Moreton Island is a tropical haven just off Brisbane and a Tangalooma day trip is a must-do when vacationing in Queensland, Australia. Moreton Island is arguably the best day out you can take, whether as a citizen or a tourist. A Tangalooma day trip isn’t exactly a secret for locals, yet it’s far off the radar for most visitors who see Brisbane as little more than a...
Before Steve Irwin was anyone, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was the place to go to cuddle koalas and see a real saltwater crocodile. Its inner urban location, accessibility by bus and river cruise and proximity to the state capital made it the go-to for all wildlife fondling activities. Australia Zoo has overtaken Lone Pine in terms of popularity but that also comes...
An old corner pub has found a new millennium role with Netherworld, an arcade meets live music venue. For over one hundred years (and long before Netherworld or computer gaming was a thing), The Shamrock Hotel was a Fortitude Valley icon frequented primarily by journalists and old alcoholic bar flies. In the nineties and early noughties, Bernie’s band used to play...
A beer so good (or so bad) it’s very name is censored – that’s XXXX. Australian for beer There was a time where almost as much Fourex beer was sold in England as it was in its hometown, Brisbane. Between the four Xs, Fosters Lager and tourism ads for Australia featuring actor Paul Hogan (at his peak of Crocodile Dundee fame) inviting visitors over to throw a...
Every August, The Ekka, the annual state fair comes to town, bringing with it great food, fresh produce, carnies, rides and a hideously contagious flu. In the heart of the Queensland winter the Ekka brings a country carnival atmosphere to the big smoke, blown in on the cyclonic August winds. The Ekka means two things – fun and flu. The fun comes in the form of rides...
If you want to experience your first real taste of Queensland rainforest, Mount Glorious on the outskirts of Brisbane is just within reach. The slow, chilled pace can get to you. Seriously. For all its lazy, Sunday afternoon vibes and notoriously inefficient public transport, you don’t normally feel stressed when you’re in Brisbane. But when you do, there are...
“The Breakfast Creek Hotel is up for sale”. You know a pub is iconic when legendary Australian band, Midnight Oil name checks it in a song. The Breakfast Creek Hotel, known by locals simply as the “Brekky Creek” is part of the very fabric of tropical Brisbane. It has lived through fires, floods and more than its share of bar fights over its 128 years. In that time...
Montville is a charming hilltop village in the Blackall Ranges nestled above the Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. When the stifling heat, humidity and near perfect beaches get too much for you (yeah right!) there is a place you can escape too. Imagine a tropical haven where the temperature drops cool enough to enjoy a hot chocolate or Devonshire tea – even in summer...
As a ginger, Buderim Ginger Factory is Jess’s spiritual home. It’s home to some great-tasting food and offers a chance to chill in its quiet rainforest grounds. Heading north towards the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane, you will pass through Buderim, a small, sleepy, hinterland town. Just off the highway, in a semi-industrial area is the Buderim Ginger Factory. As a...
Looking more like a spot you’d find in the hipster epicenter of Williamsburg than a quaint café in a leafy suburb of Wavell Heights, Shutter and Brew serves up its sweet early morning eats 7 days a week. Good breakfast options in Brisbane used to be restricted to a meat pie and iced coffee from a convenience store or a McMuffin from McDonalds. Thankfully there has...
