5 Days in Brisbane
— The Perfect First Visit

First Coffee — South Bank

Stacks Espresso Bar on Grey Street or Campos Coffee on Little Stanley Street — both excellent. The early morning light on the Brisbane River from South Bank is golden and quiet before the city wakes up. Start here before anyone else arrives.

Streets Beach & South Bank Parklands Walk

Walk the length of South Bank Parklands from the ship-shaped Wheel of Brisbane down to Streets Beach — a genuine sandy beach in the middle of the city, patrolled and free. In the morning it's yours almost alone. Continue south to the Goodwill Bridge and cross to the CBD briefly for the best skyline photograph.

Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)

One of the largest modern art museums in the southern hemisphere — and free entry to the permanent collection. The scale of the building is breathtaking; the artwork is consistently extraordinary. Allow 1.5–2 hours. Check what major ticketed exhibitions are running when you visit: GOMA's international blockbusters (they've hosted Yayoi Kusama, Picasso, Andy Warhol) are genuinely worth the $25–35 entry on top.

Lunch at GOMA Restaurant or South Bank

GOMA Restaurant is one of the best-value lunches in Brisbane — the seasonal menu changes frequently and the gallery-adjacent courtyard setting is lovely. Alternatively, walk to Little Stanley Street for La Lupa (wood-fired pizza), Gauge (more adventurous), or grab takeaway from one of the weekend food stalls on the Parklands promenade.

City Cat Ferry to the CBD

Board the City Cat river ferry at the South Bank terminal — a flat $3.60 go card fare — and ride to Eagle Street Pier in the CBD. The 15-minute crossing gives you postcard views of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Story Bridge and river bend. This is genuinely one of the world's great urban ferry rides and almost no visitors use it.

City Botanic Gardens

Walk from Eagle Street Pier into the City Botanic Gardens along the river — the oldest gardens in Queensland, with enormous Moreton Bay figs whose roots extend 20 metres from their trunks. Look for the resident water dragons sunning themselves on the paths. Exit through the Parliament House gate and look up at the 1868 French Renaissance sandstone building.

Kangaroo Point Cliffs & Green Bridge Walk

Cross the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge (opened 2023) from the CBD riverbank to the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Walk the clifftop promenade for the single best view of the Brisbane CBD skyline — the angle and elevation are perfect. Free public rock climbing walls are cut into the cliff face if you feel like scrambling. The Kangaroo Point Cliffs Hotel at the top is a good stop for an afternoon beer if you're ready to sit.

Howard Smith Wharves — Aperitivo Hour

Walk north from Kangaroo Point along the river to Howard Smith Wharves — Brisbane's most spectacular bar and restaurant precinct, built into the cliff face below the Story Bridge. Mr Percival's is the perfect outdoor aperitivo spot as the evening light turns the bridge golden. Order a Negroni or a glass of Queensland wine and stay until the bridge lights up.

Dinner — Fortitude Valley

A 10-minute walk from Howard Smith Wharves into Fortitude Valley opens up Brisbane's best dinner options. Agnes Restaurant (wood fire, bookings essential — do this before you leave home) is the best restaurant in Brisbane right now. Longtime (modern Southeast Asian, more casual) is outstanding and takes walk-ins. Bianca in nearby New Farm is the best Italian. For something more relaxed, the Winn Lane bar strip has excellent small plates at multiple venues.

Jan Powers Farmers Market, New Farm Park (Sat only)

One of Brisbane's great Saturday rituals — 80+ stalls of local producers under the Moreton Bay fig trees of New Farm Park. The cheese vendors, the wood-fired sourdough bakers, the honey producers, the fresh tropical fruit stalls and the coffee roasters are all outstanding. If you're visiting on a Saturday, restructure the week to put Day 2 here — it's worth it. On other days of the week, skip ahead to brunch.

