Holidaying in Brisbane for an Australian might be similar to a New Zealander doing so in Hamilton, which is perhaps why it took me close to 30 years to visit. But two days turned out to not be long enough – Brisbane is my new favourite Australian City (overtaking Sydney) for a number of reasons:
Brisbane’s weather
You’ve really got to live somewhere for 12 months to fully understand a locations weather patterns. I visited Brisbane in October (mid Spring) when the weather was between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius and loved it though I imagine in Summer it can become unbearable outside of an air-conditioned building.
Living in Wellington we have few absolutely stunning summer days each year and it sucks when these arise when you’re at work. I guess living in cities like Brisbane it’s not so bad working on a scorcher as you know there’ll be another one at the weekend!
Brisbane’s Riverside
Not normally one to appreciate rivers, I loved walking Brisbane’s riverside, checking out the parks, gardens, galleries, restaurants and bars, but also imagining myself running the paths like the locals.
The Proximity to the beach
Drive for an hour or so and you can be on the white sandy beaches of the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast. Pretty much the perfect weekend plan.
The Parks and Gardens
Cities need parks, gardens and open spaces and Brisbane’s are well kept and have something for everyone – a city beach for the kids, native plants in the botanic gardens and tranquil spots with benches for those who just want peace, quiet and scenery.
Brisbane is a compact city
The reason I love Wellington so much is that you can walk wherever you need to go and it really has a heart. Brisbane is the same, a small, walkable city, unlike the sprawling Melbourne and Sydney.
So which is your favourite Australian city? Do you like the happening bigger cities or the smaller, compact ones?
I couldn’t agree more 🙂 Brisbane is my new home and I couldn’t be more content here (rare for me)!
Also, I recently went to Wellington on my honeymoon and realized the same – compact cities are the way to go 🙂
Author
Oh great choice in picking Brisbane to move to! Wellington’s a different destination for a honeymoon! Did you travel around New Zealand a bit?
Yes I love it! I met my husband here when I first visited a couple years ago, so it’s great having him show me his city now that we’re going to be here for a while 🙂
We originally planned on taking a cruise from Brisbane up to the Whitsunday beaches, but then it sold out so we had to make a last minute decision and Wellington it was! No regrets at all, it was perfect for us 🙂 I would love to go back to New Zealand and properly visit someday, for us financially a weekend trip was all we could do.
Author
Cute! Just read your International Relationship story 🙂
Thank you 🙂 <3