Brisbane is one of our favourite Australian cities! It is so walkable, has some great areas and is close to a number of beautiful beaches. We spent a long weekend in Queensland, split between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It’s so easy to get a great feel for each city in a couple of days. There is so much to see and do, so read ahead to find out how to see the best of Brisbane in a weekend.

Brisbane’s city centre can be found around the Queen Street Mall, which is an outdoor shopping street. It’s similar to any other outdoor shopping mall, and is a great place to browse the shops. Just across Victoria Bridge is our favourite part of Brisbane.

The first thing you’ll notice is the Brisbane sign which sits along the river and is a great photo opportunity. Just along from the sign is South Bank, which has some beautiful parklands and 17 hectares of space to relax in. There’s also the the Wheel of Brisbane, a giant Ferris wheel that costs $20.90 for adults to ride.

Further down the river is Streets Beach which is a free outdoor man-made beach surrounded by soft white sand. It is patrolled by qualified life guards seven days a week and there is also a nearby pool and kids water play area. Lastly there is a beautiful lagoon to walk along, a community garden, the Arbour Walkway and lots of eatery. It is truly one of the most lovely parts of any Australian city we’ve visited.

After you’ve explored the city, the next things we would recommend is to walk along the river. The best place to start (or end) this walk is New Farm Park, which is an easy bus ride from the city centre. This park is a great place for a picnic and has a wonderful playground for kids too.

From the park, head back towards Brisbane along the water, and after 20-30 minutes you will find the New Farm River Walk. This 870m long walk was built after the original river walkway got washed away in the 2011 floods. It’s such a great walk over the river, with some great views along the way. At the end, you’ll be at the Wilson Outlook Reserve, a park with a wonderful view of Story Bridge. A bit further along the water is the Howard Smith Wharves, a really cool area with lots of great eateries that is definitely worth a wander around.

From there you can take the city reach boardwalk, another beautiful riverside walkway down to the City Botanic Gardens. These gardens are free and are such a great place to relax after the walk along the water. From there, you’re back near Queen Street Mall, where you can finish your day with some dinner in the city after an (admittedly big) day of walking!

If you’re not sure that all the walking involved in the New Farm River Walk is right for you, we’d recommend heading to the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens instead. Mount Coot-tha Botanic Garden is 7km outside of Brisbane and can easily be accessed from the city by bus. There’s also free parking if you’re planning to drive. It has free entry and is open every day of the year from 8am to 5pm and until 6pm in summer. Right off the parking lot is the visitors centre, the Botanic Gardens café and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. The Planetarium has a 12.5 metre projection dome and you can visit for $12!

The actual garden itself has lots to see including a tropical dome, a Japanese garden, and a bamboo grove. Also worth seeing are the bonsai house, the fern house, the cactus house and the herb garden. It also has the largest collection of Australian native rainforest trees in the world. There are also some beautiful open areas for a picnic, which could be a great option.

While we were there, we saw a wild python (from a very safe distance), so keep an eye out for wildlife as well. You might be lucky enough (or unlucky enough, depending on who you ask) to see one too!

While in Brisbane, you may be missing those beautiful Australian beaches that the city can’t provide. Luckily, two of Australia’s most popular beach towns are within a day trips distance away. The Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane, can be accessed in 2 hours and 15 minutes each way via public transport. The main areas to visit are Maroochydore and Mooloolaba beaches, both of which are long and beautiful. There is also shopping and lots of eateries in Maroochydore as well as a waterfront walkway.

The other beach city you could visit is the Gold Coast, only a 1.5 hour train and bus journey south of Brisbane. The main place to visit is Surfers Paradise, however Mermaid and Burleigh beaches are also lovely. At the bottom of Burleigh Beach is Burleigh Head National Park which has some beautiful walks if you like that too. Another fun option is to get off the train 10 minutes early and catch a bus to the theme parks. Movie World, Dream World, Wet’n’Wild and Sea World can all be visited from Brisbane for the day and are all super fun.

In terms of which one to pick, the Gold coast offers more variety. You’ve got the more touristy, party, city vibe at Surfers paradise, the beautiful beaches, the national park and the theme parks. However if you want a quieter, more small town beach city vibe then sunshine coast is your best bet. Either way, both offer great day trip options with lots of fun things to see and do.

Another great day trip option is to visit Moreton Island. It is home to Tangalooma Beach, named one of the top 100 beaches by Lonely Planet in 2024. A large portion of this beach is owned by the Tangalooma resort, but it is a huge beach and lots of it is available to the public. There are more beaches on the island too but actually 98% of it belongs to the Moreton Island National park.

Getting there is easy as there are two ferry options, the Tangalooma Passenger Ferry or the Micat Ferry. Neither of the ferry terminals can be accessed with public transport, but can be reached by taxi in 30-40. The Micat terminal is further away from Brisbane but the ferry only costs $38 each way. The Tangalooma ferry has day cruises available even if you’re not staying at the resort, and costs $95 return. However this ticket does include a $25 lunch voucher, full use of the resort facilities for the day and one free drink.

The only way to get around the island is by taxi or your own four wheel drive which can be brought over on the car ferry. Of course you can also book tours of the island on Get Your Guide that include quad biking and sand tobogganing. However if your plan was to just visit the island and relax on the beach, that’s also more than possible too! Tangalooma Beach is nice and long and on the Northern end are some cool ship wrecks you can snorkel around too.

If you choose not to do the Tangalooma ferry but still want to walk around the resort, don’t worry at all. If we’re being completely honest, you can hang out on the beach and walk around because there’s no way to know who’s a guest and who isn’t. You can also eat at the restaurants there and use the bathrooms. The only thing you can’t do is borrow gear so bring your own snorkels and towels. The whole beach is just such a relaxing place to spend a couple of hours and we really recommend it if you’ve got the time!

There is so much to see and do in Brisbane in a weekend! The city, river walk and Southbank make the centre of Brisbane such a lovely place to be. Then you’ve got the city Botanic Gardens and the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens for a little break. And lastly, we’ve given you 3 amazing day trips options to really make the most out of your weekend on the Queensland coast. Whatever you go, we hope you have a great time exploring this beautiful part of Australia.

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