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The mighty 309-kilometre Brisbane River cuts a path through Queensland’s capital, with the CBD on its northern bank and the South Bank Parklands on the other.
The river’s many twists and turns can make it tricky for a first-time visitor to visualise which bank they’re on! Thankfully there are no less than 15 major bridges to get you from one side to the other — nine of which are located in and around the city centre.
Unsurprisingly, Brisbane offers no shortage of ways to sightsee from the water. Book a sightseeing cruise, lunch cruise, sunset trip, kayak tour, or jet ski safari and keep an eye out for these ten riverside must-sees.
Watch our video of ten top things to do in Brisbane:
Top 10 Things to Do in BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia in 2026 | Ultimate Brisbane Travel Guide
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1. Story Bridge
The heritage-listed Story Bridge is Australia’s longest cantilever bridge and spans the Brisbane River just to the east of the CBD. Getting up towards a century old, it’s an impressive sight — especially when illuminated at night by hundreds of coloured lights. While you’ll get a great view of the bridge’s expanse from the water, it can also be seen from above — if you’re game enough to climb to the summit!
2. Howard Smith Wharves
First constructed in the 1930s to provide work during the Depression, the recent restoration of the Howard Smith Wharves revealed a surprising find: five WWII air raid shelters! They were built at the wharves to take advantage of their protected position under the Story Bridge. The shelters are no longer considered safe to enter, but they remain an intriguing link with the past. The wharves themselves have come to life as a hospitality precinct, encompassing a boutique hotel, brewery, and a series of restaurants and bars.
3. Riverwalk
Brisbane’s riverfront infrastructure is endlessly impressive and always evolving, but the pièce de résistance to date is probably Riverwalk. This elegant, almost whimsical pedestrian walkway and bike path skims out away from the shoreline and along the surface of the water. It stretches from the Howard Smith Wharves all the way to ultra trendy New Farm — a distance of just on one kilometre. If you decide to walk it later in your stay, wear a hat; there’s isn’t a lot of shade along the way.
3. Customs House
Back towards the city from the Howard Smith Wharves, Customs House stands proud — despite being overshadowed by a forest of modern high-rises! Erected in the late 1800s in Victorian Free Classical style, this impressive building is now owned by the University of Queensland (UQ) and used for cultural, community, and business events.
5. Kangaroo Point Cliffs
As you cruise along the river, it’s hard to miss the towering Kangaroo Point Cliffs! Originally carved out by convicts mining for building rock, the cliffs are one of Brisbane’s few remaining links with its colonial past. A popular park runs along the base of the escarpment, while the clifftop provides fabulous CBD views. You may spot adventurous abseilers edging their way down the sheer faces!
6. City Botanic Gardens
Look to the other side of the river and admire the beautiful City Botanic Gardens. Originally planted in 1828 as a productive garden to feed the convict population, today the 49-acre zone offers shady sanctuary in the heart of the city. Some of the oldest surviving trees date back to the 1850s!
7. South Bank Parklands
As you pass beneath the Pacific Motorway Bridge and round the point of the Botanic Gardens peninsula, the popular South Bank Parklands will come into view on your left. This was the site of World Expo 88 — a cultural event that changed the face of Brisbane and gifted residents this incredible recreational amenity. Today, South Bank features a manmade tropical beach and swimming lagoon, pockets of lush rainforest and manicured gardens, an array of restaurants and bars, and the high-flying Wheel of Brisbane.
8. William Jolly Bridge
Built with a steel frame and featuring three striking Art Deco arches, the heritage-listed William Jolly Bridge sits just to the west of the city centre and designates the start of the river’s Milton reach. Named the Grey Street Bridge when it opened in the middle of the Great Depression, it was renamed in 1955 to honour William Jolly — Greater Brisbane’s first lord mayor.
9. Walter Taylor Bridge
If you continue heading up river past the affluent suburbs of St Lucia and tongue-twisting Indooroopilly, you’ll eventually pass under the Walter Taylor Bridge. Built in response to the frustration of motorists at having to be ferried across the river at Indooroopilly, the bridge opened on Valentine’s Day in 1936. It was facilitated by local progressive Walter Taylor, and renamed in 1956 in his honour.
The Walter Taylor Bridge is unique among Brisbane’s bridges for the habitable accommodation in the abutments (originally used by the toll keeper). That, and the fact that gold was discovered during the initial excavation work! A mining licence was quickly registered by Taylor to ensure no one would try and halt construction.
10. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
It’s a little-told story and one that’s almost impossible to believe today, but in the 1920s koalas were killed in extraordinary numbers in South East Queensland for their pelts. Situated alongside the Brisbane River at Fig Tree Pocket, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was established in 1927 to care for orphaned, sick, and injured koalas. Almost a century later, it’s one of Brisbane’s top visitor attractions and houses a wide range of native animals. Mirimar Cruises operates a daily return cruise from the city to the Sanctuary, which includes your entry ticket in the price.
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Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Marianne Diaz is a research scientist by day and a freelance travel writer by night! She has travelled to Sri Lanka to explore her children’s part-heritage, and enjoyed research trips to Japan and the USA. Marianne’s main travel goal is to get to the Italian Aeolian Islands to check out the other half of her children’s background. She also loves exploring history-laden Australian country towns.
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
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