Brisbane, locally called “Brissy” or “Bris Vegas”, is the capital of the state of Queensland in Australia. It’s popular with backpackers due to its proximity to beautiful islands, Australia Zoo and city life. As someone who isn’t a fan of cities, I love Brisbane. It has all the best parts of a city without feeling overcrowded or overwhelming. There’s lots to see and do and is a great base for those on a working holiday/temporary working visa. This guide explains the highlights of what to do within the main city.
Where to stay in Brisbane?
There’s a range of hostels including the standard YHA and Selina. If you’re here on a working holiday and plan on staying a few months a flat share is going to work out much cheaper which you can find on flatmates.com. If you’re visiting briefly best place to book hostels is on Booking.com.
Where to go in Brisbane?
Brisbane is made up of various suburbs which all have their own style. South Bank is a popular spot, has the wheel of Brisbane, City Beach and great weekend markets as well as the main theatre.
Fortitude Valley is the party town. Although there are bars and restaurants in every neighbourhood this is where most of the night clubs are. But round the corner from Wickham Street and the nightclubs is James Street which is very upmarket, has independent cinemas, the Calile Hotel, fancy restaurants and reasonably priced bakeries including James Street Bakery.
Paddington has a range of antique stores – again great at a weekend.
The CBD has all the high end and high street stores you could want as well as bars and restaurants (some may be shut at weekends).
Best Bar in Brisbane
If you’ve only got a night or two you really should go to Felon’s Bar. It’s a huge complex you can always grab a table or bar stool and it boasts amazing views of Story Bridge and CBD.
Brunch and more
Australia has an amazing coffee culture. Coffee shops are really reasonably priced and often independently run. You hardly ever see a Starbucks. The brunch game is also seriously strong. My favourite brunch in Brisbane so far as been Andonis, amazing portions and quality!
How to get around Brisbane
Currently you need to get a Go Card (available to purchase at 711) to use public transport including trains and buses and ferries. This is annoying and slightly archaic coming from the UK where everything is contactless but contactless card payments are on their way to Brisbane in preparation for the 2032 Olympics. Once you’ve got your Go Card and set up auto payments its really seamless just tap on and tap off. The public transport ferries (the City Cat) is a great way to get around the city and have some stunning scenic views at a fraction of the cost of a private river cruise.