How to Make Friends in Brisbane (Expat Guide)

Brisbane gets overlooked by people flying into Sydney and Melbourne, which is exactly why it is easier to build a social life here. The city is smaller, the weather pushes everyone outside, and people are noticeably more likely to chat to a stranger than they are down south.

I have spent time in Brisbane and it is the city I would pick if I wanted a big-city job without big-city prices and a social scene you can get into within a month. Here is how to do it, with every Brisbane group from my ebook linked.

Why Brisbane Works for Newcomers

The outdoors is the social scene. River walks, the South Bank lagoon, New Farm Park, Kangaroo Point cliffs, weekend markets. All free, all full of people, and all places where turning up alone does not look odd.

Brisbane is also full of people who moved from somewhere else, from other parts of Queensland, from New Zealand, from the UK and Ireland. That means fewer established cliques and more people actively looking for company.

The Groups From My Ebook

Brisbane and Queensland

• Brisbane Working Holiday Girls the main group for women arriving on a working holiday visa, and the quickest way to find housemates and jobs at the same time
• BNE Run Club casual Brisbane run crew, all paces, coffee at the end
• Brisbane Social Run Club the more social end of the running scene, built for meeting people rather than chasing times
• Cairns Working and Backpacking Group worth joining even from Brisbane if you are planning the reef or farm work north

National Groups Worth Joining

• Cold Nips cold water dips and swims, with regular Brisbane meets and easy trips to the coast
• Croissant Run Club 30 locations worldwide and all over Australia
• Australia Social meet-ups and social events
• Australia Backpacker Guide the big backpacker Facebook group
• Run clubs around Australia a directory of clubs you can turn up to

Where to Meet People in Brisbane

The River and the Parks

The Brisbane River walk, South Bank and New Farm Park are where the city exercises, walks dogs and meets friends. Join a park run on a Saturday morning, take a yoga class in the park, or just become a regular at a coffee spot on your walk. Brisbane rewards repetition more than most cities because you keep seeing the same faces.

Social Sport

Brisbane takes social sport seriously and it is the easiest low-pressure way in. Just Play runs netball, touch footy, basketball and volleyball leagues across the city, and most teams are a mix of locals and new arrivals. If you are rubbish at the sport, say so when you join. Nobody cares.

Markets and Weekend Events

The markets are a social scene in their own right. Eat Street Northshore, the Powerhouse markets, the West End and Davies Park markets. Go early, talk to stallholders, and you will start recognising people within a few weekends.

Work and Study

Brisbane has big hospo, retail and healthcare employers plus three universities, so there is a constant flow of people in the same position as you. Work drinks and uni clubs are how most people find their first group here.

A Realistic First Month

Join the Brisbane Working Holiday Girls group or a run club before you land. Say yes to the first invitation even if it is a Tuesday. Pick one place near home and go back weekly so you become a familiar face. Then, once you have two or three people you like, organise something yourself rather than waiting to be invited. In Brisbane, the person who organises is the person who ends up with the group.

The Honest Bit

Brisbane is quieter than Sydney and Melbourne and that catches some people out. If you want huge nights out every weekend you will end up on a train to the Gold Coast. If you want a social life built around sport, the river and cheap weekends away, it is hard to beat.

My Australia friends guide has every state group in one list, and my Brisbane working holiday guide covers visas, jobs, rent and where to live.