Brisbane is the state capital of Queensland. It is the most populated city in the state, and it’s the third most populated city in Australia with a population of around 2.6 million (in comparison, London has over 9 million, so that puts it into perspective!)
Located in the southeast of the state, Brisbane is situated on the winding banks of the beautiful Brisbane River.
Brisbane is a multi-cultural city, with 32% of its population being born overseas. It’s a clean and pretty city that welcomes families and there is always something fun to do from festivals and markets to shows and exhibitions. It is a region well-known for its outdoor lifestyle because of its amazing weather.
Brisbane has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and usually dry, moderate winters with bright blue skies. It is the second hottest city in Australia, behind Darwin. Summers can be long and hot, but temperatures don’t usually get above 38 degrees and it is more often in the late 20s and early 30s. Summer is also storm season, so there can be storms.
Brisbane’s central business district is usually referred to as the ‘city’, and Brisbane itself is sometimes referred to affectionately as Brissie, BrisVegas.
Brisbane is also a popular tourist destination as it is home to many attractions including the South Bank Parklands, Queensland Museum, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Streets Beach (an amazing man-made city beach) and so much more. The city is a hub for arts and culture, and there are plenty of festivals and activities to keep you entertained.
Brisbane is also an important economic center, with a strong focus on service industries, and a growing technology sector. It’s a city that is booming, growing and developing so it has a strong future for people looking to move with kids who might be worrying about their career opportunities.
Brisbane is divided by the Brisbane River. This is a natural barrier between the northside and the southside of Brisbane. There are plenty of bridges to get across to the other side, but if you’re looking to relocate to Brisbane, it can be easier to base yourself on the side of the river where you’re going to be working. Which is best: northside Brisbane or southside Brisbane? There are definitely strong opinions on this so it’s a good idea to have a drive around and decide which you prefer for yourself!
The bonus of living on the northside of Brisbane is you’re well-placed for visiting Bribie Island, the Sunshine Coast and Australia Zoo. The bonus of living on the southside is the big theme parks and the Gold Coast are an shorter drive. All good options!
Here is a very short snapshot of some of Brisbane’s suburbs:
New Farm: Known for its trendy cafes and restaurants, as well as its proximity to the city center and public transportation.
Paddington: A historic neighborhood with a mix of Victorian-era houses and modern apartment buildings, as well as a variety of shops and restaurants.
West End: A diverse neighborhood known for its bohemian atmosphere, ethnic restaurants, and independent shops.
Taringa: A suburb with a mix of older and newer houses, located close to the University of Queensland and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.
Ascot: A well-established suburb with tree-lined streets and large, stately homes, as well as a variety of shops, restaurants, and parks.
Bulimba: A riverside suburb known for its boutique shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as its proximity to the CityCat ferry service.
Camp Hill: A family-friendly suburb with a mix of older and newer houses, as well as a variety of shops and parks.
Newmarket: A suburb with a mix of older and newer houses, as well as a variety of shops and restaurants, and easy access to public transportation.
Toowong: A suburb located near the University of Queensland and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, with a variety of shops, restaurants, and parks.
Tarragindi: A suburb located in the south of the city, known for its leafy streets and large, older homes.
Many families choose to live further outside the city though to gain additional space, get more house for the money and be closer to Queensland’s amazing beaches.
Local government areas: Brisbane
These are the local government areas in and around Brisbane.
- City of Brisbane
- Moreton Bay Region
- Logan City
- City of Ipswich
- Redland City
Best suburbs in Brisbane
When you first start researching where to live in Brisbane, it can feel challenging trying to choose the best suburbs in Brisbane to base yourself when you arrive. There are A LOT of suburbs of Brisbane – in fact, the City of Brisbane has 190 suburbs to choose from!
Narrow down your search areas first to specific regions of Brisbane, and then begin drilling down to see which are the best suburbs of Brisbane to suit your lifestyle.
In the list below, the Northern Suburbs include suburbs north of the Brisbane River, Southern Suburbs include suburbs south of the Brisbane River. The exceptions are Western Suburbs, which include suburbs north and south of the Brisbane River, but also west of the Brisbane CBD, and Bayside Suburbs which include suburbs along Moreton Bay.
