This particular topic is something we spoke about a lot while in Brisbane! Don't get me wrong we're not exactly scraping the barrel in terms of funds but who doesn't love something free! With a lot of searching on many a website and a handy little Lonely Planet book for reference, I've put together a list of 5 Free Things Do do In Brisbane!
City Hopper Free Cruise
Brisbane City Council started this service over ten years ago now and it runs every thirty minutes up and down the Brisbane River. It's a super service and although it doesn't cover every stop along the river, it certainly covers the main city centre stops. Why not hop on for a spectacular view of the city from the river. We hopped on and off and few times, exploring Kangaroo Point Park Cliffs and South Bank.
Brisbane City’s Botanic Gardens
There is nothing I love more about a city than when there are beautiful landscaped gardens in the middle of the high rise buildings. Offering somewhat of a retreat from the city's CBD lies these beautiful gardens stretching to 49 acres. Wow-wee! Again owned by Brisbane City Council and very well maintained.
We often grabbed a coffee from 7-11 (okay technically not free, but at $1 for a small coffee, it practically is!) and took a stroll around the park.
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens as seen from Kangaroo Point Cliff Walk
Inner City Beach
We had not heard about this little gem so you can imagine our surprise when we came across it during our morning stroll. We were gutted that we had not packed our bathers, but to be honest we didn’t really think we would quite literally stumble across a beach in the middle of a city! As Australia’s only inner-city and man-made sandy beach this one is definitely up there as one of the top things to do in Brisbane, let alone the Top 5 FREE Things to do in Brisbane.
South Bank Loop
South Bank is Brisbane's lifestyle and cultural hub. Bars and restaurants line the riverside offering food styles for any budget, although more so for those not on a budget like ours! The area itself is a beautiful walk and a pedestrian bridge links this side of the city up with the CBD area. We hopped on the City Hopper for a stop or two and then took a stroll along South Bank and across the bridge. Beautiful walk and lovely views!
Queensland Museum
I’m not a museum-snob (I swear!) in fact I often find them quite boring but I think they had an excellent exhibition during our visit. This interactive exhibition incorporated Brisbane locals, asking them a number of questions on local and worldwide issues. They also incorporated those who have emigrated to Brisbane and asking them what brought them to Brisbane and even Australia. There are interactive screens for you, the visitor, to give your views also. With the museums ever-changing exhibitions there’s surely something there to interest everyone!
Above is the City Hall. The Museum is located on Level 3
CityCycle
I can count don’t worry, but I feel this must get a mention even though it’s not free! My sixth (almost free, I promise!) thing to do in Brisbane is to rent bicycles from CityCycle. For just $2/each a day you ride around in these bad boys for the whole day. As long as each journey is under 30 minutes the journey is free, and I promise there are bicycles stations ALL over the city.
Therefore for a price of a coffee (or two if you get the ones from 7-11 like me) you can whizz around the city like a pro in no time and explore the cites state of the art riverside cycle paths!
I enjoyed this most of anything we did in Brisbane. The cycle paths are solely for cyclists and pedestrians and offer an unparalleled view of the city.
That's it for now folks, I hope you enjoyed my pick of the Top 5 Things To Do In Brisbane.
If you've any questions you know what to do!