We had booked a cruise on the Brisbane River at 10:30 am so we struck out to walk to our departure point at 9:30. It was about a 40 minute walk from our hotel; a short walk over to the river, across the Victoria Bridge and along the Clem Jones Promenade past the Wheel of Brisbane to where our cruise boat, the MV Neptune, was moored. The Brisbane River, flowing directly through the city after which it’s named, is the longest river in South Queensland.

Once aboard, it was a leisurely cruise downriver past Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Brisbane City Center, and the Story Bridge. Our destination was the Breakfast Creek Hotel for lunch.

      
      
      
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After lunch Lee and I felt a little pressed for time to catch our train leaving at 3:45 so we decided to Uber it back to the hotel rather than cruise back. Arriving at the ibis, we picked up our luggage which we had stored at the hotel after checking out this morning. Then we walked the 3 blocks over to the Central Train Station where The Spirit of Queensland was waiting to take us up the coast all the way to Cairns.

Travelling between Brisbane and Cairns five times a week, the Spirit of Queensland is a very modern rail experience. The 1,681 km journey takes 24 hours and is the only Queensland long-distance train with lie-flat rail-beds. We had purchased the first-class all-inclusive rail bed sleeper.

      
      

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Our four-course dinner was served hot by our coach’s steward a couple of hours after our on-time departure. Then it was sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. At around 10 pm the steward came by to convert our seats to full-size beds - sheets and all. A short time later, it was lights out and off to sleep.