Living in Brisbane

My parents will be visiting really soon, for the main purpose of attending my graduation (see previous post), but while they are here in Brisbane I do intend to show them around. A number of fellow international students studying in Brisbane have remarked that Brisbane is a boring place to live in. Well, I guess it's true in the sense that Brisbane, being only the third largest city in Australia, does not have the big city vibes and excitement that can be found in Sydney and Melbourne, which are probably the two best-known and popular Australian cities. Indeed, when I visited Melbourne with a couple of friends recently, I could sense a difference in the 'feel' of the two cities. Melbourne was bigger, more crowded and more urbanized. My visit to Melbourne was a very memorable and enjoyable one, but I did also find myself being glad to be back in Brisbane and missing good 'ol Brissie.

I for one do like to live in Brisbane. What I like best about Brisbane is that it has a good balance of the urban and the country. That is, Brisbane has a thriving city centre and financial heart, but there isn't an atmosphere of stress and fast-paced living that you often find in many other major cities around the world. People are generally laid back and know how to achieve work-life balance. Also, beyond the city centre, the various suburbs and neighbourhoods have a nice, peaceful community feel to them.

As for the criticism that Brisbane is boring, my response will be that interesting activities and lifestyles don't fall from the sky onto your laps. There are interesting things to see and do in Brisbane, you just have got to look out for them, sometimes by going off the beaten track. Notging ventured, nothing gained. I also think that any city or country will eventually get boring, especially if you finish all the must-sees and must-dos promoted by tourism campaigns. The next stage would then be to immerse yourself in the local life and learn to appreciate local culture.

I do have my favourite hangouts in Brisbane, particularly the suburbs of West End and Fortitute Valley. At the same time, I enjoy discovering new places to hang out, the most recent being the suburb of Paddington, which has many excellent cafes and is a good place to go for vintage shopping. A favourite activity of mine is to go out for a delicious weekend breakfast, which seems to be a popular thing to do among locals, aside from going to the pubs and clubs for a drink and watching a footy match. When my parents visit later this week, I am definitely going to show them Brisbane as I know and enjoy it, and hopefully they'll fall in love with this great city too.