As you may know, I’ve been working on a second story for the past few months. A novel set in my home city of Brisbane. Although I’ve lived here my whole life, I’ve been keen to do some research trips and see my city through fresh eyes.

I’ve been itching to get out and explore although the weather had not been working in my favour. It was either really hot (not ideal for walking), or rainy (terrifying when carting around a notebook) so I was biding my time and admittedly growing increasingly impatient.

Today the stars aligned and the conditions for a research trip were perfect. The sun still held warmth, yet the shade was cool. A lovely slight breeze and happy white clouds scattered over the azure blue sky.

I was up early, showered, and keen to head off. My wonderful husband joined me for the days adventure. It’s always wonderful to have company on a quest and I am fortunate that he is lovely and patient and was more than happy to follow my lead for the day.

Although I could pretty confidently say that I know the city well, it is amazing how much things can change. Since we’d last visited, the new casino had opened, and the sky deck had been added to all the “must visit” lists and included in our itinerary for the day.

Central Station

Walking around the city reminded me of day trips my sister and I used to take with our wonderful Great Uncle and which usually involved McDonalds for breakfast (always the hotcakes and a small chocolate shake for me), Sunday Mass at St Stephen’s Cathedral and then exploring Queen Street Mall or taking a walk over the bridge into South Bank to check out the Parklands and the markets. Back then, the city seemed like a massive, daunting place. My Great Uncle educated us on the trick with the street names as a useful navigation tool. In a nutshell, female names ran parallel to Queen Street and male names run perpendicular. Walking around today, I wanted to thank my Great Uncle (or Awesome Uncle as he was also happy to be referred to), for the time he took sharing the city he loved with us kids.

Today, I certainly wasn’t a kid however I did feel like a tourist, walking around with my camera in hand to scout out locations. Some scenes already had set locations in my mind. For example, I was fairly sure of the office location for my main characters new job as I had worked around that area in the past. I also had a rough idea of where my MC met her husband (City Botanic Gardens), although having a rough idea was just not cutting it. I needed to get into the thick of it, breathe in the city and explore.

We may not have the amount of history of the older cities although there are gems that have always held my heart. One of my favourite places in the city is Brisbane Arcade, a beautiful heritage listed arcade which is one of the cities oldest shopping arcades and the place oozes old world charm with its vintage architecture. Being a stationery lover, I can never stop myself from gawking at the Pen Shoppe when I go past.

Brisbane Arcade

I love Queen Street Mall, and it has changed a lot since childhood adventures or the days of wagging (skipping) high school to catch up with friends in the city. Although the Myer Centre has now been re-branded “Up Town” since the Myer Store left the Centre (I still call it the Myer Centre), I was relieved to see that Hungry Jacks, that all important meeting spot for everyone visiting the city and especially the mall, still stands proudly with the impossible to miss bright red façade. I have never been a fan of Hungry Jacks and think I’ve only ever eaten a meal there a few times but if you are meeting someone in the city, chances are, you are meeting outside of Hungry Jacks.

After the Mall, we checked out the new casino building and visited the sky deck to get a different vantage point of the city. A free observation deck and a nice view, what’s not to like. I especially liked watching the hesitant steps of people stepping onto the “glass” floor section directly over the riverside expressway and watching the cars zipping past under your feet.

Walking past Parliament House and into the campus for QUT Garden’s Point, we took a left into the Botanic Gardens to scout out the perfect spot for where my MC first meets her husband. It is such a beautiful Gardens and one of my favourite places in the city, a lovely green oasis full of birds and other wildlife. A must visit for anyone heading to the city.

City Botanic Gardens

With over 100 photos now clogging my mobile, and a notebook full of scrawled notes, I am amped up and ready to dive back into my story. My feet are a little tired, but my mind is overflowing. Thank you Brisbane.