Escape to Brisbane: 10 reasons to visit this year

An escape from the Illawarra’s cold winds from the west, with its hints of snow or from the east, straight off a winter sea, was needed. Brisbane was the answer. Here are ten reasons to go there, year-round.

1. The weather is milder than in the southern states. I was often too warm in the day because I hadn’t brought light shirts with me. But it’s cool when the sun goes down.
2. There are plenty of accommodation options to suit all budgets and all tastes.
3. Brisbane seems to have an effective public transport system, judging by the trains I saw and the number of buses. Next time I’ll work out how to use it.
4. You can eat your way around the world, again to suit your budget. My favourite area was Little Stanley Street at South Bank, but I did try Eagle Street Pier and Fortitude Valley.
5. There are wonderful markets to explore: the Brunswick Street Markets in West End (try the golzemi), the Eagle Street Pier Markets, South Bank Markets and the stunning Davies Park Markets with its variety of food and goods. The colourful tents and shady trees add to the atmosphere.
6. There are opportunities for day trips. The Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, plus their respective hinterlands, are not far away. There are tours out on the Bay or to Australia Zoo. We went out to Toowoomba on a bus to visit family for the day.
7. The days when Brisbane didn’t get the big shows are long gone; the Queensland Performing Arts Centre has different theatres. I saw advertisements for The Lion King, The King and I, La Boheme, The Last Confession. Explore further to discover strong local theatre. And there’s the Exhibition Centre for big concerts. There are often performances in the Queen St Mall – we watched some school bands and choirs one morning.
8. The Cultural Centre is a wonderful strip on South Bank housing the Gallery of Modern Art, the State Library of Queensland, the museum and the art gallery. The museum seems to be a great place for families and a lot of it is free. I didn’t go into GOMA, but I can vouch for its bistro as a lovely place for lunch to meet friends, both in terms of setting and food. The State Library has free internet access on the ground floor open to the public. Again, I ran out of time to explore further. The art gallery has a small collection compared to other states but it has quality; its sections of Asian and Australian art are well worth exploring. It also has a beautiful café part, of which is outdoors under spreading trees next to the Water Mall (which sounds like a running stream). A lady next to us had her croissant stolen by a cheeky water bird. There is also a maritime museum further along.
9. There is plenty of opportunity for exercise if you like walking, running or bike-riding. The Botanic Gardens is a beautiful place to walk. Boardwalks seem to go along the river for kilometres and South Bank is my favourite area to walk. There is a small rainforest walk that lifts the spirits, the long bougainvillea archway, lawns with free deck chairs, cafes, a beach and plenty of seating to rest and enjoy the view.
10. Brisbane is not called the ‘river city’ for nothing: it twists and turns dominating the formation of the city. Bridges span the river at regular intervals. Two of these are for pedestrians and bicyclists and offer a very pleasant way to cross the river. Ferries ply the river – both ‘cats’ and older style ferries and a round trip is a good way to see the river. There are cruises as well that take you up to Lone Pine, the famed koala sanctuary (it has other Australian animals as well) in a beautiful river setting or you can take a river cruise that offers commentary and light refreshments. It leaves from South Bank and I can recommend it. There is also a hop-on hop-off service on the river.

Have you been to Brisbane? Or do you live there? What are your favourite places to visit? Tell us in the comments!