Brunch in New Farm or Teneriffe

New Farm has more excellent cafes per kilometre than anywhere else in Queensland. The Ritual Specialty Coffee (consistently excellent, small and intimate), Sourced Grocer (outstanding brunch menu, good for groups) or walk 10 minutes along the Riverwalk to Teneriffe for Mister Fox (heritage woolstore building, beautiful river terrace). The New Farm Riverwalk itself — a 3.2km riverside boardwalk — is worth doing before or after brunch.

New Farm & Teneriffe Walk

New Farm is a suburb built for walking — heritage Queenslander homes on tree-lined streets, the historic Princess Theatre, the independent bookshops and gallery spaces of Brunswick Street. The former wool stores in Teneriffe have been converted into apartments and restaurants but the scale of the red-brick buildings is extraordinary. Walk from New Farm Park along the Riverwalk to Teneriffe Powerhouse for contemporary performing arts and river views.

Mt Coot-tha — Botanic Gardens & Summit

Take the 471 bus from the CBD (20 min) to Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens — 52 hectares of subtropical and arid plants, including one of the best Japanese gardens in Australia and a remarkable display dome for exotic plants. Walk the gardens (1–1.5 hrs), then take the free shuttle bus up to the summit lookout.

The Mt Coot-tha summit is Brisbane's most complete view — the entire city, both waterfronts, the Glass House Mountains to the north, and on a clear day, the hinterland ranges of the Gold Coast to the south. The Summit Restaurant at the lookout does a wonderful wood-fired lunch with this panorama from the terrace.

Paddington — Heritage Streets & Independent Shopping

Bus from Mt Coot-tha down to Paddington — a ridge suburb of heritage Queenslander homes that Brisbane has been restoring and protecting for 30 years. Latrobe Terrace and Given Terrace form the main commercial strip: independent fashion boutiques, excellent furniture stores, the superb Bent Books, quality homewares. It's Brisbane's answer to Paddington in Sydney — but less chain-store colonised and more genuinely local.

West End — Late Afternoon Explore

Walk or bus down into West End — Brisbane's most eclectic and politically engaged suburb. Boundary Street is the spine: Avid Reader (one of Australia's great independent bookshops, with excellent staff picks and a tiny back courtyard), Three Monkeys Coffee & Books (in a heritage Queenslander, board games and bookshelves and the city's best long blacks), and a density of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants that rivals any city in the country.

Dinner — West End or South Bank

West End options: Malt (craft beer, share plates, excellent local vibe), Ho Jiak (the best Malaysian in Brisbane, on Boundary Street — book ahead), or the quiet neighbourhood Thai restaurants on Hardgrave Road which have been serving brilliant, unfussy food for decades without ever appearing in a guide. South Bank: If you'd rather return to the riverside, QAGOMA's Café (bistro menu, quieter than GOMA Restaurant, lovely courtyard) or the long strip of Rydges Square restaurants.

Ferry Departs from Howard Smith Wharves / Holt Street

The Tangalooma Island Resort fast catamaran departs from Holt Street Wharf in the CBD (a 10-minute walk from Howard Smith Wharves). The 75-minute crossing takes you through Moreton Bay — look for dolphins bow-riding the ferry, which happens on most mornings. The island appears from the sea as an unbroken wall of sand and native vegetation with no buildings in sight.

Snorkelling the Tangalooma Wrecks

15 ships were deliberately sunk off Tangalooma Beach in the 1960s to create a breakwater — and they've become one of Southeast Queensland's best snorkel sites. The water is remarkably clear, the wrecks are heavily colonised with hard and soft coral, and the fish life is extraordinary: large rays rest on the sandy bottom, painted flutemouth drift through the coral heads, and small reef sharks are occasionally visible. Equipment is included in the activity package. No experience needed — the snorkel is shallow (2–5 metres) and calm.

Desert Dune Walking & Views

Walk inland from the beach through native ti-tree scrub to reach the island's desert — a surreal landscape of bare white sand dunes towering 20–30 metres. The dune summits give 360° views across the island: ocean on both sides, the glittering Moreton Bay to the west, unbroken bush in every direction. This is a UNESCO Biosphere for good reason — the landscape is genuinely extraordinary and unlike anything on the mainland.

