
Picnic in a park —
Brisbanites master their picnicking skills in one of the city's 1,820 parks and gardens. Some 18,000 people flood New Farm Park each week.

Get undressed —
Getting rid of unnecessary clothes is a question of survival. David Mapleston of the Brisbane Lions understands.

Speak like a local —
Brisbanites would caption this picture: "In Goldie with mates in togs."

Be storm ready —
Subtropical climates mean rain -- buckets of it. Living in the city means always being ready to take cover from storms.

Live the River —
The Brisbane River is the city's lifeblood and a ticket to ride through one of Australia's greenest urban settings.

Go walkabout —
Outdoor activities are Brisbane's chief modus operandi. City overseers are prioritizing pedestrian and bike friendliness and so are residents.

Go suburban —
Hot neighborhoods in the suburbs are just a few miles upstream from the city center. Fortitude Valley, or the Valley, has a vibrant restaurant and bar scene.

Down lager or latte —
Cafes in converted wood and brick "post-industrial" warehouses abound. They specialize in potent gunshots of espresso in whatever form you fancy.

Know your wildlife —
In Brisbane, "local wildlife" isn't only an adorable baby kangaroo. It may refer to two-meter-long pythons dwelling in people's backyards.

Get cultural —
If you don't cross the river, you risk missing the culture concentrated on the southside. A current highlight at Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) until January 2015 is "Terrain" -- an exploration of the powerful aesthetic influences of land and nature on indigenous artists.

Love thy mall —
Brisbane's "big country town" reputation of the past lives on in pockets of the beloved Queen Street Mall -- loving it is a must.