If there were any shopping centre in need of a desperate makeover, it would be Brookside. The…read moreinside is still quite nice, with carpetted flooring and a Myer, even a supa IGA, but you can tell that over the years, whilst awesome in its heyday... it is time. There is a really daggy foodcourt, with only a few shops, the shops range from your Target, Loot, Myer and Donut King to antique gifts and miscellaneous stuff by Anthea. Whatever the case, this northside icon, needs a facelift. A little bit daggy, a little bit worn. But it's still got that certain je nais c'est quois of the Northside.

Brookside isn't really my closest or most convenient shopping centre but it offers an interesting…read moremix of shops and that is what draws me to it on a weekly basis. There is convenient parking (inc. undercover), Woolworths, Myer, multiple cafés, clothing stores, EB Games, Chemist, Big W, Nail Salons, Bottle Shops, Bakeries, Shoe Stores, Barber & Hairdressers, Jewellers, Doctors, Banks and everything in between. You can literally come and run your errands and have a wonder around too. If you're someone like me who has a lot of time on their hands, that sort of thing is important to you. Brookside is a real gem!

I find this place confusing and frustrating every time I go there. They have every shop you could…read morewant, which is probably part of the problem. I always end up parking at the WRONG end of the behemoth single story centre (this is why building up is a good idea) and then need to do a 20 min power walk to my destination. They also seperate major competitors by the length of the centre in some kind of Highlander move (THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE), so if you want to compare Myers vs DJ's you're going to have to walk and walk and walk. My biggest gripe is the addition of paid parking. I had to do last minute wedding shopping (mother of the bride dress, bridesmaids dresses, beauty stuff - all 5 days before because I LOVE ADRENALINE) and ended up dropping about $800 there. When I left we'd been there for about 4 hours and I had to pay for parking!? Mate, here's some free advice, if I'm at your child filled, noisy, confusing shopping centre for 4 hours it's because I'm spending money there, not because I'm kicking it at the food court with my teenage mates. Plus, it's just a blatant money grab. They haven't installed extra parking or more services, they've just decided to take your money. If I was one of the retailers I'd be well pissed as I'm sure I'm not the only customer deciding to go to Indooroopilly when I can't avoid a shopping centre. I ended up sending a ranty email to centre management, and last time I was there I was happy to see that they've introduced validated parking if you spend over $150. Not thrilled though, as I think $50 is enough to warrant free parking and you can't validate at stores, you've got to go find centre management which is no doubt 3 kms away from where you're standing.

Big shopping place in Chermside, Brisbane. Try the breakfast at The Coffee Club. Big breakfast…read moredishes that's close to being homemade. Coffee tasted wonderful.

Stafford City Shopping centre is pretty good for what it is. It's a simple place of commerce and…read moreretail for many families in the inner north of Brisbane. Its two biggest retailers are Woolworths and a Big W. Soon there will be an Aldi opening. So for basic home staples from fridge to wardrobe most families can find what they need. There are a number of cheap home ware stores like Bargain City and an independent fruit store and butcher. For fashion, there are a few stores but none of the high-end retailers you might find at the larger shopping centres. There is a food court with a range of quick bites and a cinema showing all the latest movies. If you're looking for a dining experience Stafford has a Fasta Pasta and a little pub venture called The Beach House. Sometimes there are the Stafford City Flea Markets held on a Sunday.

This little shopping centre is pretty vintage - by which I mean it often feels like it's straight…read moreout of the 80's. It's got a few coffee shops, a great stretch of fruit shop / bakery / butcher, a couple of jewellers, some fairly 'nanna' fashion shops and a Woolworths / Big W combo. There is also a food court up near the cinemas, hairdressers, Australia Post - standard shopping centre fare. What I like most about it is the convenience factor. Aside from the lack of an ANZ bank in the area (there is an ATM) it has everything I need in a fairly compact layout. Parking is usually pretty easy, and I don't have to walk past 4 km of chain stores to get to the post office.

