I’ve always had a love hate relationship with Brisbane. Growing up in the cane fields of the Sunshine Coast, the city was always looming in my mind as it was only an hour or so away. I spent many a school holidays with my grandparents and cousin in the suburb of Enoggera and it was a big deal for us to go in to town on the bus. Once in town I would be bombarded with noise and people and shiny products that I’d only ever seen on television.

In high school my friends and I would take day trips on the train from Nambour to the city where we would go shopping and enjoy the freedom of not being with adults. The trip on the way home would be the best because we were tired and would pour our little teenage angst pains out.

Years later, after living in the UK for a year and seeing such cities as Amsterdam and London, the city’s smallness was sufficating for me. I was a “world traveller” now and I disdained it’s big town attitude. I lived in Balmoral and West End for about 3 years and moaned about how shit the place was. But after a while – especially once I moved to West End – I grew to love the place again.

Although I’m now getting frustrated again living here (places to go, people to see) I’m still aware that there are things about this place I love.

So, I now present to you my list of things I like about Brisbane:

• Driving over the Story Bridge at night. The city is always beautiful at night and the Story Bridge shows it off with the lights on the water. Night makes the city look like a bustling mega metropolis.
• The Citycats. This is the most obvious display of the new Brisbane we are trying to be – a forward thinking modern place that knows it’s strengths and shows it off. Tourists love it and the best thing for commuters is that there is no traffic. My tip? Stand at the front and feel like you are flying.
• Coming over the hill on the freeway just before the Gaza Rd exit near Mt Gravatt. This is your first glimpse of the CBD if you are coming to Brisbane from the Gold Coast. Day or night this is the best view to give you an idea of the spanse of the city and skyscrapers are always interesting to me.
• Southbank. A pretty obvious choice as not many cities have a lifesaver patrolled beach in the middle of the CBD. This park is the major gathering point for Brisbanites especially at Christmas, New Years and Australia Day. It helps to have the river as the special guest star with the lights of the city and riverside expressway as props.
• The Myer Centre. This brought people back to the city and when it first opened it had a rollercoaster and ferris wheel on the top floor. They are long gone, but the Myer Centre still is THE PLACE to go shopping in the city. It helps that it is a major bus terminus underneath where all the sections are marked with Australian animals. Nice touch.

There are many more things such as Kangaroo Point, West End and Mt Cootha, but instead of me rattling them off I thought I might ask for comments. What is it about Brisbane that you like?

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