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 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.

North-West Plaza works for me as a local. Not only can I do my grocery shopping at Woolies, but…read moreyou have access to an organic butcher & drygoods store. Add to that all the essentials of a Medical Centre, Chiropractor, Travel Agent, Bakery, Bottleshop, Greengrocer, Gym, Pharmacist, The Reject Shop and a few food outlets and really you don't need much else for your week to week needs. Parking is never an issue, whilst there is a restriction upstairs of 30 minutes you also have the option of under cover which allows 3 hours. As a local shopping centre this is a well organised one with the right facilities which minimises the running around to get my chores done. For all of us with busy lifestyle's that can only be a winner!

North-West Plaza is a handy spot in a central location. It has your essentials like Woolworths, a…read morePharmacy, Greengrocer, Butcher, Bottle Shop and ATM's but then it also has unexpected gems. The Rejected Shop is a great addition, it is a rare find in nowadays and you'll be surprised at the useful products they provide on the cheap as well as having my all time favourite Sushi Train 'Crazy Fish Sushi' which is quite new to the location. You can't lose shopping at North-West Plaza PLUS it saves you driving to Brookside, Chermside or Stafford!

It's a clean and tidy shopping centre at great location. The centre own a big Coles supermarket…read moreand many food outlet.

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!