The Cliffs Boardwalk

If you cross the Goodwill Bridge from the city side, and venture around to your left, just under the Captain Cook Bridge (the Riverside Expressway) you'll find the start of The Cliffs Boardwalk. The walk runs adjacent to Lower River Terrace on the South Bank side of the Brisbane River. It stretchs along this reach of the river through Kangaroo Point Park to the Riverlife Adventure centre.


The Kangaroo Point cliffs are a results of a violent volcanic event which is estimated to have occurred some 220 million years ago. When the volcanic material settled, it was so hot it welded together. The fine grained rock which was formed is known as Brisbane Tuff. In the early years of settlement in Brisbane, convicts would quarry these cliffs to obtain the building stone which would be used in many of the city's original buildings.


This is another of the great walks within easy reach of the Central City area of Brisbane. The views and atmosphere are fantastic, and you'll often find people scaling the cliff walls in search of their own adventure. The park areas include barbeques, play areas, grassed lawns and even a nature reserve. Both bike and walking tracks are available. As an afternoon of outside exercise there aren't many other things which come close as part of a family activity.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Queensland Maritime Museum

The Queensland Maritime Museum is located at the intersection of Sidon and Stanley Streets at the southern end of the South Bank Parklands. Staffed by volunteers, the museum offers an engaging look into the long maritime history of Queensland. The museum is open most days of the year from 9:30am to 4:30pm, and also is available outside these hours for private functions. Admission charges range from $3.50 for kids to $7 for adults, with family and group discounts also available. There is also a Museum Shop which stocks a collection of maritime books, gifts, and souvenirs. Great views of many of the outside exhibitions can also be seen from the Goodwill Bridge.

The museum was founded in 1971, and is run by the self-funded voluntary Queensland Maritime Museum Association. The main entrance incorporates a two level exhibition building presenting historic sailing ship models together with merchant shipping from early cargo ships to modern container ships, tankers and cruise liners. Of particular personal interest is the large wall map showing the location of approximately 200 of the 1500 vessels that came to grief in the graveyard of ships along the Queensland coast, in part due to the various coral reefs.


Outside you get to see some of that history come alive. The HMAS Diamatina currently sits in part of the South Brisbane Dry Dock, itself a landmark due to and the century of service it provided to ships and submarines of all types. There are also exhibitions to lighthouses, and other vessels such as the Penguin, and my personal favourite, the Forceful. Built in 1925, for most of her career she acted as a tug on the Brisbane River with brief trips to the Middle East, Fremantle and Darwin during the war years. Her life as a museum ship started at the same time as the opening of the museum back in 1971, although ever now and again she has runs out and about on the river.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Goodwill Bridge

The Goodwill Bridge is a footbridge which links the South Bank Parklands on the southside of the Brisbane River, to the Gardens Point Campus of the Queensland University of Technology on the northside. Opened on the 21st October, 2001, the Goodwill Bridge was named after the Goodwill Games which had been held in Brisbane that same year. The bridge only carries pedestrians and cyclists although it is used for fireworks during the annual Riverfire festival. It is estimated that more than 3 million people cross the bridge each year.

Construction was coordinated by Arup services to a design by Cox Rayner and construction by John Holland. The total cost was over $20 million. The total length is approximately 460 metres long, and just over 6 metres wide. There are two main components: the arch, which is closer to the southern side of the bridge; and the pavillion, which is on the city side and holds a river viewing deck. The bridge is the same height from the water as the nearby Captain Cook and Victoria Bridges, to cater for CityCats passing underneath.

The Goodwill Bridge did attract a certain amount of controversy during construction and when it first opened. It was subject to quite significant budgetary costs, as well as having many critics of its unorthodox design. It definitely isn't your straight and narrow bridge! It does, however, remain an excellent way to get from the City to Southbank from the Botanic Gardens. I think its brilliant, and have incorporated it into my occasional jogs around the city.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Brisbane Riverwalks

The Brisbane River effectively borders the city, and one of the most impressive ways to explore the city is to walk its banks via the many city riverwalks. If you venture down to the river from almost any location in the city, you will come across one of the paved walkways from which you can view the river. You can even go into one of the many and varied cafes or restaurants located along the river to enjoy not only the view, but some of Brisbane's best cuisine. You can even get a Brisbane Riverwalk's Map from the city council. The images shown here are primarily from just under the Story Bridge, through to the Botanic Gardens.

