Green City Guide: Brisbane

Brisbane is the largest city in Queensland, the sunshine state. It's the gateway to the far north and to some of Australia's most spectacular rainforests, and a popular jumping off point to the Sunshine Coast and the Great Barrier Reef.
 

Explore

Brisbane, known as the river city, is a few miles inshore from the Pacific Ocean with the Brisbane river winding its way through the heart of the city. The Central Business District (CBD) is the main shopping area, museums and galleries can be found on the south side of the river in the Southbank district, and student areas such as Fortitude Valley and the West End are the most lively, cultural hubs of the city. The sub tropical climate makes it an ideal Australian winter destination as the temperatures are a little cooler and ideal for exploring the city's excellent parks, gardens and walks.

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Attractions

Brisbane's CBD is a great area to explore by foot. Many of the main tourist areas are traffic free and include scenic riverside walks, botanic gardens, tree lined avenues and even the traffic light control boxes are brightly decorated by local artists. One of the most popular areas for a stroll, jog or picnic is the Southbank. As well as plenty of grass areas and public barbeque spots the Southbank boats the Arbour - a one kilometer walk blending sculpture with plant life and the Streets Beach is Australia's only beach in the middle of a city.

Southbank is also Brisbane's art district and housed in some rather uninspiring gray concrete buildings, you'll find the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, the Queensland Library and the Queensland Museum - which is free to visit and has several wildlife related exhibitions.

From Southbank a short walk over the Goodwill Bridge brings you to the excellent Botanic Gardens, which feature a bamboo grove, ornamental ponds and a Mangrove boardwalk. For more greenery the Roma Street Parklands offer some great views over the city and walks through rainforests and palm groves. Free guided walks around the parkland take place twice a day.

Some of the best views of the city, however, are from the river itself. The Story Bridge Climb gives you a chance to clamber to the top of the Story Bridge for some unparalleled views over the city. The climb takes around two and a half hours to complete and is limited to small groups. Alternatively the Riverlife Adventure Center runs kayak tours along the river, and hires out pumpabikes - human powered hydrofoils, for a unique way to see the city from the river. Adventurers can also try rock climbing and skydiving at activity centers near Brisbane.

Green attractions can also be found a little further afield from the CBD. The Mount Coot-tha botanic gardens, around five miles from the CBD, offers the best views of Brisbane's skyline and can be reached by a hike through the forest or by bus. Guided tours are also available here.

For a chance to get up close and personal with some of Australia's native wildlife take a visit to the Lone Pine koala sanctuary, a short bus ride from the city. Here you can feed kangaroos and wallabies and learn more Australia's wildlife. Take a one hour journey north of the city and you'll find plenty more wildlife encounters on the Gold Coast. Visitors can dive with sharks and feed seals at Underwater World, or take a Moreton Bay boat cruise to see dolphins in their natural habitat.

Shopping

Department stores and large shopping malls dominate Brisbane's CBD, but with decent music pumped out through speakers along the streets and plenty of public art dotted around the city, shopping isn't too bad. Head over to The Valley for some of Brisbane's best independent stores and markets, this suburb is home to Brisbane's Chinatown and every weekend dozens of stall holders set up and sell clothes and gifts.

The West End is also a good area to find second hand and thrift stores; one of the most popular is Box Vintage, which sells vintage and retro clothing. The West End is also where you'll find the Green Flea market, which sells fresh organic produce, clothes and second-hand items.

Food and Drink

The organic food movement is still in its infancy in Australia, but Brisbane is home to a few organic cafes and restaurants. Mondo Organics Restaurant, as its name suggests, serves mostly organic food and fish from sustainable sources, and they even run regular organic food cookery courses. In the West End the excellent Sol Breads Bakery specializes in organic sourdough breads, and in the Vulture Street cafe you can watch the bakers at work while you tuck into organic pastas and sandwiches.

If you're eating in pop down to one of Brisbane's organic markets to grab some fresh, local produce. Fortitude Valley's Chinatown Mall boasts Brisbane's only Friday night fresh produce market, but for the widest range of organic fruit and veg, and a healthy breakfast, head over to the Northey Street City Farm in Windsor on a sunday morning.

