City Centre
Follow the golden arrows set into the footpath for a walking tour of Brisbane's
remaining early buildings. The best old buildings, notably the Mansions and
Harris Terrace, line George St. Also on the same street are the Old Government
House and Parliament House, both dating from the 1860s. The Old Windmill & Observatory
on Wickham Terrace, dates from 1828. It was originally built to grind grain
for the early convict colony but, due to a fundamental design error, failed
to work properly. It was converted to a signal post and later to a meteorological
observatory. The Italianate, sandstone Treasury building on the banks of the
Brisbane River has undergone an appropriate metamorphosis into the Conrad Treasury
Casino.
The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is undoubtedly the most famous marine-protected area
in the world and the largest World Heritage area according to UNESCO. Covering
a geographical area of 35 million hectares (86 million acres) and stretching
approximately 2000km (1243 miles) along the coast of northeastern Australia
from Budaberg to Cape York, the Reef is bigger in size than the states of Victoria
and Tasmania combined; it is, however, not a continuous barrier, but a maze
of small islands and coral reefs ranging in size from one to 100,000 hectares
(247,104 acres). The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in
the world and home to approximately 400 different types of coral. It is also
an area of outstanding natural beauty and home to around 1500 different species
of fish, 4000 types of mollusc and many endangered species, such as the dugong,
as well as other rare animals and birds, including marine worms and reef herons.
There are also more than 30 historic shipwrecks in the area and a number of
archaeological sites which are of Aboriginal origin.
Queensland Cultural Centre
This superb complex spans two blocks either side of Melbourne St in South
Brisbane, just across Victoria Bridge. It houses the Queensland Art Gallery,
the Queensland Museum, the State Library and the Performing Arts Complex. The
museum has a dinosaur garden and a worthwhile exhibition on whales; the art
gallery has an impressive permanent Australian collection and plenty of temporary
exhibits. There are cafes in the Performing Arts Complex, the gallery and library.
South Bank Parklands
South Bank, formerly the site of Expo '88, has been redeveloped and is now
one of the city's liveliest areas. Covering 16 hectares (40 acres), its attractions
include restaurants and cafes, and IMAX theatre, parklands and bike paths,
market stalls and even a sandy swimming beach.
Mt Coot-tha
The best place to get a view of the city is from the lookout on Mt Coot-tha,
8k (5mi) from the city centre. On a clear day, you can see the distant line
of Moreton and Stradbroke Islands, the Glasshouse Mountains to the north, the
mountains behind the Gold Coast to the south and Brisbane at your feet. There
are some good walks around Mt Coot-Tha and its foothills, such as the one to
JC Slaughter Falls on Simpson's Rd. The Mt Coot-Tha Botanic Gardens, at the
foot of the mountain, have an enclosed tropical dome, an arid zone, rainforests
and a Japanese garden. You'll also find the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium,
the largest in Australia, here.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Just a 35 minute bus ride south from the city centre, the Lone Pine Koala
Sanctuary is an easy half-day trip. The sanctuary is set in attractive parklands
beside the river (you can get there by boat) and is home to a wide variety
of Australian wildlife, including kangaroos, possums, wombats, emus and lyrebirds.
The star attractions are the 130 or so koalas. They're undeniably cute and
most visitors readily cough up the cash to have their picture taken hugging
one. Hand-feeding the tame kangaroos is cheaper. You can bring your own food
and picnic among the marsupials in their large, paddock-like enclosure. Talks
are given on the animals at set times throughout the day.
Markets
The popular South Bank markets, which feature craft and clothing stalls,
are open every Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Every Sunday, the carnival-style
Eagle St Pier markets have 150 stalls featuring glass blowing, weaving and
other crafts. The small Fortitude Valley market, held on Saturdays in Brunswick
St Mall, has a diverse array of junk, crafts and clothes.
Brisbane Forest Park
The Brisbane Forest Park is a 285 sq km (110 sq mi) reserve of natural bushland
in the D'Aguilar Range. The park starts on the outskirts of Brisbane and stretches
for more than 50km (30mi) to the north and west. It's a great area for bushwalks,
cycling, horse riding, camping and scenic drives.
The park has its own information centre and Walkabout Creek, a freshwater
study centre where you can see fish, lizards, pythons and turtles at close
quarters. There are a number of good walking trails throughout the park, and
you can camp here overnight. You really need your own car to get to the best
walking trails, so it's worth driving here, or you can get a bus from Brisbane
which stops a short walk from the information centre.
Australian Woolshed
The Australian Woolshed is an impressive set-up celebrating the 'outback
experience'. Beyond a large souvenir shop specialising in Australiana, the
Woolshed is a spacious and attractive park with free picnic and barbecue facilities,
a small fauna park with koalas (huggable) and kangaroos (feedable), as well
as Aussie attractions such as sheep shearing and wool spinning. If that's not
enough excitement for you, stick around for the 'ram show'; marvel as eight
trained rams get put through their paces by a bunch of canny sheepdogs. The
Woolshed is 15km (9mi) north-west of the centre. You can drive, or catch a
train to the nearest station, which is about 800m (870yd) from the 'shed. Many
tour companies also include the Woolshed on their itinerary.
North Stradbroke Island
Most people come to Straddie for the beaches. Brisbane itself has no beaches,
and the beaches of its eastern suburbs are rather sad, muddy affairs. North
Stradbroke is about 20km (12mi) off the coast from Cleveland, which is about
25km (15mi) south-east of Brisbane's city centre. Straddie is a sand island
and, despite some heavy sand-mining, it has plenty of vegetation and beautiful
scenery. Outside of school holidays it's also pretty quiet and peaceful.
The best beaches are around Point Lookout, at the north-east tip of the island.
There are good walks around here and you can often see porpoises, dolphins
and manta rays from the headland. You can swim in the freshwater Blue Lake
in the centre of the island, or walk along tracks and watch for snakes, goannas,
wallabies and birds. To get to Straddie you need to take a bus or train to
Cleveland to connect with the ferry - some ferries will take vehicles
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