After nearly three decades of regeneration, Queensland’s capital has become one of Australia’s most sophisticated and dynamic cities. Much of its city centre is clustered around the snaking Brisbane river, which has been the focal point of new developments in the city since the 90s, giving rise to the South Bank cultural precinct and the adjoining River Quay and Eagle Street Pier, now home to some of Brisbane’s best restaurants and bars.
But it’s not just all about the bright lights and water views of the city centre. Like many great cities, Brisbane is also brought to life by its distinct villages and neighbourhoods, such as West End, Fortitude Valley and Spring Hill.
If one element – apart from its burgeoning dining scene – defines Brisbane’s resurgent spirit, it is the city’s run of chic hotel openings. Of these, the sleek Gambaro on Caxton Street – once the domain of seedy strip clubs – and the Johnson in nearby Spring Hill, an abstract-art-themed hotel, are the two with the most wow-factor. But with so many options, where should you start?
Morning
Another recent hotel arrival, the Capri, is worth booking into for the breakfast buffet in its Asana restaurant alone. Overseen by renowned paleo chef Pete Evans, it’s the most colourful and nutritious in town, with everything from chia seed puddings flavoured with berries, coconut and spirulina, to devilled eggs and cured salmon.
Alternatively, check out one of Brisbane’s villages by heading to West End and chef Ben O’Donoghue’s Billykart cafe, with its inviting industrial chic design and unbeatable huevos rancheros – baked eggs with pulled pork and black pudding. If you’re in the area on a Saturday morning, this’ll set you up beautifully for a wander around West End’s markets or, at any other time of the week, the suburb’s bookshops, boutiques and homeware shops. It should also be noted that Brisbane is a city full of great breakfasts, so it’s worth exploring all the other options as well.
Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
From West End take a stroll to Southbank and the pride of Brisbane’s cultural district, Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art (Goma). The city had much to celebrate when Goma opened in 2006 and became Australia’s largest gallery of modern and contemporary art – it has since hosted major retrospectives by Picasso, Warhol and Australian luminary Ron Mueck, among many others. Also worth a visit while you’re in the area is the adjacent Queensland Museum, home to a rich catalogue of the state’s cultural, natural and technological heritage.
After taking all of that in, you may want to cool off at South Bank’s beach and lagoon. There are plenty of lunch options nearby, too, including the superb Stokehouse Q, located beneath the Goodwill Bridge at Riverquay.
Afternoon
Farther on, within a “cooee” of the venue for the first Ashes Test, the neighbourhood around Woollongabba Logan Road is an interesting, up-and-coming corner of Brisbane. The strip includes the excellent Pearl cafe, Sorrelina’s – for authentic pizza and craft beer – and the convivial Canvas wine bar. Other fascinations here are the violin maker’s shop, and the Woollongabba Antiques Centre, a cavernous space choc-full of art deco, vintage furnishings and apparel, as well as a 50s-style cafe.
By late afternoon, while the adventurous might tackle a twilight Story Bridge climb for vertiginous views of Brisbane, the more sedate can walk back to the city centre via the Goodwill Bridge and continue through the riverside Botanic Gardens.
Evening
Either way, pre-dinner drinks at Eagle Street pier at the laid-back Riverbar, or upstairs at Pony, ensure stellar views of the river and the twinkling bridge – which you may or may not have just climbed. In any case, you’re sure to be in town for another night or two, so why not make a plan to head to another one of Brisbane’s great bars later in the week?
You can extend the riverside good vibes over dinner at Pony, with its premium meats cooked on the wood-fired grill, or at Jellyfish, for some of Australia’s best seafood. Farther along the riverside you’ll find stylish modern Italian at the recently opened Otto, with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing Story Bridge and eye-catching lampshades twirling overhead. While prime grilled meats adorn the menu, it’s what executive chef Will Cowper does with Queensland’s legendary seafood that takes Otto to the top of Brisbane’s dining (league) table. Try the polpo puttanesca starter – octopus with spicy napolitana sauce, capers and olives; the twisted pasta with banana prawns and calamari sauce; and the grilled Moreton Bay bugs, as satisfying and non-fussy an acquaintance as you’ll ever make with a lobster.
After dinner, head to Brisbane’s nightlife hub Fortitude Valley to imbibe a drink or two at one of its rooftop bars. Two bars above central Ann Street, Elixir, with its alchemically created cocktails, and Eleven, which claims Brisbane’s best skyline panoramas, will leave you with sparkling memories.
Finally, if you still have time and energy up your sleeve, step inside Madame Rouge, a bijou new bar and bistro back at street level. Presided over by a garrulous Irish owner, it’s a welcoming, intimately lit space, clad in long red curtains and Parisian art posters, where hours pass without you noticing.
- Brisbane hosts the first 2017-18 Ashes Test from 23 November 2017
For more information on what to do and where to go in Brisbane, check out this city guide
To reserve your seat and find out how to book your Ashes packages go to australia.com
For great deals on flights to Australia all year round, visit qantas.com