Inner suburbs of Brisbane
Bowen Hills, Brisbane CBD, East Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, Herston, Highgate Hill, Kangaroo Point, Kelvin Grove, New Farm, Newstead, Paddington, Petrie Terrace, Red Hill, South Brisbane, Spring Hill, Teneriffe, West End, Woolloongabba
Northern suburbs of Brisbane (those north of the Brisbane River)
Albion, Alderley, Ascot, Aspley, Bald Hills, Banyo, Boondall, Bracken Ridge, Bridgeman Downs, Brighton, Brisbane Airport, Carseldine, Chermside, Chermside West, Clayfield, Deagon, Eagle Farm, Everton Park, Ferny Grove, Fitzgibbon, Gaythorne, Geebung, Gordon Park, Grange, Hamilton, Hendra, Kalinga, Kedron, Keperra, Lutwyche, McDowall, Mitchelton, Myrtletown, Newmarket, Northgate, Nudgee, Nudgee Beach, Nundah, Pinkenba, Sandgate, Shorncliffe, Stafford, Stafford Heights, Taigum, Virginia, Wavell Heights, Wilston, Windsor, Wooloowin, Zillmere
Southern suburbs of Brisbane (south of the Brisbane River)
Acacia Ridge, Algester, Annerley, Archerfield, Burban, Calamvale, Coopers Plains, Darra, Doolandella, Drewvale, Durack, Dutton Park, Eight Mile Plains, Ellen Grove, Fairfield, Forest Lake, Greenslopes, Heathwood, Holland Park, Holland Park West, Inala, Karawatha, Kuraby, Larapinta, MacGregor, Mackenzie, Mansfield, Moorooka, Mount Gravatt, Mount Gravatt East, Nathan, Pallara, Parkinson, Richlands, Robertson, Rochedale, Rocklea, Runcorn, Salisbury, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Sinnamon Park, Stones Corner, Stretton, Sumner, Sunnybank, Sunnybank Hills, Tarragindi, Tennyson, Upper Mount Gravatt, Wacol, Willawong, Wishart, Yeerongpilly, Yeronga
Eastern suburbs of Brisbane
Balmoral, Belmont, Bulimba, Camp Hill, Cannon Hill, Carina, Carina Heights, Carindale, Chandler, Coorparoo, Gumdale, Hawthorne, Hemmant, Lota, Lytton, Manly, Manly West, Moreton Island, Morningside, Murarrie, Norman Park, Port of Brisbane, Ransome, Seven Hills, Tingalpa, Wakerley, Wynnum, Wynnum West
Western suburbs of Brisbane
Anstead, Ashgrove, Auchenflower, Banks Creek, Bardon, Bellbowrie, Brookfield, Chapel Hill, Chelmer, Chuwar, Corinda, England Creek, Enoggera, Enoggera Reservoir, Fig Tree Pocket, Graceville, Indooroopilly, Jamboree Heights, Jindalee, Karana Downs, Kenmore, Kenmore Hills, Kholo, Lake Manchester, Middle Park, Milton, Moggill, Mount Coot-tha, Mount Crosby, Mount Ommaney, Oxley, Pinjarra Hills, Pullenvale, Riverhills, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Sherwood, Sinnamon Park, St Lucia, Taringa, The Gap, Toowong, Upper Brookfield, Upper Kedron, Westlake
City of Ipswich
Urban Ipswich
Augustine Heights, Barellan Point, Basin Pocket, Bellbird Park, Blacksoil, Blackstone, Booval, Brassall, Brookwater, Bundamba, Camira, Carole Park, Churchill, Chuwar, Coalfalls, Collingwood Park, Dinmore, East Ipswich, Eastern Heights, Ebbw Vale, Flinders View, Gailes, Goodna, Ipswich, Karalee, Karrabin, Leichhardt, Moores Pocket, Muirlea, New Chum, Newtown, North Booval, North Ipswich, North Tivoli – One Mile – Raceview, Redbank, Redbank Plains, Riverview, Sadliers Crossing, Silkstone, Springfield, Springfield Central, Springfield Lakes, Tivoli, West Ipswich, Woodend, Wulkuraka, Yamanto
