Top 10 things to do in Brisbane

Tonight is a big night for us because, after nine months, it marks our last night of living in Australia! Tomorrow, we will be flying to Bali, which I am incredibly excited for. It isn’t goodbye to Australia forever though. After Bali, we will be returning to visit Perth (and tick off our last Australian state!) before continuing on with our journey. It would have been nice to finish Australia off completely before moving on, but this way just made more sense with flights. As we start travelling our way back home, you can expect to receive a lot more blog posts from me. Starting off, before we leave, with the list of my top 10 things to do in our second (and last) Australian home: Brisbane.

1. Take in the views of Story Bridge from Eagle Street Pier

Our first night after returning to Brisbane was spent at a bar called Felons Brewing Co, which has beautiful views overlooking the Brisbane River and Story Bridge. Just outside this bar is an elevator, which takes you up to the street above. Nick and I spent that night at Felons with his family, not knowing that we were just an elevator ride away from the street we would end up living on.

The view of Story Bridge from Felons Brewing Co

Because we managed to get a flat in such an amazing location, we were lucky enough to walk along Eagle Street Pier and see Story Bridge most days during our time in Brisbane. The bridge lights up with different colours every night, which illuminates the river below and makes for a really magical view.

Eagle Street Pier is lined with lots of restaurants and bars, and I would definitely recommend visiting one of them at night time so as you can enjoy the views of the river and bridge all lit up.

You are also able to climb Story Bridge if that’s something that interests you. Having already climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, this isn’t something that we decided to do, but I can imagine that it would be a lot of fun and offer wonderful views of the city.

2. Cuddle a koala at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world’s oldest and largest koala sanctuary and definitely a must-do whilst in Brisbane.

Me at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

As well as having a few animals such as bats and reptiles on display, the main attraction is the opportunity to hold, and have your photo taken with, koalas and snakes. It costs extra for these photos but you’re able to meet the koalas and take your own photos standing next to them for free, which is what Nick and I did. The koalas were all very well looked after and took it in short shifts having their photographs taken so as none of them got too tired or fed up.

Me and Nick meeting a koala at Line Pine Koala Sanctuary

It was great getting to meet some koalas up close (even if they do smell a little) but my favourite thing about Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was the kangaroo and emu enclosure. There is a big, grassed area where lots of kangaroos and emus roam free, and you can buy bags of food to feed them with. It was amazing getting to be up close to so many kangaroos as they all hopped around, and to have them come over and eat out of your hand. It was definitely an experience I will remember forever and one that I would whole-heartedly recommend.

Nick feeding the kangaroos at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

3. Rock climb and abseil at Kangaroo Point

Nick and I booked to do a rock climb and abseil at Kangaroo Point with Green Frog Adventures. We got really lucky as we ended up having the session all to ourselves, which meant multiple abseils and climbs without any waiting around. The slot we booked was at sunset, and so we had a beautiful view of the sun setting over the Brisbane River from the top of the cliffs before we abseiled down. 

Nick abseiling down Kangaroo Point at sunset

Rock climbing was a million times harder than I ever imagined it to be and there were many times that I thought I would have to give up. Despite this, I pushed myself past my limit and all the way up to the top of the cliff, for which I felt (and still feel) incredibly proud of myself.

Me and Nick rock climbing at Kangaroo Point

4. Ride a Lime scooter

Brisbane has motorised scooters scattered all over the city for anyone to use, a bit like Boris bikes in London. They’re called Lime scooters and you just need to download the Lime app and scan the barcode on the scooter to be able to use them. They cost $1 to unlock and then 30 cents a minute to ride after that. They’re a lot of fun and a quick and easy way of getting around. If you’re in Brisbane, I’d definitely recommend giving them a go – you won’t be able to miss them.

