We are finally in Queensland! Not far from the Gold Coast which is well known among surfers and nightlife lovers, Brisbane represents the
last big city on the East Coast of Australia. Did we say on the coast?!?
Oh yes and so probably most of you, just like us, have in mind a beautiful ocean as the perfect landscape for such a popular city on the east coast. Instead, it is located just on the bank of a river!
Despite the initial disappointment, it turned out to be a city full of surprises.
We arrive in Brisbane during a warm afternoon of April and, given the impossibility of staying overnight in the car, except in areas specifically designated for camping (because of the restrictive current regulations of Queensland), we decide to be hosted by an Italian friend of us who has lived in Brisbane for a while. We were supposed to stay here just for a couple of days but we finally stayed the whole week since the 25th of April is a public holiday (the Anzac day) which generally means more party!
But most of all, we came here to find a friend and we now have dozens of friends all around the world who made these days really memorable.
Moreover, the city offers a lot of beautiful spots where to drink something and chill out with friends, such as the area where we stay in that is
Fortitude Valley. Not to mention our beloved free electric barbecues located in many green areas around the city, where to spend a lovely Sunday with friends or whoever is there to share your food with!
Particularly remarkable is the
Eat Street Northshore market, opened on Friday and Saturday from 4 pm to 6 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm, which we highly recommend to visit! It’s a huge market full of delicacies from all over the world, maxi-screen movies for the kids and live music with amazing artists such as the Geed up! All just for $ 2.50 per person.
For those who are never tired of local markets, we also recommend visiting
Eumundi, approximately 1 hour and a half from Brisbane, which hosts
one of the largest craft markets in Australia both on Wednesday and Saturday morning. And if you want to keep exploring local colours and scents, you can go for a walk in the Southbank district along the Brisbane River. It passes through the entire city and hosts a local market together with typical bars and pubs for a refreshing beer. There are even
free ferries (cityHopper) crossing the river from one side to the other on which to admire the city from a different point of view and to relax after a long walk across hundreds of different and colourful flowers and plants at the
botanic garden.
This city – also called "Brissie" by most of Australians - clearly offers a variety of activities for everyone, especially if with the right company!Obviously
much better if located on the seaside like we expected (the ocean anyway is just 30 km away by bus!), but definitely a city where we would not mind living in for a while!