Some destinations begin with a photograph, a movie or a recommendation from a friend. Brisbane began for me with stories.
My grandparents lived here during the 1980s, and Australia was a place I heard about throughout my childhood. Brisbane, Queensland, koalas and life on the other side of the world were familiar names long before I had any idea when—or if—I would eventually see them myself.
Decades later, I finally did, with my wife and two children.
We had three days in Brisbane, and while that’s barely enough time to scratch the surface of Australia’s third-largest city, it was enough for me to understand some of what my grandparents had loved about living here.
It was also enough for Brisbane to surprise me.
If I had to explain the city to another American, I’d describe it as some strange combination of Miami, Portland and New York City.
There’s Miami in the subtropical weather and the way life gravitates toward the water. There’s something of Portland in Brisbane’s funky, creative and occasionally edgy personality. And then there’s the energy of a much larger city—high-rises, restaurants, crowded sidewalks and people seemingly always going somewhere—that reminded me a little of New York.
That combination shouldn’t necessarily work.
Somehow, it does.
Staying in the Heart of Brisbane
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Brisbane, directly on Queen Street Mall.
For a short visit, the location was perfect.
Step outside and you’re immediately in the center of the city, surrounded by shops, restaurants and the energy of Brisbane’s CBD. From there, much of central Brisbane is easily explored on foot, including the riverfront and City Botanic Gardens.
There’s also a fun connection to Brisbane’s musical history nearby.
The hotel’s Lennons Restaurant carries the name of the historic Lennons Hotel, one of Brisbane’s great hotels of the 20th century.
And in June 1964, Lennons had some particularly famous guests.
The Beatles.
They stayed at Lennons during their Australian tour, occupying a fourth-floor suite while security attempted to keep Brisbane’s increasingly determined teenagers away from them.
So yes, staying somewhere connected to the hotel that hosted the Beatles added another unexpected layer of history to the trip.
But the history I was most interested in was personal.
The Brisbane River
To understand Brisbane, get on the river.
The Brisbane River doesn’t simply pass through the city. It bends and loops through it, creating neighborhoods, parks and waterfront districts along the way.
We took a river cruise toward Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, and it became one of my favorite experiences of the trip.
The ride provided a completely different perspective of Brisbane.
As we traveled away from the center of the city, our guide explained the history of Brisbane and Queensland while landmarks and neighborhoods passed beside us.
And then there were the houses.
Some of the riverfront properties were incredible.
Large homes and sprawling estates sit directly against the Brisbane River, with lawns and terraces descending toward the water. Some have private docks and boat slips immediately outside the house, with enormous yachts tied up as casually as someone might park an SUV in their driveway.
We’re not talking about small boats.
Some appeared capable of accommodating 50-foot-plus yachts.
It reinforced something I quickly noticed about Brisbane: the river isn’t scenery here. It’s part of how people live.
People commute on it, exercise beside it, eat overlooking it and, if they’re fortunate enough, step out of their homes directly onto it.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Eventually, our boat reached Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.
Seeing koalas in Australia was already something I wanted to experience.
But Lone Pine meant considerably more to me.
My grandparents had visited the sanctuary when they lived in Brisbane in the early 1980s.
So decades later, I was arriving at the same place by river, walking through somewhere I’d heard about long before I ever imagined making the trip myself.
Travel occasionally creates moments like that.
You’re visiting somewhere new while simultaneously feeling connected to something that happened long before you arrived.
Walking through Lone Pine wasn’t simply checking an Australian wildlife experience off a list.
I was following in my grandparents’ footsteps.
And that made it different.
Back Through Brisbane
The return trip along the river gave us another opportunity to appreciate the city from the water.
Brisbane’s skyline gradually reappears, and the transition from leafy residential stretches to high-rise city feels remarkably quick.
Once back downtown, one of the easiest ways to continue exploring is simply to walk.
The City Botanic Gardens sit along the river at the edge of the CBD and offer a completely different environment only minutes from Queen Street.
Brisbane’s subtropical climate makes the gardens feel appropriately lush, with enormous trees, palms and paths running alongside the water.
It’s an easy place to slow down for an hour.
And then, because this is Brisbane, eventually you find yourself beside the river again.
Eat Along the Brisbane River
One of my favorite things about Brisbane was how much of its restaurant scene takes advantage of the waterfront.
We ate extremely well.
And several of our favorite meals came with views of the river.
Opa Bar + Mezze
Opa combines Greek food with exactly the kind of waterfront setting you want on a warm Brisbane evening.
Mezze, seafood, drinks and the Brisbane River immediately beside you.
It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.
Order several things for the table, sit outside and take your time.
Brisbane is particularly good at this kind of meal.
Babylon
Babylon gave us another opportunity to eat along the river, this time with a Middle Eastern influence.
Again, part of the appeal is the combination.
Good food.
Drinks.
Warm weather.
City lights reflecting off the Brisbane River.
You begin to realize that eating beside the water isn’t really a special-occasion activity here.
It’s simply part of Brisbane.
Felons & the Story Bridge
Then there’s Felons Brewing Co.
If you’re spending a weekend in Brisbane, go.
Felons sits beneath the enormous Story Bridge at Howard Smith Wharves, one of the city’s best waterfront areas.
The setting is spectacular.
You’re sitting almost underneath one of Brisbane’s most recognizable landmarks, drinking a beer beside the river while boats move past and the skyline rises nearby.
This was probably the place where my Miami-Portland-New York comparison made the most sense.
You have the water and outdoor lifestyle.
A brewery with a relaxed, creative atmosphere.
And a major city humming around you.
It feels distinctly Australian while somehow reminding me of all three.
Three Days Isn’t Enough
Three days in Brisbane went quickly.
If I were planning the same trip again, I’d still build much of it around the river.
Day One: Explore Queen Street and the CBD → walk through the City Botanic Gardens → follow the riverfront → dinner at Opa or Babylon.
Day Two: Take the river cruise to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary → spend several hours at the sanctuary → cruise back into Brisbane → relaxed evening along the river.
Day Three: Explore more of the city’s neighborhoods → walk the riverfront → head toward Howard Smith Wharves → finish the trip with beers and dinner at Felons beneath the Story Bridge.
You could certainly fill three days with more attractions.
I’m not sure you need to.
Brisbane is a city that rewards simply experiencing how people live there.
Walk.
Get on the river.
Eat outside.
Have a beer.
Look at houses you can’t afford.
Repeat.
Following in Their Footsteps
The best part of Brisbane, though, had nothing to do with a restaurant or landmark.
It was finally understanding a place I’d heard about for most of my life.
My grandparents lived here in the 1980s.
They walked these streets.
They traveled along this river.
They visited Lone Pine.
They experienced Australia at a completely different point in their lives—and at a completely different point in Brisbane’s history.
Then, decades later, I got to do some of the same things.
There’s something special about travel connecting generations that way.
Places change.
Brisbane certainly has.
The city my grandparents knew in the 1980s isn’t exactly the Brisbane I visited decades later.
But the river is still there.
Lone Pine is still there.
And for a few days, I got to see a part of the world that had previously existed for me mostly through their stories.
That’s one of the things I love most about travel.
Sometimes you’re discovering somewhere completely new.
And sometimes you’re finally seeing somewhere you’ve known about your entire life.
