I’m back from Australia and just getting over being sick! The day I left Brisbane I knew I was coming down with a cold. I suppose after a week of 19 hour days and constant activity, my body decided I needed a bit of a rest.

I wasn’t the sucessful candidate, and I’m completely happy with the decision. Sure, I would have been thrilled to get it, but I already have the best job in the world with GeekBrief.TV!! I’m happy to be home and getting back to work with regular Briefs, and working on new projects.

The experience was one I won’t forget. I met 15 amazing people. We all got along fantastically and genuinely liked each other I think. At least, I genuinely like each one of them! I got to cuddle with koalas, feed kangaroos and snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. Everyone from Tourism Queensland was awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever met so many happy government employees before. The staff on Hamilton, Hayman Island and Daydream Island were extremely courteous. The seafood on the islands and in Brisbane was the best I’ve ever had! Seriously…when you go, get some Salt and Pepper Calamari. There’s nothing better.

Thanks to everyone who made this experience happen! Here are some pictures from the trip:

Best Job in the World
Hamilton Island
Queensland
Queensland Video

I’m in Brisbane, Australia for The Best Job in the World, where I’m one of the Top 16 Final Candidates. I’ve been looking forward to this trip, but I wasn’t so keen on the flight. In the process of preparing, I’ve come to realize that most Americans (that I’ve spoken to) think the flight to Australia is 20-24 hours. That’s exactly what I thought until I saw the itinerary. Guess what? It’s only 13.5 hours from L.A.! Yes, it’s still a long trip, and one I wasn’t sure I was looking forward to, but it was surprisingly easy. I slept a lot of the way and the staff on Qantas were genuinely nice and attentive at all the right times.

We got to the hotel early Friday morning, before our room was ready, so we walked around Brisbane for a couple hours and grabbed lunch at a place called Jo-Jo’s. The food was fantastic! Every plate we walked by on the way to our table looked delicious and I wanted to try the whole menu! I wanted seafood, though, so after reminding myself that BBQ Salmon doesn’t mean BBQ Salmon as I know it, I ordered some along with the Caesar Salad and an appetizer of Salt and Pepper Calamari. The Caesar Salad was a bit different than what I’m used to in the US. Actually, I liked it better. The dressing was tangier and there were bits of BACON! How could I not like it better?! And the Calamari? It matches the best Calamari we’ve tried so far from a Chinese place on Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Calamari is much better in lightly breaded chunks than as deep-fried rings.

We took a walk along the river through the Brisbane Arboretum, browsed Queen Street Mall and took in a small opera performance. My first impressions? I like it a lot! It feels a lot smaller than it is (2 million people) and the weirdest part is that it feels less like a different country than Canada. I feel very comfortable here.

We’ll have a meetup in Brisbane on May 11th. Details are being worked out here.

UPDATE 2 (May 7th): I’m coming back home to get back to work and regular Briefs early, so the Brisbane meetup is cancelled. I’m so sorry! Here’s an explanation.

I’ve been getting emails since we started GeekBrief.TV from viewers in Australia asking exactly when we are going to come there and do a meetup. We’ve traveled all over the United States and have had the pleasure of meeting Geek Brief viewers in many of the 50 states. I can finally say…let’s have an Australia Meetup!!

If you’ve been following my quest for the Best Job in the World, you’ll know Neal and I are heading to Australia in May. I’ll be very busy from the 2nd of May to the 10th with interviews and shooting GBTV episodes. Tourism Queensland has been awesome in working with me to set aside a day for a GeekBrief.TV gathering in Brisbane, so much appreciation goes to them!

Now, I have never been to Brisbane, so I’m going to need a little help from you guys! The meetup will be on May 11th. Where should we meet? What time is best for everyone? Leave a comment below to help me set this up.

I’m looking forward to meeting you!

UPDATE May 3rd:

I wanted to do Southbank as everyone suggested, but it’s going to be in the evening and dark, so I think it’s easiest and centrally located if we chose a place like Jo-Jo’s. Since it’s the type of place you don’t have to order something if you don’t want to, I think everyone can be happy! So, here are the details:

Monday, May 11th
6:00 PM
Jo-Jo’s (upstairs – take the escalators)

Pavilion Building at the Brisbane City Mall
1st Floor Cnr Queen Street Mall & Albert Streets
Brisbane QLD 4000 Ph: 32212113