Me during a Lime scooter ride

5. Swim in a man-made lagoon on the Southbank

In my opinion, one of the nicest areas of Brisbane is the Southbank. It has beautiful views, a lot going on (such as markets and events) and lots of different restaurants and bars to check out. Plus, you can’t go to Brisbane without getting your photo taken with the Brisbane sign!

The Brisbane sign on the Southbank

Whilst on the Southbank, take a visit to the man-made beach in the middle of the city and cool down by swimming in its lagoon. You could even take some food and make use of their communal BBQ areas. We’ve noticed that a few different Australian cities do this when access to real beaches is limited (for example, there are also man-made beaches in Cairns and Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays) and I think that they’re such a cool concept, and a perfect place to relax and cool down on hot days without having to venture too far.

Me ready for a swim in the Southbank lagoon

6. Watch the sunset from Mount Coot-tha Lookout

Mount Coot-tha offers beautiful panoramic views of Brisbane and is a great place to sit and relax. Nick and I once took some snacks and a box of wine up there to watch the sunset, but there are also restaurants and cafés at the lookout point if you want to be a bit classier than us.

Mount Coot-tha Lookout

7. Get your cowboy boots out for Johnny Ringo’s

If, like me, you’re a fan of country music, you’ll know that country music bars outside of America are too few and far between. So, when I found out they had one in Brisbane, I was very excited to give it a visit. I’m not going to pretend that Johnny Ringo’s lives up to Nashville standards, but any venue that lets me have a drink whilst listening to the Dixie Chicks and watching people ride a mechanical bull is a winner in my eyes.

Johnny Ringo's

8. Have breakfast at Jak + Hill

Best. Eggs benedict. Ever!

Jak's Benedict with salmon

Disclaimer: the next two items on my list aren’t technically in Brisbane. However, I have included them as they are easily accessible from Brisbane and make for good day trips if that’s where you’re based.

9. Get the ferry to Stradbroke Island

It’s only a half an hour drive from Brisbane city centre to reach the ferry terminal that will take you to Stradbroke Island. Stradbroke Island (known colloquially as “Straddie”) lies within Moreton Bay and is somewhere that we were recommended to visit by my sister’s friend, a local Queenslander. The island was absolutely beautiful, with the bluest oceans I have ever seen, and we got to see baby whales and turtles swimming in the water.

Watching for whales on Stradbroke Island

After we did the Gorge Walk up to Point Lookout, we spent the rest of the day eating ice creams, sunbathing on our own private beach (we were the only people there!) and swimming in the sea. We had dinner at a restaurant called Whales Way, where we were the only customers and ate delicious food with even more impressive views.

The most delicious seafood fettuccine at Whales Way

10. Release your inner superhero at Warner Bros. Movie World

During our time living on the East Coast, we visited two theme parks: Dreamworld and Warner Bros. Movie World. Both of which are just over an hour away from Brisbane by train.

Although Dreamworld is known as “Australia’s Biggest Theme Park,” if I’m being honest, I didn’t think too much of it. It does have some impressive animals (that they proclaim to be well treated and looked after) and is very child-friendly. However, it was extremely quiet when we went and the atmosphere was a bit lacklustre. I found the ambience and rides at Movie World to be a lot more enjoyable.

Don’t go to Movie World expecting Universal Studios (turn your expectations down a few hundred notches) but if you just fancy a fun day out at a theme park whilst in Australia, this is the place to go. Unlike most theme parks outside of Australia, it closes at 5:00pm, but it is also very small and so you won’t struggle to fit everything in so long as you get there early enough. One of our favourite rides was the DC Rivals HyperCoaster, which you are also able to climb after the park closes.

Warner Bros. Movie World

And that concludes the list of my top 10 things to do in and around our second Australian home. After being in this country for the past nine months, I have itchy feet to travel somewhere new and experience a different culture, but we’ll be returning to Australia before we know it to finish off what we started. I’ll hold off on the emotional goodbyes to the only home I have ever known outside of England until that point. This isn’t a goodbye, Australia, it’s just a see you again soon!