When considering a trip across the pond to experience some big city energy, it’s easy to only consider two options, but Oliver Hall discovers Brisbane is brimming with arts, foodie and queer scenes that rival its big Aussie brothers.
An Impressive Arrival
It’s been an easy afternoon drive down from the Gold Coast to our accommodation for the duration of our stay, the Crystalbrook Vincent (@crystalbrookvincent).
Entering the dark, elegant lobby, the reception’s stunning cliff-face backdrop immediately gives us the impression that staying at the Crystalbrook Vincent is going to be different. An incredible collection of over 500 prints by acclaimed Australian artist Vincent Fantauzzo lines the walls of all six storeys, adding an abundance of personality with his odes to Australian celebrity and pop culture. The check-in service is exceptional, and it’s clear when the receptionist offers to take us to see a couple of rooms so we can pick our favourite that nothing is too much effort for this hotel brand, which goes above and beyond.
Located under Brisbane’s mighty Story Bridge, we pick a riverside room that looks across the water and up at the bridge’s intricate industrial architecture, which lights up in different colours every night.
The Crystalbrook Vincent is located on the Howard Smith Wharves (an area that feels like Brisbane’s answer to Circular Quay), which houses a wealth of restaurants and nightlife, most notably Felon’s Brewery. This unique, active waterfront brewery is an essential afternoon visit. With a capacity of 1300 people, it feels like half the city could join us!
If you’re looking for a more sophisticated drop, Fiume, the Crystalbrook Vincent’s rooftop cocktail bar, sits adjacent to their infinity pool. Like the pool, the bar features panoramic views of the river and the city’s skyline. But what keeps you there are the gorgeous cocktails (don’t miss their Manhattan!). We are served by a glamorous Italian who loves living in Brisbane, telling us her social life there is the envy of all her friends in Europe!
Just a few feet across the road is Stanley (@stanley_restaurant), where we will dine that night, and as the lights of the Story Bridge shimmer in the water with a purple hue, we slowly make our way through Chef Louis’ Signature Banquette Menu!
This Cantonese restaurant takes its name from Hong Kong’s Stanley Bay, and while no traditional fishing boats sail past, on this warm, breezy evening, the name feels fitting for the setting and the menu’s authentic flavours. The banquet begins with exceptional seafood, including oysters, yellowfin tuna and Morton Bay bug spring rolls caught just up the river. Sensational Peking duck pancakes follow, and by the time we’ve polished off the banana prawns and special fried rice, we’re wondering where we will put dessert.
Shopping, Wine & Circus
The next morning, we pop into Crystalbrook’s cute a la carte restaurant, Mews, which we are impressed to see serves Wellington’s Supreme coffee. Gosh, it’s a good drop and has us ready for our day!
We resist popping back into Felons and instead take the public outdoor elevator up the cliff face for a stroll through the nightlife mecca of Fortitude Valley onto James Street (@jamesstbne). Move over Ponsonby Road! James Street is how you do a high-end retail area, with boutique designers, cute bars and slick restaurants. Watching the beautiful people is a hotly contested spectator sport on this stylish strip. But we barely have time for a quick cruffin at Agnes Bakery before we dine at one of this village’s most talked-about restaurants.
sAme sAme (@same.same.restaurant) has a calming Scandinavian aesthetic with a stunningly flavourful Thai menu. These were some of the most memorable flavours of our trip, including beautiful bites of kingfish marinated in chilli and lime. Head Chef Arté Assavakavinvong focuses on how immensely varied Thai food can be due to the country’s climate and geography, apparent from the spicy slow-cooked rib of beef to the crispy soft shell crab salad!
What better digestive to help our food go down than wine blending at City Winery (citywinery.com.au), our next stop. During our blending, CEO and Founder Dave Cush gave us an uncensored breakdown of what it means to run a wine label in the current economic climate, from working with growers, selling into supermarkets and bars, to navigating changing government rules. This was a fascinating insight into an industry shrouded in a veneer of glamour.
Intriguing conversation aside, I am over wine-tasting! While I realise this is very much a first-world problem, my heart sinks every time I see a cellar door, and I prepare to suck air through my teeth while resisting acid reflux, looking for legs and tasting tannins… And don’t get me started on gin!
Whether you spit or swallow, wine blending is a much more fun interactive experience, as you are given four single-variety reds to taste and can choose the mix that best suits your palate. You get to trial until you’re satisfied and potentially quite tipsy, while Dave guides you to improve on your previous creations.
Following a quick snooze back at the hotel, we are off to the industrial side of suburb Hamilton to a reclaimed area that’s bathed in neon pink! The Pink Flamingo (pinkflamingoaustralia.com) is a permanent Spiegelclub venue that offers a naughty festival vibe all year round. Decked out in gold-gilded, plush hot pink, the cabaret brand’s queer managers and staff ensure a super welcoming vibe for all. The Pink Flamingo (which was founded on the Gold Coast, where it is still going strong) offers different shows to tickle various fancies. We are there to see ‘Suave’, a ballsy burlesque circus show with cunning stunts, but they also offer ‘La Tease’, a sexy all-lady strip tease, and ‘Ripped’, an all-male review packed with smooth Aussie muscles. Whichever show you see, you’re guaranteed a jaw-dropping night!
Taking It All In
For breakfast the next morning, we venture out to Joey’s (joeys.com.au). Perched on the riverside clifftop of Kangaroo Point, Joey’s combines serene views with a wholesome breakfast menu that is just what the hangover doctor ordered. And don’t worry if you need a Bloody Mary – this friendly alfresco dining still offers a full bar! We won’t be contemplating another round, however, because we have a hot ride picking us up!
