Brisbane

Brisbane sits on a river about 25km inland, so it has no surf beach of its own. In town, people swim at Streets Beach, a man-made lagoon with sand in the South Bank parklands, and in the large outdoor public pools. The bayside suburbs of Redcliffe and Wynnum face Moreton Bay, where the water is calm but often murky and the shore is muddy at low tide.

The real beaches start about an hour away. The Gold Coast lies to the south and the Sunshine Coast to the north, with long sandy surf beaches, patrolled flags and sea temperatures around 26°C in summer. North Stradbroke and Moreton islands, a ferry ride out across the bay, have emptier sand and clearer water. Beach days are easy and good, but from a Brisbane base each one is a day out.

Brisbane eats outdoors for most of the year, and its best food comes from the warm climate: mangoes, avocados and macadamias from the farms nearby, prawns and Moreton Bay bugs (a kind of flat lobster) from the coast, and long weekend breakfasts on shaded verandas. Coffee is good everywhere, and the café is the centre of local food life.

The restaurants cluster in a few areas. Fortitude Valley and nearby James Street have the polished dining rooms. West End has cheap Greek, Vietnamese and other immigrant cooking, and the riverside warehouses at Newstead and Teneriffe hold small breweries. Weekend farmers' markets and night food markets make for easy grazing. The standard is solid, but there is not much a visitor would call a Brisbane dish.

The best of Brisbane's culture is the Cultural Centre at South Bank. The Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art stand side by side there and have a strong collection of Asia-Pacific and Aboriginal art. The State Library and the Queensland Museum are next door. Across the river, the sandstone Treasury and Parliament House, the domed City Hall and the steel Story Bridge mark the colonial and interwar city.

The most distinctive architecture is the timber Queenslander house on stilts, which lines the hilly streets of Paddington and New Farm. Apart from that, the city centre is mostly modern towers, and two or three days cover the main sights.

Going out in Brisbane mostly means Fortitude Valley. Its streets around the Chinatown and Brunswick Street malls are packed with pubs, rooftop bars and clubs, and on Friday and Saturday nights they fill with a young local crowd. Licensing rules close most venues well before dawn. West End and Paddington have neighbourhood pubs and craft beer bars, and the CBD and Eagle Street riverfront have after-work drinking and rooftop terraces with skyline views.

Most nights out are mainstream and casual. Warm evenings carry the mood outdoors, which is pleasant, but the scene is small and quiets down early on weeknights.

Brisbane has bush on its doorstep. Mount Coot-tha, with its lookout and walking tracks, is a short drive from the centre, and D'Aguilar National Park begins on the city's western edge. Cycle paths and boardwalks follow the river for kilometres, and kayaking and paddleboarding on the river are popular.

Going further out, the hinterland is the main draw. The subtropical rainforest of Lamington and Springbrook, part of the World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests, lies about an hour and a half south, with waterfalls, glow worms and long ridge walks. To the north, the volcanic Glass House Mountains rise from the plain. Out in Moreton Bay, Moreton Island has huge sand dunes and snorkelling over shipwrecks, and dolphins and turtles live in the bay. Humpback whales pass offshore in winter. Summer brings heat and storms, so the cooler months from May to September are the best time for walking.

Most day trips from Brisbane go to the coasts and their hinterland villages rather than to historic towns. The Gold Coast is about an hour away by car or train. Noosa, at the far end of the Sunshine Coast, is a chic resort town on a river mouth. The hill villages of Montville, Maleny and Tamborine Mountain have galleries, craft shops and small wineries. Inland over the Great Dividing Range, Toowoomba is a garden city known for its spring flower festival.

The outings are easy and relaxed, but there is little heritage of note within reach, and most of the best days out are about scenery and beaches rather than towns.

Brisbane is easy with children. In the centre, the South Bank parklands have a free lagoon with a sandy edge and playgrounds, and the Queensland Museum has a hands-on science centre. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary sits on the river in the western suburbs, and the river ferries are a ride children enjoy for its own sake. Streets are safe, parks are everywhere and families are welcome in cafés and pubs.

The Gold Coast's cluster of theme parks, water parks and a marine park is about an hour south. Australia Zoo is about an hour north. Both make long but very doable days from a Brisbane base, which helps if you want a theme-park vacation without staying on the strip. The humid heat and fierce sun of summer call for planning around the middle of the day.

The centre is small. The CBD, South Bank, West End and Fortitude Valley can be walked or linked by riverside paths and bridges, though the hills and summer humidity make longer walks tiring. The best way to travel is the river: the CityCat and cross-river ferries stop along the river through the inner suburbs, and the trip is a pleasant sightseeing ride in itself.

Beyond the river, a suburban rail network of about a dozen lines runs out from the central stations to Ipswich, Redcliffe, Cleveland on the bay and up towards the Sunshine Coast. One through-route links the airport with the Gold Coast. Dedicated busways fill in the gaps, and trains, buses and ferries share one fare system. Further out, the city spreads thinly, and the rainforest parks, hinterland villages and most coastal outings are far easier with a car.

Most shopping in Brisbane is in the city centre. The pedestrian Queen Street Mall has the department stores and chains, and the heritage arcades nearby hold smaller shops. Edward Street has a short run of luxury labels, and James Street in Fortitude Valley has local fashion and homewares. Paddington's antique shops and vintage stores spread along a winding ridge road.

Weekend markets at South Bank and the farmers' markets add handmade goods and local produce. The range is pleasant but not deep, and Brisbane has no craft or style of its own that would make shopping a reason to visit.

Brisbane is an expensive city for most visitors, though easier on the budget than Australia's two biggest cities. Restaurant meals, alcohol and taxis cost what they do across Australia, which is a lot by international standards. Hotel rooms in the centre are pricier when major events are on.

Some things soften the cost. Public transport is cheap, the main galleries and museums are free, the South Bank lagoon costs nothing, and cafés and food markets make for good casual meals. A careful traveller can keep spending down, but the city never feels cheap.

The Queensland Performing Arts Centre at South Bank is the heart of the formal scene. It is home to the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Opera Queensland, Queensland Ballet and Queensland Theatre, and it also hosts touring musicals. The Brisbane Powerhouse, a converted power station in New Farm, stages comedy, cabaret and smaller theatre. The Brisbane Festival fills each September with outdoor and indoor performances.

Fortitude Valley has a busy live-music circuit, from historic theatres hosting touring bands to small rooms where local acts play original music. Brisbane has a long history of producing bands. Something is on most nights, but the offer is mid-sized and draws a mainly local audience.

Brisbane has no thermal springs or bathhouse tradition. Its nearest equivalent is outdoor swimming: heritage public pools such as the Spring Hill Baths of 1886, and lap pools open to the sky in many suburbs. Spas are mostly in the bigger hotels, with day spas in the inner suburbs.

The city's real strength is its pace. Long, warm evenings, riverside parks and unhurried café mornings make it an easy place to slow down. For a proper retreat, visitors head to the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast hinterlands, where mountain lodges and spas sit among the rainforest about an hour and a half away.