Post 5- To the South

Hi-ho! After a evening of exploring the best of the best around Brisbane's south side. Using the 4KQ Christmas Lights winners map as a guide here are some of my top tips/finds and thoughts!

Following a beautiful pasta dinner at Artimino Italian Restaurant in Graceville, Jess and I head off to our first house of the evening which just happened to have won the "Best New Entrant' Prize at 34 Lawson Place Drewvale. Upon pulling up in the car Jess and I gasped as it glowed incredibly. You are then welcomed through an arch of white LEDs in to the property to explore the lights and set ups. Upon entry to the property the use lighting felt a little minimal, it looked much more grand from the front! Some houses really do look better from the outside! I felt the house used great themes and concepts to base their exhibits off supported by an appropriate use of colour. Unfortunately the concept overtook the idea of lights regarding toys and models that it started to feel more like a yard full of toys rather than putting focus on how it supports/contributes to the overall lighting display. Overall for a new entrant, they have done really well.

From there, we found our way to 2 Clayton Court in Crestmead. It was automated lighting display, I think it came runner up in Brisbane. Upon arrival, like the Middle Park house, asking you to tune the car to a radio frequency and sitting back and enjoying the show. I think this one was approximately 10 mins. There were some beautiful looks, but I felt there were cue timing issues and lighting ideas had no apparent story or build to them rather, this is what we can do. I think automated shows are great, but when you pick pop songs or don't give them time to build into something or reveal new colours or ideas or looks, you get bored. We want more. Well, I do anyway.

We then headed up to 11 Lucy Drive in Edens Landing, the best of the Southside winner. It sure looks impressive from the front. Made the community feel invited, with plenty of photo opportunities, but the view of the local area from that property was worth the visit as well! The use of colour was incredible using white LEDs to create a snow white base with coloured highlights throughout- it's brilliant. I must say the southside knows how to compose it's colour a bit more than the westside! It was full of many things to see, but i feel the property lacked a sense of magic once you were there. I feel things like bubbles or snow machines and tangible things of that nature are somethings more houses could incorporate to take their house to that next level. This is a must see if you are on the southside!

The Commercial large business category winner is situated at Henry Street in Loganholme. We made the mistake of coming along the M1 from the South and trekking to the property. What we should have done is just driven past on the M1- that's where you get the best view. You know that BP servo on the outbound side near the Logan Motorway merge? Take a look towards the East around there and you will appreciate. Not a big exhibit, but enough for a drive by.

Next was another automated lights show at 24 Davina Street in Shailer Park. Here you don't tune in, you roll your car windows down or bring a deck chair along and enjoy the sounds from the side of the road. Lot's of colour, but similar tricks to the Crestmead house. I didn't feel it was executed as well as the property in Crestmead, possibly because of the shape of the house and cuing and looks created from the LEDs the had but still lot's of colour and movement none the less. There was a real dog covered in fairy lights as well. If you love automated displays, get along to this one.

The lights at 16 Merchant Court in Springwood brought a tear to Jess' eye. The nostalgia of an elderly couple building a beautiful display for the local community to enjoy, it's beautiful. There display is beautiful. It was the runner up for the southside as well! Used colour well, dressed the garden beds beautifully and had some real automated mini bells playing christmas carols. I love when people remember when people couple unique Christmas sounds with their displays, it all adds to that overall atmosphere. There are a few other non winning exhibits around this neighbourhood if you are up for the search!

Disappoint for the night came from driving past 12/33 Rudge Street in Woodridge. The winner of the best townhouse display, and at around 9.10pm, their lights weren't even on. It's disappointing, if your house is a notified winner then you uphold this duty to have your lights on every night till 10pm every night till Christmas.

From there we drove past a simple display by the Glen Hotel Eight Mile Plains, it's display best viewed from Logan Road in the car heading outbound, then viewed a small encouragement like award display at 74 Lindwall Street in Upper Mount Gravatt. Nothing exciting to end this blog post on, except...