Brisbane & Around

Sophisticated galleries, subtropical beaches, cool-climate vineyards: the greater Brisbane region delivers gasp-inducing contrasts. The region's star is Brisbane itself. Traditional home of the Jagera people, Queensland's capital has a flourishing restaurant, bar and cultural scene. Lapping at its eastern fringe is Moreton Bay, where low-lying sandy isles beckon with turquoise waves and passing parade of whales, turtles and dolphins.

Head west from Brisbane and you'll hit the Darling Downs. Home to the Jagera, Giabal and Jarowair people for millennia, its main town is underrated Toowoomba, where heritage architecture and well-pruned gardens share the streets with smashing street art, specialist coffee shops and a growing number of fashionable eateries and bars.

Things get even cooler (literally) further south in the vineyard-laced Granite Belt, a corner of the state where surf clubs and palms are ditched for elegant reds, crackling fires and the occasional mid-year snowman.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Brisbane & Around.

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South Bank Parklands
Should you sunbake on a sandy beach, saunter through a rainforest, or eye-up a Nepalese peace pagoda? You can do all three in this 17.5-hectare park overlooking the city centre. Its canopied walkways lead to performance spaces, lush lawns, eateries and bars, and regular free events ranging from fitness classes to film screenings. The star attractions are Streets Beach, an artificial, lagoon-style swimming beach (packed on weekends); and the near-60m-high Wheel of Brisbane, delivering 360-degree views of town. Also in the parklands is Stanley St Plaza, a renovated section of historic Stanley St lined with mainstream cafes, restaurants, a handful of shops and a bustling pub. On Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, the plaza hosts the tourist-heavy Collective Markets South Bank, peddling everything from artisan leather wallets and breezy summer frocks to prints, skincare and contemporary handmade jewellery. Close by, South Bank Piazza is an outdoor performance space offering year-round events.
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Queensland Cultural Centre
On South Bank, just over Victoria Bridge from the CBD, the Queensland Cultural Centre is the epicentre of Brisbane’s cultural confluence. Surrounded by subtropical gardens, the string of architecturally notable buildings includes the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Queensland Museum & Sciencentre, the Queensland Art Gallery, the State Library of Queensland, and the particularly outstanding Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). If you have kids in tow, a good place to start is the Queensland Museum & Sciencentre. The museum itself offers an engaging journey through the state's history, its collection includes a skeleton of the state’s own dinosaur, Muttaburrasaurus, and the Avian Cirrus, the tiny plane in which Queensland’s Bert Hinkler made the first England-to-Australia solo flight in 1928. Meanwhile, the site's Sciencentre is an educational fun house with a plethora of interactive exhibits delving into life science and technology. Expect long queues during school holidays. The Queensland Art Gallery houses a fine permanent collection, mostly of domestic artists, among them Sydney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Charles Blackman and pioneering Indigenous artist Albert Namatjira. Occupying an award-winning contemporary building by Sydney firm Architectus, the imposing Gallery of Modern Art delivers world-class exhibitions of both Australian and international art in a variety of media, from painting, sculpture and photography to video, installation and film.
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Gallery of Modern Art
All angular glass, concrete and black metal, must-see GOMA celebrates modern and contemporary art, with a particular emphasis on Australian, Asian and Pacific artists. Regularly changing exhibitions spotlight everything from painting, sculpture and photography to video and installation art, while GOMA's Australian Cinémathèque screens unique, often rare films and video several times weekly. The gallery also includes a Children's Art Centre, well-stocked book-and-design shop, and both a casual cafe and smarter Modern-Australian restaurant.
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Brisbane Powerhouse
On the eastern flank of New Farm Park stands the Powerhouse, a once-derelict power station superbly transformed into a contemporary arts centre. Its innards pimped with graffiti remnants, industrial machinery and old electrical transformers-turned-lights, the centre hosts a range of events, including art exhibitions, theatre, live music and comedy. You'll also find two buzzing riverside restaurants. Check the website to see what's on.
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City Hall
Fronted by a row of sequoia-sized Corinthian columns, Australia's largest city hall was built between 1920 and 1930. Although free, fascinating heritage tours (45 minutes) of the sandstone behemoth should be booked in advance (online or by phone); they can be available on the day from the excellent on-site Museum of Brisbane, however, so always consider checking. Alternatively, free tours of the building's 85m-high clock tower run every 15 minutes from 10am to 5pm; grab tickets from the museum. Interestingly, the marble in City Hall's foyer was sourced from the same Tuscan quarry as that used by Michelangelo to sculpt his David. It's one of many fascinating details about the building. The Rolling Stones played their first-ever Australian gig in its magnificent auditorium in 1965, itself complete with a 4300-pipe organ, mahogany and blue-gum floors, and offering free concerts at noon every Tuesday from February to November.
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Museum of Brisbane
On the 3rd floor of City Hall, this forward-thinking museum explores historic and modern aspects of Brisbane, offering fresh, progressive insights into Queensland's capital. Exhibitions to date have explored themes as varied as contemporary Brisbane fashion, the city's robust music scene and the relationship between architecture, art, people and place. The result is a snapshot of a metropolis much more complex than many give it credit for. The savvy museum shop stocks locally made jewellery, glassware, ceramics and books, as well as cards and other genuinely cool, Brisbane-themed gifts.
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Old Government House
Queensland's most important heritage building, this 1862 showpiece was designed by estimable government architect Charles Tiffin as a residence for Sir George Bowen, Queensland’s first governor. The lavish innards were restored in 2009 and the property offers free podcast tours and one-hour guided tours; the latter must be booked in advance. The 1st floor houses the worthy William Robinson Gallery, dedicated to the Australian artist and home to an impressive collection of his paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture and ceramics.
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Queensland Art Gallery
While Brisbane's main art museum includes numerous international works, its forte is its Australia collection. This includes works by heavyweights like Sidney Nolan, Russell Drysdale, Arthur Boyd, Charles Blackman, William Dobell, Margaret Olley and Howard Arkley. A robust collection of Indigenous Australian works features paintings and pottery by artists from the Hermannsburg School art movement, among them the great Albert Namatjira, the first Indigenous person to be granted conditional Australian citizenship in 1957.
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Brisbane Lookout
You'll be surveying the Brisbane skyline and greater metro area from this lofty lookout within Mt Coot-tha Forest. Choose a clear day and you'll even spot the Moreton Bay islands.