Brisbane

A subtropical state capital with the Brisbane River winding through it: South Bank's man-made beach, the Story Bridge and Kangaroo Point by night, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, CityCat river cruises, and boat trips to Moreton Island to feed wild dolphins.

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and Australia's third-largest city. It sits on the east coast just west of Moreton Bay, with the Brisbane River snaking through town in an S-shape. Life here moves at a more relaxed pace than in Sydney or Melbourne, and the city is the gateway to the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

Key areas: the CBD has the Queen Street Mall, City Hall, St John's Cathedral and the newly opened Queen's Wharf. Cross the Victoria Bridge or the Neville Bonner Bridge to South Bank, where the South Bank Parklands man-made beach, QAGOMA, the Queensland Museum and the Queensland Maritime Museum line the riverfront. To the east, the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, the Story Bridge, Howard Smith Wharves and Fortitude Valley are the places for night views, dining and bar-hopping. The western suburbs are home to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Mount Coot-tha. Riding the CityCat catamarans up and down the river is the most pleasant way to link these areas. For day trips, take a boat to Moreton Island to snorkel the Tangalooma Wrecks, head to North Stradbroke Island to see dolphins and whales, or drive to Bribie Island and the rainforest of D'Aguilar National Park. The Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast (home to Australia Zoo) are also within a 1–1.5-hour drive and are covered separately on this site.

The climate is subtropical and warm year-round. April–October is dry, sunny and the most comfortable; jacarandas bloom from late October into November; December–February is hot and humid with frequent afternoon thunderstorms and occasional flooding. Getting around: the Airtrain runs from Brisbane Airport to the city centre in about 20 minutes. Trains, buses and ferries all take a go card or contactless bank card (a flat 50-cent fare per trip since 2024). Allow 2–3 days, plus 1 more for an island day trip. The UV is very strong, so wear sun protection outdoors.

Top sights

• South Bank Parklands – An urban oasis on the south bank of the Brisbane River. It features the city's only man-made beach in the city center, a bougainvillea arbo…
• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – The world's first and largest koala sanctuary, where you can hold one of 130-plus koalas for a photo, hand-feed kangaroos, and catch platyp…
• Story Bridge – The 1940 steel truss bridge is Brisbane's landmark. You can climb to the 80-metre summit for views over the river and city, and Kangaroo Po…
• Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) – Two art museums in the South Bank cultural precinct, known for Asia-Pacific contemporary art and the Asia-Pacific Triennial. Free entry to…
• Queensland Museum – A free natural history and heritage museum on the South Bank, with dinosaur fossils, Great Barrier Reef marine life and a science centre su…
• Mount Coot-tha Lookout – Brisbane's highest lookout, overlooking the city skyline, the river and Moreton Bay, with great sunset and night views.
• Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha – A large subtropical botanic garden at the foot of Mount Coot-tha, with a tropical glasshouse dome, a Japanese garden and a planetarium.
• City Botanic Gardens – A century-old botanic garden on a river bend in the city centre, with a giant fig tree, a mangrove boardwalk and river views. Free to enter.
• Howard Smith Wharves – A century-old wharf area renovated into a riverside dining precinct beneath Story Bridge, with river-view restaurants, a craft brewery and…
• Kangaroo Point Cliffs – Sandstone cliffs on the east bank of the Brisbane River, offering climbing, abseiling, riverside picnics and night views of the city skylin…
• Brisbane City Hall & Museum of Brisbane – A sandstone city hall completed in 1930, with a free ride up an old manual lift to the clock tower and the Museum of Brisbane inside.
• Fortitude Valley – Brisbane's nightlife and trendy district, with live-music bars, a Chinatown and boutique shops along James Street.
• Eat Street Northshore – A riverside food market on Hamilton's wharves, built from over a hundred shipping containers, with street food from around the world and li…
• Tangalooma Wrecks, Moreton Island – Fifteen artificial wreck reefs in the shallows off Moreton Island near Brisbane, a classic day trip for snorkelling, kayaking and sandboard…
• Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island – The northeast corner of the island near Brisbane, where the North Gorge walk offers views of turtles, manta rays and migrating humpback wha…
• CityCat river ferry – Fast catamaran commuter ferries on the Brisbane River. For the price of a bus fare, they string together riverside sights, and locals recom…
• Queen's Wharf Brisbane – A riverside landmark opened in 2024, combining historic buildings, a casino, restaurants and the Sky Deck, a cantilevered lookout platform.
• Roma Street Parkland – A roughly 16-hectare subtropical garden on the edge of the city centre, with a lake, flower beds and rainforest walks. Entry is free, and i…
• New Farm Park & Brisbane Powerhouse – A big grassy park on a bend of the river, best known for its jacaranda season and rose garden. The old power station next door, now an arts…
• St John's Cathedral – A Gothic Revival Anglican cathedral that took more than a century to finish. Its stone vaulting and stained glass are finely crafted, and e…
• Queen Street Mall – Brisbane's pedestrian shopping street in the city centre, lined with department stores, arcades and street performers. It's a good base for…
• West End – A multicultural neighbourhood on the western side of South Bank, with cafés, secondhand shops, street murals, a Saturday market and a disti…
• XXXX Brewery (Castlemaine Perkins) – The century-old brewery of XXXX, Queensland's beloved beer. Guided tours with tastings let you see how it's made.
• Queensland Maritime Museum – A maritime museum at the southern end of South Bank, where you can board the WWII frigate Diamantina and see a historic dry dock dating to…
• D'Aguilar National Park – A large subtropical rainforest mountain area on Brisbane's northwestern fringe, with lookouts, rainforest trails and wildlife. It's ideal f…
• Bribie Island – An island reached by road bridge, so no boat is needed. Woorim's surf beach and the Pumicestone Passage make it a relaxing seaside day out.

Where to eat

• Agnes Wood-Fire Restaurant – A modern Australian restaurant that cooks only over wood and charcoal, widely credited with reshaping Brisbane's dining…
• Stanley Cantonese Restaurant – A Hong Kong-style Cantonese restaurant in the riverside former Water Police headquarters, widely regarded as one of Bri…
• Breakfast Creek Hotel Steakhouse – A historic pub opened in 1889, famous for Spanish Garden steaks and XXXX beer poured straight from the wood cask, a Bri…
• Greca Greek Taverna – A lively Greek taverna under Story Bridge, known for charcoal-grilled seafood, slow-roasted lamb shoulder and grilled c…
• Ahmet's Turkish Restaurant – A long-established Turkish restaurant opposite South Bank Parklands, popular for freshly baked Turkish bread, banquet m…
• Pancake Manor – A 24-hour pancake house in a former 1904 church, open since 1979 and a budget landmark in central Brisbane.

Itineraries

• Sydney to Brisbane Pacific Coast Road Trip – Head north along the Pacific Coast, connecting bays, koalas, rainforests, and Byron Bay
• Brisbane & Gold Coast Family Fun – Head south from Brisbane, visiting a koala sanctuary, Mount Tamborine rainforest, and the Gold Coast theme parks.
• Queensland Highlights Fly-Drive – Connect Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Whitsundays, and Cairns via domestic flights to see the best of Queensland in one…