Brisbane
The subtropical climate may be warm, but Brisbane is decidedly cool. The population has doubled in the last two decades, and as a result, Brisbane has been busily reinventing itself. There is a lively young arts scene and the city has been ranked among the hottest places in the world for new music. Its young fashion designers are making a name for themselves, and the Gallery of Modern Art is bringing blockbuster exhibitions down under. But while the CBD skyline may be spiked by glittering high-rise buildings, and the river lined with big boats, thankfully, the city has lost little of its friendliness in the make-over. Life is as relaxed as ever, and firmly focused on the outdoors.
Brisbane’s hilly terrain provides breathing space and a beautiful backdrop to the CBD. Step into the nearby suburbs and you will find stately Moreton Bay fig trees standing sentinel in the suburban streets and mango trees blooming in the backyards of those distinctive weatherboard houses on stilts known as ‘Queenslanders’. With their shady verandahs and tin roofs just made for the patter of summer rain, you can still find them within walking distance of the CBD.
From the coast to the suburbs, the year-round warm climate means that Brisbane is tops for a holiday; whether you want city parks or national parks, markets or museums, nightlife or wildlife, you will find it all here.
Visitor information
Brisbane Visitor Information & Booking Centre
Brisbane Visitor Information & Booking Centre Queen Street Mall (07) 3006 6290
www.visitbrisbane.com.auGetting Around
Brisbane has well-signed, well-maintained roads, but it’s not an easy city for first-time visitors to negotiate. The region’s growth has resulted in a crisscrossing network of major motorways and some significant new roadwork projects. In the centre itself, there are many one-way streets. To make matters more confusing, the Brisbane River twists its way through the city and suburbs. An up-to-date road map and some careful route planning at the beginning of each day is a good idea. As the city has grown more crowded, cycling has become a viable and healthy option for getting around and more locals are taking to their bikes. Brisbane boasts an ever-expanding network of generally picturesque bikeways and pedestrian paths. The Cycle2City facility under King George Square is a first for Australia and offers showers, lockers, laundry and bike security for local city workers and visitors alike.
Trains, buses and ferries cater for all needs and a couple of bus routes are designed specifically for visitors (see below). A boat trip on the Brisbane River is a must. Plenty of tours are available to riverside tourist attractions (see Walks & tours, p. 411) and there is an excellent commuter ferry and catamaran (CityCat) service. The Cats travel at high speed and standing on the deck and feeling the cool wind in your hair is the best way to see Brisbane. The Go Card can be used on all transport – ferries, trains and buses – and offers discounts for frequent users. The Off Peak Daily offers cheaper travel between 9am and 3.30pm and on all weekends and gazetted public holidays.
Public transport
Translink (bus, ferry, CityCat and rail) 13 1230
Airport shuttle bus
Coachtrans Airport Service (07) 3238 4700
Bus tours
City Sights bus tours and The Loop (free bus circling the CBD) 13 1230
Motoring organisation
RACQ 13 1905, roadside assistance 13 1111
Car rental
Avis 13 6333; Budget 1300 362 848; Europcar 1300 131 390; Hertz 1300 132 607; Thrifty 1300 367 227.
Taxis
Black and White Cabs 13 1008; Yellow Cabs 13 1924
Airport rail service
Train from the airport to the city and Gold Coast 1800 119 091
Bicycle hire
Bicycle Revolutio (07) 3342 7829; Valet Cycle Hire Botanic Gardens 0408 003 198
Getting Around
A CityCat ferry cruise on the Brisbane River
Experience
City Botanic Gardens
A bike ride through the City Botanic Gardens
Brisbane Powerhouse
Breakfast by the river at the Powerhouse arts centre
James Street Precinct
People-watching on fashionable James Street
Mount Coot-tha Forest
City views from Mount Coot-tha
Queensland Art Gallery
The latest blockbuster expo at the Gallery of Modern Art
Riverside Centre and Eagle Street Pier
Riverside dining at Eagle Street Pier
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Hugging a koala at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Streets Beach
A stroll along the Rainforest Walk and a swim at Streets Beach in South Bank
City precincts
Shopping
Brisbane’s premier shopping precinct, with major department stores, malls and arcades including QueensPlaza, Myer Centre, Brisbane Arcade, MacArthur Central and Wintergarden. Also young labels in Elizabeth St. Everything you’ll ever need for retail therapy.
For up-and-coming designer fashion and innovative chic, collectibles and books, art and trendy homewares, adventure gear and trinkets.
More than 35 specialty retailers offering top-end fashion, jewellery, art, books wine and food.
Little Stanley Street, South Bank
Edgy designer fashion, boutique homewares and gifts.
For antiques, fashion and boutique homewares on Latrobe and Given terraces.
A quirky street of antiques, edgy fashion, accessories and homewares.
Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre
Huge mall on Brisbane’s north side with 350 specialty stores, all the major department stores and a 16-cinema complex including a Gold Class theatre.
A mall in Brisbane’s western suburbs with over 250 specialty shops, major department stores, a gym and a 16-cinema complex. Fabulous shopping.
Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) Brisbane
Next to Brisbane Airport, this centre offers up to 120 discounted brands.
Stones Corner
Factory outlets and fashion seconds only 15 minutes south of the CBD.
Walks & Tours
See the sun rise over Brisbane city at dawn – take a hot-air balloon flight, followed by a gourmet champagne breakfast. Bookings on (07) 3844 6671.
Explore Brisbane’s green heart on this leisurely, self-guide walking tour that takes in the CBD’s highlights via its three main parkland areas: the City Botanic Gardens, South Bank and Roma Street Parkland. Brochure available from the visitor centre in the Queen Street Mall.
Brisbane's Living Heritage Network
Grab a copy of the Network's Experience Guide and take a trip back in time with on these excellent self-guide tours of historic districts in the city and surrounds. Brochures available from the visitor centre and Brisbane City Council. (07) 3403 8888.
See the cultural and historic attractions of Brisbane in comfort. Set your own pace – you can hop off and on the clearly signed buses at any time. Brochure and tickets available from the visitor centre or call 13 1230 or (07) 3404 8888 for more information.
Discover Brisbane on foot with the help of experienced Brisbane City Council volunteers, or buy a copy of Great Brisbane Walks from Brisbane City Council or a good bookshop to plan your own. (07) 3403 8888.
Scare yourself silly on one of a variety of serious ghost tours exploring Brisbane’s haunted history. You can also pick up a copy of the Haunted Brisbane guidebook. Bookings on (07) 3344 7265.
Explore beautiful Moreton Bay on one of the many cruises on offer. Details from the visitor information centre.
Travel the river up to Lone Pine with Mirimar Cruises (1300 729 742) or enjoy a fine meal with stunning views on a Kookaburra River Queen cruise ((07) 3221 1300).
Take in spectacular 360-degree views of the city on this 2.5-hour climb up Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge. Bookings on 1300 254 627.
Once you’ve explored historic Brisbane, do the same in the bayside area. Brochures available from the Wynnum Manly visitor centre.
Sport
Brisbane’s weather is perfect for sport, and Brisbane’s stadiums are state of the art. If AFL (Australian Football League) is your passion, you can’t miss the Brisbane Lions at their home ground, the Gabba, proving that Victoria no longer has a monopoly on AFL. The Gabba is also home to Queensland cricket – watch the Bulls defend the state’s cricketing honour. You will find the Gabba (known formally as the Brisbane Cricket Ground) in the suburb of Woolloongabba, south of Kangaroo Point.
Rugby League is a way of life in Queensland, culminating in State of Origin. You can watch the Brisbane Broncos, the city’s rugby league team, at the redeveloped Lang Park (also known as Suncorp Stadium), a Brisbane sporting institution in Milton. Ticket-holders enjoy free public transport on match days. Or show your true colours by supporting the Reds, Queensland’s Rugby Union team, at their matches, which are also at Lang Park.
The Brisbane International tennis tournament attracts the world’s leading players in the first week of January. Matches are held at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Tennyson, opened in 2009.
If you prefer the sport of thoroughbreds, head to Brisbane’s horseracing venues at Doomben and Eagle Farm. Or for car racing at its loudest and most thrilling, head south for the Gold Coast SuperGP in October.
Entertainment
Major cinemas can be found at the Myer Centre in the city (a Birch Carroll & Coyle complex) and at most of the big suburban malls. See the Courier-Mail for movie times. If you’re in town in August you can catch the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF). Brisbane is a city devoted to film festivals. Look out for them throughout the year.
Day Tours
The sleepy settlement of Mount Glorious lies to the north-west of the city in Brisbane Forest Park, a 28 500-hectare reserve of subtropical forests and hills. Mount Glorious is the base for a number of enjoyable walking tracks. Nearby Wivenhoe Lookout offers panoramic views of the surrounding country and Cedar Creek features natural falls and swimming holes.
Close to Brisbane’s south-eastern suburbs is Daisy Hill State Forest, best known for its large colony of koalas. The Daisy Hill Koala Centre has a variety of displays and, from a tower, you can see koalas in their favourite place – the treetops. Call 1300 130 372.
Bribie Island
Connected to the mainland by a bridge at Caboolture, Bribie is the most accessible of the Moreton Bay islands. Fishing, boating and crabbing are popular activities. For a quiet picnic and walk, visit Buckleys Hole Conservation Park at the southern end.
This impossibly beautiful sand island is mostly national park, accessibly by passenger ferry from Eagle Farm or vehicular ferry from the Port of Brisbane. Vehicle access is four-wheel drive only, but guided tours are available. Walking, swimming, fishing and dolphin-watching are some of the activities on offer.
A favourite getaway for Brisbanites, Straddie, as it’s affectionately known, is the most developed of the Moreton Bay islands, with small townships at Point Lookout, Dunwich and Amity. Visit Blue Lake National Park at the centre of the island for swimming and walking (access by four-wheel drive or a 45-minute walk), or enjoy ocean views along the North Gorge Headlands Walk. The island is reached by vehicular ferry from Cleveland.
