Apart from a mild subtropical climate and a laid- back Queensland pace, Brisbane is filled to the brim with art, music and culture. Dozens of theatres, cinemas, concert halls, galleries and museums pepper the Brisbane landscape.
Music
World- famous bands like Powderfinger, George, Keith Urban, Savage Garden, The Veronicas and Pete Murray all originated in Brissie. It's not hard to see a good live band in this colourful city; Australia's third largest. All you have to do is walk along the streets in the Valley at night. On Saturday nights music drifts out of the bars, lounges and nightclubs, creating a cacophony of different rhythms and beats as they mix together on the street. Ric’s Café Bar on Brunswick Street is a Brisbane institution when it comes to live music. Go upstairs for great DJs in the lounge bar upstairs or squish up, bop about and prepare to be mesmerised by the wide selection of live bands that perform in the stage area downstairs.
Sunday picnic in the park
While the night- scene is pumping, Brisbane is just as amazing when the sun’s out. Pack a picnic lunch and head to New Farm Park. This beautiful park with tropical greenery on the river’s shore comes alive on Sunday afternoons. Everyone from families, to groups of friends with a soccer ball and guitar, to couples with champagne can be seen enjoying the beauty of this popular park. And as the sun descends, watch as the people stepping off the CityCat ferry in New Farm Park begin to appear more dressed up. The reason: they are most likely off to a night of modern live performance shows at the Brisbane Powerhouse, situated at the side of the park.
When heading to the theatre in Brisbane, there’s quite a choice…
Brisbane Powerhouse, Centre for the Arts, features cutting- edge performances from Australian and International artists in a historic old powerhouse beside the river. Whether it is comedy, experimental avant- garde theatre or hip hop dance you like, you’ll find it at the Powerhouse. Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) (above) is a world- class centre for musicals, plays, ballets, operas and concerts visiting Brisbane. Queensland Theatre Company (QTC) is the main theatre company in Queensland, bringing the best local and international plays to Queensland. Check out the best local and international plays at their performance venue, the Billie Brown Studio in South Bank.
Galleries, museums and more galleries...
For visual art, your first stop should probably be the Queensland Art Gallery. Check out its permanent collection of around 10,000 works, including paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, installations, video and decorative arts. The Tintoretto, Rubens and Picasso artworks and the ever-expanding 20th century collection are unforgettable! Just next door you can learn about Queensland’s social, technological and natural history at the Queensland Museum. The Museum of Brisbane (MoB) located in the City Hall frequently hosts touring multimedia art exhibitions as well as social history, craft and design displays.
For cute little private art galleries, head to Brunswick St in the Valley. Fortitude Valley is the heart of artistic expression in Brisbane. Fusions Gallery, on Brunswick in a heritage- listed former church, showcases local ceramic art and glass plus works by national and international ceramic artists. Philip Bacon Galleries, diagonally opposite Fusions, happens to be the favourite private gallery of the famous Melbourne- based performer, Barry ‘Dame Edna Everage’ Humphries. In the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, you’ll find the Institute of Modern Art. There, you can admire a range of exhibitions as well as artist monographs, exhibition catalogues and critical theory texts. Near the Valley in Newstead is the amazing Fire- Works Gallery that deals with ‘Aboriginal Art & Other Burning Issues’ resulting in unique art that incorporates many cultural perspectives.
Fine dining and fun dining
South Bank (right) has an array of great restaurants by the river, close to a mini rainforest and man- made pool beside the river. Restaurant life in the area has boomed recently and now there are tonnes of options, styles and cultural foods to choose from. Bellying dancing at Turkish 'Ah Mets' on a Friday and Saturday night is worth a giggle.
And, of course, the city’s best work of art is the Brisbane river that winds through its centre. Get active and start the day cycling along the river’s bank. The new Riverwalk, a long path that floats on the water, is a great way to get to know the heartbeat of this river city.
Brisbane Golf
There's dozens of fantastic courses in Brisbane that accommodate for players wanting to practice either their short drive or long drive. (Car rental pun intended) To see the best reviews golf clubs online, check out a website called Brisbane Golf,which reviews Brisbanes Top 20 courses.
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