Your Ultimate Guide to Brisbane's South Bank Parklands

South Bank Parklands is Brisbane's lovechild of urban ambition and laid-back Aussie charm. This is where Streets Beach, a man-made slice of oceanic paradise, laps the feet of glassy skyscrapers, where bougainvillea-lined paths make way to heaving beer gardens, and culture meets sunbaked chaos.

The Grand Arbor, a kilometre-long serpentine sculptural installation, is equal parts zen garden and Instagram catnip. Walk it during the golden hour, and you'll feel like you've wandered onto the set of a scripted reality TV show. It's the kind of spot where you'll encounter joggers, tourists, and that guy who insists on doing Krav Maga in public. But South Bank doesn't judge, so neither will we.

For those little humans, the nearby Riverside Green Playground is ground zero for a good time. It's a huge, sprawling mass of climbing nets, swings, water features, and enough space to let them burn off all that energy. It's shaded, it's scenic, it's easily the best playground in Brisbane.

Ah, Streets Beach. Australia's only inner city man-made beach is the state's comeback for every person who ever said, “Why on Earth would you build Queensland's capital an hour's drive from the nearest beach? ”

It's a constructed lagoon fringed with white sand and subtropical rainforest, smack dab in the middle of the city and open from 5am til midnight every day of the week. Patrolled by lifeguards, families splash around in the shallows while backpackers build their base—sunburns on the daybeds. The best bit? It's the only beach in Australia guaranteed not to have any sharks, stingrays, or bluebottles.

Beside Streets' main beach are two otheraquatic spaces: Aquativity, a water-play park specifically for kids that's open from 9am to 7pm, and the Boat Pool which has ramp access for people with mobility issues or little ones learning to swim.

For those little humans, the nearby Riverside Green Playground is ground zero for a good time. It's a huge, sprawling mass of climbing nets, swings, water features, and enough space to let them burn off all that energy. It's shaded, it's scenic, it's easily the best playground in Brisbane.

The other South Bank attraction you can't miss, literally, is the Wheel of Brisbane. It sports 42 air conditioned carriages, guided narration, and pretty spectacular 360-degree views. From the top, you can take in the snaking Brisbane River, the shimmering skyline, and Mount Coot-tha.

Pro tip: For a place to lay your head that's right in the centre of all the action, Novotel Brisbane South Bank has amazing views of the parklands, Streets Beach, the Wheel, and greater Brisbane.

Address: Novotel Brisbane South Bank, 38 Cordelia Street, South Brisbane QLD 4101

Start virtuously, if you must, because South Bank is full of indulgence. The lush Epicurious Garden is open to the public and exists to help visitors to learn about growing and cooking their own produce. Fresh herbs and veggies are yours for the picking.

Very quickly Popolo's Italian will wreck your best-laid plans to "just have a little". Pizzas that blister in all the right places and arancini that taste like they've been kissed by the gods?

Baba Ganouj, on Gray Street, ambitiously mixes modern Lebanese dishes with traditional cooking methods to grace your table with delicious mezza platters.

Calida Argentinian's bistec tartare, picanha, and list of malbecs are as good as any you'll find in Buenos Aires, and Bourbon Street's combination of Southern, Creole, and French influences are a pretty good take on real Louisiana cooking. Basically, you can eat your way around the world within just a few streets of South Bank.

Pro tip: It doesn't all have to be fine dining, stake your claim on South Bank's emerald lawns, unpack that wicker basket, and uncork the wine for BYO heaven.

Address: South Bank Parklands, Clem Jones Promenade, South Brisbane QLD 4101

Adjacent to South Bank Parklands is Brisbane's impressive cultural precinct, home to QAGOMA (Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art), where entry is free, includes most exhibitions, screenings, and programs.

The nearby Queensland Museum is also primarily free, excluding their STEM space for kids, SparkLab, and some exhibitions and events. 

Making up the artistic trifecta in the precinct is the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), which shows everything from ballet to Wicked to comedy. Whether you're into modern art that makes you say, “I could've done that,” dinosaurs that make your inner (or actual) child squeal or beautiful dancing, this precinct has you covered.

Need a break from the crowds? Step into the Nepalese Peace Pagoda, a remnant of Expo '88. It's all intricate timber carvings and serene vibes, a tiny pocket of calm in the middle of South Bank's sensory overload.

In 1986, the United Nations International Year of Peace, the Kingdom of Nepal agreed to participate in World Expo '88 and the Peace Pagoda was built and is now the only international exhibit remaining on the site.

Pro tip: Wander through the pagoda's lower level to see its complex design up close.

Address: Find the Nepalese Peace Pagoda in the rainforest grove at the north-western end of South Bank Parklands.

South Bank's Clem Jones Promenade is your gateway to the city's life blood, its mighty river. The Brisbane River is known as the "Brown Snake" because of its chocolate color and long, winding riverbed.

For a curated experience, River City Cruises' morning tea cruise departs daily at 10:30am from the Cultural Centre Public Pontoon, offering a 90-minute narrated journey through Brisbane's storied waterways, like Kangaroo Point Cliffs and the Story Bridge, with a gorgeous high tea served on board.

If spontaneity, and saving money, is more your style, the CityHopper is a completely free ferry service operating every 36 minutes between 5:30am and midnight, seven days a week. CityHopper connects key inner-city stops from North Quay to Sydney Street, New Farm. Hop on and off at your leisure, exploring riverside precincts like South Bank, Riverside, and Howard Smith Wharves.

South Bank is a breeze to get to from any point in Brisbane. If you're staying in the CBD, it's a quick walk across the Victoria Bridge. For public transport, the South Bank Busway Station and South Brisbane Railway Station have you covered. Driving? There's an underground car park with plenty of spaces.

Pro tip: You can download the Ferry network map on the Translink website.

Address: South Bank car park is located at Little Stanley Street, South Bank

South Bank is a place where you can sip a malbec under fairy lights, paddle in a lagoon without sharks or crocs, and catch a live performance that'll make you wonder how you ever spent a Saturday scrolling.

This is Brisbane's living room, equal parts wild and welcoming, polished but never pretentious. And if you leave without feeling like you've taken a proper bite out of the Sunshine State then you're doing it wrong.