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Brisbane Destinations

Along the Brisbane River

The sluggish, meandering Brisbane River is four hundred million years old, one of the world’s most ancient waterways. It flows from above Lake Wivenhoe - 55km inland - past farmland, into quiet suburbs and through the city before emptying 150km downstream into Moreton Bay, behind Fisherman Island. Once an essential trade and transport link with the rest of Australia and the world, it now seems to do little but separate the main part of the city from South Brisbane; though it’s superficially active around the city centre, with ferries and dredgers keeping it navigable, most of the old wharves and shipyards now lie derelict or buried under parkland.

f the locals seem to have forgotten the river, it has a habit of reasserting its presence through flooding . In February 1893 cyclonic rains swelled the flow through downtown Brisbane, carrying off Victoria Bridge and scores of buildings: eyewitness accounts stated that “Debris of all descriptions - whole houses, trees, cattle and homes - went floating past”. This has since been repeated many times, notably in January 1974 when rains from Cyclone Wanda completely swamped the centre, swelling the river to a width of 3km at one stage. Despite reminders of this in brass plaques marking the depths of the worst floods at Naldham House Polo Club (1 Eagle St, near the markets), some of Brisbane’s poshest real estate flanks the river, with waterfront mansions at Yeerongpilly, Graceville and Chelmer. They’re all banking on protection from artificial Lake Wivenhoe, completed in 1984, which should act as a buffer against future floods.

Of the various ways to explore the river, the easiest is simply to take a return ride on the City Cat - such a popular, if unofficial, sightseeing trip that the service can be severely overcrowded during holidays. More stylish are the oddly-named Club Crocodile River Queens , three-tiered Mississippi-style paddleboats decked out in timber and brass, which leave daily from Eagle Street pier; it’s a favourite Sunday excursion (several times daily from 12.15pm; $22-49, depending on level of refreshments), and there are additional evening cruises with full meals (Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6.30pm; $45 buffet or $60 for seafood); for bookings call tel 07/3221 1300.

Downtown

Queen Street is Brisbane’s oldest thoroughfare, its southern section between George and Edward streets now a pedestrian mall with the Myer Centre - a multistoreyed shopping complex - as its focus. Most of the stores inside are on the chic side but you can, for kicks, ride the glass elevators or buy designer Outback accessories and fluffy koalas. It’s also worth investigating the food centres on the Queen Street level, crammed at midday with office workers having lunch. There’s a huge variety of classy fast-food outlets, from Asian takeaways to Greek kebab shops, at slightly higher prices than the local hotel food. Outside, the mall is always busy with people running errands, window shopping or just socializing. There’s usually some kind of entertainment, too: either informal efforts - acrobats, buskers and the occasional soap-box orator - or more organized events such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancing or jazz sessions on the small stage about halfway down the street.

Historic Precinct

The area between Queen Street and the Botanic Gardens contains some of Brisbane’s finest architecture, dating from the earliest days of settlement until the late nineteenth century. Between Elizabeth and Queen streets, occupying an entire block, is the former Treasury with its classical facade. Built in the 1890s, its grandeur reflects the wealth of Queensland’s gold mines (though by this point most were on the decline) and was a slap in the face to New South Wales, which had spitefully withdrawn all financial support from the fledgling state on separation some forty years previously, leaving it bankrupt. With a twist typical of a state torn between conservatism and tourism, the building is now - appropriately enough - Brisbane’s casino .

South along William Street, the Commissariat Stores is contemporary with the windmill, though in considerably better shape. Originally a granary, it is now a museum (Tues-Fri 11am-2pm; $5) and headquarters of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland; the knowledgeable staff pep up an otherwise dusty collection of relics dating back to convict times. Brisbane’s Science Centre (daily 10am-5pm; $8), whose entrance is one block over on George Street, is more interesting to visit. A hands-on approach makes it great fun, especially for children, and very therapeutic if you like to prod and dismantle exhibits instead of merely peering at them through a protective glass case. Favourites include the various optical illusions - try the “swinging bridge”, guaranteed to induce nausea though it remains stock-still - and the “Thongophone”, a set of giant pan pipes played by whacking the top with a flip-flop. It’s all good rainy-day material.

