Tourism in Brisbane

The Story Bridge is a Brisbane icon, designed by Dr. John Bradfield, designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[2] It spans Petrie Bight from Kangaroo Point to Fortitude Valley and totals 1,072 metres (3,517 ft) meters in length.[3]

Tourist groups run the Story Bridge Adventure Climb as well as the Abseil Climb, which provides daylight, twilight, and night tours.[4]

Brisbane City Hall

Kangaroo Point Cliffs lit at night

Brisbane's most famous landmark is Australia's largest and grandest city hall. It is home to the Museum of Brisbane and features the circular Concert Hall and a world-famous grand piano organ. Free tours are available of the city hall and its clock tower.[5][6]

The Brisbane City Hall contains the re-established historic Tudor-style Shingle Inn restaurant, with its original 1936 Tudor furnishing and fittings restored.[7]

The Kangaroo Point Cliffs extend south from just north of the former Naval Bridge Depot to the former South Brisbane Dry Dock, west of the Captain Cook Bridge. The rock comprising the cliffs was formed about 230 million years ago, but the cliffs as they are today were created by convicts quarrying the stone for the early colony.[8] The cliff are popular with rock climbers, and the park and gardens below are available for BBQs and picnics.[9]

Chinatown, Brisbane is one of the many destinations in Fortitude Valley

The Valley experienced an urban renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s, when young people flocked to new nightclubs, some in place of the brothels and illegal gambling joints of an earlier era.[10] As more people lived in the suburb, social and religious developmental trends explain the present diverse nature of The Valley, characterised by commercial buildings, hotels and churches side by side with residential buildings.[11] James Street is a popular shopping street that straddles Fortitude Valley and the adjoing suburb of New Farm.

Treasury Casino

The Conrad Treasury Casino, formerly the State Government of Queensland Treasury Building, is situated at 1-27 Queen St, right up at the top of the city near the Victoria Bridge. It was built on a site that had been earmarked for Government use since around 1825. Three stages of construction went into the completed building, starting with the William Street frontage.[12] Completed, occupied and opened officially in 1928 at a final cost of £137,817, it provided expansive space for its Treasury Building tenants. As State Government Departments moved into the nearby Executive Building in the 1980s, the Treasury Building and adjacent Land Administration Building were sold, and consequently redeveloped as the Conrad Treasury Casino and Hotel precinct.[13]

The Gabba

One of Australia's most famous sports stadiums, the Gabba was established in 1895 and hosts a number of sports including AFL, cricket, rugby league, rugby union, and baseball, as well as athletics and concerts. Its current seating capacity is 42,000.

Lang Park

Lang Park, also known as Suncorp Stadium, is a major sports stadium and is considered the best rectangular stadium in Australia. It was established in 1914 on the site of a former cemetery. The stadium hosts mainly rugby league and football, and is a venue of the State of Origin. Its current seating capacity is 52,500.

St John's Cathedral

St John's Cathedral is a Medieval gothic revival cathedral, and an international centre of pilgrimage attracting over 20,000 visitors annually from around the world. The cathedral is the centre for big diocesan events, and is a major centre for the arts and music with its own orchestra. St John's also has the largest cathedral organ in Australia, which hosts many concerts throughout the year.

Customs House

The Customs House is a Brisbane landmark known for its distinctive copper dome.[14] Originally constructed for the government, there is now a restaurant and function centre within the building, and regular concerts and art exhibitions are also held here.

The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art has a total floor area of 25,000 square metres (269,098 sq ft). The Gallery holds mostly Queensland arts as well as a variety of artworks from around the world.

The Queensland Museum has various human and natural historical artefacts. It is located within the Queensland Cultural Centre at South Bank and has various cafes and restaurants within and surrounding its location across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD.

View of the western face of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre

Also located within the Entertainment District of South Bank, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre has a number of theatres and auditoriums showcasing various famous shows and operas annually. Some of the most recognized shows featured at the centre include Mamma Mia!, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Jersey Boys, and International Gala.

The State Library of Queensland is Queensland's largest library, and contains extensive historical and archive materials.

The Museum of Brisbane is the City of Brisbane's official museum and is located in Brisbane City Hall. It features a changing exhibition program that celebrates Brisbane through social history, visual arts, craft and design.

