IMA is a good place to start if you're looking to learn an instrument. The location in Bowen Hills…read moreis just outside the city and convenient to get to. Parking can be a little bit of a nuisance, so keep your eye out for an on-street park. The teaching rooms are a good size and well equipped, and the teachers are knowledgeable. At a teaching organization like this one, the schedules are run pretty tightly and the teachers are essentially directed by the company so once your lesson time is up, you're out. It's a good place to learn the basics, but if you're after some more personal instruction, lessons with a private teacher could be better suited to you.

Brisbane Institute of Art is a not-for-profit community college with classes designed to suit all…read moreskill levels and lifestyles. They offer short courses over a weekend for people interested in learning the foundations of jewellery making, painting, ceramic or photography. There are also regular evening classes throughout the semester for those who prefer a structured framework to develop their skills. I've previously studied painting and ceramics here and found the tutors knowledgeable and the classes friendly. However, I think these classes are tailored towards hobbyists. I was frustrated with the emphasis placed on creativity over technical skills. Having also done short painting and sculpting courses at Southbank Tafe and Queensland College of Arts, I think a short course with QCA Enterprise or Southbank Tafe would suit people wishing to pursue their art seriously and the prices would be comparable as well. NB: Some subjects at Brisbane Institute of Art can count towards a Certificate in Art or a Diploma in Art but check with staff for clarification. NB: Opening hours refer to the office hours. BIA is open on weekends and evenings for students attending classes

I remember St John's College most fondly due to the annual Jazz night it hosts. This ball included…read moremany college kids and friends of those living at John's in fancy suits and cocktail dresses while the St John's Jazz band played and everyone was just sophisticated and merry (at least until the kick on). St John's is one of many co-educational university housing colleges on campus at the University of Queensland St Lucia. It is a little bit fancier than most, with well sized rooms, nice gardens, and an iconic clock tower. The college is great if you are in any way drama or musically inclined, with plenty of music rooms, pianos and support for such endeavors. I have heard that their O-Week can be pretty tough for some, since their exec (the 2nd and 3rd years looking after the freshmen) have some interesting traditions but I am assured that this just helps bond the freshmen and that after this week all is good.

My boyfriend takes Russian classes here and enjoys them well enough. Unfortunately, the tutors are…read morea mixed bag--some good, some not-so-good--but, the classes are structured well. The good thing about IML is that their classes cater to adults who work during the day and can only come to class during the evening. They also offer a huge number of languages--around 30--but if studying one of the less-popular languages, you may not find classes at your level. A year-long course will set you back around $460, with classes based on the university semester. Not a bad place to study a language, but for me studying French, I think I'd prefer Alliance Francaise for their broader range of classes.

I'm having an amazing time studying Polish at IML, it's such a great class with a really passionate…read moretutor!

Has a large range of classes and a large campus. We've had issues with bullying here and the…read morepunishments that the school chooses to use on both the bully and the bullied are the same which as the mother of the bullied just seems wrong.

Each year, I leave the Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) inspired, stimulated and sad that it's over…read morefor another year. For a week every September, BWF inhabits the State Library of Queensland bringing a host of local, national and international literary talents to its stages. Writers from all fields--literature, science, politics, psychology--come to talk about their work, discuss topics with other writers and deliver workshops over the week-long festival. The first four days are usually filled with events for school groups and the real events kick off with the opening night on a Thursday, followed by 3 jam-packed days of events for the adults. At BWF, there are both ticketed and non-ticketed events. I've always just stuck to the free ones and have never felt like I've missed out on anything. If happy to splash out, however, $15 to $20 will get you into a ticketed events. Master classes will set you back around $75 for 3 hours. Keep an eye on their website for the release of each year's program. Hard copies are also distributed in the Courier Mail nearing the festival and at bookshops such as Avid Reader, West End.

If the thought of books, writing, or reading makes you want to jump for joy, then the Brisbane…read moreWriter's Festival is a must. This festival has gone from strength to strength over the years, and attracts a strong variety of local and international writers every year. Last year, Jonathan Franzen, Ann Patchett, and Philip Pullman were among the big names that drew record number crowds. There are always interesting panels, workshops (oftentimes free, and many of them geared towards kids), and author interviews every day of the festival, and the venues for each event alternate between the clean, modern State Library facilities. The catering has also improved; this year they offered festival-goers a variety of sandwiches and freshly baked muffins, as well as rice paper rolls. Each year there is also a surprise flash mob too; two years ago a group of dancers executed a choreographed routine in one of the tents, and last year, a choir began singing on the ground level of the library.

The Geology Museum (aka the Geological Science Museum, aka the Earth Sciences Museum - I'm not sure…read morewhat to call it, since there are three different signs with three different names at the same location!) is a nifty little space at the University of Queensland's main campus. There are lots of rocks of all different kinds. Normally rocks are not my thing, but the descriptions and explanations are worthwhile, if you're interested in what Queensland is made of. But this museum is worth checking out for the fossils alone. Dinosaur bones, ancient sea creatures, petrified wood! Fossils are cool, man. I wish they would dust off the displays more frequently, though. The museum is free, and I'm sure it's taken care of by grad students, but a little care in presentation goes a long way.

The Manly Fruition Tuition is in one of the best locations possible; right on Cambridge Parade,…read moreadjacent to the hottest part of the Manly shopping precinct. It's clean and new and neat, but best of all, my friend's son was failing year 6 mathematics and after two terms here he scored an A. The downside is it's much more expensive than finding remedial help yourself privately; often if you can find a uni student willing to tutor, it would be about half the price of attending Fruition Tuition, but then again, whatever works is the best solution and it's great to have this option in the Manly area.