Liz's Brisbane
Name: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Location: Brisbane, Queensland Australia
Travel Style/Profile in 5 Words or Less: A collector of beautiful things and experiences
Favourite Food Spots:
For a bit of every cuisine: check out Eat Street Market, Northshore Hamilton. This is a former container wharf featuring heaps of food stalls with international food and alcohol.
Best Brekky:
New Farm Cafe
Foxy Bean, Wooloongabba
Best Asian: Paw Paw Cafe, Wooloongabba and Balmoral
Best Steak: Cha Cha Char, Brisbane CBD
Best Greek:
Little Greek Taverna, West End
Lefkas Taverna, West End
Cocktails: Gerard's Bar, New Farm. The bistro also does the best beef brisket!
Favourite Non-Food City Spots:
New Farm Park: It has a little bit of everything for all ages, including, waterfront dining, open air cinema, kids playground and a gorgeous big park under fig and jacaranda tress and beautiful rose gardens! Truly stunning in the spring. Jan Power Farmers Markets are also on every Saturday.
South Bank: a recreational precinct with abundant choices for food, also located on the Brisbane River.
Hiking to the Mount Coot-tha Summit for Brisbane's highest peak and panoramic views of Brisbane City.
Favourite Places To Go With Friends:
James Street: great dining and designer shops. Also close to the Valley which is Brisbane's entertainment district, boasting many bars and clubs.
Kangaroo Point Cliffs: a riverside park which has great BBQ areas overlooking Brisbane's skyline. Kangaroo Point Cliffs also connects with South Bank, another cultural precinct offering food and plenty of dining options.
Best Secret Spots Only A Local Would Know:
Vieille Branche at 10 Fox Street, Albion. One of my friend's stores, this is a converted warehouse of french antiques and vintage wares, and includes an in-house coffee lounge and cheese shop. The store also hosts various workshops from wood carving, shibori dying, flower crowns and pottery, and the venue can be converted for weddings. There is also Sunday jazz and music where there is beer on tap, french wine and cheese boards.
A Perfect Saturday Looks Like:
Walking the Brisbane Riverwalk from Teneriffe to New Farm, stopping at the New Farm markets for fresh flowers and coffee. The riverwalk is a floating riverwalk on the Brisbane River for pedestrians and cyclists which links from New Farm to Brisbane City.
Any Other City Favourites or Tips for Travellers?
There is so much to choose from and only over a hours drive out of Brisbane. I love to hike and there are some really great spots, south (Gold Coast) and north (Sunshine Coast) of Brisbane. Some of my favourites include Springbrook National Park, located in the Gold Coast Hinterland boasting waterfalls and beautiful bush trails and forest. Another favourite is Mt Warning, although not in Queensland, just over the Queensland border in New South Wales, stunning lush forest and panoramic views, worth the full day!
One of my favourite beaches, although also over the border in NSW, is Cabarita Beach, a hidden gem and sleepy beachside town. You must visit Halcyon House and Paper Daisy the restaurant if you are in Cabarita, a former surfer motel turned luxury hotel boasting stylish interiors.
Stradbroke Island, a island that lies off the Moreton Bay region, approximately 30km southeast of Brisbane. Typically you would spend the weekend here. I would recommend the North Gorge Walk, Cylinder Beach, and Frenchman's Beach.
Byron Bay and Byron Bay Hinterland, enough said!!
Queensland has some of the best beaches in the world, and deserves a separate blog!
