I probably go to the Queen Street Mall too often. At some level, I feel lame for not exploring…read moreother options or areas. However, it's just too easy. It's well located and has just about everything one could want. There's food, drinks, movies, food, drinks, clothes, mobile phones, banks, etc, etc, etc. The current construction is a bit annoying, but it's hard to knock improvements being made. The result is a bit of a bottleneck with the huge crowds walking around on weekends. This is a problem when you walk faster than basically any other human in existence and are incredibly impatient. So, it's probably more of a problem just for people like me, which thankfully, I don't believe can be found in abundance. I like that there is often music and the people watching is tremendous.

'Ello chaps! Queen…read moreStreet Mall is a marquee tourist and shopping area of downtown Brisbane. It extends from George Street to Edward Street with more than 700 retailers. Many of them include the kitschy tourist shops. NOTE: Don't assume all of the stores are the same. Some may have the very same products, but even at different prices. It's worth the while to browse around first and then actually make your purchases. Other stores include shoe stores, clothing, jewelry, and odds and ends. It does seem as though Queen Street Mall may have seen better days, although it is buzzing. It's better than a typical American shopping mall, although it is not a five star high end shopping plaza, making it very affordable for most shoppers. Reportedly there were 26 million visitors to Queen Street Mall last year. Overall I give Queen Street Mall four stars out of five.

The Barracks has been one of my favourite places to both eat or see a movie recently due to its…read moreconvenient location and variety of speciality stores. There is always enough parking unless of course there is a game on at Suncorp Stadium and more often that not you can get at least the first two hours free which is unique for a place so close to the city. The cinema has become more of a 18+ scene as it serves alcohol which they allow you to take into the cinema and the films are also more catered to that demographic which I find appealing. The shops here are many and varied, from a Sushi train, to Italian and Tapas restaurants to chocolatiers and ice-cream shops. There is also a sizeable coles supermarket, liquor store and a fantastic French Twist bakery and cafe which has a great atmosphere. Some of which I have reviewed in detail if you care to check them out!

I've been avoiding shopping and dining at the Barracks lately because parking here takes too much…read moreeffort. I understand that they want to exclude commuters and Caxton Street goers from their car parks but the two hour free parking does not work well for Palace cinema visitors. Most movies go for a minimum of two hours so even if you get your parking ticket validated, you'll get hit up for a $7 minimum parking fee. The last time I tried to catch Norwegian Woods at the Palace Barracks at 9pm on a Saturday evening, the car park was completely full and we ended up missing the movie trying to find a space. On a positive note, parking is less of an issue in the mornings which is great because The Chelsea and French Twist do a great breakfast. The Barracks is a bustling, modern shopping complex - great for dining and shopping but best to use public transport where possible.

This is the cheapest parking near the RBWH. Plenty of spaces available.read more