Who I Am and Why I Started This
Hey there! I’m Marcus, and I’m writing this from a little cafe in Brisbane’s West End where they make the best flat white I’ve ever had – seriously, if you’re ever here, hit up Three Monkeys Cafe on Mollison Street. I spend most of my time coordinating corporate retreats and team building events, which means I’m constantly traveling between Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne scouting venues and experiences. What started as work notes about cool places I discovered has somehow turned into this travel resource I launched in 2026. I kept finding these incredible spots that weren’t in any guidebooks – rooftop bars hidden behind unmarked doors, food trucks that only locals knew about, tech stores with gadgets you can’t find anywhere else. It felt wrong keeping all these discoveries to myself.
How I Find These Places
My job takes me to some pretty unexpected locations. Last month I was in a converted warehouse in Fitzroy checking out kitchen setups for a cooking team building event, and I stumbled across this incredible store selling Japanese kitchen accessories that would make any home chef weep with joy. The owner, this elderly man named Kenji, spent an hour showing me knives that cost more than my monthly rent. That’s the kind of place that ends up here – spots you’d never find unless you were wandering around with a specific purpose. I’m always asking venue managers, caterers, and local suppliers where they go for the good stuff. You’d be amazed what people will tell you when you’re genuinely curious about their city.
My Weird Collection Hobby
When I’m not traveling for work, I’m usually hunched over some broken 1980s arcade cabinet in my shared apartment, much to my roommates’ dismay. There’s something about the simple mechanics of Pac-Man or Galaga that clears my head after dealing with corporate budgets and catering requirements all day. This obsession has led me to some fantastic vintage gaming stores and tech repair shops in every city I visit. I’ve learned that the best travel discoveries often come from following your own weird interests – the guy fixing my Street Fighter II cabinet in Melbourne knew about a hidden bar that serves cocktails named after video game characters.
What You’ll Find Here
This site is basically my travel notebook made public. I focus on three main areas that have become essential to how I explore: tech gadgets that actually make travel easier, kitchen accessories from amazing local stores, and my overall recommendations for each city. I’m not trying to cover every tourist attraction or fancy restaurant – there are plenty of other sites for that. Instead, I share the places that surprised me, the gear that survived multiple airport security checks, and the local shops that taught me something new. Writing from Sydney right now, and I just discovered a kitchen supply store in Surry Hills that imports olive oils I didn’t even know existed.
What’s Coming Next
I’m working on expanding beyond my usual Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne triangle. There’s a corporate retreat in Perth next month that I’m particularly excited about – I’ve heard amazing things about their local coffee roasting scene and apparently there’s a thriving retro gaming community there. I’m also planning to document more of the behind-the-scenes stuff that makes these discoveries possible, like building relationships with local suppliers and learning to spot the good stuff versus the tourist traps. My goal is to keep sharing the Australia that most guidebooks miss, one unexpected find at a time.