Discover Brisbane City

Brisbane City brings together garden spaces, art and experiences along the Brisbane River, with opportunities for active days. At Mt Coot-tha Reserve, you can choose from more than 18.5 kilometres of trails with easy, moderate and difficult sections; mountain bike trails for beginners, intermediate and experienced riders are also available. This lets you shape your trip according to whether you prefer walking, cycling or getting to know Brisbane through its culture and river history.

Gardens on different scales

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha covers 56 hectares. The City Botanic Gardens offer a different side of the city: with 18 hectares and 1.2 kilometres of riverfront, they are among the distinctive garden spaces along the Brisbane River. They are also Queensland’s oldest historic garden. If you’re interested in gardens, you can consider these two places as different highlights of your trip, without treating them as a combined walking tour.

Mt Coot-tha Reserve also offers an active perspective. The trails are explicitly classified by difficulty; the mountain bike trails cater to beginners, intermediate and experienced riders. This information can help you take the kind of activity you want into account as you plan. Mt Coot-tha Reserve and Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha each offer their own reasons to include nature and movement in your day’s plans.

Culture, history and special experiences

The Museum of Brisbane explores the city’s art, culture and history through exhibitions, events, workshops and tours. MoB Kids activities add to the offering for families who would like to include a cultural program during their stay. New Farm Park adds a historical dimension: the park is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.

At Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park, you can abseil down the 20-metre-high cliffs with a guided group. It’s a clearly defined experience for travellers looking for an active outing. The Cliffs Boardwalk runs from the Riverlife Adventure Centre to a point beneath the Captain Cook Bridge. Another riverside offering, the Art and the River Public Art Trail, tells the maritime and industrial history of the Brisbane River. Public art and river history thus offer different ways to discover the city.

Riverside paths and culinary experiences

The Kangaroo Point Bikeway and paths through the riverside parks connect Kangaroo Point with South Bank and the CBD. Near Brisbane CBD, paths branch off towards South Bank, Kangaroo Point and New Farm. Cycling and paths along the riverside parks can therefore be part of your plans if you want to explore Brisbane actively. The Cliffs Boardwalk is a separate route, with its own stated starting and ending points.

Food and coffee are also among the city experiences on offer: the Brisbane Food Trucks and Coffee Carts program offers residents and visitors culinary experiences with food and coffee. The program lists Council street sites, parks, sports facilities and riverside areas as locations. This adds another way to get to know Brisbane City alongside gardens, culture and outdoor activities.

Which experiences will shape your trip?

When choosing holiday accommodation in Brisbane City, you can start by considering which aspects of the city matter most to you: gardens and paths, art and history, a guided activity on the cliffs or riverside experiences. If you’re travelling with children, MoB Kids activities provide a specific cultural option; if you’re looking for exercise, you can consider the trails and mountain bike routes according to the stated difficulty levels.

More destinations: Gold Coast City, Burdekin Shire, Carpentaria Shire, Livingstone Shire, South Burnett Regional, Fraser Coast Regional, Lockyer Valley Regional and Townsville City.

For the main travel overview: Queensland.