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A couple years back when I was first planning this simple vacation, I never thought it would be as life changing as it was. But life is unpredictable that way, and this story is definitely one for the grandkids.

My husband and I were planning a short trip to Brisbane to get away from our 9 to 5 lives, so we booked a room in a hotel and went there for a few days. It was impossible not to fall in love with the atmosphere of the city on the very first day. My husband is a nature lover, so he insisted we go to the Alexander Clark Park and the Berrinba Wetlands. I’m not much of a walking person, but even I have to admit that the scenery was simply breathtaking.

Being an artist myself, I was more interested in seeing the cultural part of the city. The Abbey museum was my must-go, and I spent nearly a whole day there, admiring the antiques. The nightlife was pretty good too and we went out for a wonderful dinner, but we didn’t have all that much time. We went back home full of impressions.

Before we knew it, we had some more vacation days saved up, and we knew that we wanted to go back to Brisbane. This time we rented an apartment, wanting to experience a more local atmosphere. I never thought that it is possible to spend a whole afternoon just window shopping, until I went to Adelaide Street. This place was what my dreams are made of – the perfect combination of food and fashion. We went back to the Berrinba Wetlands for a picnic, and that is when my husband first mentioned moving here. I thought he was out of his mind, but it did plant a seed in my mind.

We’ve heard that there are some pretty awesome stargazing spots, so we packed a blanket and went to Lake Moogerah. It was a 45-minute drive, but worth every minute. I’ve never seen a sky so dark and stars so bright in my life. We laid there for hours, just looking at the stars. Today, it is our go-to spot for stargazing.

One year and another three trips to Brisbane later, we decided that it is the place where we would like to live at. Looking at properties in Brisbane was exciting, because we both already knew what our favorite spots were, and we wanted to be as close to them as possible. We have been living here for a full year now, and we are still happy every morning, when we wake up to another sunny day. We have some new favorite stops, like the Rose Farm, where we go to escape the city, and the Metro Arts, where there are always new exhibitions to see. There are so many new things that can be experienced here, like The City Sounds, where we get to hear new artists all the time, and I’ve even started hiking. The Summit Track is our go-to for weekend hikes, but we are planning to go to the Mermaid Mountain.

So for anyone wanting to visit Brisbane – a word of caution: You will fall in love with it head-over-heels. It is so much more than “just another city”, and it is so diverse that there will definitely be something to meet anybody’s needs! My husband and I never thought we’d find a place that has the tranquility of nature, but still a busy enough nightlife and art scene to fit me – but Brisbane gave us all of that and so much more.

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Brisbane truly is an amazing city. I was there at Christmas time when the weather is really HOT. The beach is illuminated so the kids can have fun after sunset without burning their skin. The Drive Thru Bottle Shop. Santa Claus and his helpers all arrived on Harley Davidson motor bikes. Surfers Paradise and the Slots everywhere ! The Meter Maids in their Gold Bikinis rolling around on their skates adding quarters to Parking Meters about to run out. The Gold Coast is one of those places you could happily move to !

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