If you are heading to Brisbane, you can’t miss out on the best attractions that the city has to offer. Here are the 10 highest-rated things to see and do in this Australian holiday spot.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

This is, of course, the top place in the city for snuggling up with a koala. You can actually get up close and personal with them in this sanctuary, which is the most popular attraction in Brisbane. It is also home to kangaroos and other Australian native species.

Cultural Centre

Try to find a place to stay near the Grey Street area to put yourself right in the cultural centre of the city. What can you find here? As much culture as you can handle. There’s the Queensland Art Gallery, State Library, Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and the Queensland Theatre Company, which makes this a very busy zone indeed.

Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens

If you want panoramic views of the city, you’ll find them here with no comparison to anywhere else. There are 52 hectares to explore, including the largest collection of rainforest trees from Australia in the world. Plenty of indigenous plants call this slice of paradise home.

Image by ~ James Niland – Own work, CC BY 2.0

South Bank

Right across from the CBD, you’ll find Streets Beach, the main hub of the South Bank. There’s a man-made lagoon here which is perfect for a swim, and there’s also the Wheel of Brisbane – similar to the London Eye, it offers great views over the rest of the city. You can take a ride at night for an even more stunning experience.

Customs House

Those who love a bit of history will admire this 19th century customs house, which now operates as a function centre with a restaurant and free guided tours. You can only take them on Sundays, however, so you will need to plan your visit.

CityCat

CityCats and City Ferries patrol the Brisbane River all day long. There are a total of 24 terminals along both sides of the shore, and you can purchase tickets to hop on and off all day whenever you want to. This is a great way to not only see everything from the river, but also get around the city quickly. It stretches from the University of Queensland down to the North Shore.

Story Bridge

Who hasn’t heard of the Story Bridge? This is one of the most iconic sights of Brisbane, and it’s famous as one of the few major bridges in the world that you are allowed to climb. This is a great adventure that you just have to try before you leave the city.

Queen Street Mall

Want to pick up some souvenirs? Make sure that you head to the Queen Street Mall. There are more than 700 shops here, with a street frontage that backs onto heritage-listed mazes of arcades. On Wednesdays, the open area by the bridge turns into a Farmer’s Market where you can buy food and craft items.

Museum of Brisbane

If you hate trawling for hours inside huge museums, then the Museum of Brisbane is perfect for you. It’s a much smaller site than you might expect, on the top floor of the City Hall, but it is jam-packed with fantastic stories – and views.

Moreton Island

This is a great day trip for anyone staying in Brisbane. It’s a bit of a tropical paradise, with rich and lush vegetation framing sandy white beaches, 98% of the island is a national park, so it remains undeveloped.

If you want to hit all the best spots in Brisbane, then don’t miss these off your list.

Have you been to Brisbane? What did you do that you’d include in this top 10 Brisbane to do list?

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* Photos were sourced by Pixabay