The walking tour begins at Brisbane City Hall, which is where the Museum of Brisbane is located. Admission is free and the museum provides interesting facts about the people of Brisbane. As well as this, if you wish to see Brisbane from up high, you can book a free guided tour of the Clock Tower.
King George Square is located next to Brisbane City Hall and is a lovely spot. The square is named after King George V and is the most popular square in Brisbane. Note the Statue of King George himself, the lions placed at the entrance to the square and statues of famous Queenslanders Steele Rudd, Emma Miller and Sir Charles Lilley which are located in “Speakers’ Corner”- a particular section of the square. Also, there are often events held here for free admission so it is always worth looking out for those! Find out what’s going on at King George Square here.
Make your way down Albert Street towards the centre of Queen Street Mall – a popular shopping destination for the people of Brisbane. There are many nice cafés and restaurants in this area too just waiting to be checked out.
Continue walking down Albert Street until you meet the entrance to the City Botanic Gardens, where you will find grassland, ponds and beautiful views of Brisbane River.
Walk over the Goodwill Bridge towards Southbank and follow the path to the right so that you are walking adjacent to the river. The riverside walk and Arbour are enjoyed by many in Brisbane and the gardens provide a sense of tranquillity amongst the busy city lifestyle.
In Southbank Parkland (No. 5) you can find Australia’s only Inner City man made lagoon and beach, designed by Desmond Brookes and created in 1992 by Fletcher Jennings Construction. The lagoon is open all year round and provides a great swimming opportunity for those hot summer days (it can get up to 30 degrees in Brisbane Summer!) Top tip, there are public changing rooms located underneath the Surf Club and the South Bank Beer Garden across the Arbour.
After your swim carry on walking under the beautiful bougainvillea covered Arbour next to the riverside and notice the Nepal Peace Pagoda (one of only three which are located outside of Nepal!)
Then to your left you will come up to the Wheel of Brisbane (similar to the London Eye), where you can take a ride for $17* and see Brisbane from up high.
From here, the walk continues along the river to QAGOMA (Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art) where you can spend time enjoying aboriginal art, local artists’ work as well as pieces from all over the world, including works by Picasso! Admission is also free into these art galleries, but some exhibitions inside do charge for entry. Here you can find what’s on at QAGOMA, and all exhibitions can be found here.
Walk across the Kurilpa Bridge to Tank Street and then turn right onto George Street. From here take the first left onto Turbot Street and follow signs for Roma Street Parkland. This park is home to Water Dragons which can be found sunbathing all day in the Spectacle Garden. A lot of time can be spent here exploring the landscapes that have recently been implemented, and the park staff offer free walking tours upon request at the information centre.
Make your way to the Wickham Terrace exit of the park and follow the road down past the Old Windmill Observatory and through King Edward Park onto Turbot Street. Cross over the road and walk down Edward Street, taking the second left onto Adelaide Street. Here you will find Anzac Square: a memorial square dedicated to Australian and New Zealand Soldiers.
Walk back onto Adelaide Street, turning right out of Anzac square and follow the road all the way back to Brisbane City Hall!
To receive an update for our next walking tour destination make sure you follow our Facebook page – there are more to come of many other popular destinations!
*Wheel of Brisbane Admission Price for 1 Student. Other prices may vary.
Blog: Free Brisbane Walking Tours
