Are you planning to travel to Queensland’s capital city Brisbane? Or perhaps you’re a local and looking for something to do this weekend? I’m probably totally biased but Brisbane is my favourite city in Australia! My judgement doesn’t come from being born and raised here either, as I am originally born and bred in Sydney. However after being a local of Brisbane for a few years, I feel confident that anyone traveling to Brisbane City will love it just as much as I do! Here is the list of 25 Things to do in Brisbane!
First let’s make sure you have everything you need for your trip away-
Tips for Travelling Australia
Travel with an eSim: Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store that solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving travelers access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards). More than one million people are already using Airalo’s eSIMs.With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.
Compensation for delayed or canceled flights: Since 2013, AirHelp has helped more than 10 million passengers understand their rights and receive up to €600 in compensation for delayed or canceled flights.
Book the cheapest Hotels: Hotellook — a service that helps you find and compare prices on hotels around the world, provided by a leading reservation system. Today, Hotellook.com offered to put together information on more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Car Rental: Rentalcars.com is the world’s largest online car rental service. They make eight million bookings a year (and counting) in over 60,000 locations across 160 countries. Rentalcars.com offers 24/7 customer service, connect you to the biggest brands in car rental and their website is available in 43 languages.
Trip Advisor: Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site to discover where to stay, what to do, and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than one billion reviews and opinions of nearly eight million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants, and discover great places nearby.
Find the cheapest flights: WayAway is a flight aggregator that provides travelers with the best rates on airline tickets. Users can also purchase the WayAway Plus membership plan, which gives cashback on flights, accommodation, car rentals, tours, and more.
Now that your travel plans are sorted, let’s go visit Brisbane City!
The Ultimate List of 25 Things to do in Brisbane
1. See Brisbane City on the Wheel of Brisbane, Southbank
One of the iconic landmarks of Brisbane is the gorgeous Wheel of Brisbane. Standing at 60m tall, you can get a pretty epic view from your carriage of Brisbane City. It also just looks pretty as a backdrop in your pictures around Southbank.
Southbank park is a delightful park built along the Brisbane River. A great place to just walk around with the beautiful scenery and Brisbane City in the background. Just nearby the Wheel is the Brisbane sign where you can stop to take a quick photo!
2. Take a dip at Streets Beach, Southbank
Streets Beach is another must on your list of things to do in Brisbane. It is a fabulous public lagoon with man-made pools that are designed to look like a beach! A great spot to take a dip and cool off in the warm weather or even just to sit a chill by the pool as you watch people walk by.
3. Hold a Koala at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Fig Tree Pocket
One of the more unique things to do in Brisbane and tucked away about 15 mins outside of Brisbane City is the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where you can get up close and personal with the cutest Koalas! It’s not just Koalas here though, they have a huge park which houses all different wildlife such as birds, dingoes, kangaroos, and even crocodiles! They have different shows that run all day but make sure you attend the Free Flight Raptor Show if you plan to attend any shows on the day. You get to learn about the different Raptors and watch them as they free-fly around. It was one of my highlights of the day!
4. Eat your heart out at Eat St Markets, Northshore
Eat St Markets is located in Northshore of Brisbane. These gorgeous riverside containership market is full of all different types of street food you can think of. It’s beautifully lit up with at night and are open Friday-Sunday from 4pm. So much fun and highly recommend!
5. Visit the Gallery of Modern Art and the Queensland Art Gallery (both free!)
The Gallery of Modern Art and the Queensland Art Gallery are free and located right next to each other. A fun and delightful experience that costs nothing and makes a cute weekend date idea.
6. Drinks at Howard Smith Wharves
A great atmospheric drinking and dining precinct on the river with Story Bridge views! A must on the things to do in Brisbane as the views here are incredible.
7. Watch the sunset at the Outlook Wilson Reserve
Before you go down to the Howard Smith Wharves, there’s the Outlook Wilson Reserve where you can watch the sun go down over Brisbane, offering amazing views of the Story Bridge. There’s also a boardwalk down below which takes you across the Brisbane River offering views of the Story Bridge from a different perspective.
8. Shop at Queen St Mall, CBD
Queen St Mall is the heart of downtown Brisbane, an open-air shopping and entertainment which runs 500m from Edward St to George St. Every Wednesday you’ll find the bustling City Markets at the river end outside the library with 85 stalls focused on fresh produce, artisan products and ready to eat treats.
9. Walk the City Botanical Gardens
Today the City Botanic Gardens on the banks of the Brisbane River are more a huge public park with extensive green space and mature shade trees than the typical collection of botanical subjects that they started out as. The city’s primary botanic gardens moved from this site to Mt Coot-tha in 1976 after repeated flooding risked losing many valuable and irreplaceable plants. However, the space was maintained as an extensive parkland in the central city for the enjoyment of residents.
Don’t miss out on Lightscape once a year during the Brisbane Festival. A globally renowned, multi-sensory phenomenon of light, colour and sound showcasing Brisbane’s City Botanic Gardens in a new light, with breathtaking installations created by acclaimed local and international artists.
10. Look over Brisbane at Mt Coot-tha Lookout
One of the most fantastic views you can get looking over all of Brisbane City and it’s surrounds is at the summit of Mt Coot-tha! Definitely add this on to you list of things to do in Brisbane. It takes about 15 mins to drive up to the summit and there’s a big look out along with other amenities such as toilets and a cafe/restaurant.
