Guide to Brisbane Queensland Australia

Dine by the river

Dining out in Brisbane is as culturally colourful as the city itself. The atmosphere is delightfully al fresco with an emphasis on original menus focusing on fresh, unfussy food and wines with flair.

Creative menus offer local delicacies such as Moreton Bay bugs and fresh tropical produce alongside exotic Asian delights, simple Mediterranean meals and traditional European fare.

The choice of restaurant settings is unlimited. Watch boats pass by while tantalising your tastebuds at any number of the city’s stylish waterfront restaurants and brasseries. Or head for Brisbane’s inner-city precincts and peruse the menus of dozens of top outdoor eateries.

You’ll find Italian cafes, fast and fun noodle bars, all-day breakfast joints, wine bars and truly outstanding brasseries.

Fortitude Valley is home to Brisbane’s Chinatown where you can taste the cuisines of the Orient from Chinese and Korean to Vietnamese and Malaysian.

Cafe-restaurants abound in West End, on the southern side of the river. A hub for students and artists, the bohemian, multicultural centre is best known for its delicatessens, Vietnamese and Turkish restaurants, grocers, coffee and tea merchants.

Many other precincts offer fabulous dining such as the fashionable Park Road Milton with its cafe terraces. Clusters of cafes and the city’s finest dining spots can be found on Racecourse Road, Ascot. While at the foot of the Story Bridge, a new precinct is emerging with bustling new restaurants and bars.

On the banks of the river

Australia’s northernmost capital city blends the vitality of the city with the leisurely quality of a country town. It spreads over both sides of the Brisbane river, which bends its way through a gently hilly landscape before spilling into the boat-lover’s paradise of Moreton Bay.

The city is clean, safe and open, with many parks and a mixture of old sandstone and sparkling modern buildings. The inner-city suburbs are full of lovingly restored weatherboard Queenslander homes, their tin roofs and generous verandas enshrining the old casual, sun-warmed lifestyle embraced today.

Backpackers love Brisbane because it’s cheap to eat, party and get around in, with a good choice of safe, quality accommodation. Gay travellers also recognise Brisbane’s charms, enjoying a high level of acceptance, a thriving nightlife and a growing list of excellent bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

Queen Street Mall, in the city’s centre, is the most successful shopping hub in Australia, with heaps of fashion, food and specialty outlets.

Across the river, South Bank Parklands offers superb waterfront dining, and is a short walk from the art gallery and museum. And you haven’t really enjoyed a pub until you’ve tried some of Brisbane’s beer gardens.

Try a river cruise, or a ferry ride to one of the delightful islands nearby: Tangalooma, where you can feed wild dolphins, or North Stradbroke where you can disappear among the dunes.

Relax in sunny Brisbane

Known as the City of Sun Days, Brisbane enjoys great weather, a relaxed pace of life and all the cosmopolitan bustle of a major urban hub.

It doesn’t seem to matter what time of year it is – there’s always something exciting happening in this vibrant city. You’ll find the best in arts and culture, entertainment and sports events as well as good food, wine and shopping.

For arts and culture, the serious head to South Bank, home of the Queensland Museum, with its hands-on interactive displays, and the Queensland Art Gallery, its walls adorned with a magnificent collection of artworks.

You can catch a world-class performance at the Performing Arts Centre where international theatre companies and performing artists take the stage along with Australian performing arts companies.

For exciting sports action, find a seat in the stadium to see local rugby league champions, the Brisbane Broncos, take to the field. During winter, rugby union fans head to Ballymore to watch the Wallabies take on the world. Over at the Gabba sports ground, the Brisbane Lions fight off challengers in the Aussie Rules football code. In summer, the Gabba lights up for international cricket tests and one-day matches.

If you want to shop, head for the designer boutiques and department stores of Queens Street Mall and check out the bustling markets around the city.
Music, dancing, partying, live shows, good times – there’s plenty more going on in the City of Sun Days and fun nights.

The best family attractions

Brisbane is situated nicely between the playgrounds of the Sunshine Coast an hour to the north, the Gold Coast an hour to the south, and Moreton Island just off the coast.

The Gold Coast packs several destinations in one. This region has swimming, a cluster of theme parks featuring anything from dolphins to film-making, alfresco and waterfront dining, a busy nightlife and more shopping per square kilometre than anywhere in Australia.

The Gold Coast is bounded by historic Beenleigh to the north and Cabarita Beach – just over the New South Wales border – to the south. Between lie 70 kilometres of coastline, including spectacular South Stradbroke Island, and a string of vibrant beachside precincts. The stretch’s 35 patrolled beaches include Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, and Main Beach, known for their surfing and swimming opportunities.

A game of golf isn’t hard to find on the Gold Coast , which has 40 resort and championship golf courses. If you’re more interested in unique animals, the Gold Coast is still the best place to handfeed native birds and cuddle a koala.

Just 30 minutes’ drive from the beaches is the Hinterland, Australia’s largest reserve of subtropical rainforest, with 160 kilometres of walking tracks, and Springbrook and Tamborine national parks.

Here you’ll find stunning vistas and waterfalls, and rare flora and fauna. You can head for the camping and abseil adventures, or curl up in the mountain and rainforest hideaways.

The Gold Coast offers accommodation to suit every budget, with a collection of luxury hotels, rainforest retreats, serviced and self-contained apartments, family camp sites and motels, tourist parks and hostels, bed-and-breakfast and farmstay accommodation.