A Bright New Chapter - Lightscape and Life in Brisbane

By Paul — Senior in Sneakers

After the dust of divorce settled, I found myself standing at the edge of a new chapter — not quite sure where I belonged, but certain I wasn’t done exploring. For years, I’d called Ipswich home. It served me well, but something inside me — the same restless pull that’s taken me across continents. Whispered that it was time for a change.

So, I listened.

Tall palm trees illuminated with vibrant lights stand majestically against an urban nighttime backdrop, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding buildings.

I bought an apartment in Brisbane, right near the City Botanic Gardens and the river. A spot where I could walk every day, sip coffee in the morning sun, and feel the rhythm of the city move around me. It wasn’t just a change of scenery. It was a reset. A choice to lean into life, even at 72, and see what the next chapter might bring.

Visitors walk through a mesmerizing tunnel of vibrant, multicolored LED lights, creating an enchanting atmosphere of illumination and wonder.

Not long after settling in, Brisbane Lightscape arrived. A festival of light and sound, set right in the heart of the gardens — practically in my backyard. I took myself on a twilight wander, joining the crowd beneath glowing trees and through tunnels lit with colour and music. It was peaceful, playful, and utterly captivating.

A luminous spectacle unfolds in the night as vibrant pink and green lights illuminate a sprawling tree, set against a backdrop of towering skyscrapers and a glowing dome.

And as I stood beneath the canopy of lights, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a while: wonder. Not the kind you chase in far-off countries, but the quiet, surprising kind that sneaks up on you when you least expect it.

Brisbane feels right.The river is my new neighbour. And Lightscape — well, it lit up more than just the gardens.

Divorce didn’t end my story. It gave me space to write the next part - one walk, one city, one glowing night at a time.