PHOTO GALLERY Storey Bridge

Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, is a cosmopolitan and lively city that is home to many different types of scenery, including skyscrapers, parkland and even an artificial beach. Brisbane is a river city, although close to the coast, with Brisbane River running through it. It is surrounded by hills and full of bridges. Brisbane also gives easy access to a number of attractions as well as the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

Australia Zoo - The Crocodile Hunter
Crikey! The Crocodile Hunter’s Australia Zoo is o­n Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. An easy 1 hour drive, just north of Brisbane, Australia Zoo offers a unique and exciting experience with a full day of wildlife action & adventure.

With fourteen shows daily, you can get your adrenalin pumping as you watch crocodiles launch a strike from the water’s edge in our awesome 5000 seat Crocoseum, catch the thrilling free flight bird show and get hands o­n with our wandering wildlife as our keepers introduce you to koalas, snakes, wombats, dingoes, alligators, tortoises and more. You can even have your photo taken with a giant python … if you dare!

City Hall
A great way to see the city is from the observation platform in the 85 metre clock tower of the City Hall. City Hall is situated in King George Square and is open Monday - Friday 8.30am - 4.30pm and Saturday 10.00am - 4.30pm. Alternatively travel to Mt Coot-tha for some spectacular views over Brisbane city and surrounding suburbs

Heritage Trail
Another great way to see the Brisbane sights is along the Brisbane Heritage Trail. You will pass many of Brisbane's historical and interesting buildings. Several of the buildings you will pass include Anzac Square, City Hall, Customs House, Old Government House, Old Windmill, and Parliament House.

There is also a wonderful walk along the Brisbane River, which takes you to the fabulous Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

South Bank
South Bank follows the Brisbane River along the southern side of the city. The South Bank parkland offers fabulous and attractive walkways, and pretty views and scenery. There is often plenty of live entertainment and attractions throughout the day and evening.Amongst South Bank's attractive parkland there is even its own man-made beach, making it a great place to relax.

There are also a wide range of restaurants and cafes to choose from with al fresco dining overlooking the river. If you'd prefer to do your own cooking then there are a number of picnic and BBQ areas along the South Bank.

Morton Island
The main resort o­n the island is at Tangalooma o­n the western coast of the island. There are plenty of activities you can get involved in whilst at the resort, including snorkelling, diving, fishing, or just relaxing by the pool. The main attraction, however, is the dolphin feeding which happens early every evening. Unfortunately this is o­nly available to the resort guests, although anyone can go to watch.

Just 768 kilometres south of the Tropic of Capricorn, Brisbane has a hot, humid climate which dictates the lifestyles of its residents.

While the summer maximum average temperate is o­nly 30oC, the summer months have some extremely hot days. People with fair skins need to be very wary in midday sunshine which can burn in a few minutes. Hats, cool clothing that protects from the sun, sunscreen and common sense are essentials to enjoying Brisbane summers.

The winter is mild and very pleasant. Most winter days are sunny with average temperatures of around 15oC.

For information about the bus, train and ferry services in the city call The Trans-Info Service between 6.00am - 10.00pm. Ph: 13 1230. You can also get information at the Queen Street Information Centre. From Brisbane Airport you can get directly to the Transit centre in the city, as well as the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

Buses
Buses around the city run up until about 11.00pm Monday - Saturday and 7.00pm o­n Sunday, with a more frequent service during the weekdays and o­n Saturday morning. There are various tickets available depending upon where you want to travel to.

If you just want to travel around the centre hop o­n the CityCircle Bus (number 333) which travels clockwise along George, Brisbane, Wharf, Eagle, Mary, Albert and Alice Streets during the daytime o­n weekdays.

Ferries
Brisbane also offers a ferry service that provides journeys across Brisbane River as well as along it. City Cats travel from Queensland University to the West right over to Bretts Wharf in the East, stopping at North Quay, South Bank, Riverside and New Farm Park along the way. They run at the following times:
Monday - Thursday 6.00am - 10.30pm
Friday - Saturday Until midnight
Sunday Until 8.30pm

There are plenty of places to eat out, in and around Brisbane. The city centre is packed with stylish cafes with loads of foods to choose from. There are lots of reasonable lunchtime eating places in the city, and a wide range of food types in the shopping malls food halls offering lots of choice and variation. There are also a number of 'all you can eat' restaurants which are reasonably priced and guaranteed to fill you up.

A number of reasonable but good quality cafes and restaurants can be found around Petrie Terrace and Paddington and also along South Bank. There are also a range of eating places in the Queen Stret Mall and along Albert Street. You'll find many places along Brunswick Street and outside Brunswick Street Mall. You'll also come across Brisbane's Chinatown in Fortitude Valley which hosts a number of restaurants and a great lively atmosphere. Many are situated along Duncan Street, where there is no shortage of Asian restaurants.

For cosmopolitan dining head to the West End. There are a wide range of modern cafes and several cheaper eating places as well. For a more upmarket eating area head along to the Eagle Street Pier Complex and the Riverside Centre. There are more modern cafes and excellent fine dining along both Hamilton's Racecourse Road and Milton's Park Road.

There are a wide range of shops in Brisbane for you to browse around. The main shops are situated along Queen Street and in the Queen Street Mall, and also in the Brunswick Mall. Queen Street Mall offers a wide range of shops amongst its 1200, as well as plenty of restaurants and cafes, cinemas, accommodation and a casino. You will also come across the Myer Centre which hosts around 200 shopping boutiques, as well as a large International food court.

If you are looking for something different or unique then there are various places you can head. There are some wonderful goods within Chinatown and Fortitude Valley. For designer boutiques stroll along Milton's Park Road, and for fantastic galleries visit New Farm. If you want to browse around some wonderful antiques then head to Paddinton, which offers great variety.

Brisbane also holds various markets. There are 3 weekend art and craft markets. if you want a wonderful and rather special market then head to the Friday Lantern Village along South Bank which is very pretty and open from 5.00pm - 10.00pm. Along South Bank you can also visit the Crafts Village which is open from 11.00am - 5.00pm o­n Saturday and from 9.00am - 5.00pm o­n Sunday.

The Fortitude Valley Market is in Brunswick Street Mall and hosts entertainment as well as market stalls to keep you occupied, every Saturday from 9.00am - 5.00pm. o­n Sunday you can head over to the Eagle Street where there are two markets. The Eagle Street Pier market is open from 8.00am - 4.00pm and the Riverside Market is open from 7.00am - 4.00pm.