Léa St. Arnault

Léa Like Leia

A Quick Note

I am not the best writer. This is a personal blog and collection of travel stories, personal quips, thoughts and ideas.

Most of what you are about to read is very informal, and some very raw (I’m not keen to proofread and edit my work). I’ve never been one for journalling as I don’t always have the patience to sit down and write, but I do often have a never ending thread of thoughts running through my mind. And at the very few times I remember to write anything down, I feel that it barely captures everything that I am thinking of even while typing.

Some items you can peruse may be personal ideas, inspirations, or even troubles that run through my mind that I try to type into my phone while sitting at the beach or walking through the park.

Please be patient and kind.
Hopefully you find something to enjoy :D

Brisbane

So it turns out I didn’t take any photos while in Brisbane. Not on my camera roll (minus three photos of flowers), not on Snapchat, and not on the disposable camera I currently have as I didn’t buy it till I was in Sydney. Great way for me to remember my time in Brisbane.

Brisbane

A beautiful city. Not what most people think of when they think of Australia. They associate Australia with beaches and surf and lots of critters and creatures. Brisbane is one of the few ‘BIG’ cities not on the coastline with some surf beaches, and in my opinion that is why a lot of backpackers and travellers often say they didn’t care for or like Brisbane that much.

But if you look beyond the beaches, Brisbane is actually quite a beautiful city. It boasts a mixture of old and new architecture, has a booming core, a fairly extensive network of buses and some trains. It utilizes its landscape and works with nature much better than I’ve seen other cities do. There was lots of greenery, trees, and parks everywhere I walked. I found the city quite clean compared to lots of big cities. I stayed in Fortitude Valley, also known to the locals as ‘The Valley’, it is very close to the CBD core and was always booming with life at night. The Valley is also a great starting point, just a short 10 minute walk to the city centre, or just 10 minutes to the river bank.

I grew up in Edmonton, which is known for its River Valley and all the park space it boasts along the long winding North Saskatchewan river that cuts its way through the city. Brisbane has a similar long winding river, and ferries to help you get place to place, but doesn’t have as many large green and park spaces along the river, as the city is fairly level with the water, so not many banks from the meandering river have been created. But I think Brisbane has found another great use of the space like Edmonton has. It has walkways, both for pedestrian and cyclist, that go all along the river on both sides. You can also find an abundance of restaurants and small parks. For example on the North/West side of the river walk it can take you from restaurants and breweries to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens and on the South/East side you can go form Kangaroo look out point, which gives you some of the best views in the city and where you can do some rock climbing, all the way to South Bank, one of the most beautiful city parks I’ve ever seen!

South Bank is often brought up when talking about Brisbane. It is full of life, play, and excitement. There are lots of things happening, from the man made beach next to the outdoor pool for everyone to enjoy (gotta find a swimming spot somewhere don’t have the shorelines like Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth) a water park for the kids, lots of beautiful trees and plants in the green spaces, many benches for everyone to take a break and enjoy a picnic. There are also lots of events that happen in South Banks, from markets to festivals and live music. Without a doubt you would find something to do in South Bank while visiting Brisbane.

Brisbane is also a great hub city to stay in if you want to do lots of little trips just outside the city. It is near so much to see in beautiful sunny Queensland. It is only a short hour and a half drive to the Sunshine Coast, it is easy to do a day trip to Moreton Island with many tour companies (it’s where Scooby Doo was filmed!), it is also near the Koala Sanctuary, and the famous Australia Zoo, most known due to its conservation efforts and ties to the Irwin family.

Overall I think a lot of people sleep on Brisbane because it isn’t the stereotypical Australian surf city, but Australia is a lot more than just surf (even though that’s how I want to spend my time here haha). I did enjoy my time in Brisbane, and I think most people would if they slow down and take the time to walk around and explore.

Overview of things to enjoy:

  • Walk through the city

  • River bank on either side

  • New Farm, great for art and food

  • South Bank!!!

  • Kangaroo Look out

  • Brisbane Botanical Gardens (a nice free walk through)

  • Fortitude Valley for nightlife

  • Day trips: Moreton Island, Koala Sanctuary, Australia Zoo, and so much more.

TravelLea StArnaultTravel, Australia, Brisbane, Things to do