Prior to the 1988 World Expo, I’m told, the city of Brisbane, Australia was little more than a sprawling country town, in spite of it having been the capital of Queensland then as it is now. As the Expo came and went, the government began pouring money and energy into revitalizing Brisbane, which at the time came dead last in size and reputation among Australia’s large cities.
Today the center of a metropolitan area with more than 2 million inhabitants, Brisbane is still a far cry from sprawling, harbor-hugging Sydney or cosmopolitan, hip Melbourne. Brisbane is nonetheless doing everything in can to transform itself into a vital, dynamic world city, and the gains it’s made in this regard are more than enough reason to make a stop there when you travel in Australia.
1. They’re trying really, really hard to be cool
Seriously, how many cities have waterfront ferris wheels?
If you travel to Brisbane oblivious to the Haterade I heard nonstop during the three weeks before I visited, you might not have any idea that Brisbane is lame or provincial. That’s because city officials and planners are doing everything in their power to fight against that perception. To start your trip on a cool note, walk south over the Brisbane river from the CBD into Southbank, home of an artificial beach, charming cafés and Brisbane’s answer to the London Eye.
2. It’s tiny and easy to navigate
Yes, I said “walk.” Although Brisbane has a pretty darn good bus, rail and even boat network, the center of the city is small enough that, weather permitting, you can walk just about everywhere you need to go. From one end of the CBD (central business district or downtown) to another, it’s about 20 minutes on foot, and that’s if you’re going slow. Even better, thanks to the presence of the river that flows around the CBD, you always have a geographical point of reference, which makes for easy navigation.
Brisbane gains further cool points from its vibrant performing arts scene. Mary Poppins, anyone?
3. It’s a bit on the quirky side
One thing Brisbane definitely has is quirkiness, from the spacecraft-looking “catamarans” that travel up and down the Brisbane River to its suburbs, to the cool performing arts venues hidden in former power plants, to the borderline obnoxious signage that advises pedestrians and cyclists to walk and cycle with caution and at a slow pace. If you’re a detail-oriented travel like me, your ADD will kick into high gear once you touch down in Brisbane.
4. The architecture is mad cool
Nowhere is Brisbane’s attention to detail and quirkiness more apparent than in the city’s architecture, which reminds me of Melbourne at its most 21st-century. In addition to the Asian-looking residential towers that are going up around the city, many of Brisbane’s existing skyscrapers, apartment buildings and even bridges and decorative infrastructure showcase the truly commendable creativity of the architects who designed the city.
5. The Australia Zoo is nearby
I hope you aren’t afraid of crocodiles!
Were you a fan of the “The Crocodile Hunter”? I wasn’t really, either, but I do have a mad amount of respect for what Steve Irwin did. No matter your feelings about the man or his mission, Irwin’s vision lives on at the Australia Zoo, located about an hour north of Brisbane near the transit depot of Beerwah. The zoo, which I would rank second only to Singapore’s zoo in terms of interestingness, features more than three dozen animals, including kangaroos, koalas and, of course, crocodiles.
6. Brisbane is your gateway to Queensland
Brisbane is not just the capital of Queensland, but also the state’s air, rail and bus transport hub. Whether you take a Virgin Australia flight to northern cities (and Great Barrier Reef gateways) such as Cairns and Townsville, or take the TransLink rail service to the charming beach town of Noosa, Brisbane — one of the southernmost cities in the state — is in more than one way the gateway to Queensland.
Brisbane is all over the place — and that’s precisely why I love it
7. You’re probably going to stop there anyway
This goes hand in hand with reason #6 if you’re beginning your travel in the region somewhere other than Brisbane. Headed up the coast from Sydney? You’re going to have to stop in Brisbane. Flying in from Bali or Bangkok? Your AirAsia flight may very well leave you in Brisbane for onward travel into Queensland or elsewhere in Australia. No matter why or how you end up in Brisbane, go with it for at least a day — I’m sure you’ll be pleased you did.
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
