We are repeat visitors to Brisbane. And, it is fair to say, Brisbane is one of our favourite Australian cities. Last year we enjoyed a two week house sit in Brisbane. We enjoyed it so much we are currently looking for another house sit, so we can return again.
The fact we have family living in Brisbane very likely influences why we love Brisbane so much. Yes, family in Brisbane is certainly a big draw-card. But truthfully, it’s not all about visiting the family. We simply love Brisbane.
Here’s are our reasons we enjoy house sitting in Brisbane:
Being able to stay close to family
As we have a daughter and her family living in Brisbane, we are frequent visitors. And when we visit this family we often stay with them – for a short period.
You know the saying “Fish and visitors stink after three days” (Benjamin Franklin). So we are always keen not to overstay our welcome. Yet, it’s a long way to travel for a visit. And, we don’t get to see these family members very often.
So, house sitting has provided a wonderful solution. On the first occasion we house sat in Brisbane, we found a house sit in the next suburb to our daughter’s home.
We enjoyed this house sit so much. Most days we drove just 10 minutes to visit our daughter’s family. But we didn’t spend all our time with them. We also enjoyed time by ourselves. It was perfect!
House Sitting offers cheap accommodation
In the past we have paid for accommodation when staying in Brisbane. It was very expensive! And not convenient, as accommodation is not available close to our family.
In the past, we have also stayed in our caravan, at a caravan park. The caravan parks are quite a distance away from our daughter’s home. Again, not a convenient option. And, metropolitan caravan parks are expensive for what they offer.
Whereas, as house sitters, our accommodation is free!
WIN WIN – like a local and care for a pet
As a house sitter we get to live like a local. We go to the local supermarket, visit the library, go to the local cafes and restaurants, visit the local parks, catch the local train / bus services.
We also get the opportunity to care for much loved pets. Given we regularly travel, we have no pets. So, house sitting helps fill this void.
House sitting is a WIN WIN for both the home owner and us as the house sitters. We get accommodation and time with pets for free. The home owner gets home and pet care for free.
Brisbane is not too big and is easy to get around
Brisbane (like any city) can be busy, with hustle and bustle. Yet, in our opinion, Brisbane generally has an easy going, relaxed atmosphere. It’s big enough to have many great things on offer, but it’s nowhere as busy as say Sydney or Melbourne. And, as far as we are concerned, this is a massive plus.
We find getting around Brisbane easy. Having said that, we usually have a car. We have found the trains and bus services very good. However, we have always stayed in locations where we can walk to a train or bus stop.
If you were staying in the outer suburbs, then public transport may be a challenge. So check out transport options before booking a house sit.
The roads are generally good and usually flow fairly well. The EXCEPTION is the M1 Motorway. This can often turn into a parking lot! The Bruce Highway, leaving the city to go North, can also often clog up. Give yourself plenty of time if you need to travel on either of these main roads.
Brisbane weather is great
Brisbane has great weather. So much so, people living in Brisbane embrace outdoor living. And we are all for outdoor living.
Brisbane’s climate is humid sub tropical. Yet, we are happy to visit Brisbane any time of the year. We enjoy warm to hot weather; but admit we are not big fans of really humid weather.
People from the southern states of Australia flock north to escape cold winters – us included. The winter weather in Brisbane is simply perfect.
There is lots to do in and around Brisbane.
While we are repeat visitors to Brisbane, we are always finding new things to do. That’s the beauty of visiting a city the size of Brisbane. And, some things are so good they are on our repeat to do list.
Here are just a few of our favourite things to do:
Brisbane parks
We are so impressed with Brisbane Parks. And we have visited many. Again it’s all about outdoor living. And wonderful parks are throughout Brisbane. You won’t have to go far to find one.
The parklands generally have walking and bike tracks; BBQ facilities; children’s playground and water play areas; playing fields…
Catch a River Cat and travel along the Brisbane River. to one of the cities wonderful parks. This is a fun way to spend a day. Simply jump off the River Cat and explore New Farm Park, or the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens.
Southbank
Southbank is a favourite. Nearly every time we visit Brisbane we visit Southbank.
Southbank is a large parkland, lifestyle and cultural destination. It even has a beach area (man made). Plus there are lots of cafes, restaurants and bars.