11. Explore Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens
After you visit the summit of Mt Coot-tha drive back down to the bottom and stop in at the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens. A massive 56 hectares of gardens to explore, it is absolutely free to visit and there is plenty of free parking available.
12. Challenge your friends at Putt Putt Gold, Victoria Park
One of my most favourite activities is playing Putt Putt at Victoria Park and is one of the most fun things to do in Brisbane! One of the great things about this place is that it is a large 18 hole open-air and interactive putt putt course where you can continuously order drinks throughout via the QR codes along the course. Make sure you stop for photo ops of the city background on the bridge that sits halfway through the course.
13. Have a laugh at the Comedy Club, Paddington
Highly recommend this on your list of things to do in Brisbane! The comedy club is actually situated underneath The Paddo, a really great Aussie pub that offers very delicious food for lunch and dinner! Shows run on Thursday – Sunday nights and you can even order food from the pub before the show starts.
14. Learn about the Universe at the Planetarium, Mt-Coot-tha
Co-located with the Mt Coot-tha botanic garden is Brisbane’s planetarium. The distinctive dome is the place to head for Stargazer. Entry to the informative displays is free while tickets are required for shows in the circular theatre, the cosmic Skydome.
15. Watch a show at Brisbane Powerhouse
This old factory hall has been converted into a cool event hall with theatre performances, musical performances and cabaret. In the summer there is even an open-air movie theatre! Recently they have added a new unique restaurant where you basically sit up on floating tables on top of the Powerhouse! Don’t miss out on an amazing culinary experience staged at the iconic Brisbane Powerhouse called Night Feast, a month-long sensory celebration of feasting and art.
16. Spot majestic Marine life at Brisbane Whale Watching
Brisbane Whale Watching departs 7 Days a Week – June to November. On board you’ll experience sightings of the magnificent humpback whale and many other marine animals – e.g. Dolphins. All on the calm clear pristine waters of the bay. A great bucket list experience to add to your list of things to do in Brisbane!
17. Wander James St Food and Shopping District
This has to be one of the loveliest shopping precincts in the world. Covered by a canopy of Moreton Bay Figs, James Street is home to some of Brisbane’s best shopping, as well as new restaurants & bars in the Calile Hotel.
18. Cruise Brisbane River (Free ferry)
The Brisbane River runs in the middle of Brisbane. With all its twists, the river passes several neighbourhoods that look very different from the water. re you travelling on a budget? The Cityhopper ferry (recognizable by its red colour) is completely free and sails from North Quay to Sydney Street. This is a lot shorter than other cruises but a budget solution.
19. Visit Brisbane City Markets
Delivering a premium selection of fresh farm-direct produce, premium local meats, artisan goods, trawler-direct seafood, authentic baked breads, gourmet food and provisions to the middle of Brisbane’s iconic CBD. The city markets are held every Tuesday from 8am-2pm at St Stephens Cathedral, Wednesday 8am-6pm at Reddacliff Place and Thursday 8am-2pm at Cathedral Square.
20. Go on a craft beer crawl
Put aside an afternoon to tackle a craft beer trail hopping you between breweries, bars and bottle shops in Brisbane City. Great fun with your significant one or a bunch of friends!
21. Escape the city on a weekend getaway!
There are so many options for a quick weekend escape away from Brisbane! What makes it even more enticing is how so many of these options are only usually a 1-2 hour drive away.
- Mt Tamborine is within the Gold Coast Hinterland and offers a great opportunity to explore wine country and beautiful rainforest hikes and waterfalls.
- An escape to the Glass House Mountains is a must do! There are so many beautiful viewpoints, hikes and farm stays in the area as well as the famous Irwin family’s Australia Zoo.
- Less than 90 mins on the ferry and you can literally be in paradise on Moreton Island or also known as Tangalooma Resort. Whether you’re visiting Brisbane or even a local that is looking for your next weekend getaway to a beautiful beach with crystal clear turquoise waters then you need to add Tangalooma Island Resort to your list.
22. Spend a day at the Ekka
The Ekka is the annual agricultural show of Queensland, Australia. Its formal title is the Royal Queensland Show, held at the Brisbane Showgrounds and your greatest chance throughout the year to find out what life on the farm is really about! There’s tons of rides, side-shows, games, exhibits and even farm animals! It reminds me a lot of the Royal Sydney Easter Show.
23. Walk or climb the Story Bridge
The best way to see Brisbane is by climbing the iconic Story Bridge! Check out tours available here. Are you brave enough? (I’m not)
24. Indulge your taste senses at a Hat Chef Restaurant
Brisbane is home to many Chef Hatted restaurants. Deer Duck Bistro in Milton is famed for their incredible degustations, so if you’re looking for one of the best foodie experiences in town, this is it. Nibble your way through nine delectable courses in their old world surroundings, and always get the matched wines.
25. Go Wild At A Grown Up Arcade Bar
B Lucky & Sons is an adult playground, filled with classic arcade games that you can play with a cocktail in hand. Let your inner kid run free as you play everything from Mario Kart to Hoops. If you’re after things to do in Brisbane, it doesn’t get more fun than this.
So what things are you crossing off your list in Brisbane? Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments! Love hearing from all my readers and I read every comment!
Follow me on Instagram @miastravelmemoirs to see my latest adventures!
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As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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