7 Things To Do in Brisbane, Australia

 Our flight in and out of Australia was through Brisbane. However based on research and recommendations, there seemed to be more family friendly activies in Gold Coast which was just an hour's drive away. Gold Coast is home to a lot of theme parks and we actually went to Movie World and Sea World during our stay there.

There are still a lot of things to see and do in Brisbane though. Brisbane is actually a very modern, vibrant city and what I really appreciated was how nice and friendly the people were. From the Uber drivers who kept offering us candy and water, to random people on the street who would insist to take our family photos. :)

Anyway, here are 7 fun things you can do in Brisbane, Australia:

1. Ride the FREE CityHopper Ferry

I always check for any free activities or tours whenever I visit a new country. And Brisbane offers a free ferry service, the CityHopper, which makes exploring the city so much easier.

The CityHopper service runs every 30 minutes between 6am and midnight daily. It travels along the Brisbane River, stopping at North Quay, South Bank 3, Maritime Museum, Thornton Street, Eagle Street Pier, Holman Street, Dockside and Sydney Street terminals.

All you need to do is hop on and hop off as many times as you'd like and enjoy taking in the Brisbane River and city sights. You can visit TransLink's website to plan your journey and for an updated timetable.

We rode the ferry from South Bank 3 at around 5pm and it was already starting to get dark. The ferry has 2 levels and we sat on the top part which was open air. It was very cold but seeing the city at night with all the pretty lights was worth it. The kids enjoyed it so much they didn't want to get off! ;p

Brisbane River

the iconic Story Bridge

the Brisbane cityscape at night

2. Walk through South Bank

South Bank is Brisbane’s premier lifestyle and cultural destination. Located on the southern banks of the Brisbane River, it includes 17 hectares of parklands, restaurants, cafes, bars, boutiques, museums and galleries. Lots of free activities for families and kids too like playgrounds and swimming areas.

take a stroll along the Brisbane River

Wheel of Brisbane

Boat Pool

the Arbour, a kilometre-long walkway awning located in the Parklands

playgrounds

interactive water-play park

3. Go swimming at Streets Beach

A beach in the middle of the city! Located in South Banks Parklands, this man-made beach boasts a sparkling lagoon surrounded by white, sandy beaches and sub-tropical plants. It is free to use and is patrolled by lifeguards all year round.

4. Have a photo in the Brisbane sign

The giant Brisbane sign is a popular tourist attraction located in South Bank (near the Wheel of Brisbane).

We even saw a lot of people playing and climbing on top of the letters! This is definitely the perfect spot to have a souvenir photo of your trip to Brisbane.

5. Visit the City Hall and Museum of Brisbane

The Museum of Brisbane is located on Level 3 of Brisbane City Hall. The museum explores contemporary and historic Brisbane, Australia, and its people through a program of art and social history exhibitions, workshops, talks, tours and children's activities. And the best part, entry to the museum is free!

6. Go shopping at Queens Street Mall

The Queen Street Mall is a vibrant shopping and lifestyle area that lies at the heart of Brisbane City and is Australia's most popular pedestrian mall. There's tons of shopping options ranging from high end to department stores like Target, Coles, Cotton On, Forever 21 and more. Plus, lots of different food options.

7. Hug a koala and feed some kangaroos

This was definitely on the top of my bucket list for this trip since I wasn't able to do this when I visited Sydney before. You can either go to the Australia Zoo or Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary for this unforgettable experience.

We really had a great time in Brisbane! Only complaint if any is that mostly everything here closes so early (like on average around 5-6pm) but I think that's standard in Australia. It's still a wonderful place for families and I love how there's a lot of free activities and attractions for everyone to enjoy. :)