Southbank sits on the banks of the Brisbane River, opposite the Brisbane CBD. We find it very easy to get to. We either catch a City Cat, and enjoy the city views along the river, or we catch a bus or train.
Bulimba and ferry into city
Bulimba is a suburb of Brisbane. It is 4km from Brisbane CBD and sits on the South Bank of the Brisbane River.
Given Bulimba is only a short drive from our daughter’s home, it has become one of our favourite Brisbane suburbs. We really enjoy it’s cafe strip, boutique shops and cinema complex… Plus, we often catch the River Cat into the city from Bulimba.
Eats Street Northshore
Now we have only been to Eat Street once. But we will be back!
Eat Street is a really novel experience. The brightly coloured complex is built out of 180 shipping containers. With over 70 food vendors and live entertainment it’s a fun place to visit.
Again, it sits on the banks of the Brisbane River and can be accessed by River Cat. We drove and found ample parking.
Moreton Bay Region
On our numerous visits to Brisbane always enjoy exploring the Moreton Bay region. Our daughter lives a few suburbs inland, so for us, it’s an easy drive to enjoy the natural beauty of Moreton Bay.
We love the Southern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive. This is a really picturesque drive, between Manly Wynham and Redcliffe. We generally stop along the way at different suburbs to sight see and explore.
In conclusion
We are so happy we have become House Sitters. House sitting has worked out perfectly for us. And this is particularly so when we are visiting Brisbane.
If you are considering house sitting, give it a go. If you haven’t been to Brisbane, visit. And we suggest you combine the two for a WIN WIN travel experience.
We hope the above comments and tips are helpful and will inspire others (perhaps you) to become a house sitter and to visit Brisbane.
What about you?
What are your thoughts about house sitting? Have you given it a go? If so, what was your experience?
Have you visited Brisbane? What are your thoughts about this city? Have you any favourite places you can recommend people visit?
Please leave a comment. We would love to hear your thoughts.
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Best wishes from Estelle and Greg – Retirees Enjoying Travel.
Ansolutely agree, Brisbane is a wonderful town with so much going for it
Hi Dave. I totally agree. Each time we visit Brisbane we fall in love with it more. It definitely has so much going for it. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment 🙂
Hi Estelle! Brisbane looks great and you’ve covered so much in your post, how could anyone not want to go there! Our daughter lives up there so we are planning a visit in June, am looking forward to catching up on some of the sights 🙂
Hi Debbie. Thanks for your positive feedback. So interesting to hear that you too are lucky to have a daughter living in Brisbane. A great excuse to visit a great city! I bet you have your favourite places to visit and I hope you enjoy catching up on some of the sights next time you visit Brisbane 🙂
We are lucky enough to have lived in Brisbane for the last 33years and would recommend it to anyone for a holiday/housesit. We sold our house in Brisbane, bought a new house on the Sunshine Coast, rented it out, never having lived in it and are now 16 months into our European adventure, house sitting throughout Europe.
I agree it is a fantastic way to holiday and discover new places. People keep telling us we are “lucky”, we aren’t lucky we are proactive, anyone can do it, you just have to be organised.
You must housesit overseas, takes you out of your comfort zone, but for me that’s a good thing and you will see some fantastic places. From one Naughty Nomad to another😃
Hello and thank you Kirstina for your comment. I love your story/ So very inspirational!!! We too rented our home and travelled around Australia for 2 years. Now we have discovered House Sitting. Watch out world! I agree, it most certainly is not luck. It’s a lifestyle choice. And like you say, you have to be prepared to get out of your comfort zone. And house sitting in another country is sure to take us out of our comfort zone, particularly if we House Sit in a country where we don’t speak the language. We are so keen to give it a go. Thanks again for your encouraging words 🙂
What a great lifestyle you have Estelle. We have friends in Brisbane and although we only see them a couple of times a year it’s always a good excuse to go up north. It’s a gorgeous city and I agree with you, it’s quite easy to get around. Great post and loved your photos too.
Thanks so much Miriam for dropping by. Yes our lifestyle is great. I must admit we sometimes feel like pinching ourselves, we feel so fortunate. And it sounds like you are like us – any excuse to travel north. And we seem to fall in love with Brisbane deeper each time we visit 🙂
Love this inspiring post. We would love to be house sitters one day too. What a fantastic way to see the world.And we would love to go to Brisbane and spend more time again. Haven’t been to Moreton Island yet, its been on the list for years!
