Doesn’t have the best reputation but I was pleasantly surprised by Brisbane. They’ve done an excellent job turning an unpromising site by a languid brown river into a very liveable and attractive city. Doesn’t have a huge number of must see sights but there is plenty to fill a weekend.
Queensland Cultural Centre, South Bank
Far more attractive if slightly less historical than its equivalent in London. I really enjoyed wandering along footpaths flanked by luscious vegetation, stopping to visit the excellent Gallery of Modern Art, the brilliant fresh water man made beach and a random Nepalese pagoda. Probably one of the best waterfronts I’ve visited (up there with Wellington and San Francisco, and better in my view than Melbourne’s South Bank).
Roma Street Parklands
Testimony to how well things grow in Queensland and the strength of vision to turn in a few years an piece of wasteland into a tropical paradise, full of variety, intelligent design and giant lizards!
Mount Coot-Tha
As my other blogs may have suggested I do like places with hills / mountains, they add interest, exercise opportunities and views. Mount Coot-Tha is about the only option near Brisbane and is pretty lacking tbh.
Brisbane Botanic Gardens
Found part way up Mount Coot-Tha are the botanic gardens which are pleasant enough but a poor cousin to Melbourne or Sydney’s.
Running
One of the highlights of my time in Brisbane was taking advantage of the walkways both sides of the river and multitude of bridges to go exploring. Hard to beat finishing the working day with a run over the impressive Story Bridge, pass rock climbers at Kangaroo Point, out to Goodwill Bridge, and back through Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.
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