Australian Escapade – Brilliant in Brisbane – Part 4

Welcome to my story style travel blog, featuring my time spent in Brisbane, Australia in the spring of 2025. Normally, I do group tours when I travel but I have an opportunity to use a flight pass from my friend who works as a flight attendant. I first visited Australia in 2009 when I was touring New Zealand and decided to fly over to Sydney for a week. I figured it’s been awhile, and Brisbane is a route my friend usually flies… so we plan to meet up there! I also have many friends who live in and around Brisbane, a result of all of my travels over the years. So here we go!!!

Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city, located in Queensland a small distance away from the east coast. It is said to have over 280 days of sunshine a year! Brisbane offers vibrant urban energy with a relaxed charm. Part cosmopolitan and part outdoorsy, you’ll find modern architecture mixed with subtropical gardens and rooftop bars that overlook the winding waterway of the Brisbane river. And the people here are so welcoming and friendly. Also known as Brisvegas, the city has a really cool nightlife and a flashy entertainment scene.

This morning, my friend Zara picks up myself and Evelyne and we begin our roadtrip adventure for the day! I met Zara back in 2014, when we were both working for Flight Centre(worst job I’ve ever had in my life, but that’s a story for another time). We were on a free “fam” trip in Thailand, and this is the first time I’ve seen her in over 10 years!

Her suggestion for brunch is a place called Yatala pies – an iconic landmark located on the Pacific Highway. It’s been in business for over 130 years.

They claim to sell more than 3500 pies a day, and I believe it. There is a huge line when we arrive but luckily their service is speedy so we don’t wait too long. I have the chicken mushroom pie and it’s delicious!

They also have a large assortment of dessert, so I figure I should try the Australian classic, Vanilla Slice. It does not disappoint!!

We continue the drive up to Tamborine Mountain; I was here a few days ago but didn’t get to experience what the area is known for…breweries, wineries and distilleries!! We try the first winery on our list, but it’s full with almost an hour wait. Normally we could sit outside but the weather is not co-operating today…it’s pouring rain. We run back to the car and drive over to Mason Winery instead. They have room, and we try the outside barrel table but it’s still too wet for our liking.

We move inside and do the wine tasting of 5 different varieties. I like most of them, but also, I’m not super picky when it comes to wine.

Awesome service here too; we even get an umbrella escort back to the car. Haha. We were planning on hitting two more places but we deicde to skip the brewery and go for the distillery.

It’s called Cauldron, and they’ve got gin! This place is super busy too, but lots of places to sit and all of the guests are really friendly and having a good time.

Zara can’t drink anymore since she has to drive, so me and Evelyne enjoy the gin flight – 3 types plus tonic for mixing.

Yikes, they’re strong and we probably could have just shared a flight. We get a good buzz after partaking in the ginfoolery.

When it’s time to head home, I think the mix of the alcohol plus the ride makes me feel like absolute garbage. I have a tendency to get carsick on winding roads, and it is affecting me today. I’m also pretty hungry since I did not order food at the distillery. So the combo of all of this totally sucks. I say goodbye to Zara, so thankful for her hospitality today and it was so nice connecting with her again. When I get back to the apartment, I want to order food but I’m also tired and nauseuous. But, I do UBER eats and get a pizza from a place called Vici that claims to have the best pizza. Meh, it’s ok.

After dinner, I have a hot shower because now I have the chills from being out in the rain all day and the only thing left to do to make me feel better is to get my ass to bed.

I’m going to skip ahead a couple days, to my final day here in Brisbane. I have a glorious sleep-in, and I grab a sandwich and coffee from the café downstairs. I spend the next couple of hours packing, and because I plan on singing tonight, I want to practice a few songs. I don’t even get through one song, and I hear a knock on my door. It’s the building manager or whatever you want to call her(I have a few other choice words for her). She insists I open the door for her and demands that I be quiet and stop singing. WHAT THE?? It’s in the middle of the afternoon, and I’m a professional singer…it’s not like I’m terrible at it!! This apartment building houses travelers like myself, and also locals that live here. So, people aren’t allowed to make any noise at any time? Seems pretty ridiculous . She’s lucky I’m nice about it, but she has no right to demand I open the door for her.

Anways, this afternoon I walk over to the Roma Street Parklands to have a wander around the city gardens. It’s ok, nothing spectacular but I imagine it’s a nice place for families to hang out or to enjoy a nice hike.

It’s raining so on my way back I pop into Albert Street Uniting Church to escape for a few minutes.

I head back down to Queen Street, the main pedestrian shopping area where I finish getting all of my souvenirs. I find a tattoo shop called Wild at Heart, and I drop in to see what walk-ins are available and pricing.

I can get in right away, so to commemorate my time here in OZ, I get a small tattoo of a koala and kangaoo on my lower leg.

Tonight, I’m hitting a bar called Miss Demeanour Laneway Bar; it’s underground and has a really chill and cool atmosphere.

It’s the perfect way to end my time here in Brisbane, because I’m meeting Dan, the guy who hosts the open mic. Here’s the story…Evelyne has been to this openl mic in the past and loved it, so she suggested that I come to Australia with her with her buddy pass. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!! Unfortunately, she had to fly back yesterday and Dan’s shows didn’t fit into her schedule this time.

Dan is super nice, and he agrees to play guitar for me while I sing. We pick a few songs, and it goes really well considering we just wing it! I stay for a few more singers, and then call it an early night since my flight is tomorrow….

And now the final adventure…I’m flying standby again, so I make my way to the airport and hope for the best. They do things a little different here in Brisbane….I can check in, but I have to stay at the counter until they confirm there is room for us “cons” to fly today. This decision is usually right down to the wire, and today is no exception. My flight leaves in less than an hour, and I’m still waiting. The attendant is optimistic, but then she’s told there are only 3 seats available for 4 of us. I am one of those people! Phew!!! But I haven’t checked my luggage yet, so I get sent to the oversized luggage drop off. The attendant figures my bag won’t get on the plane, but it will be sent out on the next flight tomorrow. Sucks, but at least I’m on the flight. Except now I have to make a mad dash to get to the gate to board the plane. I have no idea how long it will take because I still have to go through security and customs. I ask a few people to let me skip the line, and when I finally make it through, I mad dash through the duty free shop, wondering why it seems so huge and hoping I don’t knock anything over. Haha. I have no idea how long it will take me to get to the gate, so I just keep sprinting. It’s not too far, and I get on the plane with maybe 10 minutes to spare. This experience is way crazier than when I flew here last week. And the best part…my luggage actually makes it on the flight!!

To sum it up, Brisbane is a fantastic city to visit in Australia. I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to spend some time here, and catch up with old friends!