The Gold Coast
An hour’s drive from Brisbane, the Gold Coast is arguably Australia’s most famous and busiest holiday region, with beautiful surf beaches and huge theme parks – perfect for kids of all ages. All activities on offer, from deep-sea fishing and golf to dining and shopping, are of international-resort standard.
Dubbed the ‘green behind the gold’, the region offers a peaceful retreat from the bustle of the coast. Follow the winding scenic road up to Lamington National Park, part of a World Heritage area and Queensland’s most visited park. It preserves a rainforest environment and a large wildlife population with many bird species, including bowerbirds and lyrebirds.
Travel to Toowoomba from Brisbane and you will find yourself climbing the Great Dividing Range. This grand old lady of the Darling Downs is perched on the edge of the escarpment at 800 metres above sea level. It’s not dubbed the ‘Garden City’ for nothing – Toowoomba is famous for its parks, gardens and tree-lined streets, and each September it celebrates the Carnival of the Flowers. The city has also long been known for its antique shops and tea parlours, and these days also offers good coffee and innovative restaurants.
Cafes & restaurants around town
Bretts Wharf 5 km
Drive or take a CityCat to this light and airy building of louvres and corrugated iron on the banks of the Brisbane River. The chefs buy seafood caught sustainably from local commercial fishers, and produce some... Find out moree’cco 1 km
In the mid-1990s, chef Philip Johnson opened a bistro at the grungy end of the CBD and turned the town that cuisine forgot into a chef’s special. These days the area is no longer grungy, e’cco is noisy and... Find out moreGianni’s Restaurant 1 km
With the owners also the chef and the sommelier, you can expect an exciting and constantly changing European-style menu at Gianni’s. Chef Javier Codina uses local seasonal food to perfection, and the extensive... Find out moreMontrachet 2 km
Montrachet is French, like its enthusiastic owner Thierry Galichet, and fun and relaxed. Given this is Queensland, where seafood reigns supreme, the bouillabaisse with reef fish, Queensland scallops, fresh green prawns... Find out moreNearby breweries
Castlemaine Perkins (Fourex) Brewery 2 km
The pages of Australian brewing history are littered with take-overs and acquisitions, and while Castlemaine Perkins sounds like a merger, it was, in reality, yet another buy-out. As the name suggests, the Castlemaine... Find out moreFoster's Group (Yatala Brewery) 38 km
This brewery site, located at Yatala, midway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, was established by the Power Brewing Company, which launched Powers Bitter in 1988. Four years later a joint venture between Powers and... Find out moreMt Tamborine Brewery 54 km
As we went to press, one of Queensland’s more ambitious craft-brewing operations was about to come to fruition at Mount Tamborine, in the Gold Coast hinterland. The 24-hectolitre microbrewery is the original plant... Find out moreBurleigh Brewing Company 80 km
Queensland has generally suffered from a dearth of craft breweries so the Burleigh Brewing Company is a welcome and relatively recent addition. Co-owner/brewer Brennan Fielding boasts considerable experience as a... Find out moreSunshine Coast Brewery 89 km
Queensland’s longest-running microbrewery has been operating from an industrial estate on the outskirts of Maroochydore since 1998. It was established by Jim Robinson and Queensland craft-beer pioneer Graham Howard... Find out moreStone and Wood Brewing 140 km
The popular coastal holiday destination of Byron Bay is the location for one of the country’s newest and most exciting craft breweries – Stone & Wood. The partners behind the venture include a trio of... Find out moreEagle Heights Brewery 53 km
Located a few hundred metres from the more substantial MT Tamborine Brewery, this tiny brewery opened in October 2008. New Zealand–born mechanical engineer turned brewer Frank Safi operates the 5-hectolitre... Find out moreHotels, motels & B&Bs around town
Limes Hotel 2 km
Limes is the hotel you choose when you don’t want to go to a boring establishment. With only 21 rooms, you can mix with other guests and perhaps a few locals, who get the nod of approval from the door dudes, at the... Find out moreOne Thornbury 1 km
Boutique hotel meets B&B here with high-quality furnishings and ensuites, a private entrance for guests and a shady courtyard in a home built in 1886, in a precinct filled with similar listed ‘character’... Find out moreThis is Brisbane’s best hotel location in terms of views combined with proximity to the CBD and fast access to Brisbane’s international and domestic airports via the adjacent Central Railway Station Air... Find out more
Popular events around town
Queensland Winter Racing Carnival
Excitement on and off the racecourse. May–June.... Find out moreBrisbane International Film Festival
Superb showcase of the latest in Australian and overseas film, with an international atmosphere. July–August.... Find out moreA Brisbane institution where the city meets the country for ten days, with fireworks and wild rides. August.... Find out more
Queensland’s largest celebration of the performing and visual arts, featuring fireworks, fantastic food and live music. September–October.... Find out more
Brisbane Jazz Festival at the Powerhouse
Some of the world’s most acclaimed musicians perform innovative jazz. November.... Find out moreHuge award-winning folk festival, just out of Brisbane, with local, national and international musicians and artists, and lots of stalls. December.... Find out more
