Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

Drive up to the look-out on top of Mount Coot-tha for gasp-inducing views over Brisbane, Moreton Bay and the volcanic Glass House Mountains. Seven kilometres south-west of the city, it’s a reserve of bush and parkland named after the Aboriginal word for ‘honey’, once gathered here, and the trails and picnic spots are still sweet.

Arts and culture

Despite the tinseltown jibes, there’s serious culture here, with key galleries holding court in the South Bank arts zone. Start at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA; www.qag.qld.gov.au), Australia’s largest modern art gallery, focusing on works from the 20th-century onwards including indigenous, Pacific Island and international collections. Its Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art is a must-see show. Sister space, the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG; same website) features Australian and global work prior to 1970, including pieces by Queensland talent, Ian Fairweather. For cutting-edge theatre, music and arts, our tip is the riverside Brisbane Powerhouse (www.brisbanepowerhouse.org) in gentrifying district New Farm. The adjacent park also hosts the Moonlight Cinema (www.moonlight.com.au) in summer.

Something for nothing

Watch rock climbers scale the pink cliffs at Kangaroo Point, on the south of the illuminated-by-night riverbank, or contact the Riverlife Adventure Centre (www.riverlife.com.au) if you fancy a go yourself.

Shopping

Fortitude Valley is the city’s boutique shopping hub, with one-of-a-kind fashion pieces up for grabs. Browse Ann, Brunswick, James and Wickham Streets. The massive Queen Street Shopping Mall (www.queenstreetmall.com) in the CBD is home to over 700 outlets, dominated by Myer and David Jones department stores, or head west to Paddington’s La Trobe and Given Terraces for antiques, curios and collectables.

Daytripper

Head to the Moreton Bay islands (www.moretonbayislands.com.au), a short ferry or catamaran ride off the coast east of Brisbane, which is a haven for marine life including dolphins, rare dugongs, turtles and sea birds. Moreton Island itself combines beaches with lagoons and National Park land. Sandboard on the dunes or snorkel among the spooky boat wrecks at Tangalooma. At North Stradbroke Island (aka ‘Straddie’), take a freshwater dip in tea tree-stained Brown Lake, or stroll to pretty Blue Lake.

Best beach

In South Bank Parklands, fringing the river across from the CBD, you’ll find Australia’s only man-made inner-city beach, Streets Beach, a subtropical oasis linked to a lagoon. Ideal for a dip without even leaving town.

Perfect picnic

Once a race track, New Farm Park is now a great and green riverside space with views of the city skyline. Not to be missed when the jacaranda trees are flowering in mid-spring.

Walks

For a slice of Brissie life, kick off at the pretty City Botanic Gardens, south of the CBD, and follow the river north past the skyscrapers and buzzing eateries to the floating RiverWalk, which connects over 20 kilometres of foot and bike trails.

Children

This is koala central, so introduce the kids to some of the sleepy fur-balls at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (www.koala.net), 11 kilometres south-west of town. Arrive in style by river cruise (www.mirimar.com). Brisbane’s Alma Park Zoo (www.almaparkzoo.com.au), 28 kilometres to the north, is also home to koalas and native dingoes, kangaroos and possums. Both cost AU$22 a child, AU$32 an adult, with deals for families. In town, visit the free Queensland Museum (www.southbank.qm.qld.gov.au).

Activities

Near Fortitude Valley, the Story Bridge Adventure Climb (www.storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au) is one of only three bridges in the world you can climb without getting arrested, and the views are breathtaking. From AU$89 for adults. If you’d prefer something more sedate, barefoot lawn bowls is gathering cult status, with a younger crowd; they head for the greens for barbecue-and-beer-fuelled Sunday-afternoon sessions. Try your silky skills out at Merthyr Bowls Club (www.merthyrbowlsclub.com.au).

And

Time your visit between June and November for a chance to spot humpback whales flocking through Moreton Bay off the coast of Brisbane.