The Queensland Maritime Museum is located adjacent to South Bank Parklands.

There are many national parks surrounding the Brisbane metropolitan area which are popular recreational attractions for hiking and bushwalking. The D'Aguilar National Park runs along the northwest of the metropolitan area in the D'Aguilar Range, and contains popular bushwalking and hiking peaks at Mount Nebo, Camp Mountain, Mount Pleasant, Mount Glorious, Mount Samson and Mount Mee. The Glass House Mountains National Park is located to the north of the metropolitan area in the Glass House Mountains between it and that of the Sunshine Coast. The Tamborine National Park at Tamborine Mountain is located in the Gold Coast hinterland to the south of the metropolitan area. Moreton, North Stradbroke and Bribie islands are substantially covered by the Moreton Island National Park, Naree Budjong Djara National Park and the Bribie Island National Park respectively. The Boondall Wetlands in the suburb of Boondall are protected mangrove wetlands with floating walking trails.

The suburb Mount Coot-tha Reserve contains the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens which house the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium and the "Tsuki-yama-chisen" Japanese Garden (formerly of the Japanese Government Pavilion of Brisbane's World Expo '88). Atop the mountain is the Mount Coot-tha Lookout, providing views of the metropolitan area and Moreton Bay.

South Bank Parklands attractions include the Wheel of Brisbane (a large ferris wheel), a swimming lagoon with sandy beaches, the South Bank Arbour,[15][16][17] rainforest walks, picnic areas and a picturesque riverfront promenade. Entertainment venues at South Bank Parklands include the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and Suncorp Piazza. South Bank Parklands are also home to the Lifestyle Markets on Fridays (5pm-10pm), Saturdays (11am-5pm) and Sundays (9am-5pm).

The City Botanic Gardens include Brisbane's most mature gardens, with many rare and unusual botanic species. In particular the Gardens feature a special collection of cycads, palms, figs and bamboo. The Gardens are located at Gardens Point, to the south-east of the CBD, within walking distance of the city centre.

New Farm Park is a large heritage-listed riverfront public park covering 15 hectares (37 acres). It is located at the southeastern end of the New Farm peninsula within a bend in the Brisbane River.[18] The Powerhouse arts centre is at the eastern end of the park. The park also includes the New Farm Park ferry wharf and links to the Brisbane Riverwalk from Newstead to Toowong. It is one of Brisbane's most popular parklands and tourist attractions.

Roma Street Parkland is the world's largest subtropical garden in a city centre.[19] The parkland features a variety of themed gardens and recreational areas, with a web of pathways and boardwalks traversing cascading waterways and rocky outcrops, and in situ artworks by 16 local artists. Roma Street Parkland also has an open air amphitheatre (which was previously called the Albert Park Amphitheatre).

Located in the centre of the city, the Queen Street Mall and its nearby surrounds is Queensland's premier shopping destination. The mall is open plan, stretching half a kilometre along Queen Street Mall.[20] There are five major shopping centres, two department stores and four shopping arcades located within the mall.

South Bank Parklands, once the site of the Expo '88, is now an entertainment precinct boasting entertainment, cafes, restaurants, man-made beaches, lagoons, playgrounds and views of the city along its boardwalk. It is also the location for the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the temporary, relocatable Ferris wheel, the 60-metre Wheel of Brisbane.

A panorama view of Streets Beach, South Bank Parklands

Howard Smith Wharves along the New Farm Cliffs below the Story Bridge is a stretch of riverside parkland which incorporates numerous entertainment and restaurant venues.

Eagle Street Pier is a riverside entertainment precinct which is home to numerous restaurants.

Portside Wharf, located approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the Brisbane CBD on the Brisbane River, is a residential, retail precinct with numerous cafes, restaurants, shops and cinemas.

The Brisbane Riverwalk at New Farm

Brisbane is notable for its Brisbane Riverwalk network, which runs along much of the Brisbane River foreshore throughout the inner-city area, with the longest span running between Newstead and Toowong. Another popular stretch runs beneath the Kangaroo Point Cliffs between South Brisbane and Kangaroo Point. Several spans of the Riverwalk are built out over the Brisbane River. Brisbane also has over 27 km (17 mi) of bicycle pathways, mostly surrounding the Brisbane River and city centre. Other popular recreation activities include the Story Bridge adventure climb and rock climbing at the Kangaroo Point Cliffs.

