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Overview
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Brisbane is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule.
We've teamed up with Mazda3 to celebrate the landmark 40th anniversary of their iconic small cars, and in turn, help you celebrate the little things that bring that sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Brisbane. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine.
This week, indulge in pasta from a cheese wheel, have a good chuckle at free Friday comedy and treat yourself to a night out without breaking the bank. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the next few weeks here.
All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
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Hop onto that intrepid cruiser of the Brisbane brown snake, the CityCat, and ride all the way up to Teneriffe Terminal. Once you’ve arrived, alight and make your way directly to one of Brisbane’s local produce havens for an early morning caffeine fix, the Sourced Grocer. These purveyors of fine food and drink also stock all manner of perfectly presented preserves and provisions to pick from as you wait for your coffee. If you’re hungry, the house rye crumpets with Byron Bay Butter and fresh honeycomb go down a treat, but if you’ve had your breakfast, pick up a healthy, hearty sandwich for lunch on the way out.
Image: @yestheodore / Instagram.
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Ever heard of pasta from a cheese wheel? It’s a thing at Il Verde. And it’s a thing that you probably want to find out more about. Located in the heart of Fortitude Valley on King Street, Il Verde offers the full gamut of Italian cuisine in an upmarket yet relaxed (and cheese wheel-wielding) setting. You might want to have your next date night here. Make an advance booking and you and your beloved (or fellow pasta fiend) can have your pasta or gnocchi stirred up in a big melty wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and dished up onto your plate. Yep. Dinner also includes a glass of wine and a dessert too, so wear your stretchy pants.
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Make sure you have your reusable coffee cup with you when you hit up Espresso Garage, because you’re getting a coffee to go. Secure your caffeine fix at this popular Grey Street hole-in-the-wall cafe, then hit the pavement to walk the Art and the River Public Art Trail. This short 2.4-kilometre walk winds its way from South Bank to Kangaroo Point, and showcases a range of artworks that incorporate the river’s energy, beauty and sense of place. If biking is more your thing, go for a meandering ride on one of the Brisbane Lipton bikes.
Image: Anwyn Howarth.
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Not all fresh seafood is created equal. Sure, whatever your local fish ‘n’ chippery sells was probably caught that day, but it wasn’t caught just moments ago. If you’re keen on the freshest batch of prawns you can get short of catching them yourself, then head to Shorncliffe.
Around Cabbage Tree Creek, you’ll hit the payload, trawlers unloading their latest ocean bounty. There’s nothing like chatting to the folks that caught your seafood, after all — your meal just might come with a story.
Arriving early and taking an esky with you is highly recommended — then, go exploring for the ideal spot to eat your feast. Getting the most out of your fresh batch involves peeling them yourself and devouring them as fast as possible, and whether you head to a park or the pier, you’re in the right place to do just that.
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3Read more Book NowFriday afternoons are best experienced as close to the river as possible. Mosey down to New Farm’s Bar Alto for an early Italian supper. Pick pan-fried salmon with heirloom beets all for yourself, or share a plate of salumi with a friend. While you’re finishing up with a cheese or two, check the Powerhouse website for the night’s Knockoff Comedy lineup. This free Friday night comedy show runs from 6pm, and plays host to some of the biggest up-and-comers in Brisbane comedy. Plus, at the end of each month, Knockoff is home to Brisbane’s premier impro night thanks to the comedy stylings of ImproMafia.
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Low on cash but still craving a night on the town? We’ve all been there, so here’s what we suggest. First, grab a cheap, hearty bowl of pho at AJ Vietnamese Noodle House on Charlotte Street in the city. These legends dish up the good stuff, nailing the perfect combo of freshness and spice. Plus, a bowl will only set you back $10.90. Total win. After dinner, mosey on over to Brooklyn Standard for a gig, where you could see anything from a mariachi band to a funk and soul group. The bands are fabulous, dancing is encouraged and to top it all off, entry is free.
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Need an escape from the winter weather? Then escape the chill, and nestle into a warm, dark cinema, where you can watch movies from places even colder than here. Returning to Palace Cinemas, the Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival will once again showcase the best of Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Icelandic cinema, from award-winning dramas to esoteric comedies and the very best of Nordic Noir. To give you an idea of what to expect, one of the big highlights from last year’s program was the Golden Globe-nominated The Fencer, a Finnish-German-Estonian co-production — dubbed by Finland Today as “the best Finnish film in a decade” — about a fencing instructor hiding from Soviet forces in Estonia in the years after the war. With this played alongside oddball Icelandic rom-com The Together Project which took home a screenplay prize at Cannes, and the excruciatingly tense Danish drama Land of Mine, you’ll be set for the Scandi trip of cinephiles’ dreams.
Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.
By Sarah Ward, Laura Dawson and Tom Clift.