surfers Paradise in Gold Coast on my first day, as I heard great things about this city. It was a 1.5 hour train ride from Brisbane. This place is beautiful. Here is a picture of me standing along the coast, I promise you I am not cold.

Here is a panoramic view of Gold Coast from the shore at Surfers Paradise.

It was way too hot to busk during the day. I decided swimming in the ocean was the best way to keep cool. Everyone I met was so kind. One person let me use their boogie board to catch some waves.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get a permit to busk on public property in this city. Doing so anyway would have resulted in a hefty fine. However, I learned that if I performed on the shopping mall's property without a permit, the consequences were far less severe. Here's a picture of me performing at Surfers Paradise, just off the main strip.

I was, however, able to get a busking permit at South Bank in Brisbane. This spot was awesome and the tips were great. I have busked in many places in the world and this one is my favorite so far. Brisbane built a beach in the city. Their city pools are like tropical resorts. Below is a picture of where I set up, with the man-made beach behind me. After performing, I went for a swim to cool off.

This is a panoramic picture of South Bank's man-made beach.

Here is a picture of me performing at South Bank in Brisbane. I had some fun crowds!

I think the best trick I performed here was when I used magic to make two Aussies disappear.

I was excited to meet my first professional magician. Here is a picture of Josh Norbido, a full time magician in Brisbane. We chatted for some time and I learned that he is involved in a very successful magic YouTube channel from Australia called Free Magic Live.

The next place I wanted to go to was Moreton Island. This is the third largest sand island in the world. It has shipwreck reef that you can snorkel to, sand trails for 4 wheel driving, and a dessert for sand sliding.

Here is a picture of me and a Swedish couple that I spent the day with. We did most of the the activities this island had to offer.

Below is a video of my time spent at Moreton Island. I am very disappointed that I forgot to pack the waterproof case for my Go Pro. I would have had some beautiful footage of swimming with tropical fish around the shipwreck reef, and having a friendly sea turtle catch me by surprise before brushing my hand along its shell. I hope to go snorkeling again soon and will be more prepared.

That was it for Brisbane until next time. I'll be sure to return when I visit Australia again. I just arrived in Sydney last night and will be staying here for 4 days. I hope to to do as much as possible in my short time here. Stay tuned for more blogs. Thanks for reading!