2 days in Brisbane

Day by day

1. Day 1: South Bank Parklands and Streets Beach and Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)

   South Bank Parklands and Streets Beach, Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), Queensland Art Gallery and Queensland Museum Kurilpa, then Story Bridge in the evening.

   1. Morning

      South Bank Parklands and Streets Beach

      A kilometre-long bougainvillea arbour, the Nepalese Peace Pagoda from Expo 88, playgrounds and barbecue areas fill the rest.

   2. Late morning

      Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)

      Its Children's Art Centre runs hands-on exhibitions for young visitors.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Moreton Bay bugs

      Seafood restaurants along the river at Howard Smith Wharves and South Bank, and fish markets in Hamilton.

   4. Afternoon

      Queensland Art Gallery

      It is a two-minute walk from GOMA, so the two are easily combined.

   5. Late afternoon

      Queensland Museum Kurilpa

      Life-size whale models hang in the entrance area.

   6. Evening

      Story Bridge

      Walk across at dusk from Kangaroo Point towards the Valley for skyline views, then descend to Howard Smith Wharves for dinner.

2. Day 2: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and CityCat river ferry

   Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, CityCat river ferry, Kangaroo Point Cliffs and Mount Coot-tha Lookout and Botanic Gardens, then Howard Smith Wharves in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

      Founded in 1927, Lone Pine is the world's oldest koala sanctuary, with well over 100 koalas, a free-roaming kangaroo reserve where you can hand-feed eastern grey kangaroos, platypus, wombats and birds of prey shows.

   2. Late morning

      CityCat river ferry

      At public-transport fares it is the best-value sightseeing cruise in Brisbane.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Mud crab

      Seafood restaurants and Chinese restaurants in Fortitude Valley and Sunnybank.

   4. Afternoon

      Kangaroo Point Cliffs

      The clifftop park has free barbecues and one of the best views of the CBD skyline, and the riverside boardwalk runs along the base.

   5. Late afternoon

      Mount Coot-tha Lookout and Botanic Gardens

      Below it, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha have a Japanese garden, a tropical display dome and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, and bushwalking tracks thread the surrounding forest.

   6. Evening

      Howard Smith Wharves

      Book a riverside table for sunset, when the Story Bridge lights come on overhead.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Brisbane City Hall and Museum of Brisbane (Brisbane CBD): Book the free clock-tower tour on arrival at the museum desk; places are limited.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 21–24 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.4 hours in June to 13.9 hours in December.

Getting between stops: Ferry. CityCat catamarans run between the University of Queensland and Northshore Hamilton, and the free CityHopper ferry shuttles between riverside stops in the inner city.

More or fewer days

• One day in Brisbane
• 3 days in Brisbane
• 5 days in Brisbane

Questions travellers ask