Brilliant Brisbane | Guide To Exploring Australia’s River City

Brisbane, the ‘River City’ of Australia is the capital of Queensland. It is absolutely vibrant and youthful, and is full of laid back vibes offering a relaxing atmosphere despite being Australia’s fastest growing cosmopolitan city.

Sydney and Melbourne may steal most of the attention of travellers on their visit to Australia, but there’s in fact a lot to explore and do in Brisbane if one decides to make a stop in this city that’s known for its sub-tropical climate, green spaces, scenic lookouts, and vibrant lifestyle.

🚀 How to get around?

• You can get in to the city via Brisbane Airport, which is located about 12 kms from the city center and has one international terminal and one domestic  terminal.
• Transfer time between the airport and Brisbane city is approximately 35 minutes by taxi, Uber, or a shuttle van.
• Reserve your seat for a shuttle van in advance; round trip and single transfer options are both available.
• If you’re travelling alone, the Airtrain is a fantastic option that takes you to the city center in around 20 minutes. Booking online will avail you some discounts too!
• You can even head to the Gold Coast directly from Brisbane Airport on the Airtrain which takes 1 hour 50 minutes travel time.
• Kids aged 14 and below can travel on the train free of charge as long as they’re accompanied by an adult with a ticket.
• Most of the tourist spots are concentrated in the Central Business District (CBD) and South Bank, both of which are separated by the Brisbane River.
• Fun fact: There are 15 major bridges over the Brisbane River!
• Brisbane is very much a walkable city, so you won’t feel the need to take any form of transportation for nearby distances if the weather is pleasant.
• The bus, ferry, and train services in Brisbane city are connected by a single system called Translink. The South East Queensland area has been divided into eight concentric zones and the fare depends on how many of these zones you cross. Brisbane’s city center occupies Zone 1 only.
• Brisbane Airport is NOT covered by the Translink fare system, which is why the special Airtrain fares will apply.
• The red CityHopper ferries that crisscross the Brisbane River in the inner-city region is free of charge. Just hop on without having to purchase a ticket! It runs every 30 minutes between 6:00am and 12:00am, seven days a week.
• The blue CityCat are the regular ferries that run between University of Queensland St. Lucia and Northshore Hamilton, for which you need to purchase a ticket to get on.
• Translink offers go card that passengers can use to swipe on/off public transport without having to pay cash for a ticket each time. This will also let you save 30% on fares. However, this card is not recommended for tourists because an AUD 10 deposit is required and obtaining a refund (for the deposit and any unused amount) can be a tedious process.
• For tourists, a goSeeQ card is a better option as it will allow you unlimited travel using the Translink bus, train, ferry, and tram services for 3 or 5 consecutive days. It also covers 2 Airtrain services within the network, including the Brisbane Airport-City center route. Prices are AUD 79 for 3 days and AUD 129 for 5 days.
• Taxis and Ubers are also always available at your disposal, with the latter being a more economical option especially if you’re a group of 3 or more since taxi rides are pricey in Brisbane.
  

  

  

🚀 Brisbane River Cruise

Start your explorations with hopping on a ferry and making your way around the bends of the iconic Brisbane River. Opt to go for a City Lights Dinner Cruise if you fancy a dinner with a view.

🚀 Explore Southbank

South Bank is a favourite of many, an area known for its lush parklands, world-class eateries, stunning river views, and umpteen number of delightful events all year round. In the evenings, visit the riverside green leafy parks like the City Botanic Gardens or South Bank Parklands for they enchant visitors with exotic flowers and stunning trees. The council provides a lot of great facilities here to take advantage of including sitting spaces, BBQ stations, and free WiFi!

And when you’ve made your way down to South Bank, why not marvel at the prominent Wheel of Brisbane or even ride on it to take in the panoramic views of the Brisbane River, city, and mountains? If you’re on the lookout for a beach, take a dip at Streets Beach, a unique man made swimming beach in the middle of the city.

🚀 Visit the Arts and Cultural Precinct

The South Bank precinct is also the cultural heart of Brisbane. Enlighten yourself with the amusements that the cultural center offers which include the Queensland Museum and Sciencentre, State Library of Queensland, and Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) here stages world-class performances from opera and ballet to comedy shows and contemporary music concerts.

🚀 Shop, Eat, Make Merry

When the sun goes down, Fortitude Valley wakes up for it’s a great place to party at the rave clubs and bars located there. You’ll find Chinatown eateries and upend European restaurants here to indulge in a delicious treat or two. This electric neighborhood also portrays the city’s most engaging live music scenes.

Fortitude valley is also home to over 100 fashion boutiques catering to all shopping tastes and preferences, and also a dynamic range of homewares. Just keep walking along Ann Street, and even check out the Emporium Shopping Centre for a unique shopping experience like never before.

West End has a wide range of unique shops and restaurants, as well as a lively vibe! Here you will find lots of vintage fashion boutiques, bookshops, best of fresh organic produce, cheese, wine, and cocktails. Oh and SWOP lives here – Brisbane’s first clothing exchange shop that lets you sell and buy second-hand clothing catering to the ethos of sustainability, affordability and anti-waste. How cool is that?!

Also shop till you drop on Queen Street Mall – the central hub for shopping in the city. This pedestrian mall is super popular in Australia, with 700 choices of apparel stores, restaurants, and souvenir shops. The Brisbane City Hall is located adjacent to King George Square opposite the Queen Street Mall street; it hosts year-round events specially the Gold Lotto City Hall Light Spectacular during Christmas.

There is another Chinatown at Sunnybank and is known as Brisbane’s Little Asia. Just 30 minutes from Brisbane CBD, Sunnybank has heaps of Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Taiwanese, Malaysians and Singaporeans all living together. So head here for an authentic Asian eating and shopping experience.

🚀 Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point

Make your way up to Kangaroo Point and be awestruck by the beauty of Brisbane’s glittering cityscape at night. Here you can witness the city’s iconic scene which includes the city’s skyline and the stunning Story Bridge over the Brisbane River. What’s more exciting is that you can walk the bridge anytime and even have an adventurous climb during the day!

🚀 Go up to Mt. Coot-tha

Day or night, you can hike or drive up to the tallest mountain in the city, Mt. Coot-tha. The lookout lets you marvel at the expanse of the city, offering fantastic vistas of the central business district’s buildings. There is the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mount Coot-tha, and guess what?! Entry to the gardens is free! Do check out the Tropical Display Dome while you’re there because it is a marvelous large lattice geodesic structure housing plants from the tropics.

🚀 Visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Nestled on the Brisbane River is the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the world’s first and largest Koala sanctuary home to over 130 koalas. where as you guessed is the perfect place to cuddle up with a Koala bear. You can also have a koala-ty 😉 experience feeding kangaroos! Also say hi to the other native Australian animals such as wallabies, wombats, dingoes, Tasmanian devils, platypus, and many more. You can get here either by bus number 430 from Platform 2C, Queen Street Station or bus number 445 from Stop 41, Adelaide Street. Alternatively, you can hop on the Mirimar boat cruise that leaves the Cultural Centre Pontoon in Southbank. Oh and here’s another fun fact: Ed Sheeran has been to this sanctuary!!! 😎

We’ll always love Brisbane, or “Brissie” as Aussies affectionately call it. We recommend you to visit this amazing city known for its enviable bright summers and mild winters that makes any time of the year a good time to visit. It’s also the gateway to the wonderful Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Read more about the top 5 things to do in the Gold Coast.