The most ridiculous shopping centre layout I've been in , it was slightly better before the…read morerenovations

A part of me was going to suggest that this was a small shopping centre, but that is probably…read moreunrating this particular place somewhat namely because it does happen to be a decent size, it just doesn't happen to be anywhere near as big as some of the suburban megamalls happen to be. Mind you, having a train station underneath sort of helps it out somewhat, namely because you don't have to walk all that far to get there, but it isn't anywhere near as great as others I have visited.

Aspley Village Shopping Centre is a hidden treasure that I honestly don't want to tell anyone…read moreabout. Less than 3km away is Chermside Shopping Centre with its busy crowds and horrible parking situation, yet Aspley Village still remains a calm and serene shopping experience. It was always quiet, there is ample undercover parking and you don't have to battle with crowds. And this is bliss, when all I want to do is some grocery shopping. I am noticing the crowds are slowly starting to grow on weekends, but I think we've got a while before it becomes anything like Germside. The Coles supermarket is clean and new and well laid out, Patton's Big Guns has all your fruit & veg, deli and butcher needs met, there's a Malouf Chemist and a bottle shop. What else could you need? Well there's also a florist, a bakery, a fish and chip takeaway/seafood monger, a cafe, a couple of fashion stores and the complex is also home to a Medical Centre, Sunshine Kebabs and Outback Jack's Steakhouse.

I probably go to the Queen Street Mall too often. At some level, I feel lame for not exploring…read moreother options or areas. However, it's just too easy. It's well located and has just about everything one could want. There's food, drinks, movies, food, drinks, clothes, mobile phones, banks, etc, etc, etc. The current construction is a bit annoying, but it's hard to knock improvements being made. The result is a bit of a bottleneck with the huge crowds walking around on weekends. This is a problem when you walk faster than basically any other human in existence and are incredibly impatient. So, it's probably more of a problem just for people like me, which thankfully, I don't believe can be found in abundance. I like that there is often music and the people watching is tremendous.

'Ello chaps! Queen…read moreStreet Mall is a marquee tourist and shopping area of downtown Brisbane. It extends from George Street to Edward Street with more than 700 retailers. Many of them include the kitschy tourist shops. NOTE: Don't assume all of the stores are the same. Some may have the very same products, but even at different prices. It's worth the while to browse around first and then actually make your purchases. Other stores include shoe stores, clothing, jewelry, and odds and ends. It does seem as though Queen Street Mall may have seen better days, although it is buzzing. It's better than a typical American shopping mall, although it is not a five star high end shopping plaza, making it very affordable for most shoppers. Reportedly there were 26 million visitors to Queen Street Mall last year. Overall I give Queen Street Mall four stars out of five.

Close and convenient for the people that live in Ferny Grove…read more The upstairs parking lot seems to be confusing for most, as it is one way - and plenty of people get it wrong!! The top parking lot is also a huge pain to get out of in the after school traffic - at the moment with the Upper Kedron Road closure, it is darn near impossible to get out of at sometimes if you're turning right!! Convenient with the coles, BWS, gym, chemist and a handful of other specialty stores available. Although the Coles is smaller than the Arana Hills one, so really only good for a duck in shop (in my opinion). However, I was a bit sad when the new management took over and there is no longer buskers allowed.

Ferny Grove Shopping Village is situated in the north west of Brisbane. It has a one of everything:…read morea 24hr gym, a fish and chip takeaway, Indian restaurant, café liquor store, medical centre, a Woolworths and a news agent. There's a couple of vacant stores ready for new businesses and the vibe of the place in general isn't too bad. I've been here to do the fortnightly grocery shop and have found the place to be pretty lively on a Thursday evening as people flock for dinner, coffee and feed. There is plenty of car parking spaces and the Indian restaurant is top nosh. If you live around the area and haven't been there for a visit, go there, if anything to check out the grocery prices.