Brisbane may not be as famous as other Australian tourist magnet cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth, but it still rewards its visitors with wonderful attractions.
From the cool neighborhoods of West End or Fortitude Valley, to beautiful walks through parks such as Roma St Parkland or amazing views from Kangaroo Point, and relaxing spaces in the South Bank, the city is famous for proudly maintaining a mix of old and new. As such, Victorian cathedrals and buildings will be interspersed by modern skyscrapers.
The riverside cafes, breweries, wine spots, and parks, coupled with the intense sun that shines all year round on the city, make Brisbane a beautiful city to enjoy by simply being on its riverside.
It is also an excellent destination as a starting point for the nearby surfer paradise cities of Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, as well as completely different scenery in the hinterlands.
Contents
Bucket List
3-day itinerary
What to expect
Australia Info & Stats
- Language: English is the official language.
- Ethnic Make-up: Caucasian 90%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 3%
- Timezone: [UTC +8, UTC + 10]
- Religions: Protestant 23%, Roman Catholic 22%, other Christian 24%, non-Christian 11%, Muslim 3%, Buddhist 2% Other 15%
- Political System: Democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign
- Currency: The Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Credit Cards: Credit cards are widely used and many places will not accept cash payments
- Electricity: Socket Type I, 240 volt / 50 hertz
- Tipping Customs: Not expected, but appreciated
- Haggling Culture: Not common
Weather
Brisbane is blessed by intense, really intense sunshine, with an average of 300 days of sun per year, and has average temperatures of around 20 in the winter months and 26 in the summer.
The summer between November and March is the humid season and the city can experience heavy storms. This lowers the prices of hotels and activities but raises the risk of rainfalls and generally has a lot of humidity).
In any case, no matter the time of year, Brisbane receives a lot of sun.
Money
The currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD, $).
The exchange rate from US Dollars is 1 USD = 1 AUD.
Credit Cards are widely accepted everywhere. ATMs are widely distributed around the city.
Prices: Brisbane is slightly cheaper than other major cities such as Melbourne or Sydney, but still falls plenty inside the Australian large city brackets. It is not cheap
Tipping: Tipping customs are actually not very clear. It is certainly not mandatory and many people don’t tip. However, because of its touristic aspect and Western and US influences, tipping is also done frequently. As such it is a way in between and when tips are given they are usually 10%.
Trivia pill
In 1932 Australia declared war! On Emus. In an attempt to curtail the large bird population, the army started an organized campaign to limit their numbers.
Fun fact: they “lost” as the effort and ammunition used were economically disadvantageous and sending large regiments to gun down individual Emus was not cost-effective. There were multiple attempts but all failed. A different strategy of placing bounties on Emus was more successful and more than 57,000 bounties were collected.
Getting around
Given its sunny weather and relatively flat landscape, cycling is a viable alternative to exploring the city.
Within the inner city circle (aka CBD) there is a bus loop that is free.
The Go card covers all buses, rail networks, and ferries throughout the city,
Uber, Lyft cars, etc also operate quite extensively and taxis are easy to find.
Driving around is also quite manageable thanks to the significant streets and pretty fluent traffic.
Walking around the neighborhoods such as South Bank, the CBD, and Fortitude Valley is a delight.
Safety
Safety: Like much of the rest of Australia, Brisbane is very safe when it comes to people risks.
Natural risks: The weather patterns are the biggest risk in Brisbane, from the usual scorching Sun to more extreme weather conditions such as winds and floods from the coast or river
Emergencies number: 000
Tips & Impressions
- As mentioned in other articles on Australian cities, the sun is unforgiving in its rays so wear sunscreen to avoid getting cooked
- The climb on the Story Bridge is supposedly very engaging and there are various routes and itineraries that can go all the way to the top for a more adrenalinic experience. That being said, the prices are very high.
- Despite being practically on the coast, Brisbane does not have a city outlet on the sea and is instead traversed by a river. That puts it in stark contrast with many other cities on the Eastern Coast, and you will not find surfers, long stretches of beaches, or rocky cliffs.
- Despite being a large city with an active business district, the coastal location and characteristic Australian laid-back attitude reflect on the clothes people wear. As such dressing in sandals and shirts is rightfully commonplace.
Deals for Brisbane
Where to stay
My accommodation was Park Regis North Quay
