Australia 2019: Brisbane Highlights

Brisbane is the capital and the most populated city in the Australian state of Queensland. One of the oldest cities in Australia, Brisbane was founded upon ancient traditional lands. The city was named after the Brisbane River on which it is located, which in turn gets its name from Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales at the time of the city’s founding.

I admit I didn’t know much about Brisbane before our visit here, but ended up pleasantly surprised by the unique blend of history, culture and nature. As the capital of Australia’s Sunshine State, Brisbane invites visitors to just kick off their shoes, and enjoy the food, art and adventure the city has to offer.

Brisbane was our fourth and last major stop in our multi-city trip around Australia in 2019. We stayed for 3 days here before a long flight back to the Philippines. From Sydney, we took a domestic flight landing in Brisbane, located in the southeast corner of Queensland, roughly 900 km away. The city is centered along the Brisbane River, and its eastern suburbs line the shores of Moreton Bay, a bay of the Coral Sea in the Pacific Ocean.

For first time visitors, major attractions in Brisbane include South Bank Parklands, the Queensland Cultural Centre (home to the Queensland Museum, the Queensland Art Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art and other institutions), the Story Bridge, Fortitude Valley, the Riverwalk network, the D’Aguilar National Park, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Mount Coot-tha Reserve and Moreton Bay.

There were a few outdoor adventures that I was initially considering doing in the city including a Day Trip Cruise to Moreton Island, kayaking along the Brisbane River, abseiling from Kangaroo Point or the Bridge Climb at Story Bridge (similar to Sydney’s Bridge Climb).

But after the non-stop excitement in previous legs of the trip, I was feeling a bit tired going off solo and decided to just take it easy and spend quality time with my parents in their chosen activities just in the city, which included a leisurely river cruise and museum visits. Instead of taking a tour, I decided to just save my remaining funds for souvenir beer shopping. I thought of renting a bicycle or e-scooter to check out the city’s street art as well, but I found that it was really very easy to just walk around or take public transport in Brisbane (and is free!)

I was amazed at the public transportation system in the city. The inner city has a free bus service that circles the city every 10 minutes, and a free CityHopper ferry service that travels along the river from North Quay to New Farm.

We also met up for dinner out with my mom’s Bicol colleagues Damae Bitara and Leny Felix of SULOG Naga who were in Brisbane attending the 22nd International River Symposium. And of course, the highlight of any trip to a new destination – craft beer hunting!

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The Melbourne Residences

While in Brisbane, we stayed at The Melbourne Residences, which offers luxury apartment living in South Brisbane.

With two bedrooms, a spacious living room and kitchen and balcony with city views, this offered the most comfortable space we stayed in during our whole trip. The apartment building also had a gorgeous rooftop with an infinity edge pool and stunning views of the city at night.

Wheel of Brisbane

An iconic landmark on the South Bank skyline, the Channel Seven Wheel of Brisbane is a breathtaking way to take in a 360-degree panoramic view of spectacular Brisbane city. Rising 60 meters above the ground you can enjoy the safety and comfort of a fully enclosed, air-conditioned gondola that seats up to 8 people and is fun for everyone.

Visitors can choose to experience the sights by day, a romantic sunset ride or the sparkling city lights at night with all rides including an engaging audio tour of the Brisbane landscape. This Ferris Wheel even offers “Sky High Picnics” on-board while you ride for a really unique experience.

Southbank Parklands

Covering 17 hectares of riverfront land, the Southbank Parklands feature free swimming facilities, walking tracks, licensed picnic and barbecue areas and more.

One of the best features here are the water features including a small public beach and public pools right along the riverside. The clean and well-maintained area was right by the pedestrian and bike-friendly riverside where people could just swim for free! Imagine having access to a beach-type area right in the CBD! No wonder Brisbane has been rated as one of the most livable capital cities.

Brisbane manages to make their public spaces so green and pedestrian-friendly. The stunning riverfront promenade is ideal for walking, running and cycling. Along the riverside, you can find app-based bike share & e-scooter rentals to make it easy for people to get around.

There’s a lovely arbour walkway right in the city and even a rainforest walk! I couldn’t help feeling sad about the state of our rivers, transportation and the state of Metro Manila after going around here.

The Southbank area also houses plenty of eateries, including the award-winning River Quay. There are several areas here known as “eat streets.”

Little Stanley Street is bursting with more than 30 cafes, bars and restaurants offering an array of cuisines styles including Vietnamese, Italian and more. Grey Street is another foodie haven. A stroll along the street will offer you plenty of places to eat.

