5 Best Sights in Brisbane, Queensland

Museum of Brisbane

City Center Fodor's choice
Housed in City Hall in the center of Brisbane City, the museum offers a rotating schedule of innovative and interactive exhibitions throughout the year that celebrate the city, its people, culture, and history. There are also a range of free tours including a daily Museum highlights tour at noon, and self-guided Museum Tours and Clock Tower Tours every 15 minutes 10:15 am–4:45 pm. Free except for special exhibitions or programs.

South Bank Parklands

Fodor's choice

This vibrant community space on the banks of the Brisbane River includes parklands, shops, hotels, a maritime museum, walking and cycling paths, a sprawling man-made beach, a stunning Nepalese pagoda, and excellent city views. The weekend Collective Markets is the place to discover handmade goods, live entertainers, buskers, artists, and emerging designers. Almost every week you'll find a new festival or event lighting up the Cultural Forecourt. Nearby Grey Street is lined with trendy shops and cafés, as well as contemporary international restaurants, bars, and a cinema. The Wheel of Brisbane (A$19), a giant Ferris wheel at the northern entrance of South Bank, has some of the most spectacular views of the city. South Bank Parklands stretches along the riverbank south of the Queensland Cultural Centre.

Anzac Square and the Shrine of Remembrance

City Center

Paths stretch across manicured lawns toward the Doric Greek Revival shrine made of Queensland sandstone. An eternal flame burns here for Australian soldiers who died in World War I. In the Shrine of Remembrance, a subsurface crypt stores soil samples from key battlefields. On April 25, Anzac Day, a moving dawn service is held here in remembrance of Australia's fallen soldiers.

Adelaide St., Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia
Sights Details
Rate Includes: Free

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Parliament House

City Center

Opened in 1868, this splendid, stone-clad, French Renaissance building with a Mount Isa copper roof earned its colonial designer a meager 200-guinea (A$440) fee. The interior is fitted with polished timber, brass, and frosted and engraved glass. Free half-hour tours run on weekday afternoons, depending on demand. The adjacent, kid-friendly City Botanic Gardens have native and exotic plants and theme areas, including the Bamboo Grove and Weeping Fig Avenue, along with sculptures, ponds, and an on-site café.

Roma Street Parkland

City Center

The world's largest subtropical garden within a city is a gentle mix of forest paths, floral displays, and structured plantings surrounding a fish-stocked lake. Highlights include the Lilly Pilly Garden, with native evergreen rain-forest plants, interesting children's play areas, and the friendly resident birds and lizards. Free hour-long guided garden tours focus on various themes, including bush tucker. Self-guided tour maps are available at the Roma Street Parkland Information Hub; The Sound Society is a monthly live music event, from 11:30 on Sunday.