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Green Accommodation

Eco-friendly Budget

Cloud 9 Backpackers This eco-friendly hostel makes use of solar power and gray water, operates a recycling program, has a rooftop terrace and is only five minutes from the transit center. Beds are available in four to 10 bed dorms. Book at Hostelworld

Bunk Backpackers Bunk is a luxury backpackers complete with its own pool, spa and bar and a great location in Fortitude Valley. Book at Hostelworld

Valley Verandas A small hostel in a historic Queenslander style building, with a cozy fireplace, large verandas and a large back garden. Offers free pickup from the transit center. Book at Hostelworld

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Going Green

Like many of Australia's cities, Brisbane is struggling with water shortages and the effects of climate change, but Brisbane City Council is one of the more pro-active councils in the country, recently, for instance, they launched a green scheme dubbed City Smart, created to help Brisbane go carbon neutral by 2026. Although many of the green initiatives are aimed at Brisbane residents the project also involves a greening up of the city center. Plans are in place to build new 'green avenues' between the city attractions and to replace the entire diesel bus fleet with Compressed Natural Gas buses.

The council are also aiming to make Brisbane a far more bicycle friendly city. Their plans include expanding the cycle path network, continuing to install solar powered cats eyes and overhead lights on cycle paths, and in early 2008, the King George Square Cycle Center is expected to open, which will feature secure bike parking, lockers, showers and changing room facilities for cyclists.

In early September the city also hosts the annual River Festival, a celebration of the city's waterways and environment, with dragon boat races, tree planting events, eco-related art works and even public seminars on climate change.

Brisbane is a great base for trips to National Parks such as Fraser Island and the Daintree rainforest and if you do join a nature tour, look out for eco-friendly operators who will have an Eco-tourism Australia certification.

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Nightlife

Nightlife in the CBD is a little stale, but take the short trip over to Fortitude Valley and you'll find some lively bars and live music venues that stay open until late. Aussie's like their beer and there's always plenty on tap - often resulting in plenty of dancing on tables too.

For organic beers and wines the Forest Cafe is one of Brisbane's only options, this cafe bar in the West End also has regular live music, comedy and film nights. Brisbane has an excellent local music scene and has produced big name bands such as Powderfinger and the Butterfly Effect, and you discover the latest up and coming bands in venues such as the Press Club, The Zoo and The Globe - a venue with a sloping floor so you can always see the band.

The annual Valley Fiesta, a free music festival held in Fortitude Valley, hosts everything from gypsy funk to rock and classical quartets over one weekend in September, and is great event at which to catch Brisbane bands before they hit the big time - and once bands do make a name for themselves they're more likely to be found on the Riverstage in the botanical gardens - a great outdoor venue for the bigger touring bands.

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Getting Around

	The Citytrain service operates routes to Brisbane's suburbs including the Sunshine Coast and the airport. Buy a translink ticket and you'll be able to use the trains, ferry and numerous bus services with the same ticket. Special late night services also run on friday and saturday nights.
	Bicycles can be hired from Cycle Brisbane and as they can be taken onboard the ferries, they are a great way to explore Brisbane. Helmets are compulsory and cyclists can use the sidewalk. Secure cyclepod bike stations are located at several CityCat terminals.
	Brisbane has a decent bus service with routes from the CBD connecting most suburbs. A free CBD loop bus also runs daily and stops at several destinations including Central Station, Queen Street Mall, City Botanic Gardens and King George Square.
	High speed CityCat ferries shoot up and down the river to the city's suburbs, and inner city and cross river ferry services connect the main attractions

Getting There

	Queensland's Traveltrain service connects Brisbane to other tourist destinations in the state, several on some very scenic routes. Trains depart from the Roma street transit hub.
	Brisbane's international and domestic airports are next to each other in the suburb of Eagle Farm, around 20 minutes from the CBD. The Airtrain is the fastest way to get downtown, trains leave every half an hour.

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