Brisbane is the most common gateway city for visitors in transit to the popular Queensland holiday destinations of the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast

Take a Heritage Trail tour and visit Brisbane’s oldest church, St Stephens, then St John’s Cathedral and Customs House with its copper dome located on the banks of the Brisbane River.  The tour also passes the old windmill, dating from the original convict settlement, as well as the old Commissariat Store. Old Government House with its distinctive sandstone construction is well worth seeing as is Parliament House .

Also on the banks of the Brisbane River lies Newstead House, an impressive, beautifully restored and preserved historic homestead which reflects the lifestyle of affluent people during the mid 1800′s. Built in 1846, it is the oldest building in Brisbane. Located in Moreton Bay at the mouth of the Brisbane River is St Helena island. Built in 1866 as a quarantine station , it became the State’s first maximum security prison for males from 1867. It was abandoned in 1933, but glimpses of its eerie past remain.

Any Brisbane visit should take in the modern buildings of the Queensland Cultural Centre, the Performing Arts Complex, the Museum and the Art Gallery.   Relax with some entertainment at the Southbank Parklands and indulge in the fine foods on offer from the various eateries. .  On the opposite side of the river, you will find the casino with its original sandstone facade of the Treasury Department building .

Lookout across the entire city from Mt Cootha, a mustin your Brisbane tour. Here you will also find a planetarium and   57 acres setting of the botanic gardens with its subtropical and Australian flora, lakes and streams.

Situated adjacent the Brisbane airport is the Kingsford Smith Memorial.  The Fokker aircraft “Southern Cross” used by Sir Charles Kingsfrod Smith and his crew in the first trans Pacific flight from the United States of America to Australia in 1928.

For the more adventurous , try hotair ballooning, or abseilling down the rock faces along the river. Visit the numerous open air markets held on weekends, or check out the wildlife at Alma Park Zoo, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and a bit further afield , the Australia Zoo, home of the legendary Crocodile Hunter.

Enjoy a leisurely paddlewheel cruise on the Brisbane River.  Visit Moreton Island, or North Stradbroke Island by ferry . Adults and children will be delighted to feed the wild dolphins at Tangalooma Island.  travel north to Bribie Island for a swim in the surf or maybe even some fishing in the Pumicestone Passage.   

If hiking is your passion, there are many trails, bushwalks and picnic areas in and around Brisbane .    The Brisbane Forest Park Information Centre will provide information on areas such as Camp Mountain State Forest Park, Bellbird Grove, Manorina National Park, Lomandra, Mr Nebo and Mt Glorious,