Sand Boarding on the Dunes

The activity everyone says sounds silly and turns out to be the highlight of the day — sand boards (reinforced toboggans) are carried up the large dunes and ridden down at serious speed. The technique matters: wax the bottom of the board, lie flat, arms out for control, don't dig your toes in until you want to stop. The dune height means you get 8–10 seconds of committed, surprisingly fast descent. Children and adults love this equally.

Lunch at Tangalooma Resort

The resort's Blue Water Grill does a good seafood lunch — the moreton bay bugs (half lobster, essentially) are the obvious order. For something more casual, the resort café has good fish and chips and the outdoor setting facing the bay is very pleasant. Alternatively, bring your own picnic from Brisbane (no corkage, no restrictions) — the resort has plenty of outside seating.

Afternoon — Beach, 4WD Exploration or Freshwater Lake

The afternoon is unstructured. Option A: Stay on the beach — the ocean side of Moreton Island has clean surf and excellent swimming at North Point Beach. Option B: If you arranged 4WD hire, explore the island's interior tracks to the freshwater lakes (Lake Jabiru, Lake Gari) — the water is crystal-clear and warm. Option C: Take the resort's island tour 4WD for a guided exploration of the northern beaches and the historic Cape Moreton Lighthouse (the oldest lighthouse in Queensland, 1857).

Wild Dolphin Feeding at Sunset

The most memorable 45 minutes of a Brisbane trip. Every evening since the 1990s, a pod of wild bottlenose dolphins has entered the shallows at Tangalooma Beach at dusk — and resort guests wade in to hand-feed them under ranger supervision. The dolphins are completely wild; they choose to come in. The combination of the dolphin interaction at ankle-depth, the sunset behind the mainland, and the warm water makes this an experience that visitors — hardened travellers included — consistently describe as one of the best of their lives.

Return Ferry to Brisbane

The last ferry departs at 8:30pm — board with sandy feet, salt water hair and a level of relaxation that the city will struggle to match. You're back at Howard Smith Wharves by 10pm. Walk north for a late drink, or head straight to bed. Tomorrow is the hinterland.

Depart Brisbane — Cooee Tours Pickup or Self-Drive

Guided option: Our Tamborine Mountain wine and hinterland day tour departs at 8:30am from Brisbane CBD with pickup from your hotel. Lunch, three cellar door tastings and the Skywalk are all included from $135pp — no car, no driving-and-drinking logistics, just enjoying it.
Self-drive: 1 hour south on the M1 to Tamborine village. Free parking throughout. Allow extra time on the Gallery Walk section — the temptation to stop at every shop and cellar door is real and should be indulged.

Curtis Falls Walk

Start the day with the 1.2km return walk to Curtis Falls in Tamborine National Park — an easy, beautiful rainforest track that ends at a tiered falls and a plunge pool surrounded by enormous strangler figs and piccabeen palms. The morning light filtering through the canopy in the first hour is extraordinary. No crowd; no entry fee; fifteen minutes from the main village.

First Cellar Door — Witches Falls Winery

Witches Falls is Tamborine Mountain's best winery for serious wine drinkers — their Chardonnay and Tempranillo have won national awards. The tasting room is small and the pours are generous. The winemaker Jonathan Hollands is one of Queensland's most awarded. Ask about whatever they're experimenting with — they usually have something interesting available off the main list.

Gallery Walk — Village Lunch

Tamborine Mountain's Gallery Walk is a 1km strip of 40+ independent shops, galleries, studios and restaurants. It sounds touristy — and parts of it are — but the quality of the food producers here is genuinely high: handmade fudge, local olive oil, boutique gin, Queensland honey. Lunch at Fortitude Brewing Co's taproom (excellent craft beer, good food, hinterland views from the terrace) or Songbirds Restaurant (upscale, bookings essential, worth it for a splurge).