From Boundary Street at the Tidal Indicator you can either venture back along the city past Eagle Street Pier, to Garden Point and the City Botanic Gardens. Alternatively you can go the other way along the relatively new floating walkway to New Farm. Further to that, venture up and over the Story Bridge, and you can walk on the Southern Bank past the Kangaroo Point Cliffs and around to the South Bank Parklands. Even from under the Riverside Expressway you'll find a path running beside the pylons.


This is one of the great ways to enjoy the city. The walkways are explored by tourists exploring the river sights and sites, and by city workers at lunchtime or on breaks. You also often see people out for some exercise including walking, jogging, running, cycling, rollerblading and skateboarding. The walkways are wide enough to cater for all activities. During major festivals and on the weekends with market stalls in certain areas, they are awash with people. It really is a great way to relax and watch the world go by.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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The Tidal Indicator

The Tidal Indicator is a sculpture created by artist Nola Farman, at Petrie’s Bight on the Brisbane River. It was installed in 2003 at the entrance to the Brisbane River Boardwalk. It was created as a commissioned work for the Devine company's then new apartment block River Place.


Sydney based West Australian artist Nola Farman has been commissioned to produce large public artworks such as this and others in Brisbane and throughout Australia. She also has international renown, with her works in collections in Paris, London, Canada and New Zealand. I am slightly unsure whether the stonework at the base of the sculpture is part of the artwork, and I assume it is. The inscriptions are quite reflective of humanities place in the world with phrases such as Here and Now and There and Gone.

I like how from certain vantage points the arch of the Tidal Indicator frames the Story Bridge. I also learnt something new as I researched this piece. "Littoral" means of or pertaining to the shore of a lake, sea or ocean. It is also used to reflect the area between the low and high water marks. This makes it ideal in referring to a tidal marker. If only our city's dam levels could reach these high water marks at the moment.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Eagle Street Pier

Eagle Street Pier is a retail and restaurant precinct located on Eagle Street and lining the Brisbane River. Most restaurants allow diners to have fantastic views of the river from Garden's Point through to the Story Bridge. Some of the premier dining establishments are located here, including Cha Cha Char, Pier Nine, Il Centro, and Vino's.


Not only are there the fine dining restaurants, there are a number of other retailers who offer either cafe style dining, like the Coffee Club, or fast food outlets like McDonalds. Basically, you have almost anything you could ask for covered. Parking is available on-site, and the precinct is easily accessible by both ferry and bus services. On top of the dining, Eagle Street Pier also hosts weekend craft markets, and has areas for entertainment such as musicians.


Eagle Street Pier is a must for tourists to Brisbane. At least one meal should be had within the precinct, as there are such great restaurants there. There is no denying that the views are spectacular, and you will spend as much time enjoying the scenery as you will your meals. Once your done you can hop on a City Cat or Ferry or jump on the Kookaburra Queens for a trip up or down the river.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Riverside Expressway

The Riverside Expressway is part of the Brisbane road network which runs from the end of the Pacific Motorway to Coronation Drive, hugging the Brisbane River and CBD. Construction began in late 1968 on the North bank of the Brisbane River with final completion in 1975. It is six lanes wide, with three lanes in each direction and ramps entering and exiting the Brisbane CBD. Up to 150,000 cars use the Expressway each workday.


Part of the Expressway includes the Captain Cook Bridge. This section was officially opened to traffic on 26 February 1973. With the high traffic flows it is the second busiest bridge in Australia after the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Both the Bridge and Expressway were refurbished in 2006, however, the discovery of hairline fractures in parts meant sections of the expressway were closed, causing traffic chaos across the city. Many people didn't realise how much we relied on this significant piece of infrastructure until its access to us was removed. Today you can even watch a web cam of traffic on the Expressway to esnure you don't get it any traffic snarls.


