"If you ever wanted to bring a cat along, you could swing it now" I was told by one of the new…read moreowners. So it's the same location, new owners, new name. FishChick Aquatics was in this location for a long time, but she's sold up (she still operates online, and you can pick up your purchases from the shop still) and it's now Down Stream. Only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It's a little less cramped, and they have refurbished. FishChick focused on bettas and guppies, and while you can still get them here, the bettas at least aren't at the same standard. These guys are more into the Australian natives. There's still a great range of fish available, the prices are good, and the staff are more knowledgable than your typical pet store.

I can't resist going into a pet shop to gaze at all the adorable little puppies, so I was panic…read moremomentarily gripped me when I went inside this one and couldn't find any. Have you ever been into a pet shop that didn't have puppies? Or at least kittens? It's like an ice cream shop with no chocolate, or a sushi place with no salmon. Luckily I soon located them and realised they had simply been hidden behind the Christmassy white spray all over the front windows. This isn't a very big pet shop, but it's adequate. They have a limited range of animals including guinea pigs and fish along with the requisite puppies, pet food and of course accessories. It's not the most exciting of its genre, but it gets the job done.

This is a nice little pet shop located within a very busy shopping mall. It's not very big but it…read morehas plenty to offer. The times I have been here I've seen puppies, little kittens, guinea pigs and an array of beautiful fish. The puppies, kittens and guinea pigs are located towards the front of the shop and the fishies are towards the back wall. The little pups are the front window cannot be seen by passer by's unless you walk into the store. I think this is a good idea as it might be stressful for the little guys to see lots of people coming up to them. However, having a front view of a paper plastered window does not make this store look appealing. They should consider replacing that. All in all though, the pups don't seem to be bothered and look happy and healthy. One thing I noticed here that I didn't approve of, was all the little children poking the pets and the shop minder didn't seem phased by it at all. I know parents have a responsibility over their children, but I should hope the pet shop staff would protect the pets from children who are stressing them out. Still, despite this, it is a nice little pet store with quite a lot on offer. Good range in toys and pet accessories.

They say you'll spend the most on your new furry family member in their first six months. I scoffed…read moreat this initially but with almost weekly, sometimes bi-weekly visits, to our closest Petbarn store in Kenmore, I'd say whoever came up with that statistic was right on the money. Thankfully, like a lot of big warehouse type retail institutions, their purchasing capacity means discounts are passed down to us, the consumers. Petbarn is one of the cheapest pet supply stores we've found and there's always a great range available in store, plus the staff are readily available to give genuinely helpful advice about the best food for your pooch, and more. I'd also recommend signing up in store for their store rewards. You get a 20% off voucher when joining and they email you regular deals which can come in handy when, for example, you need to purchase Rovers regular food.

I walked out of this store thinking the whole experience had been pretty awesome and then later…read morereflected that Aquarama isn't without faults. I think the "awesome" vibe stems from the fact that there are some very impressive exotic fish here - the type you see when you go to a proper theme-parky aquarium - and the vibe of the store is a bit magical. However, that's how I generally feel about all aquarium stores. You're surrounded by colours, water and brightly coloured fish that can't touch you. You're living the dream. If I was in the market for anything other than a betta (Siamese fighting fish) I might have had a different experience, because most of the fish looked pretty healthy. But the bettas (though there was a VERY large range of them - the largest I've seen in Brisbane) were of varying health. I saw one dead betta, one dying betta and a few fish - particularly giant bettas - that were too big for their little cups. The online betta community forums (mostly US-based) frown upon keeping bettas inside these little cups, and I've noticed the other aquarium stores I've visited generally keep them in slightly larger "hanging tanks". A few of the Aquarama fighting fish in fact were so distressed that a long veil-tail male appeared to be attempting to eat his own tail, a behaviour normally associated with close confinement and depression. I noticed this earlier on in my visit, long before I'd bought some nice accessories for my betta tank and after cheerful repartee with the staff. It wasn't until walking out afterwards that I thought of the betta conditions and wondered over the morality of it. Bettas in the wild are born in small rice paddy puddles, so they don't need much space. Still, bettas need room to move.