Further south along George Street you pass Harris Terrace and The Mansions , two of the city centre’s last surviving rows of Victorian-era terraced houses, the latter guarded by stone cats on the parapet corners. Nearby, on the corner of George and Alice streets, the Queensland Club was founded in 1859, just four days before the separation of Queensland from New South Wales. Heavy walls, columns and spacious balconies evoke a tropical version of a traditional London club; entrance and membership - still barred to women - are by invitation only. Diagonally opposite, Parliament House was built to a design by Charles Tiffin in 1868 and presents an appealingly compromised French Renaissance style which incorporates shuttered north windows, shaded colonnades and a high, arched roof to allow for the tropical climate. You can see the grand interior on an hour-long guided tour (Mon-Fri: 9.30am, 11.15am & 3.15pm when Parliament not in session; 10.30am & 2.30pm when it is; free) and there’s access to the chambers when there’s no debate in progress.

South of Parliament House, George Street becomes a lane along the western side of the Botanic Gardens. Here you’ll find Old Government House (variable hours; donation), the official residence of Queensland’s governors and premiers between 1862 and 1910. Another of Tiffin’s designs, the building is being comprehensively restored to its stately turn-of-the-century condition, beginning with the ground floor; work has started on the main dining room, drawing room and entrance hall. The National Trust offices are in the upper storey.

Northern Suburbs

North of the river , just beyond Brisbane’s business district, are several former suburbs which have been absorbed by the city sprawl: Paddington and Petrie Terrace to the west, Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley to the north, and New Farm to the east. Houses in these areas are popular with Brisbane’s aspiring professional class, and while office buildings and one-way streets are beginning to encroach, there’s also an older character reflected in the high-set Queenslander -style houses still standing around Spring Hill and Petrie Terrace.

Outer Brisbane and Moreton Bay

With the grossly hyped Gold Coast and Hinterland for competition, it’s not surprising that few people bother with the country immediately surrounding Brisbane. Only 5km to the west, the city is hemmed in by Mount Coot-tha ‘s botanic gardens and the foothills of Brisbane Forest Park , which covers the green, wet heights of the D’Aguilar Range and stretches to the edge of Lake Wivenhoe .

In the opposite direction, coastal suburbs provide access to the shallow waters of Moreton Bay , famous throughout Australia as the home of the unfortunately named Moreton Bay Bug, which is actually a small, delicious lobster-like crustacean. While Brisbane is hardly noted for its beach life, with muddy shorelines attracting mangroves rather than sun worshippers, the largest of the bay’s islands, Moreton and North Stradbroke , are generously endowed with sand, and are just the right distance from the city to make their beaches accessible but seldom crowded. The island of St Helena is not somewhere you’d visit for sun and surf, but its prison ruins recall the convict era and are an interesting day-trip. In the bay itself, look for dolphins, dugong (sea cows) and humpbacked whales , which pass by in winter en route to their calving grounds up north.

South Brisbane

** SOUTH BRISBANE**

Across the river from the city centre, the Cultural Centre and its environs - comprising the state museum, library, gallery, performing arts complex, convention centre and South Bank Parklands - is Brisbane’s most obvious tourist attraction. Immediately south of Victoria Bridge (itself a continuation of Queen St), it’s easily reached by train to South Brisbane Station, while plenty of buses from all parts of the city stop outside the station on Melbourne Street.

Beyond here, the West End is South Brisbane’s answer to Fortitude Valley, with Boundary Street a similar ethnic mix - Asian, Greek and Italian - but a more genteel atmosphere. There are no sights here as such, but it’s worth a visit for the cluster of Asian stores and continental delicatessens, and for an escalating number of inexpensive restaurants and cafés around the hub at Boundary Road and Vulture Street, popular with students from the University of Queensland across the river at St Lucia.

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