Rural Ipswich
Amberley, Ashwell, Calvert, Deebing Heights, Ebenezer, Goolman, Grandchester, Haigslea,– Ironbark, Jeebropilly, Lanefield, Marburg, Mount Forbes, Mount Marrow, Mutdapilly, Pine Mountain, Purga, Ripley, Rosewood, South Ripley, Spring Mountain, Swanbank, Tallegalla, Thagoona, The Bluff, Walloon, White Rock, Willowbank, Woolshed
Logan City
Bahrs Scrub, Bannockburn, Beenleigh, Belivah, Berrinba, Bethania, Boronia Heights, Browns Plains, Buccan, Carbrook, Cedar Creek, Cedar Grove, Cedar Vale, Chambers Flat, Cornubia, Crestmead, Daisy Hill, Eagleby, Edens Landing, Forestdale, Greenbank, Heritage Park, Hillcrest, Holmview, Jimboomba, Kagaru, Kingston, Logan Central, Logan Reserve, Logan Village, Loganholme, Loganlea, Lyons, Marsden, Meadowbrook, Mount Warren Park, Mundoolun, Munruben, New Beith, North Maclean, Park Ridge South, Park Ridge, Priestdale, Regents Park, Rochedale South, Shailer Park, Slacks Creek, South Maclean, Springwood, Stockleigh, Tamborine, Tanah Merah, Underwood, Undullah, Veresdale Scrub, Veresdale, Waterford West, Waterford, Windaroo, Wolffdene, Woodhill, Woodridge, Yarrabilba
Redland City
Alexandra Hills, Amity Point, Birkdale, Capalaba, Cleveland, Coochiemudlo Island, Dunwich, Karragarra Island, Lamb Island, Macleay Island, Mount Cotton, North Stradbroke Island, Ormiston, Point Lookout, Redland Bay, Russell Island, Sheldon, Thorneside, Thornlands, Victoria Point, Wellington Point
Moreton Bay Region
Urban
Albany Creek, Arana Hills, Banksia Beach, Beachmere, Bellara, Bongaree, Bray Park, Brendale, Bunya, Burpengary, Caboolture, Caboolture South,Cashmere, Clontarf, Dakabin, Deception Bay, Eatons Hill, Elimbah, Everton Hills, Ferny Hills, Godwin Beach, Griffin, Joyner, Kallangur, Kippa-Ring, Kurwongbah, Lawnton, Mango Hill, Margate, Moodlu, Morayfield, Murrumba Downs, Narangba, Newport, Ningi, North Lakes, Petrie, Redcliffe, Rothwell, Sandstone Point, Scarborough,Strathpine, Upper Caboolture, Warner, Whiteside,Woody Point, Woorim
Rural
Armstrong Creek, Bellmere, Bellthorpe, Booroobin, Bracalba, Camp Mountain, Campbells Pocket, Cedar Creek, Cedarton, Clear Mountain, Closeburn, Commissioners Flat, D’Aguilar, Dayboro, Delaneys Creek, Donnybrook, Draper, Highvale, Jollys Lookout, King Scrub, Kobble Creek, Laceys Creek, Meldale, Moorina, Mount Delaney, Mount Glorious, Mount Mee, Mount Nebo, Mount Pleasant, Mount Samson, Neurum, Ocean View, Rocksberg, Rush Creek, Samford Valley, Samford Village, Samsonvale, Stanmore, Stony Creek, Toorbul, Wamuran Basin, Wamuran, Welsby, White Patch, Wights Mountain, Woodford, Yugar
Choosing where to live in Brisbane
Looking at the above list of Brisbane suburbs can feel really daunting but grab a map and start looking at where the groups are located. Which regions are going to suit you best for work and play? Nothing can beat actually arriving and driving around the Brisbane suburbs when you arrive – you will fall in love with some instantly in a way that you can’t from doing online research!