Most people may think "What's with putting a road on a tourism and travel blog?" The fact is, this 3km stretch of road is one of the most travelled in the whole State. If you come to Brisbane from South, West or North, chances are you will use all or part of it. It offers spectacular views of the city and the river, as well as across to Southbank. It is an engineering marvel, and even aesthetically it adds a visual dimension to the city from above as it wraps and snakes its way along the river, its tendrils reaching into the city. To me, its creation was all part of when the city grew up.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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CityCat and CityFerry

The CityCat and CityFerry are catamaran and ferry services which are operated on the Brisbane River. The services run along the Brisbane River between Brett's Wharf in the suburb of Hamilton in the east and the University of Queensland at St Lucia, via the Brisbane CBD. It is a great way to get around the city on the river. Services began on CityCat in 1996 with 6 vessels, each capable of carrying 150 passengers, with two further vessels being added to the CityCat fleet in 1998 due to increased demand. Two more were added in 2004-05. The area covered by the CityFerry service differs from that of the CityCat ferry service in that it is smaller, and is operated with 12 monohull ferries.

The service is a great way to get around the city via the river, with various crossings over the river, along with runs up and down the river stopping at various locations. Services run from around 6:00am through to 10:30pm each day. For around $5, you can travel all day. Full details can be found at the Translink web site.


I've used the cats and ferries as a great way to see the city from the river. There are a number of terminals near Eagle Street Pier which will allow you go either go up or down river, or across to Kangaroo Point. We have taken the kids on the ferry from New Farm Park up to South Bank Parklands, and they love it! Its definitely an enjoyable and cheap way of cruising the river.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Australia Day Fireworks

Today is Australia Day. On Australia Day we Australians come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It was on this day in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and thus established Australia as we know it. Brisbane as a city wasn't established until 1842 and was originally established (like a lot of areas in Australia) as a penal colony.

Today is a day of backyard cricket, barbeques, and evening fireworks. On the Brisbane River as part of the Australia Day Festival they organised evening fireworks which my son and I went and saw. We watched most of it from the Victoria Bridge which gave a good view down the river with South Bank on our right, and the city to our left. The South Bank Parklands were full tonight with a wide cross section of the Brisbane public. It is great that so many people get out and about on this day, and also great that the majority of people have a public holiday. Unfortunately, since we now have almost unlimited shopping days, a lot of retail businesses still had to operate today, but that did mean we could get an ice-cream after the fireworks!


Many of our indigenous people do not necessarily celebrate Australia Day, but celebrate Survival or Invasion Day. This doesn't mean Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not proud Australians - their cultures rest firmly on pride, respect and care for this great land we all share. I recognise that it is truly our indigenous people who are the rightful keepers of the land, but ultimately, we're all just visiting!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Gardens Point Boat Harbour

On the town reach of the Brisbane River at Gardens Point, there is a boat harbour mooring. If you look towards the point from the Brisbane Riverwalk you get this view. Garden's Point forms part of the city Botanic Gardens. On the other side of the river behind the various boats you can make out the Kangaroo Point Cliffs.

There are 54 yacht moorings, and it is quite common to see a number of yachts moored at any particular time of the year. They range in type from the old junkers, through to the more exotic catamarans, although the berths are too small to get your monster cruisers there. The rates are quite reasonable, at $50 a week. This is part of the reason why some people prefer to live on their yacht! Many have small dinghies they use to get across to the "mainland".

When I was a kid, I used to love the challenge of doing jigsaw puzzles which had harbour scenes. It seemed they would do these to allow you to get a lot of different colour and variation in the picture, which would make it easier to do. Scenes like this always remind me of that. We also have had some nasty sea weather of late, which probably explains why the berths are almost full at this particular harbour.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Kookaburra River Queens

The Kookaburra River Queens are two large paddle steamers which do tourist cruises up and down the Brisbane River. The two paddle wheelers are appropriately known as Kookaburra River Queens I and II, and have been around for around 20 years. Their history dates back to the Expo 88, the World Exposition which was held in Brisbane that year.

As you can see, both of the paddle wheelers are quite majestic. They were built out of Queensland timbers, and were apparently named after the kookaburra. This is an Australian bird who is never seen to drink water, which as the owners outline, is something most boat owners wouldn't want to do. When I see them, I can't help but hum a few bars of Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.

I've been on the River Queens a few times during my time here in Brisbane. The basic route is to go up under the Story Bridge and turn around before hitting New Farm, and then cruise back up to the South Bank area. The departure point is Eagle Street Pier. They cater for weddings, general public cruises and private cruises, and generally have a buffet as the main meal service.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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