Brisbane River Tour

River City Cruises is one of Brisbane’s most established cruise companies. They offer a range of cruise options including a Daily River Tour, where they offer either high tea or dinner on board the boat along with guided commentary on the landmarks you cruise by.

This family-owned business has been operating for over 12 years so you know you’re in capable hands. Jump on one of the daily cruises or book a private function or fishing tour then leave it to the experts while you sit back and relax.

My mom is involved in river revival projects in Naga City, so we wanted to check out what this tour had to offer. Overall, I found the river tour very informative, pleasant, and well-organized.

The route passes by some notable buildings and landmarks in the city, and major bridges, so the cruise is a great way to see the major sites and learn about the history of Brisbane while just relaxing with coffee and scones.

Bridges over the Brisbane River

The Brisbane River is crossed by fifteen major bridges, some of which are attractions on their own. Brisbane’s Story Bridge is the longest cantilever bridge in Australia, reaching 74 meters or 243 ft high. This heritage-listed steel bridge spans the Brisbane River, carrying vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

This bridge also offers a 2.5 hour Story Bridge Climb (similar to the Sydney Bridge Climb experience) that takes visitors to the top of the city’s landmark for views right across Brisbane, the surrounding hills and Moreton Bay. The adventure climb experience is available at dawn, daytime, dusk and nighttime. For a more extreme adventure, there’s an option to abseil from the bridge into the park below.

The Catchment Brewing Co.

The Catchment Brewing Co. is a brewery that continues the heritage of brewing in West End that started in 1886. Their classic brews are drawn from the rich history and streetscape of the Catchment, updated with a few new twists, just like the bend of the Brisbane River that surrounds the area.

The brewery is set in a beautifully remodeled art deco home. The cozy bar and brewery serves fresh, flavorsome beer in a beautifully restored art-deco home with views that look out on the street. They also have a cozy beer garden near the tanks in the back of the bar.

Serendipity Co-op Shop

While walking around looking for street art, I came across a charming little thrift shop that sells great vintage clothes, homeware, books and games. Serendipity Op Shop is a bit hidden near the local post office. The Serendipity Op Shop opened its doors in November 2018 to encourage “slow fashion” and help reduce the enormous waste going into landfill.

Museum of Brisbane

The Museum of Brisbane (MoB) explores contemporary and historic Brisbane and its people through a program of art and social history exhibitions, workshops, talks, tours and children’s activities.

Located on level 3, of Brisbane City Hall in the city’s CBD, the museum and its staff are highly regarded for their innovation and contemporary international practice across the museum and gallery sector.

The museum is open everyday, and entry to the museum is free.

Archive Beer Boutique

I spotted a few interesting craft beer bars in the vicinity while walking around the previous day. Some were still closed around lunchtime, so I went back in the evening with my dad for some drinks on our last evening.

Archive Beer Boutique is a trendy bar and bistro with comfy sofas, bookshelves and comic-strip wallpaper. The modern sports bar type bar has several old-school arcade games and pinball machines, billiard tables and more.

Brisbane Brewing Co.

Brisbane Brewing Co. is a boutique craft brewery and bar where you can enjoy fresh beer and tasty food. Tucked down a laneway off Boundary Street, the venue combines an airy beer garden and stylish interiors.

You can drink beer straight from the source with our open-plan brewery situated meters from your table. I loved the interiors here. The place has loads of character and a very friendly community vibe.

The Burrow

I felt like I stumbled down a lovely rabbit hole at The Burrow, a vibrant neighborhood space that serves locally roasted coffee, craft beer on tap and creative pizzas. There’s a lot of chalk art and the whole place felt very artsy and indie.

A little trivia – beer servings and terms in Australia vary per bar and state, but in Brisbane, standard sizes are either a Pot (285 ml), Schooner (425 ml) or Pint (570 ml).

After a couple of rounds, I capped the night at our hotel’s rooftop just enjoying the breeze and city skyline. That night, we also had to pack up all our stuff (I had a hard time fitting all the assorted bottles and cans of beer amassed from different legs of the journey in my parents’ and my suitcases for check-in).

All good things must come to an end. As much as I would like to stay longer, we had to head home. The next morning, we took a cab to the Brisbane Airport for the long flight back to reality in the Philippines.

This trip was just last October 2019, but it already feels like ages ago. Right now, international travel is still halted because of the ongoing pandemic and I don’t know if and when things will ever get back to normal. Travel as we once knew may never be the same. But while travel is still restricted, I just feel grateful that I got to share this amazing adventure around Australia last year with my parents.