Brisbane’s freebies
10 great things to see and do in Brisbane, for free.
1. Do the Loop:
The Loop is a free bus service that circles Brisbane's Central Business District. It stops at several destinations including Central Station, Queen Street Mall, City Botanic Gardens, Riverside Centre, QUT and King George Square.
2. Southbank Beach: Australia's only artificial inland city beach holding three mega litres of water (approximately three Olympic size swimming pools) and surrounded by 4000 cubic metres of sand. There’s also lots of open space to run in, and three playgrounds to slide and swing and climb on.
3. Guided walks in Roma Street Parklands: take a free guided walk through this peaceful garden precinct and discover history, plants and public art. Tours take about one hour at a leisurely pace. 10am and 2pm daily. To book call (07) 3006 4545 during business hours.
4. Queensland Police Museum: budding detectives can learn how the police solve crimes at the Queensland Police Museum at police headquarters at 200 Roma Street. Open Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm.
5. Queensland Art Gallery and Museum of Modern Art: excellent exhibitions, including the permanent collection, which includes one of the world's largest collections of Asian and Aboriginal art. Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Open daily from 10am.
6. The Museum of Brisbane on the ground floor of Brisbane's iconic City Hall in King George Square. Explores Brisbane's contemporary culture, heritage and people. Displays combine social history, visual arts, craft and design – with free tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 11am.
7. Experience the theatrics of the Queensland State Parliament from the comfort of the visitors' gallery or take a half-hour tour of the old Parliament House and its treasure trove of antiques. Tours are run throughout the year except public holidays. On sitting days tours only run at 10.30am and 2.30pm. For Parliament sitting times call (07) 3406 7111.
8. St John's Cathedral: visit the only Gothic cathedral in the world still under construction using traditional medieval building techniques. Open 9.30am-4.30pm. Free tours Monday-Saturday at 10am and 2pm, and most Sundays at 2pm. Tel: (07) 3835 2231.
9. Park it: Brisbane is a green city –almost 25 per cent of its area is bushland and in all, the city has 9,500ha of bush and 1,500 parks and public gardens making it an easy city to find a shady place to sit and watch the world go by. Find a quiet spot in the City Botanic Gardens at Riverside or wander along one of the best urban walks in Australia the Energex Brisbane Arbour, a one-kilometre path that winds its way through South Bank Parklands.
10. Daisy Hill Koala Centre: 25km south-east of the centre of Brisbane, and part of a greater region known as the koala coast, Daisy Hill Koala Centre is situated in the open eucalypt forest at Daisy Hill Forest Reserve and is a bushland retreat for koalas and other native animals. It is open every day from 10am until 4pm.
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Free things to do in Brisbane