Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane came about because Australia needed to have a more secure area for the criminals that kept escaping out of Sydney. From that dubious start, its come a long way in its 150 year history.

Brisbane's city centre is relatively small but its suburbs sprawl over many miles. I particularly liked the bits of permanent art scattered her and there throughout the city centre streets. There is an outstanding bar/restaurant here called Cloudlands which must have cost millions to kit out and has amazing detail throughout. There is a 50 foot waterfall in it for a start! But the statue in the smoking room is hilarious. It's a series of heads, stacked like a totem pole, which are smoking cigarettes. The bottom one is a healthy face with each face gradually becoming more and more ill looking until it gets to a skull at the top. No need to guess what this venue thinks of the habit of smoking!

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/AustraliaBrisbane#