The business district fills a loop of the river. Queen Street Mall, a pedestrian shopping street, is its main axis, steps from the 1930s City Hall and its clock tower. At the southern tip of the loop, the City Botanic Gardens run along the water to the university of technology. The area takes half a day on foot; arrive early for the free City Hall clock tower tour, which has limited places. In the evening, the CBD empties out in favour of neighbouring districts, better suited to dining and going out.
On the south bank, linked to the centre by several footbridges, the former site of the 1988 World Expo has become a parkland of about 17 hectares, with a free swimming lagoon, restaurants and an arbour covered in bougainvillea. Right next door, the Cultural Centre brings together the Queensland Museum, the State Library, performance venues and the two QAGOMA art galleries. Allow a full day to combine museums and a swim. On summer weekends, the lagoon is packed from 10 am: go on a weekday morning instead.
North-east of the centre, Fortitude Valley, known as the Valley, gathers bars, live music venues, designer boutiques and a small Chinatown. It is the heart of the nightlife, busiest from Thursday to Saturday night. Further along, in the next river loop, New Farm shows a residential side with its typical Queenslander houses on stilts, its large park and the Powerhouse, a former power station turned arts centre, which hosts a Saturday morning market. Allow 20 minutes by ferry from the centre.
Beyond South Bank, West End keeps a bohemian spirit with its cafés, bookshops and Saturday market at Davies Park. Opposite the CBD, the Kangaroo Point peninsula is dominated by former quarry cliffs, lit up at night, where people climb and abseil. The Story Bridge, a steel bridge from 1940, links the peninsula to the Valley. For views of the illuminated towers, come at sunset along the riverside path below the cliffs, then cross over to dine at Howard Smith Wharves.
The Brisbane River winds for dozens of kilometres through the city, and CityCat catamarans are the best way to both travel and sightsee. They run from the University of Queensland at St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton, with frequent services. The slower CityHopper shuttles around the centre for free. Board at St Lucia and ride down to Hamilton: it is the best introduction to the city, about an hour and a half on the water. Never swim in the river, which is murky and visited by bull sharks.
About fifteen minutes from the centre by car or bus, Mount Coot-tha offers the widest panorama over the city, Moreton Bay and, on clear days, the ranges behind the Gold Coast. At its foot, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens bring together tropical domes, a Japanese garden and a planetarium, free to enter. Forest trails leave from the lookout for walks of one to three hours. Come early in summer, before the humid heat, or late in the afternoon for the light. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary lies in the same south-western area.
The Gold Coast and its surf beaches are about an hour south by train, the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Australia Zoo one to two hours north. Moreton Island is reached by ferry from the port in just over an hour, for a day of snorkelling around the wrecks and sandboarding down the dunes. To continue exploring
Australia, flights south are frequent:
Melbourne, the country's cultural capital, is just over two hours away, ideal for contrasting two climates.
