I’m a brissie girl. Born and bred. I’ve travelled a little bit but I’ve never actually lived anywhere else. So I’ll self-nominate as a Brisbane expert. Clearly not through any basis of comparison to other places – just by virtue of not knowing anything else. Clearly, I could run for president on those qualifications.
Like every city, Brisbane has its own idiosyncrasies. These are just a few….
- You have to shield picnics from maruding thieves. Namely, the ibis. For a comprehensive summary on the awfulness of the winged rat, watch the below…
- If you manage to evade the evil ibis, you will be attacked by magpies for most of spring. This can (apparently) be avoided by wearing a helmet adorned with cable ties.
- If the bird life drives you indoors to eat, heaven help you if you need the bathroom. You will have to ask for a key. The key will be attached to the largest kitchen utensil the restaurant could find. The directions to the bathroom will go like this: go out side and turn right, then turn left down the little alleyway, go past the bins (don’t mind the ibis), then turn right and just down the little stairs. This will be the case whether you dine at the cheap and cheerful cafe or the high end of town. Is this just a Brisbane thing?
- Any person who has grown up in Brisbane and meets another person who has grown up in Brisbane will have less than five degrees of seperation between them.
- That connection will be established almost instantly because the first thing you would have been asked is “Where did you go to school?“
- You have your side of the river. When you venture to the other side (which you never do voluntarily) it feels like a different country. With really bad drivers.
- You might even mortgage your house in order to pay for the cross river tunnel to avoid said drivers.
- When it takes you 45 minutes to get into town during peak hour you feel angry. When it takes you 45 minutes to get to the beach you wonder why you don’t do it more often.
- If you’re Southside side you know that the Northern NSW rivers host the best beaches. If you’re Northside you know that nothing beats Noosa. Except Straddie. Because Straddie beats all.
- When you make plans to stay just over the border during summer you are constantly making daylight savings calculations. And wishing they’d finally bring it to south east QLD.
- You know about all these Brisbane legends: the Hopoate Sculpture, the MLC weather tower and Gotham City building.
- You put on a jumper when it dips below 20 degrees.
- When your favourite act makes it big you live in fear that they will move their gigs from lovely, small venues like the Tivoli and River Stage to the soulless void that is the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Thankfully, they’ve increasingly opened up the sports stadiums as concert venues. I hope we see more than Adele at the Gabba.
Any Brisbane things to add?
Does your city have its own idiosyncrancies?
#southside4life 🙂 Magpies and Ibis’ sure know how to ruin a good picnic or a simple walk. I’d like to add the Stefan skyneedle to the list. As a kid, I used to think Stefan must have been some sort of God to have his own rainbow tower 🙂
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Oh they really do. And YES! The needle and the skylight – such a Brisbane thing.
The Ibis are an interesting beast. We’ve just started to get an influx of them in Canberra around a lake near my home. They are bloody big and I can see that they could become downright pesky!
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The Ibis need to be relocated on a deserted island. They are pretty awful.
I do think every city has it’s idiosyncracies. It’s scratching the surface that makes you discover the charms that are truly special to a particular place.
Lydia C. Lee recently posted…The Coopers Fiasco
I’m not sure if our bird life is charming, but lots of other things are 🙂
This made me laugh out loud! I love Brisvegas hard – such a great place to visit and you’re lucky to call it home.I think every city has a geographical point of division – when we lived in London it was the river, either north or souf (that’s south in a cockney accent) and now we’re Sydney siders, crossing over the bridge for some people is like coming over to the dark side!
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It’s such a thing isn’t it? The divide between cities.
Ha ha! The toilet thing is def not a Melbourne thing ?.
That’s a relief – it’s so weird.
The ibis is a pain in Sydney too!
Ingrid
http://www.fabulousandfunlife.blogspot.com.au
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life recently posted…How Lush Create Their Cupcake Face Mask
I’m a wildlife lover but I can’t abide those birds.
Bah ha ha!! I spent my uni years in Brisvegas so it ALL rings true! Especially the ibis and toilet key thing which is making its stupid way up to the Sunshine Coast. And could there be a more soulless venue than the one at Boondall?? Loved this 🙂
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What is with that toilet key thing? And Boondall is in the Boon Docks
Bahaha so true about having your side of the river! I’m Northside and when I started dating Trent he was Southside, was soooo outhe of my comfort zone driving to his place. Thankfully he moved in with me so I don’t need to go there anymore.
See I’m southside and I feel like I’m in a different country when I get anywhere near Gympie Rd 🙂
Driving to the beach vs driving to work is always worth it lol!
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So often I have sat in the car thinking, “I could be at Broadbeach by now, could have been at Greenmount by now, could have been at Kingscliff by now” 🙂
Ha! Love it! I’m a south-sider at heart despite living on the northside for a few years. Number 8 is so applicable to me. It always takes me so long to get into the city, so I complain about the SE Freeway. But then we drive to the coast and say “WOW! It’s so close.” Glad I’m not the only one.
I so often think “I could be at the beach right now”, when sitting in traffic.
Good post! Hahaha! The video made me LOLed! Ba ha ha
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