Brisbane University (University of Queensland)

About Brisbane, Guide and Top Tourist Attractions
(Brisbane, Queensland - QLD, Australia)

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and the third largest city in Australia. It faces the Pacific Ocean on the east and straddles the Brisbane River, and many smaller creeks run like veins across the city. This makes it prone to floods, the worst being the Brisbane Flood of 1974 where 14 people died.

Nevertheless, Brisbane enjoys a comfortable climate and retains much of its natural coastal beauty. The lakes and riversides have long been tourist favourites, and many popular attractions are based around the city's abundance of water and marine resources.

Brisbane's coastal location makes it an ideal spot for trade, and not surprisingly, it is now considered one of Australia's leading business centres. Most major companies within and outside Australia have offices in Brisbane, and many electronics companies have distribution centres in the city.

What to do in Brisbane

First-time visitors to Brisbane will find that guided tours are very common in the city. Tours go around the city centre and the outskirts, giving you an overview of the many things Brisbane has to offer. Walks around the inner city will reveal an abundance of historic structures and monuments, while a trip to the city's edges will take you to the famous Brisbane coastline.

The Pacific makes for a great underwater view, which is why scuba diving is a popular activity in Brisbane. Scuba diving tours will take you on a luxurious boat ride to the Great Barrier Reef just off the Queensland coast, where you can explore the world's largest cluster of coral reefs.

Brisbane has a wide range of quality restaurants, offering everything from fries and burgers to the finest wines and seafood cuisine in the country. For a different experience, try enrolling in one of their unique food classes. Some of the highlights include a master barista course, a wine tasting workshop, and a chocolate appreciation course. Most courses offer packages for groups of up to 30.

Tourist Attractions

Brisbane has many historical buildings, especially around the inner city. A particularly intriguing structure is The Windmill in Wickham Park. It is Brisbane's oldest building, built by convicts in the 1820s. It used to house a treadmill for grinding grains, and became the first home of the Queensland Museum in 1828. The Windmill now serves as a weather observatory and remains an architectural wonder, attracting tourists and locals alike.

The Shrine of Remembrance in Anzac Square is a war memorial built as a tribute to the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac). Built of beautiful Helidon sandstone, the Shrine houses the Eternal Flame, a brass urn dedicated to the soldiers who died in conflict.

Brisbane also has many parks and gardens, perfect for family gatherings and recreational activities. The Roma Street Parkland is a maze of colorful flowers, green grass, and polished ground, commonly used as picnic grounds by touring families. Right in the Brisbane central business district lies the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, a large expanse of smooth landscape fronting a duckpond and offering a rich variety of plants. The Gardens are open 24 hours a day, with illuminated pathways in the evenings for a more romantic feel.