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Brisbane
Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, is Australia’s fastest growing city. Currently, it is the third largest city in Australia, with a population of 1.8 million. Forecasters predict that Brisbane may become Australia’s second largest city.
And it is easy to see why people want to move to Brisbane, which has been described as Australia’s most liveable city:
More information:
The Brisbane City Council offers a comprehensive Visitor’s Guide where you can read up on places to see, things to do and current events in and around Brisbane.
Brisbane’s subtropical climate provides comfortable living all year round. The city enjoys hot summers with average daytime temperatures around 29 degrees, and mild sunny winters with average daytime temperatures around 21 degrees. Queensland is also known as “the Sunshine State” and Brisbane lives up to this reputation with 8 hours of sunshine a day, almost all year round.
More information:
The Bureau of Meteorology provides weather forecast for Brisbane and Queensland, as well as temperature and rainfall averages.
Cost of Living
Brisbane is one of the most affordable cities in Australia with cost of living lower than Sydney or Melbourne. The price of groceries and transport are lower and accommodation and housing are reasonably priced.
Living in Brisbane is much cheaper than most cities in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Transport
Brisbane offers a range of public transport.
With over 500km of dedicated bikeways, combined with fantastic weather, Brisbane is a great city for getting around by bicycle.
The Translink public transport system incorporates ferries, buses and trains as an integrated system.
CityFerries and the fast CityCats service the locations along the Brisbane River.
An excellent network of buses provides connections for the inner suburbs. An increasing number of buses make use of the busway, a dedicated road for buses, resulting in faster travel times, greater frequency and reliability. Express buses regularly connect Brisbane’s outer suburbs with the city.
The Citytrain railway network not only covers the inner suburbs, but extends to suburban precincts, and also travels to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. A dedicated Airtrain service, conveys travellers from the airport into the city in 20 minutes. The Traveltrain network can also take travellers to regional and interstate destinations.
There are two major taxi service providers that offer pickup in both inner and outer Brisbane areas. Numerous private limousine companies can also be booked for specific journeys.
Brisbane’s International Airport connects travellers to destinations anywhere in the world, with a large number of airlines to choose from. All major Australian airlines service the Brisbane Domestic Airport, allowing passengers to travel to all Australian capital cities as well as regional centres.
More information:
The Queensland Government TransLink website provides timetables for bus, train and ferry, and allows you to find suitable public transport options using the journey planner
Brisbane Airport offers flight schedules, a terminal guide, as well as information on how to get to and from the airport.
Shopping
A diverse range of shopping experiences are available, ranging from exclusive boutique style shopping to factory outlets and weekend markets.
Located in the centre of the CBD (Central Business District) is the Queen Street Mall, Queensland’s premier shopping precinct. With five major shopping centres, shopping arcades and two department stores, the mall houses more than 1200 stores with a variety of restaurants & cafes mixed in.
Away from the city, Brisbane’s suburbs not only offer several major shopping centres (malls), but also smaller local shopping precincts waiting to be explored.
DFO, located next to Brisbane airport offers more than 90 outlet shops.
Boutique fashion shops can be found outside the CBD in Fortitude Valley and the adjacent China Town features a number of Asian supermarkets and grocery stores.
If you are looking for something unusual, or if you are after a bargain, why not spend some time exploring the diverse range of weekend markets. Fresh local produce, art and craft, and fashion are just a few things that are on offer.
An almost unlimited choice of cuisine, style and price range awaits you in and around the city. Cafes and restaurants offer everything from casual to sophisticated dining experiences. Brisbane’s climate lends itself to outdoor eating almost all year round, making al fresco a popular eating style. Brisbane’s creative cuisine can be described as “Modern Australian” which is influenced by Asian and Mediterranean cooking and the fresh produce and ingredients of the subtropical region. Brisbane’s overseas born population (25%) explains the wide variety of food styles available.
Brisbane’s Chinatown offers a wide range of Asian influenced restaurants.
More information:
Explore the eating and drinking guide, provided by the Brisbane City Council.
Cultural & Recreational Activities
With such a liveable climate, and a relaxed lifestyle, there are sure to be plenty of activities to interest you in South East Queensland.
From supporting one of the many local professional sporting teams, playing sports for yourself, or taking in the large areas of green in and around the city, there is sure to be something for almost every taste. The only past times not catered for are those that require snow, and even then, locals tend to adapt them to the heat, rather than give up the past time altogether.
Brisbane hosts a diverse range of cultural events, art galleries, ballet, theatre, opera, concerts, live music, museums, libraries, gardens, and expos the list goes on and on. Annual events centred on different areas of the CBD and as well as the suburbs include, River Festival, Ekka, Valley Fiesta, and the Brisbane Festival. Of course there are also those which centre around religious, cultural, ethnic and charitable events also.
What’s more the Gold Coast with its world famous beaches is only an hour away by car, bus or train. A 45 minute plane flight will take you to the world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, where you can enjoy a cruise, snorkel or scuba dive to explore the marine wildlife.
Fancy a day trip whale watching, fishing, or perhaps heading for the countryside to sample the wines, and other fresh produce of the region is more your style. Brisbane has all of your interests covered.
More information:
Brisbane’s What’s On guide, provided by the Brisbane City Council, keeps you informed on events, markets, arts, theatre and more.
Accommodation & Real Estate
Numerous styles and tastes in accommodation are available in and around the Brisbane region. Living on acreage, a suburban block, a smaller inner city block, town houses, apartments and studios are all available. Prices are considered by Australians to be more affordable than most of the other state capital cities.
It doesn’t matter if you want to rent or buy, there is sure to be something that suits you in the Brisbane region.
More information:
Education
Brisbane has a variety of state run schools as well as independent and religious private schools. Schools may offer prep to senior (often referred to as year 12), or be broken into Primary, Middle or High school components. Brisbane is also home to three universities, with 3 more in the adjoining regions. There is also a wealth of TAFE colleges, which cater for technical, trade and adult educational courses.
More information:
Images courtesy of Tourism Queensland
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