Hi there! My name is Elise and I am a writer, editor, and caffeine-based life form. I made Brisbane my new home city in 2013 when I moved from my Far North Queensland hometown to study at university.
Live like a local, explore like a tourist
I’m not sure where I heard that (I think it was a TED talk event at the State Library) but, grounded in the romantic idea of being a tourist in your own city, I started Backstreet Brisbane in 2014 as the guide I wish I’d had. Coming from a hometown of around one thousand people, the sheer vastness and unknown of the city overwhelmed me initially and I stuck mainly to Queen Street until new friends took me outside my comfort zone to see and experience new things – wonderful bars and cafes tucked down alleys, parks and green spaces I might never have found, live music venues I would have been afraid to enter alone.
Whether you are in town for a few days or have lived here all your life, there is always something new and surprising to discover. The story of our city is constantly changing, and we are a part of it (which is why I also began Backstreet Brisbaners, a verbatim interview series with Brisbane’s brilliant community).
Backstreet Brisbane has grown and evolved as I have, from cheap-as-chips student days to something resembling adulthood. It has also come to cover a broader range of lifestyle and events in our city – food and drink, things to see and do – and now has more of a focus on performing arts, which is one of my great loves.
If you’ve read this far, thank you – I’ll continue to get to know Brisbane a little better, and these things are always more exciting with friends. I look forward to sharing these ongoing adventures with you.
Elise x
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