It’s been a month since we crossed the 10 time zones and faced the 21-hour flight time to touch down in Brisbane from the Liquid HQ in Birmingham.

At first filled with a mix of natural nerves and excitement, we’ve loved settling in and getting used to the city, setting up our new office and expanding our international offering for our clients.

Brissy, Brisvegas or The River City, whatever you want to call our new home with towering skyscrapers that punctuate the CBD’s skyline and family homes on stilts in the suburbs, we wanted to share our top 5 learnings from making the move!

The fabulous food

The Brisbane food scene is as diverse as it is delicious. From nutritious poke bowls to warming pies, award-winning restaurants to humble street food, hearty chicken parms to delicate dumplings, the city really does have it all.

Being in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region there is of course a strong influence from our neighbours, but leave those Westernised palates behind as you’re unlikely to find your go-to number 32 from your favourite takeaway at home.

Authentic Asian cuisine is in abundance with restaurants showcasing traditional cooking styles, flavours, ingredients, and respect for their respective countries…chicken feet dim sum style anyone?

While it would be near impossible to sample all of Brisbane’s eateries even in a lifetime, it’s the supermarkets and delis that keep you going back for more as the quality and choice of produce on offer is mind-blowing. Australia is home to 60% of the world’s organic farmland, 24,000 native plants make up the ecosystem and farms produce around 90% of the food consumed in the country. This means food doesn’t have to travel far, be imported or have preservatives added – local is indeed the best!

The similarities to home

‘Why Brisbane then?’…this was one of the most common questions we were asked when meeting new faces at events and in the office. While an international agency, Liquid is proudly Brummie at heart. It’s hard to verbalise exactly what that means but qualities include friendliness, inclusiveness and, well, being a good damn laugh.

Brisbanites have similar personalities with a friendly “How ya goin’?” and chuckles echoing around the city from shops to boardrooms, so communicating and making connections has been somewhat of a (refreshing river) breeze.

While Birmingham 2022 took the hearts of the international world by storm and put the West Midlands firmly on the map, Brisbane had a similar story by virtue of the 1982 Commonwealth games. The games not only showcase the talents of dedicated sporting athletes for a jam-packed two weeks of sporting action, but promote a sense of unity, cohesion and proudness of place that doesn’t disappear in a hurry…

The power of networking

The first month is not a time to step back and take things slowly if you want to make an impact! Over the past four weeks we’ve been busy and fortunate enough to attend a range of networking events. This has included the Australian British Chamber of Commerce’s summer drinks, an International Women’s Day panel event with over 100 participants, and being invited to share our experience of expanding oversees at the West Midlands Growth Company’s seminar which explored the attractive business relationship between Australia and England for local tech start-ups.

We’ve engaged with business professionals from a variety of sectors. From CEOs of international agriculture companies and founders of robotic healthcare innovation providers, to heads of sales for leading drinks brands and directors of social enterprises. It’s been a pleasure to begin fostering relationships and we look forward to continuing making connections over the coming months.

The property crisis

One of the biggest challenges we faced was securing a place to live. The Brisbane rental market is officially the most competitive in Australia with a record low of just 2% rental vacancies across the city. It’s common for properties to leave the market when pre-booked viewings are still taking place!

With the 10-hour difference it was near impossible to put our hat in the ring at home as agents were uncontactable, properties were disappearing through the night and rejections were frighteningly common. Being able to attend viewings and connect with the agents in person was an insurmountable benefit…and luck changed in our favour as we secured a place in the homely suburb of Bowen Hills with views of the city.

The respect for the past

At the start of meetings, at events, on emails, and websites you will often come across an Acknowledgement of Country Statement. The important act recognises and shows awareness of and respect to the Traditional Custodians and Elders of land across Australia – the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders peoples.

These practices aren’t new – they’ve been part of First Nations cultures across the continent for thousands of years and are of great significance to many First Nation people to welcome visitors to their ancestorial land.

The heat

The most obvious truism, but ought to be mentioned…it is HOT. Being on holiday around a pool and having cold drinks on tap is an entirely different proposition to living and working in the Brisbane weather.

Brisbane is Australia’s second-hottest capital city after Darwin, the seasons aren’t overly pronounced, and February saw the warmest day at 35.7ºC while the coolest reached 28ºC.

While we can hear the “oh poor you” from the Liquid HQ from here, we’ve learned that it’s vital to wear sunscreen, keep hydrated and walk in the shade where possible…good job we have air-con in the office!