AND BEYOND
It’s worth sticking around for a few days in the gateway to Australia’s Gold Coast, says JEMMA CREW
UNDER the curves of Story Bridge (which lights up at night), Felons s Brewing Company is the first development of Howard ward Smith Wharves to open, and d also somewhere you can drink a beer on the water’s edge.
The name of the bar pays homage to the first settlers to discover the Brisbane river – four sea-faring felons who were said to be terrible adventurers, but somehow found a cracking spot.
ESCAPE IN A HOT AIR BALLOON
HEADING out at 4am may not sound like your ideal holiday experience, but the brutal early start is undoubtedly worth it.
Rising higher than a 10-storey building, these balloons carry up to 24 people and take off in the midst of the Scenic Rim’s hinterland, less than an hour’s drive from the city. Within minutes, neck-tickling blasts of hot air lift you 1,000m above the ground.
The perfect end to this voyage is a Champagne breakfast at O’Reilly’s Vineyards, a gorgeous spot in the Canungra Valley, which breaks up the return journey.
MAKE SOME FURRY FRIENDS
DESPITE the name, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has much more to offer than Australia’s cutest national icon. Docile and dozing in the sun, you can get within selfie range of kangaroos, but make sure you don’t touch the joeys.
Take the Koala Express – a 40-minute boat ride– from the heart of Brisbane, for a waterside view of the suburbs; just be prepared for the steps up from the jetty. Otherwise it’s a
20-minute drive south-west.
STROLL ALONG THE SOUTH BANK
t GET to know Brisbane’s cultural heart and history with a BlackCard tour.
“We want people to know that you can come to any capital city and meet real Aboriginal people sharing our culture,” says tour manager Yarraka Bayles, after we’re treated to a didgeridoo performance.
As you wander the south bank of Meanjin – the Aboriginal name for the city – you get the chance to explore the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Its Plaza Gallery – one of the most significant collections of Central Desert art – is a hidden gem.
Finish off by watching your Aboriginal guides perform a song while sitting ‘round the only legal fire pit in Queensland.
PICNIC IN A PARK
INDULGE in a spread with a difference with the Vintage Picnic Company. It’s no exaggeration to describe their offering as a banquet, with full cutlery and glassware, bouquets, candles and lace decorating a low table, and a colourful array of cushions and rugs to settle down on.
Either collect your picnic and head off to wherever takes your fancy, or arrange for it to be set up in one of the city’s sprawling parks.
Check out New Farm Park on Sundays and grab a spot near the bandstand to enjoy your fare with a backdrop of live music.
DISCOVER MORETON ISLAND
TANGALOOMA, a resort on Moreton Island, whose name means many fishes in Aboriginal, is just 75 minutes by catamaran from the city.
A helicopter ride will give you an incredible look at the wrecks – a cluster of 15 out-of-service ships scuttled by the Queensland Government decades ago, to give smaller vessels a safe anchorage spot. Alternatively, take a snorkelling tour for a closer look at the coral.
But it’s not known as ‘dolphin island’ for nothing, and one of the most popular attractions is the opportunity to stand knee-deep in the water and hand feed two families
that swim to the shore each evening.