Ascot & Hamilton
Just like its English counterpart...
Ascot is home to Brisbane's horseracing set, with two courses, at Eagle Farm and Doomben. Located in the far northeast of the city, over the river from Bulimba, it's an upmarket suburb, with very large Queenslander houses, and the main action centreing around Racecourse Road (of course...), which runs from Eagle Farm Racecourse, down to the river at Hamilton.
This cosmopolitan thoroughfare...
Is quite happy to show off its bourgeois side, with a mix of semi-pretentious French cafes, exclusive designer boutiques, home interior stores and restaurants-with-waiting-lists. The further south you get, though, and it's a little more relaxed. Hamilton is just as pretty, with plenty of lush, flowering trees lining the streets and avenues, but it's not as affected, and is slightly more affordable.
Here, by the river...
South of Kingsford Smith Drive, is an exciting, regenerated wharf area of stylish new apartment blocks and some equally chic restaurants and bars. Head down to the buzzing international cruise ship terminal at Portside Wharf for a fantastic array of gourmet restaurants. This is also where some of Brisbane's funkiest self-catering pads can be found, so worth checking out if you're bored of hotels.
