Brisbane Top Ten Tourist Attractions

10 great things to see and do in Brisbane

1. River cruise: start your city exploration with a bargain-priced (just a few dollars off peak) tour and ride with the wind in your hair on one of the high-speed City Cats that cruise the Brisbane River for 19km from St Lucia to Hamilton.

2. Story Bridge Adventure Climb: one of only three bridge climbs in the world (the others are Sydney and Auckland) it’s a two-and-a-half-hour climb that takes you out onto the eastern side of the bridge, up the steep rise to the summit approximately 80 metres above sea level for breathtaking views over the river city. From $110. www.storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au

3. Park it:

Brisbane is a green city –almost 25 per cent of its area is bushland and in all, the city has 9,500ha of bush and 1,500 parks and public gardens making it an easy city to find a shady place to sit and watch the world go by. Find a quiet spot in the City Botanic Gardens at Riverside or take one of the best urban walks in Australia along the Energex Brisbane Arbour, a one-kilometre path that winds its way through South Bank Parklands.

4. Smell the roses in one of the largest rose gardens in the southern hemisphere at

New Farm Park

www.newfarmpark.com.au

5. Roma Street Parklands:

take a walk through the largest, subtropical city garden in the world which features 16 acres of spectacular horticultural displays, distinctive architecture, sweeping vistas and unique artwork.

6. Sip champagne at sunset on the

'rooftop of Brisbane'

at Mount Coot-tha Lookout or grab a blanket and take in the spectacular city skyline from Captain Burke Park below the Story Bridge at Kangaroo Point.

7. Queensland Art Gallery and Museum of Modern Art:

aside from the excellent exhibitions, including the permanent collection (which includes one of the world's largest collections of Asian and Aboriginal art) the price-tag is also attractive: free. Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Open daily from 10am til 5pm. Free entry. www.qag.qld.gov.au

8. The Museum of Brisbane:

on the ground floor of Brisbane's iconic City Hall in King George Square explores Brisbane's contemporary culture, heritage and people. Displays combine social history, visual arts, craft and design – and entry is free, with free tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 11am. www.museumofbrisbane.com.au

9. Loop the loop:

take to the skies above Brisbane in a fighter plane. Flying Fighter Adventures, based at Archerfield airfield on the outskirts of the city has a collection of 22 lovingly-restored fighter planes ranging from vintage Tiger Moths to Vietnam era bombers. The 30-minute Trojan T-28 combat mission combines simulated combat with high-speed, high-adrenalin aerobatics and fighter evasion manoeuvring that includes barrel rolls, loops and heart-stopping airshow tricks in an American Navy bomber. You haven’t flown until you’ve flown upside down! www.flyingfighters.com.au

10. Spin out:

WRX Experience, located at Pimpama has a purpose-built track and a Rally spec Subaru Impreza WRX STi rally car, with 350 horsepower at your disposal. By the sixth lap, you’ll be flinging yourself (safely) around the track as you drift and slide your way around the circuit, thankful that the ‘trees’ you keep ploughing over are, in this instance, plastic traffic cones. www.thewrxexperience.com