We arrived to find the city bathed in sunshine, and it was a relief, for me at least, to be back in shorts and T-shirts, after nearly three weeks of colder weather. We thought we were doing well to be out and about by 9.30, only to find once again the city centre was packed with families having breakfast and lots of people participating in another 'festival of running' – the marathon was already 3 hours through, and the 10k was about to kick off. Australians are most definitely early risers!

We spent most of the day doing a walking tour of the centre. Brisbane is full of familiar-looking Victorian buildings, as in Melbourne and Sydney, but here most of them have been refurbed for more modern pursuits – the grandest of the buildings, the former Treasury, is ironically now the city's premier casino, and the old Land Administration Building has been transformed into the finest hotel in the area.

Brisbane also has its fair share of art galleries and museums, mostly grouped along the Southbank (sound familiar?) If Melbourne's Southbank is how London would like to be, Brisbane's is how Melbourne would like to be. Along with the cultural pursuits there are a host of nice restaurants, an urban beach and a beautiful flower arbor. But the highlight here was the Whale Walk, a connecting covered walkway between some of the museums, which featured giant whales suspended from the ceiling, and piped whale calls reverberating around the space. I guess you had to be there, but James and I had a lot of fun practising our whale calls (his is better than mine). We also really liked the QUT (Queensland University of Technology) Gallery, which was small but perfectly formed, boasting a display on the Japanese influence on western art.

Wanting to escape the biggest backpacker hostel ever (60+ rooms) we decided to go to the cinema to see Inception. I am sure most of you have seen it by now – we both really enjoyed it, even if it was a little bit too clever for its own good. However, I was properly freaked out on the walk back, convinced there was a couple following us all the way (a good half hour walk through deserted suburban streets with no street lights). Turns out they were staying at the same hostel as we were......or were they?!