Brisbane, Queensland — Activities
Brisbane Culture
Brisbane's arts and culture scene is thriving and nowhere is this more evident than in the impressive Queensland Cultural Center in the heart of the South Bank. Here you'll find the Queensland Museum (tel: (07) 3840 7555; www.qm.qld.gov.au), the outstanding Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (tel: (07) 3840 7303; www.qag.qld.gov.au), and the excellent Queensland Performing Arts Center (tel: (07) 3840 7444; www.qpac.com.au), which is the city's venue of choice for musicals, plays, ballet, operas and some music concerts.
Brisbane Powerhouse, 119 Lamington Street, New Farm (tel: (07) 3358 8600; www.brisbanepowerhouse.org), is one of the city's landmark arts centers, presenting cutting-edge local, national and international performances of drama, music, cabaret and comedy. La Boite is an alternative theater company that performs at the Roundhouse Theater, 6-8 Musk Avenue in Kelvin Grove (tel: (07) 3007 8600; www.laboite.com.au).
There are several mainstream cinemas on the Queen Street Mall, including the Brisbane City Regent (tel: (07) 3229 5949; www.eventcinemas.com.au). The Schonell, on Union Road at the University of Queensland (tel: (07) 3377 2229; www.schonell.com), opened in 1970 and is Brisbane's original independent arthouse cinema. There are outdoor cinema screenings in summer at the Brisbane Powerhouse at New Farm Park, 119 Lamington Street (www.moonlight.com.au) and sometimes on the South Bank too.
For further information on what's on in the city, head to the visitor information center of check www.ourbrisbane.com/whatson.
Brisbane Tours
Brisbane is a wonderful city to discover on foot owing to its size and the relatively flat landscape. Brisbane City Council (tel: (07) 3404 8888) runs the CityWalk, a self-guided tour through the heart of the city taking in Brisbane's heritage highlights. The trail begins at the Visitor Information Center (tel: (07) 3006 6290; www.visitbrisbane.com.au). Free guided walks of the City Botanic Gardens depart from the rotunda opposite the Albert Street gates at twice daily Monday to Saturday.
There are numerous city tours on offer, both by bus and by water. The City Sights bus tour run by Brisbane Transport (tel: 131 230, in Australia only; www.citysights.com.au) is a hop-on, hop-off bus that shuttles around 19 of the city's major landmarks. Alternatively, jump aboard a white wooden paddle steamer with Kookaburra River Queens (tel: (07) 3221 1300; www.kookaburrariverqueens.com) and cruise up and down the river. Another option is to explore the river by the City CAT (tel: 131 230, in Australia only).
