The Brisbane Riverwalk is one of the cities real gems. Not really a tourist destination, it's just…read morea great place to go for a jog with a few friends.

The Brisbane Riverwalk is now infamous for floating away during the 2011 Brisbane Floods and…read moresections of it having to be taken upstream by tugboats in order for it not to cause damage to the bridges downstream. So unless you can walk on water, the Brisbane Riverwalk just is not as functional as it used to be. Never fear however because there are still sections that are undamaged and there will be a brand new Riverwalk built in the near future. The Brisbane River really is the lifeblood of the city and having a walkway for cyclists and pedestrians was fantastic. You can check out the new design of the rebuild on the Brisbane City Council Website if you are curious as to what it will look like in the future. There is a $75 million dollar budget to rebuild the New Farm part of the Brisbane Riverwalk so hopefully they will come up with something good and flood proof for that amount.

We walked across the bridge near our hotel to this free museum…read more There are things of interest for children & adults. In addition, there are some activities you can pay for. Lastly, there was A/C on a hot day, as well as a nice cafe to grab something cold to drink. If you are in Brisbane CBD, this free museum is worth a visit.

It's free. Don't complain. You can see quite a bit without paying…read more Lots to learn about the history of Brisbane and Queensland. It's a good study into the biology of the plant and animal species local here.

Omigoshness. I look at Kidspace and think about my childhood spent roller skating across the living…read moreroom in a cramped apartment in Hong Kong and want to cry. We are so lucky in Australia to have so much space to spend on our children. When it comes to parklands, I'm pretty grateful for all the public parks across Brisbane but Kidspace in Chermside really stand out. It's been designed for all ages. There are picnic tables with BBQs and easy access toilets (including disabled facilities). For the older kids there are wide paths for riding, scootering, skating and a half sized tennis court as well. The play area is shaded and there's a great fort suitable for babies, toddlers and younger kids. Southsiders take note: This family friendly park is worth the drive.

The 7th Brigade Park is huge, apparently one of the biggest parks in Brisbane. It runs from Newman…read moreRoad in Geebung, all the way through to Murphy Road and Chermside Shopping Centre. I have only just recently discovered this park is all connected and now I've started walking through the park to the Chermside Library or Shopping Centre. There are two playgrounds or play areas, separated by large sports fields, trees and bicycle and walk paths. At the Newman Road end of the park, there is a playground and exercise equipment, as well as BBQ areas, shelters and lots of space for large groups. There are toilets down this end too. Towards Chermside Shopping Centre, along Murphy Road, there's a huge play area called Kidspace. Kidspace covers an area approximately the size of 5 homes and includes a large undercover play area, electric BBQ's, toilets, shelters, bench tables and seating. There's also a basketball ring and half court and a tennis court with a rebound wall. There is parking at both ends, and the gates to these parking lots are open from 6am to 9pm. A network of shared bicycle/walk paths run throughout the park, and there are exercise stations along the pathway - hurdles, chin ups and sit ups to name a few. 7th Brigade Park is also dog friendly. Dogs are allowed throughout the park and there are a couple of specific off-leash areas for dogs.

This terminal has a history, and is one of the cutest terminals along the Brisbane CityCats' stops…read more Hawthorne Ferry Terminal is another one. There are resident ducks that often hang out here at the old docking space next to the cottage-like terminal, so it's great for the occasional outing with kids. (I have a really soft heart for animals). If you're heading to Oxford St, this is the stop. Just walk off and go several streets down, and once you have reached the Memorial Park area, you're just starting to get into the main Oxford St predicint. There are a few spots to check out along the way: The Jetty Restaurant just off the terminal, Stalks and Stems for flowers/gift items, Bellissimo Coffee to name a few. There are also a few historical buildings in Bulimba - just look for the history information markers. Also the Riverwalk is just a stone throw away (starting just at the yellow posts in front of the Jetty. It's not a very long Riverwalk -- it takes you direct to a park where you can find a few covered picnic tables, playground, and a fenced dog park. You could continue the Riverwalk beyond for several meters (and walk the small pier). There are rumours that this terminal may be temporarily shut down for renovations in the near future, to add a bigger terminal ramp (?).

You get five trips around. They give informative tour.information while you travel. Done by about…read moreyour second time around. They also give you a pamphlet with the key areas being numbered. So you can follow along.

