Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.visitsouthbank.com.au
;
Grey St; dawn-dusk)
This beautiful smear of green - technic-
ally on the western side of the Brisbane River - is home to performance spaces, sculp-
tures, buskers, eateries, bars, pockets of rainforest, BBQ areas, bougainvillea-draped per-
golas and hidden lawns. The big-ticket attractions here are Streets Beach (
Click here
)
, a
kitsch artificial swimming beach resembling a tropical lagoon (packed on weekends); and
adult/child/family $15/10/42; 11am-9.30pm Mon-Thu, 10am-11pm Fri & Sat, 10am-10pm Sun)
, which offers
360-degree views from its 60m heights. Rides last around 10 minutes and include audio
commentary (and air-con!).
Also in the parklands is
Stanley St Plaza
, a renovated section of historic Stanley St lined
with kitschy, mainstream cafes, shops, restaurants and a pub. The touristy/New Age South
Bank Lifestyle Markets (
Click here
)
happen here on Friday nights and on Saturdays and
Sundays.
Not far away,
Courier-Mail Piazza
is an outdoor performance space that screens big-ticket
sporting events and movies during school holidays, both for free.
Queensland Museum & Sciencentre
MAP
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
(
www.southbank.qm.qld.gov.au
;
cnr Grey & Melbourne Sts; Sciencentre adult/child/family $13/10/40;
9.30am-5pm)
Queensland's history is given the once-over here, with interesting exhib-
its including a skeleton of the state's own dinosaur
Muttaburrasaurus
(aka 'Mutt'), and
the
Avian Cirrus,
the tiny plane in which Queenslander Bert Hinkler made the first
England-to-Australia solo flight in 1928. Have a snack to a whale soundtrack in the out-
door 'Whale Mall'.
Also here is the Sciencentre, an educational fun house with over 100 hands-on, interact-
ive exhibits that delve into life science and technology. Expect long queues during school
holidays.
Queensland Art Gallery
MAP
GALLERY
GOOGLE MAP
(QAG;
www.qagoma.qld.gov.au
; Melbourne St; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun)
Duck into
the QAG to see the fine permanent collection. Australian art dates from the 1840s to the
1970s: check out works by celebrated masters including Sir Sydney Nolan, Arthur Boyd,
William Dobell and George Lambert. Free guided tours are available at 1pm.
