Miss Midgley’s – Assembly Hall

You know what struck me first about Miss Midgley’s? The name itself feels like Brisbane – a bit quirky, definitely not trying too hard. Walking into this converted assembly hall on James Street, you’re immediately hit with that perfect balance of old bones and fresh thinking. The space has this gorgeous soaring ceiling that makes you look up and actually pause for a second, which honestly doesn’t happen much in hotels anymore. It’s right in the heart of New Farm, and I mean properly in the thick of it – you can practically roll out of bed and grab coffee at one of those little spots that locals queue up for on weekends. The powerhouse is literally a five-minute walk, and if you’re into that whole riverside thing (which, let’s be honest, is half the reason you’d stay in New Farm anyway), the boardwalk is right there.

What really gets me about this place is how they’ve kept the character of the original building without making it feel like a museum. The rooms have these beautiful high ceilings and original features, but then you’ve got proper modern everything – the shower pressure is actually decent, the air con works without sounding like a freight train, and the beds are the kind you sink into after a long day walking around South Bank or getting lost in the markets. The staff seem to genuinely know the area too, which is rarer than you’d think. I asked about where to grab a proper breakfast that wasn’t touristy, and they pointed me toward this little place on Commercial Road that I never would have found otherwise – packed with locals reading papers and drinking coffee that didn’t cost twenty dollars. Parking can be a bit of a dance around here, especially on weekends when everyone’s hitting the restaurants along James Street, but they’ve sorted that out reasonably well.

The whole vibe is sort of effortlessly cool without being pretentious about it. You’re not paying through the nose for some designer hotel experience, but you’re also not compromising on comfort or location. It’s the kind of place where you can walk to dinner – and I mean actually walk, not that hotel marketing “walking distance” that turns out to be twenty minutes uphill – then wander back through the quiet streets feeling like you’ve discovered something. Brisbane can sometimes feel like it’s trying too hard to be Sydney or Melbourne, but places like Miss Midgley’s just embrace what makes this city work: laid-back, genuine, and surprisingly sophisticated when it wants to be. The morning light streaming through those big windows, the sound of the city waking up slowly, the fact that you can grab fresh fruit from the markets and eat it by the river – it all just clicks. If you want to actually experience New Farm rather than just sleep somewhere near it, this is your spot.