Aquarama certainly has a huge range of aquarium products like tanks, gravel, supplements, filters,…read morelights, and of course fish. The staff seem to know their stuff, and are usually happy to help you out although sometimes it gets super busy in here and you'll have to wait a while for your turn. My favourite aquarium shop closed down a few years ago and after that I patronised Aquarama a few times. It can be a bit pricey compared to elsewhere and sometimes I wonder about the health of their Siamese fighting fish (I've had a couple from here that didn't last long after I got them when others from elsewhere have), but they definitely have an excellent range of the hardware type stuff. I find the store to be a little bit grimy sometimes, and think they could make a better impression if they paid more attention to keeping everything looking a bit neater and cleaner, but at the same time I can appreciate that that's a hard task with so many tanks and so much stock. If I ever decide to set up a fish tank again, I would happily purchase some of the equipment from Aquarama, but would probably shop around elsewhere too.

I have been taking my dog to milly for a couple of years. She is fantastic. Very gentle with my…read moredog. Strongly recommend her grooming services.

Best vets and staff are very caring. I can't say enough good things about the team…read more They're open all day and later in the evening for after work. They do everything they can for their patients

New Farm Dog Park is a leash-free park where you can take your pooch to frolic with the pedigree…read morepups of the area. It is a fenced area near the Powerhouse car park and faces the river next to the rest of New Farm Park. The facilities in this park are great. There's plenty of shade and seating, as well as water for the dogs and bins to dispose of any nasty surprises. There are a few written and unwritten rules though. For example it is very frowned upon if you can't control your dog. Given that New Farm is largely apartment living there are a lot of small dogs, so when a big dog comes along and starts terrorising the smaller ones, parents get defensive. Also it is completely the owners responsibility to dispose of any doggy doo-doo. Every time I have hung out at New Farm Dog Park (I don't have a dog so I have to live vicariously through my puppy owning friends) it has been so much fun! So long as the dogs all get along, are obedient and well trained, it makes for a manageable outing for all involved. The other plus is that the dogs get so knackered from playing with each other that they usually sleep amazingly following their big adventure. Win!

The New Farm Powerhouse dog park is a beautiful spot in a beautiful location, however the park is…read moresuffering from chronic overuse, despite the maintenance that the council does. It is currently a big dust bowl and a health hazard to dogs, dog owners and local residents. Also, the overcrowding means an increasing incidence of nasty interactions between dogs. It is an unfortunate result of a sharp increase in housing in the local area without an increase in the number of dog parks. Many of the locals now take their dogs to the Spring Hill dog park which is cleaner, greener and offers more interest to the dogs.

Stafford Pet Superstore is like your basic pet supply store, blown up about four times. It…read moreenormous, with a crazy range of pet products for your cat, dog, bird, lizard, fish, whatever. There is always some scaly reptile near the door whenever I go in, and it kind of freaks me out, but is also kind of cool. But once you get past the slithery guys there's a world of pet products to choose from. Dog and cat products are the most abundant with collars, beds, shampoos, flea treatments, chew toys, litter boxes, and every other pet item you could need or imagine. Turn to the left when you walk through the door however, and you'll find yourself in the bird section of the store (from the car park entrance). Here you'll find your choice of cages, seeds, treats, and a selection of cockatiels and budgies to add to your family. I love to visit the puppies and kittens (always) whenever I visit a pet store, but I also like to look in on the birds because I feel like people pay these poor guys much less attention. Pop in here if you're looking for some pet supplies or if you're looking to give a little guy a new home. The staff are very helpful and can answer any questions you may have. They also have a great reward system when you buy science diet cat or dog food that gives you a free purchase once you reach a certain amount. Fur, fun, and rewards all in one place.

It doesn't have the biggest range of pet stuffs, but you'll find most things you'd need to keep…read moreyour dog, cat, bird, or fish happy. You'll find various dog beds, cat scratch towers, collars, leads, toys, animal delicacies (pigs ears and such), and a whole underwater farm of sea grass for fish. The aquarium section of Pet Super Store is pretty stellar. I walked into the room, and as far as they eye could see, there were fish tanks set against dark blue walls. It was easy to imagine being underwater while I was in there, just me, hanging out with my fishy friends. You've got your usual pet enclosures, with the puppies chasing each other's tails, and the kittens fighting and trying to paw and chew each other's faces off. I didn't see birds, however, the Pet Super Store is huge, and so they could have been in some small nook I didn't find. There is always someone nearby to help you out with anything and the service is quite friendly. They're people that just love sharing stories about their pets. "Oh, look what the dog just did" types- just as pet store staff should be.