CityCat Ferries are catamarans, and are a pleasant way to travel past such Brisbane icons as the Story Bridge and South Bank Parklands.[21]

Brisbane Greeters provide free walking tours around Brisbane, aiming to provide a customised, flexible, intimate and authentic experiences through a knowledgeable and enthusiastic local volunteer.[22]

Kangaroo Segway Tours offer tours of the city's major attractions using segways.[23]

Brisbane By Bicycle conduct daily tours of Brisbane city and surrounding areas in small groups. The tours are fully guided by a Brisbane local with extensive knowledge of the city including local bars, restaurants, events and attractions.[24]

Food tours provide great insight into a city's local food scene, and Brisbane's local food culture can be experienced on a tour with Delectable Tours.[36]

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary opened in 1927 and was the world's first koala sanctuary.[37] Wildlife in the sanctuary includes koalas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, wombats, echidnas, various species of reptiles, as well as many types of Australian birds. The sanctuary is located in the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket.

Brisbane Tramway Museum is a transport museum which preserves and displays trams and trolley-buses, most of which operated in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The museum also has a collection of vehicles and other equipment used in maintaining Brisbane's electric street transport system which operated from 1897 to 1969. The museum is located at Ferny Grove, a north-west suburb of Brisbane.

Newstead House, in Newstead Park, is the oldest house in Brisbane. Built in 1846, it is now a museum and heritage listed site. It is open to the public, and concerts are sometimes held at the house and grounds.

Currumbin Beach, Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is a strip of urban areas and beaches located about 78 kilometres (48 mi) south of Brisbane, about an hour's travel by car or train.[38] Major centres with shopping, restaurants and sandy beaches include Surfers Paradise, Mermaid Beach, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta. There are several theme parks in the region, including Movie World, Sea World, Wet'n'Wild Water World and Dreamworld, and wildlife parks such as David Fleay Wildlife Park and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Gold Coast hinterland features rainforests and wet sclerophyll forest with walking tracks and picnic areas. Some areas also offer camping sites, bed-and-breakfast accommodation, cafes and markets. Popular areas for tourism include Springbrook National Park, Lamington National Park and Tamborine Mountain. The Hinterland is promoted as "The Green Behind The Gold".

Bribie Island is a sand island north of Brisbane, accessible by a road bridge over Pumicestone Passage. The area features a surf beach on the east side at Woorim, and quiet estuaries for boating and fishing on the west side, in the Passage. Accommodation is available in caravan parks. There are 4WD-accessible camping sites on the northern end of the island, which require permits. Attractions include the recently opened Bribie Island Seaside Museum, Passage cruises, and birdwatching at Buckley's Hole Environmental Park.

The Sunshine Coast, about an hour drive north of Brisbane, offers a wide range of beaches, national parks, theme parks and golf courses. Urban centres that cater for tourism along the coastline include Caloundra, Maroochydore, Noosa, and Coolum. To the west, the iconic Glasshouse Mountains offer scenic drives, lookouts, walking tracks and picnic areas. There is a ginger factory at Yandina, and Maleny and Montville offer art galleries, wineries, shops and cafes. The Woodford Folk Festival, an annual music festival, is held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, 72 kilometres (45 mi) north of Brisbane.

Mount Beerwah, part of the Glasshouse Mountains, viewed from Mary Cairncross Reserve

Rainbow Beach is a coastal town in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, near Gympie, famed for its rainbow-coloured sand dunes, sand cliffs and pleasant beaches. The beach is located approximately 265 kilometres (165 mi) north of Brisbane, 76 kilometres (47 mi) east of Gympie and 700 metres west of Fraser Island on the Cooloola Coast.[39]

Named after the spectacular Kondalilla Falls, where Skene Creek drops 90m into a rainforest valley, this park is a cool mountain retreat and an important refuge for many native animals and plants.[40] From Brisbane, the drive to the falls takes roughly 2 hours.