Growing up in suburban Brisbane 1972 to 2010

My earliest memories of growing up in Brisbane were different to the way Brisbane is today. Brisbane seems to be divided into certain areas and you were aware of your location in the city. Having been born on the north side of Brisbane, well actually in the Royal Brisbane Hospital but residing in Albany Creek until I was 6 and then moving to Kenmore, I noticed the move from the rural setting to the kind of more well to do part of Brisbane. Brisbane still has at its core a history of old houses and suburbs with the traditional "Queenslander" House on stilts still existing in some of the older suburbs of Wilston, Newmarket,and Alderley. I am sure many Brisbanites can recall the older suburbs compared to the newer areas. Living in Brisbane, most or not if all of us are still aware that Hamilton is the suburb of the "Old Rich" and if my memory serves me correctly, Brisbane's Archbishop resides at Hamilton.

Brisbane was not an "Aspie Friendly" town when I was younger and it was very tribal. You either belonged to the click or you were seen as an outsider susceptible to bullying, teasing or ridicule. Also making the transition into adulthood was not easy also. Back when I was younger, the only real exciting event in Brisbane was the Queensland Exhibition and if you have visited Brisbane and have seen Southbank, it was once derelict. Both the Commonwealth Games, and Expo 88 really put Brisbane on the map. Before then, the city was like a large country town and there was very little in the way of entertainment, for instance coffee shops, movie houses, parks and other forms of recreation. A bus ticket in the early 1980's cost believe it or not 20c and the Riverside Expressway had newly been built.

Growing up in Brisbane, you could always remember the 'horrid' Brisbane Summer. It was humid, and if your home was not sprayed you could spot a cockroach or spider or two. I have never been a fan of the 'creepy crawleys'and spiders are not something I enjoy either. Please do not think that Brisbane is some kind of jungle, but it is a major Australian city. Kangaroos are not found in suburban backyards but like all of Australia, the Hills Hoist Clothes Line is ubiquitous. Brisbane has changed fortunately a lot from its earlier days. Catching a train or relying on public transport is starting to improve and I welcome Campbell Newman the City's Lord Mayor in trying his hardest to improve infrastructure and move Brisbane forward. What Brisbane really needs is a decent look out and better usage of Mt Cootha as a tower should be erected similar to the one in Canberra with decent 360 degree views. Brisbane is starting to become an 'international zone' and hopefully more and more of the backwardness out of the city also. This time of year is also an annoying time in that Queensland does not fall into line with the southern capitals which adopt daylight saving. I believe the East Coast of Australia needs to remain on one time zone and not be out of sync. Anyhow I have linked some web sites to this post that you may enjoy.