Costly, but great sights. Moves faster than any other…read morewheel I've been in. If you don't like heights, don't do it.

On a clear day or a cloudless evening, Wilson's Outlook at New Farm provides one of the most…read morestunning views of Brisbane city and the Story Bridge. I stumbled upon it accidently after taking a wrong turn on my way to Chouquette for a croissant. The vista was breathtaking and has caused me to return time and time again since. Take a picnic, a friend, or a date you want to impress. If you have a good camera, it's also a great place to take photos of Brissy or if you're game, get their early for the annual Riverfire festival.

Wilson's Outlook is beautiful. At night time, the bridge looks amazing, and the hum of the cars as…read morethey zip across gives this very nice white noise, as odd as that sounds. Perfect place to take someone after a date, as it's just a short stroll from the city, the valley or New Farm. There are around 5 benches in the spots in Wilson's Outlook, and a couple of public bins too, so it's perfect for a picnic during the day and you don't have to take all your rubbish back with you in the car. If you're only going to come here once, make sure it's at night, it's so much nicer! Note, the only problem with Wilson's Outlook, and the reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5, is because of the chronic mosquitos that will devour your skin. Wear some insect repellent, or you will have a miserable time. Although, at the time of writing, there is a huge mosquito population outbreak right now bigger than any in the past 14 years (2015), so that may be skewing my review a tad.

Wynnum Scouts had the most incredible time on our snorkelling adventure at the Tangalooma Wrecks…read morewith Dolphin Wild Island Cruises! From exploring the shipwrecks to beach time and big smiles all round, the kids had an absolute blast from start to finish. The crew from Dolphin Wild Island Cruises were absolutely wonderful -- friendly, professional, and fantastic with our youth -- making the whole experience smooth, safe, and unforgettable. The Dolphin Island wildlife was next-level We were lucky enough to see two green turtles, a stingray, and even a dugong, along with schools of fish weaving through the wrecks. Seeing these incredible animals in their natural environment was pure magic, and the kids were completely in awe (leaders too!). A truly gold-star experience filled with adventure, learning, and memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you Dolphin Wild Island Cruises -- we will definitely be back!

In recent years, Brisbane has undergone a city wide upheaval. Once upon a time, where Brisbane…read moreSquare stands now used to be a park. A nice humble square of grass that bordered the mayhem of the Queen Street Mall. It was a lovely place to go to roll around in the grass, take a short time out, or to meet someone. I fondly remember a couple of protests I went to there as well. When the bob cats and bulldozers moved in and tore up the grass, I was furious. I was convinced it was another case of tearing up public space for commerical ventures. I had a mixed reaction when Brisbane Square was unveiled. There was no greenery anywhere. Some eateries (Coffee Club is one of them, no less) and a few shops had opened up. I was right! However, to soften the blow of losing a beloved park, they had built a state of the art library there, and had installed some recycled public art works there. I don't exactly know what they are, but they look like old school colanders that have been welded together into giant balls. They are scattered throughout the square and are actually pretty cool. You can climb up on top of the big ones and chill slightly above the rest of the city goers. The Brisbane City Library is famous now. It's a dominant feature of the city scape, thanks to those giant lego block architectural features. The facilities are fantastic, it's all brand new, spick and span, and it has a cafe inside for when your brain and eyes want to zone out from all the reading you're getting into. As a side note, Brisbane Square becomes a market place on Wednesdays. It's the best for having a deliciously tasty lunch, or getting your farm fresh fruit and veggies while you're in city centre. Bonus! So it turns out that Brisbane Square, despite there being no grass, is still a great place to take a reprieve from inner city hustle. Now, when a friend calls to ask where to meet them, I will usually reply that I'll be sitting on one of the balls in Brisbane Square.

Brisbane Square used to be what we all considered a park - but it was never a park, just a vacant…read morelot owned by developers that was used as a thoroughfare / lunch spot by city workers. Due to this I was pretty relieved when I saw there's still plenty of public space after the development was completed (I also thought it was pretty nice of them to let it be a park while they were figuring out what to do with it). The Brisbane City Council and Brisbane City Library are pretty big tenants, along with Suncorp bank, so that has probably influenced the amount of public use. There's no more grass, but there are great community markets and plenty of benches to eat your lunch if you need a fresh air break. It's also pretty much right on the river if you feel like taking a stroll afterwards.