Hi Oli and thank you for your comment. Funny you should say you haven’t been to Moreton Island. Neither have we!!! We have simply enjoyed the suburbs in Brisbane that sit on Moreton Bay. There are sooo many great places to visit, and many often in our own backyard. So a visit to Moreton Bay Island is on our agenda for our next visit to Brisbane – when we do another house sit later this year. Who knows we might both visit Brisbane at the same time, and maybe catch up 👍
Enjoyed reading your overview of lovely Brisbane, a city I like too. I used to visit Brisbane frequently on business and found it had such a positive atmosphere which I picked up in your article. Same when we visited last year after a cruise. Next time we must ride in that cat! Seems like house sitting is a good option for visiting this sunny city. ☀️
Hi Elizabeth and thank you for your comment. I agree Brisbane has a really positive vibe. So interesting to read you frequently visited Brisbane Brisbane on businessC. I wonder how this shaped your view of the city? Yes, next time you visit put a trip along the river on a City Cat on your list of things to do. And house sitting certainly was an excellent option for us 🙂
Love the idea of housesitting close to family!
Hi Irene. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. House sitting close to family has proven to be a WIN WIN. Love it.
Well you’ve sold me – I would LOVE to go to Brisbane! Looks like a great place for a house sitting gig, and you get to visit with your daughter too.
Hi Susan. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Brisbane is a fun city and you would love it if you visited I’m sure. You are so right, for us it is a great house sitting gig. We are likely to be returning to Brisbane in June to catch up with the family again. 🙂
I don’t have any experience taking care of pets. Besides, I am already 70 and fo not want to work anymore. But Brisbane I will visit. My daughter lives in Melbourne!
Hi Carol. Thank you so very much for dropping by and leaving a comment. I totally understand that house sitting is not for everyone. Brisbane is a lovely city and I very much recommend a visit. And have a guess what, I have two daughters living in Melbourne. 🙂
We have thought of doing a housesit somewhere we’ve dreamed of visiting but had never thought to use this avenue to be near our family who live far and wide from where we live. I’m glad I read your experience and how this is working for you.
Hi Lori and thank you for dropping by. As you will have read, we are new to house sitting. The ability to house sit close to family has been a surprise blessing. In fact, we are heading off for a 2 week house sit in Melbourne later this week – to visit other daughters! If you are open to house and pet sitting, then I encourage you to give it a go.
Estelle, I love the idea of house sitting, particularly in Brisbane. It’s a city I have yet to visit, but one I’ve heard many good things about.
As a writer and photographer, ‘living like a local’ as much as possible makes all the difference to a travel experience and usually generates the best stories. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Ursula. Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment.Living like a local has proven to be the best experience for us. This is truely when we get to know a city / area. And I hope you get the opportunity to visit Brisbane. I totally recommend a visit.
I enjoyed reading this post on my home town so much! I suggest you send the link to Tourism Queensland for their information – you never know where that might lead. 🙂
t the end of last year we had a long weekend in Brisbane and acted like tourists, had an amazing time at all the places you have mentioned – especially Southbank and the City Cat ride.
We were there the first weekend that Lime Scooters were let loose on the streets – LOL.
Great write up Estelle.
Hi Joycee and thanks for your comment. I so appreciate hearing that you, as a local, enjoyed reading this post so much. And you have blown me away suggesting I send this post to Tourism Queensland. Thanks so very much for your feedback. It’s like a shot in my arm. And thanks for your encouraging suggestion. Like you say, you never know … 🙂
This is an excellent post, Estelle! You have listed great tips for house-sitting – something that I have never considered before. It does seem like a win-win situation to explore. I would love to visit Australia…perhaps this is an option which I could look into.
Hi Georgina and thanks for your comment. I’m so pleased to hear you found this an excellent post. Give house sitting a go in the UK. Then, if you like it, apply to Aussie House Sitters in Australia. There are so many house sitting opportunities in Australia. It’s a fabulous way to mix up your travel; to have time to really explore an area; and to reduce overall expenses. I encourage you to give it a go.