When most travellers arrive in Australia, cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth will be high up on the list of places to visit. We’d like to suggest one more, Brisbane. We talked to Andrew Kidd, the school director of LSI Brisbane to see what drew him back to Brisbane after his travels around the world.
“As a young adult, I left the small regional city of Cairns for the big city. Like many, I came to Brisbane to pursue higher education. During my university years, Brisbane (the capital city of Australia’s second largest state) provided all the diversions a young man could ask for; a thriving live music scene, dive bars down dark laneways, world-class museums and a laidback atmosphere where recreation was valued as a way of life.
Perhaps it’s the 300 days of sunshine that make Brisbane such a carefree place full of friendly people. Maybe it’s the high quality of life or our stunning natural environment. I have travelled the world and lived in bustling cities such as Tokyo and Buenos Aires. While Brisbane buzzes with all the activity of any metropolitan city, it’s our city’s easy going nature that makes it unique and so attractive to people looking choosing a travel destination or a place to call home.
Did I mention that Brisbane is ideally situated midway down the long Eastern coastline? The Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest and many a tropical island are to our north; Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmania are to our South; and the world heritage listed Uluru in Central Australia is to the West. Just an hour drive from Brisbane will lead you to a diverse range of landscapes: stretches of pristine beach, scenic rocky ranges, rainforest, rural farmland and the dusty red roads of the outback. Brisbane is a convenient base for travel across our vast country.
Brisbane is also known for its inner city precincts. Each has its own distinctive character and speciality with a diverse range of international cuisines and attractions. On your visit to Brisbane, be sure to visit the boutiques and op-shops in Paddington, have brunch in West End, enjoy live music in “the Valley”, visit the microbrewery in Newstead (or the mega-brewery in Milton). It’s a place where you can cuddle a koala and in certain suburbs, you may even see kangaroos jumping down the street.
Brisbane is home to world leading universities, research centres and businesses. Studying an intensive English course at LSI Brisbane provides a pathway for students to connect with these many opportunities.
I tread a similar path and it lead me all over the world and back again.”
If this has inspired you to visit Brisbane and perhaps study English at the same time, check out our LS Brisbane webpage.