Page 238 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

236  QUEENSLAND

BRISBANE PRACTICAL

INFORMATION

Brisbane, built around a serpentine river, takes silver service at luxury hotels, riverfront
full advantage of its idyllic subtropical weather. cafés, ethnic cuisine and alfresco restaurants,
Trendy riverside cafés, heritage trails, miles of most offering menus based on superb local
boardwalk and a floating walkway, ferries and produce and fresh seafood (see pp512–14).
fast catamaran-style CityCats make Brisbane Public transport is reasonably priced and
a relaxed holiday destination. The city offers easily accessed. Taxi stands are well
centrally located five-star hotels, budget inns signposted, and tourist information centres,
and historic guesthouses (see pp486). There are identified by the international “I” symbol,
dining choices in all price ranges, such as are situated throughout the city.

Shopping
Brisbane is a shopping heaven,
with its hidden arcades, small
boutiques, quaint tea shops,
pedestrian malls and multi-
storied shopping centres.
Finding what you are looking
for is not difficult as the city is
divided into small precincts,
each offering a unique shopping
experience. The pedestrianized
Queen Street Mall has more
than 1,000 speciality stores and
six shopping centres, including
QueensPlaza. Brisbane Arcade,
one of the city’s most elegant
shopping areas, runs off the Mall.
With classic marbled interior and
polished wood balustrades, it
was opened in 1923 and offers The South Bank, dominated by the Wheel of Brisbane
quality jewellers and stylish
fashion. The Fireworks Gallery artists, and is nestled in the art Entertainment
exhibits aboriginal art and local and design hub of Doggett The Queensland Performing
Street, in Newstead. The James Arts Centre has an exciting
Street Precinct in Fortitude calendar of events, including
Valley has developed around opera, classical and
an urban inner-city lifestyle. It contemporary dance, and live
is a great place for coffee, small stage shows. The La Boite
delicatessens, trendy fashion Theatre in Kelvin Grove is a 200-
shops, designer boutiques and seat theatre in the round, and
galleries. Brisbane’s weather home to one of the oldest
encourages outdoor markets. production companies in
The Riverside at the Gardens Australia. Brisbane hosts a
Markets with over 250 stalls are myriad of music festivals,
open every Sunday afternoon, including the Brisbane River
displaying a huge variety of Festival. For live music there
local arts, crafts, clothes and are nightclubs in the Fortitude
jewellery. The Collective Valley and Caxton Street areas.
Markets at South Bank feature feature
M
Markets at South Bankarkets at South Bank Treasury Casino is open 24
unique and eclectic artisan hours. Entertainment listings
goods and are held every Friday can be found online at www.
night and on weekends. Its visitbrisbane.com.au and at
parklands, man-made beach, themusic.com.au and scenestr.
cafés and restaurants make the com.au, which offer great gig
Restored interior of the 19th-century South Bank a great place for a guides. Tickets for most events
Brisbane Arcade shopping experience. can be obtained from Ticketek.