Roaring Twenties’ (roaringtwenties.net.au) owner/operator Dave picks us up from breakfast in his ‘Clyde’ 1937 Dodge Brothers Convertible for a tour of Brisbane’s most impressive Art Deco buildings. The vintage car attracts stares and even cheers from passersby, while Dave, one of the most charming Australian men you could ever meet, shares his palpable passion for Art Deco design. In fact, for the next two hours, all we have to do is relax on the belt-free back seat while Dave cruises around some of the city’s architectural hidden gems. What a unique and luxurious way to orient yourself to the city!
For lunch, Dave drops us off at Southside (@southside_restaurant). Located in the artistic alley of Fish Lane, a stone’s throw from Queensland’s Museum, Southside fittingly offers visually pleasing dishes that are a feast for both eyes and tummy. We sit under the monolithic train bridges of South Brisbane in the leafy, large outdoor dining area, which tastefully embraces industrial architecture, enhanced with lavish greenery. Retro disco tunes fill the air from perfectly concealed outdoor speakers as we tuck into moorish lobster dumplings, which I am still drooling over as I write.
Revitalised, we are ready for our next adventure with CityCat, Brisbane’s top-notch public transport catamaran, taking us on a smooth, inexpensive cruise of the city’s riverside scenery. These run in conjunction with KittyCat Ferries, a free service for shorter inner-city journeys. The tourists jumping on and off seem seriously impressed.
We jump off at Brisbane Powerhouse (brisbanepowerhouse.org), a 1920s power station warehouse converted into a space dedicated to the arts – with nine live venue spaces, a gallery and restaurants – that celebrates Queensland’s love of brutalist architecture with exposed polished granite walls. On a Saturday night, every comedy festival show is well attended, and the atmosphere is vibrant and bustling at this contemporary cultural hub. But tonight I won’t just be tickled by the life stories of comedian Josh Thomas. I will also be terrified by my own dinner!
We dine at Vertigo (vertigobrisbane.com.au) – one of the craziest experiences the Powerhouse has brought to Brisbane. 17 metres high, your table hangs off the side of the building’s roof. Getting on to your table involves swinging your legs over and, harnessed in, shuffling off the side of the building! Dangling off the iconic heritage wall offers a stunning aspect, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more memorable date night. Feeling brave? You can choose to (securely) jump off the side and be lowered down to the exit, or chicken out as I did and take the stairs!
Getting To Know The Gay Scene
The next day is our dedicated ‘gay day’. It’s the 24th anniversary of Brisbane’s Big Gay Day (@biggaydayofficial), hosted by iconic venue The Wickham (@thewickham). This stylish pub (refurbished in 2023) is a heritage-listed building that has been standing since 1885! Brisbane’s rainbow communities are a loyal bunch. I first visited Brisbane 23 years ago, and all of the LGBTQ+ venues that were popular then are still operating now. At 18 years old, my first bar job was at Brisbane’s The Sportsman Hotel (@sportiesBNE) – affectionately known as ‘Sporties’! I’m excited to see how much it’s changed, but walking into the bar, it feels remarkably familiar. As I look up at the DJ booth, I am shocked to see that 23 years later, it’s the same DJ (DJ Merlin) spinning tunes!
Sporties has a downstairs bar that houses karaoke, bear and kink nights twice a week, while its two expansive ground-floor bars are open Tuesday to Sunday, one offering live drag shows and DJs, the other pool tables and a jukebox.
Sadly, we don’t make it along to the super colourful Beat Megaclub (@beatmegaclubau), a huge multi-room venue that will celebrate its 41st birthday in November. We’re having too good a time at the Big Gay Day, which takes place both in and around The Wickham, which closes off roads and erects a big outdoor runway stage – where this year the likes of Lady Bunny, Mel C and Sneaky Sound System strutted their stuff.
I am so intrigued by the unique longevity of Brisbane’s scene that I ask The Wickham’s Manager, Mark Baker, why he thinks all the venues have courted such success. “Supporting local talent, giving back to the community with our charitable partners and celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community is at the core of both Big Gay Day and The Wickham itself,” he tells me, acknowledging, “We’re lucky to have our Brisbane community and have always kept them at the forefront.”
That community’s loyalty is certainly rewarded. Along with these great venues, the Big Gay Day is a blast every May, Brisbane Pride (@brisbane.pride) includes a march, fair day and ball each September and the ambitious Melt OPEN is a queer festival to watch this October. The just released full Melt Open line up include a river boat pride parade, nude photo shoot by contemporary artist Spemcer Tunick, Club Broadway, UK pop legends Take That, a Kath & Kim play starring Art Simone, and much, much more.
A Final Taste Of Culture
Packing up on our last day, we have enough time for a little more shopping in Brisbane’s trendy West End. The area also boasts a plethora of multicultural eateries, and Yamas Greek & Drink (@yamas.greek), with its sumptuous open-air booths, catches our attention. The food, it turns out, is also fabulous. We dip pita bread into White Tyrokafteri (a blend of garlic, feta and chilli), indulge in sweet and salty Saganaki (grilled cheese with fig and honey) and devour the divine charred Htapodi (octopus).
We’re just a short walk from Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (@qagoma) and stroll to the free entry gallery for a final taste of culture. The relaxed space houses a diverse selection of art, and we instantly fall in love with Walter Martin’s creepy collection of fairy tale snow globes and ‘Sis,’ their celebration of Pasifika art that features portraits of many well-known members of New Zealand’s queer communities.
We feel thoughtfully zen as we board the CityCat one last time to collect our luggage and depart. The breeze blows through our hair as we glide along the river, inspired by Brisbane’s intoxicating blend of ambition, loyalty and prosperity. During our stay, we have met several couples who have moved up here from Melbourne post-pandemic, and it makes so much sense. Brisbane is an equally attractive river city with great shops and hospitality, plus cheaper houses and better weather. I’m sold!
