🧗 Cliffs & Views

Kangaroo Point

A narrow peninsula directly opposite the CBD, defined by twenty metres of floodlit volcanic cliff and the best accessible city view in Brisbane.

✍️ By Frank Adam Burns 📅 Updated 2026📍 Brisbane, QLD

Kangaroo Point is a narrow peninsula wrapped by a bend of the river, sitting directly across the water from the city centre. The cliffs along its western edge are the most distinctive piece of landscape in inner Brisbane.

The Cliffs

Twenty metres of Brisbane tuff — volcanic rock roughly 230 million years old. The vertical face is not natural: it is the result of quarrying from the 1820s onwards, and the stone went into buildings across the early settlement.

The cliffs are floodlit at night and carry a large number of bolted climbing routes. Commercial operators run guided abseiling and climbing with all equipment supplied, and independent climbers use the crag freely. Evening climbing is a genuine Brisbane thing rather than a novelty.

The Views

The clifftop lookouts along River Terrace put you level with the middle of the CBD towers, looking across the water with the Story Bridge to the right.

This is the best accessible city view that does not involve driving to Mount Coot-tha — and unlike Mt Coot-tha, you can walk to it from the city centre. Twenty minutes after sunset is the window.

The Riverside Promenade

The path at the base of the cliffs is flat, sealed and one of the better short walks in Brisbane. It runs between the Story Bridge and the Goodwill Bridge, linking Howard Smith Wharves at one end to South Bank at the other.

The full loop — over one bridge, along the cliffs, back over the other — takes about an hour and takes in the skyline, the river and both bridges. Free and level throughout.

The Rest of the Peninsula

Behind the cliffs, Kangaroo Point is largely residential — apartments with river views, quiet streets and a small number of cafes and restaurants along Main Street.

There are parklands at both the top and the bottom with barbecues and picnic tables. The clifftop fills at sunset on fine evenings.

Staying Here

Good for: views, walking, and being a few hundred metres from the CBD across the water without being in it. Quiet at night.

Less good for: shops and dining, which are limited — you will cross a bridge or take the ferry for most meals.

Getting There

The CityCat and free CityHopper stop at Holman Street at the northern end, near the Story Bridge — fifty cents, or nothing on the CityHopper.

On foot, cross the Goodwill Bridge from the Botanic Gardens at the southern end, or come down from the Story Bridge at the northern. Both are about fifteen minutes from the CBD.

Parking along River Terrace is limited and competitive at sunset.

Common Questions

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