Brisbane: Just arrived and surprisingly not hitting walls everywhere! 🎉

As an international student coming to Brisbane, finding accommodation is usually the top priority. Let me introduce several popular rental areas. First up is the City (CBD). Advantages of living in the City: - Convenience: Living in the City apartments means you're right downstairs from major shopping streets and restaurants. The City is also the largest transportation hub, making it easy to transfer or catch buses to other places (e.g., it takes about 30 minutes to get to UQ). - Bustling: Being the downtown area, it boasts a thriving commercial district. (For QUT students, living here is close to the school.) Disadvantages of the City: - High rent: Suitable for those with strong financial capabilities. - Security issues: High crime rates. According to the Queensland Police Service's online crime map from February 9th to March 8th, 2023, there were a total of 977 crimes (compared to only 199 crimes in Southbank during the same period). - Limited restaurant choices (personal opinion, can be ignored). - Lack of Chinese supermarkets, which may be inconvenient for Chinese people, especially if they want to cook Chinese food, etc. Southbank, as one of the choices for many international students, is also a very popular area. Advantages of Southbank: - Convenience: Very close to the City, within walking distance, and there are also commercial streets nearby, making life very convenient (about ten minutes away from UQ). - Low crime rate: Similarly, data from February to March 2023 shows a much lower crime rate than the City. - Many restaurants: Basically, you can find a restaurant around every corner. Disadvantages of Southbank: - Rents are gradually rising. It's basically hard to find a suitable house without a budget of at least 300 Australian dollars per week. Other aspects are generally okay. New students are recommended to consider Southbank first. Toowong, another popular rental area. Advantages of Toowong: - Close to the University of Queensland: Very close to UQ, even closer than to the City. - Good security: Data from February to March 2023 shows only 44 crimes, much lower than Southbank and the City. Disadvantages of Toowong: - Personally, I feel there are basically no particularly big disadvantages, but there may be a slight lack of convenience. Although it meets basic living needs, there are no large shopping malls and commercial streets. Woolloongabba, another popular rental area. Advantages of Woolloongabba: - Excellent location: Very close to the Chinese area (Sunnybank), and not far from the City and Southbank. Public transportation can basically get you to destinations like UQ, Toowong, City, and Southbank within 30 minutes. - Good security: The area has a low crime rate and good security. Disadvantages of Woolloongabba: - May lack a bustling commercial district.