This week I was lucky enough to attend a conference for work, which I’ve been very excited for, and I thought I’d do my usual blogging.

Saturday 28 October, 2023

Brisbane, QLD, AU

Our one-hour delay out of Christchurch on Saturday afternoon had me thinking it could potentially be a bumpy flight, but it was actually perfectly fine – that or I was just more focussed on the elderly lady next to me who fidgeted the entire way… quite literally the entire way.

I haven’t flown Qantas for quite a few years, but not much has changed with the Boeing.

I don’t recommend the aisle seats because you end up with this tiny little space that is hard to fit your bag in (luckily for me I just had my laptop bag), and it’s a bit awkward trying to figure out where to put your feet.

The entertainment system is a bit tricky to navigate and I ended up having to help the (grateful) couple next to me, but I managed to find a movie I hadn’t seen (The Book Club 2) and settled down with my (okay) chicken pasta, and basically inhaled my cheese and crackers (because who doesn’t love their airplane cheese and crackers).

We arrived in Brisbane just after 5pm and I’d forgotten there is no daylight saving in QLD, so it was already starting to get dark.

We headed down into the arrivals area to find several queues, on the diagonal, lined up at screens… passport control, but no signs/directions, so everyone was getting frustrated and confused. I just stayed in the line I was in, there was no hurry for me, and it turned out it is something you need to do – a DIY passport control where you answer a few questions and have your photo taken. You still need to go through the e-gates though, so to me it just seemed like an extra step.

No x-rays for me, so straight on out the exit to the ‘rideshare’ area, which always seem to be ages away no matter which airport you’re at. I vaguely remembered this one from years ago when I must have booked on Con-X-ion; a big empty area with people just sitting around smoking, and the occasional van and car pulling up.

I had pre-booked my Uber, and at the time it had said it waits at the airport for 60 minutes after your flight arrival, but now I was looking at a message telling me to confirm my pick up and that it would take my driver 30 minutes to arrive (what?!) so I confirmed it, gave it 20 mins where it just seemed to flick between 30 and 35 mins estimated arrival, and ended up paying to cancel it and book a new one that was just 4 mins away. Lesson learned. I awkwardly jumped into the Tesla Model Y after the driver showed me how to open the door… I also apparently used the “emergency” handle when I opened it to get out. I’ll stick to my Mitsubishi I think.

It was about 7.00pm when I arrived at my hotel (X Hotel, an IHG Vignette Collection property) in Fortitude Valley, which is a really cool area to arrive into at night on a Saturday – lots of lights. I was so tired from my flying pills and being a bit sick, that I quickly called home, unpacked my bag, grabbed some room service for dinner and then went straight to sleep (after using the room’s light controls, which I have to mention, as they are so cool with all the options) – I had a 5am start to watch the ABs after all!

Sunday 29 October, 2023

Brisbane, QLD, AU

Well! Aside from the loss, gosh that was a painful match to watch… TMO takes all the fun out.

I went back to sleep after the game, making the most of being able to do that somewhat guilt free 😉

I got up at a rather leisurely hour, and took a quick look at Iris, the rooftop bar, and sat by the pool on a cabana for a while – there were big dark clouds in the sky but it was still sunny and warm… very tropical feeling.

Next I went for a stroll into the heart of the valley to find some brunch, which I did in a sweet little laneway called Bakery Lane, at a cafe called The New Black – the BEST scrambled eggs ever with pork dust, halloumi, and cheese. Wow.

After brunch I wandered down to James Street, where all the nice shops are; popped into Aesop, which was such a gorgeous store… I wonder if the staff there sleep well after inhaling all those beautiful calming scents all day, or do you become immune to it?

I went into another shop to get a Christmas present ticked off and watched in amusement as a woman, about my age, demanded A LOT of attention from the shop assistant, and stared us down as the assistant stepped away to process my purchase.

All these shops are underneath the Calile Hotel – where I was initially looking at staying, but before I locked it in they were announced as one of the top 12 hotels in the world and suddenly the price tripled!! So instead I booked myself in for a hot stone massage, so that I could still get the vibe of the hotel – it’s got a very beautiful 70’s Palm Springs kind of vibe. Definitely on the list to stay one day.

After my excellent massage, I headed back to my hotel, picking up some dinner on the way, and watched a movie in bed and had an early night… bliss!!

Monday 30 October, 2023

Brisbane, QLD, AU

A 6.30am start to get ready for an 8.00am registration – I grabbed some breakfast at the hotel’s French restaurant, Bisou Bisou, and had the best fruit plate of my life and a latté, a great way to start the day, knowing that there were likely lots of carbs ahead of me, per usual conference catering.

I wandered down Brunswick Street to the venue where the conference was being held – Cloudland. Apparently Cloudland is a nightclub as well, which didn’t surprise me at all with the glitz and glamour of it, and all the dark little nooks and crannies you could sit in on the lower level. Definitely one of the most fun venues I’ve ever attended a function at. The day was informative and inspiring, and they finished it off with networking drinks at the venue’s incredible rooftop bar. It couldn’t have been better weather, and the sunset gave the most beautiful glow over the bar.

I stayed for a champagne and a chat with some of the organisers, and headed back to my hotel, super happy with my day.

Tuesday 31 October

Brisbane, QLD, AU

The upside of a late flight (which arrives back home at midnight) is a leisurely start to the day… I paid for a late check out of 2.00pm, and took my time getting ready for the day before heading down for some brunch… today is the hottest day since I’ve been here, 29 degrees currently, and expected to reach 34. That’s all well and good while I have a pool to sit next to and not too much else to do, but I couldn’t live with that heat consistently, it’s very all consuming. That said, I absolutely love Brisbane and think it’s such an underrated city… I’ve had a great time.

Oh and just a random little thing I want to note… I was thinking back to the last time I travelled to Aussie on my own, which was to Melbourne in 2010, and how you couldn’t really pay at cafés with an EFTPOS card (or credit), everything had to be with cash; 13 years later every single cafe, dairy, and other store I’ve walked into, has pay wave (including Apple Pay) with no surcharge, and emailed receipts. NZ was the guinea pig for EFTPOS, and I assume Pay Wave too, and now we’re going backwards and charging people for using Pay Wave. Odd.

Anywho, that’s my wee Brissy blog. See you back here in Melbourne, in Feb ❤