Tamborine Mountain Skywalk

A 1.5km elevated boardwalk built above the subtropical rainforest canopy — the longest rainforest elevated walk in Australia. The perspective from 30 metres above the forest floor is like nothing in a Brisbane day trip radius. The canopy species (Antarctic beech at the higher sections, piccabeen palms lower down) are clearly interpreted. Allow 45 minutes at a comfortable pace.

Second Cellar Door — Cedar Creek Estate or RiverMill

Cedar Creek Estate is the largest winery on Tamborine Mountain — the rolling vineyard setting is beautiful and the rosé is excellent. RiverMill Estate is smaller, more intimate, and produces a remarkable late-harvest dessert wine from botrytis-affected Semillon. For self-drivers: purchase and carry — wine ships well if you're flying home, and both wineries can organise delivery.

Springbrook Natural Bridge — Glowworms (Optional)

If you have energy after the hinterland day, consider the 45-minute drive from Tamborine Mountain to Springbrook National Park's Natural Bridge for the glowworm experience. After dark, the cave beneath the rock arch fills with thousands of Arachnocampa flava glowworms — a bioluminescent ceiling of green-blue light that's completely free, completely extraordinary, and completely unlike anything else in Australia. The cave is accessible without a tour; bring a torch for the 1km path.

Breakfast — Howard Smith Wharves or Fortitude Valley

One final excellent Brisbane breakfast: Howard Smith Wharves has a good riverside café that's quiet at this hour — the morning light on the river here is beautiful. In Fortitude Valley: Sourced (consistently excellent eggs), Gramps (coffee and something sweet, excellent corner spot on James Street) or the excellent pastries at Gauge Bakery — the same operation as Gauge restaurant, but the morning version.

Story Bridge Adventure Climb

The Brisbane equivalent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb — and significantly cheaper. You're harnessed to the outer structure of the 1940 Story Bridge and climb to the summit platform 80 metres above the river. The 360° view from the top takes in the entire Brisbane basin: the river bends, the CBD, South Bank, Mt Coot-tha, and on a clear morning, both the Sunshine Coast ranges to the north and the Gold Coast hinterland to the south. Dawn climbs (pre-sunrise) are the most spectacular; daytime climbs are more accessible.

Mirimar Cruise to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The most scenic way to reach Lone Pine — board the Mirimar river cruise at Riverside City Cat terminal (City Cat stop: North Quay), and take the 75-minute cruise upriver through the river bends west of the city. The river valley is beautiful and the narrated cruise explains the history of the settlements along the banks. Alight at Fig Tree Pocket for Lone Pine.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

The world's oldest (1927) and largest koala sanctuary — not a zoo, but a conservation sanctuary with 130+ koalas, free-ranging kangaroos you can hand-feed in a large enclosure, wombats, platypus, Tasmanian devils, echidnas and a wetlands area for waterbirds. The koala holding experience (an additional $20) is deservedly famous — the animals are calm, the experience is genuinely moving, and the photography is excellent. Budget 2.5–3 hours here.

Sunset Cocktail Cruise on the River

The perfect Brisbane farewell — a 1.5-hour cocktail cruise departing from South Bank Pontoon as the city turns golden in the late afternoon. The river perspective of the CBD, Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point and Howard Smith Wharves is something you simply cannot get from land. Brisbane River Cruises and Moonlight Cruises both operate excellent vessels; book the 5pm departure for the best light.

Farewell Dinner — Your Brisbane Best

For a final night splurge: Donna Chang in the CBD (the most spectacular dining room in Brisbane — a heritage bank interior transformed into a Cantonese feast palace; the Peking duck and XO king prawn are the orders) or Same Same in Fortitude Valley (Thai-inflected, excellent cocktail program, one of the city's most celebrated restaurants). For something more relaxed: back to Howard Smith Wharves for a long, view-heavy dinner at the Felons Barrel Hall or Stokehouse River, and let Brisbane's best setting do the work.