Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 5 . BRISBANE
Mon–Fri 10am–4pm; Sun and most public holidays 2–5pm. Last admittance 30 min. before closing. Closed
Christmas, Boxing Day (Dec 26), Good Friday, and Anzac Day (Apr 25). Bus: 300, 306, or 322. Limited parking.
Parliament House Queensland’s seat of government was built in 1868 in an
odd but happy mix of French Renaissance and tropical colonial styles. It’s
impressive from the outside, and guided 20-minute tours show off its ornate
interior of Waterford chandeliers, Colebrookdale balustrades, and the gold-leaf
ceilings in the Council Chamber. When Parliament is in session, the tour is
restricted, but you can see Parliament in action. The House is on Brisbane’s Heritage
Trail (see “City Strolls” below) and the City Sights tour bus.
George St. at Alice St. & 07/3406 7562. Free admission, tours. Tours Mon–Fri 9am–4:15pm; Sat–Sun
10am–2pm when Parliament is not in session; Tues–Thurs 10:30am, 2:30pm when Parliament is in session.
Bus: Downtown Loop. Ferry: Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Gardens Point.
Roma Street Parkland Opened in 2001, this is more botanic garden than a
replica South Bank. Thousands of plants, including natives and some of the
world’s most endangered, have been used to create lush subtropical gardens in
an unused railway yard. The effect is stunning. Areas of the gardens are themed
and there are guided walks twice a day Thursday through Sunday, including
public holidays (10am and 2pm Sept–May, 11am and 2pm June–Aug). There
are also self-guided walking tours, or you can take the “art walk” and discover
the great public art on display. There are barbecues and picnic areas and a children’s
playground. Brisbane people have taken to this new park, so it is busy and
lively, but it’s large enough to handle the crowds.
Walk there from Roma St. train station. From King George Sq., it’s about a 500m (1,640-ft.) walk along Albert
St. By car, access is from Roma St. or the Wickham Terrace/College Rd./Gregory Terrace intersection.
& 07/3006 4545. Open 24 hr., except the Spectacle Garden which is open 6:30am–7pm. Information
booths are located in the Spectacle Garden and at the Activity Centre.
CITY STROLLS
Because Brisbane is leafy, warm, and full of colonial-era Queenslander architecture,
it is a great city for a stroll. Pick up a free Heritage Trail Map from the Brisbane
Tourism information booths (see “Visitor Information” earlier in the
chapter) and explore on your own. The guides have a history of the area, and
excellent detailed information and illustrations of historic buildings and other
sights along the way. Free guided walks of the Brisbane City Gardens (& 07/
3403 8888) at Alice Street leave from the rotunda at the Albert Street entrance
Monday through Saturday at 11am and 1pm (except public holidays and the
first Mon of each month). Rainforest, camellias, lily ponds, palm groves, and
formal flowerbeds offer a blissfully cool reprieve on a summer’s day. The Gardens
are free and open 24 hours.
For organized walking tours, see below.
6 River Cruises & Other Organized Tours
RIVER CRUISES The best way of cruising the river, in my view, is aboard
the fast CityCat ferries . It’s also the cheapest. Board at Riverside and head
downstream under the Story Bridge to New Farm Park, past Newstead House
to the restaurant row at Brett’s Wharves; or cruise upriver past the city and South
Bank to the University of Queensland’s lovely campus. (Take a look at its
impressive Great Court while you’re there.) This trip in either direction will set
you back a whole A$3.80 (US$2.45). Or you can stay on for the full trip, which
takes about 2 hours. Cruises along the Brisbane River aboard the Kookaburra