Secret's out. Or only Yelpers will know…read more This is the best place for families to view all things fireworks in the sky Brisbane. Forget going to Southbank with the 500,000 people apparently... forget going to Kangaroo Point... still a gadzillion people. The Captain Burke Park is still busy, but you can get a great spot, sitting right under the Story Bridge, full view of everything. They have activities for kids during 'event days' they have food stalls... actually it's getting pretty popular. But no where near the other hot spots. You don't have to get here sparrow's.... and wait all day with whingy kids until the night time when the crowds come to secure your highly coveted spot. You can turn up at 5-6pm and still enjoy the music, the activities the food and sit your blanket down bring some chairs and enjoy the night show.

This park is a gem, hidden away under the Storey Bridge. A great place to kick a ball around, or…read moreromantic wine and cheese with your loved one alongside the river. Check out the website for all the features.

Cafe on the Bridge was the scene for the half-way mark on a recent ride. Fitting really that my…read morehalf way mark would involve coffee in one way or another. But I digress. As 80s music (Wilson Philips) played I was welcomed by a huge smile and friendly chat about the day so far (Anzac Day). Serving Merlo Coffee, this coffee cart is full of home made cakes, slices and on this particular day Anzac Biscuits for 40c. 40c! My coffee was perfect and this may have been the result of a relaxing moment watching the view from the Goodwill Bridge. The Cafe on the Bridge is the perfect spot to take someone new to Brisbane, meet friends before strolling to South Bank or for a quick break before jumping back on your fixie.

One of a kind cafe. A bespoke experience to be had with a view over the river and a car/ smoke/…read morehorn-free setting. If there was a cafe strictly accessible by bicycle and foot, this would be the one of few with the best vista in Brisbane.

Paradise Park is (until now, maybe ;) one of Brisbane's best kept secrets. It has a lot to offer: a…read morebasketball half court, a community herb garden, barbecue facilities, a children's playground and the piece de resistance -- a clay cob oven which you can cook pizza in! Last year I made some pizza bases and sauce from scratch and took them, some toppings and some friends down to our little slice of Paradise for some, well, slices of wood-fired paradise. It was a bit of a learning experience. Turns out that to get the best cooking effect you probably want to get there a few hours early so you can get some coals going. Also, a word to the wise, don't use baking paper on your cooking tray or it will stick to the pizza bases during cooking. It can also be hard to get the cooked pizza from the tray, so ideally you want a good metal sliding implement to extract your bounty. A pizza cooking stone would probably hep too. In the end though we enjoyed our pizzas (and easier to extract calzones) immensely and had a really fun time. There was a weird moment about halfway through our little party that we realised that there was a lone figure sitting in the children's playground, nearly motionless (we'd thought it was a trick of the light earlier). Weird. Good pizza though!

Well gee Oliver, I guess if you're going to review this little well kept secret I may as well do it…read moretoo :) Don't hate us locals! We're just trying to share the love! I bback everything Oliver says and more, the vibe of this park is truly lovely, it's like a gentle little patch of a more innocent, peaceful time just waiting to soothe your cares away. I've never tried cooking my own pizza's there, but I'm damn tempted to now - although heating requirement is duly noted.

J C Slaughter Falls is a killer place for an outdoor feast. It really is the woodfire barbecues…read morethat make this picnic area the best of all of the ones in the general Mt Cootha reserve area. I personally enjoy the rustic experience of having to build a fire to cook my snags on. I knew those girl scout skills would come in handy at some stage. There are heaps of facilities around so you won't have to defend your barbecue against other groups of people. There's a stream that you can have a bit of a splash in, and there's space enough for a game of footy or cricket (or interpretive dance, or whatever it is you want to do in a park). You can take a short walk (less than 1km) to the falls, or take a longer walk to the Mt Cootha Summit. Stretch before you start. For those of you looking for outdoor venues to hold particular events in, you might be interested in the bush chapel. It's a very cool rustic looking sandstone structure set amid the bush that would be perfect for a suitably quaint, el natural event. I'm thinking weddings, really. I don't know what the name is about really, but it sounds like its worthy of Hollywood horror type stories. What's the story behind Slaughter falls? Whoever makes up the best story will win..... the knowledge that they're more creative than, say..... me. Just go there for a nice time, ok?

The J C Slaughter Falls Picnic Area is at the base of Mt Coot-tha, west of Brisbane CBD. There are…read morea number of wood fire BBQ's available to be used, as well as nearby tables which are perfect for a BBQ or picnic, and taps for water. To get there, get onto Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, but rather than driving up to the Lookout, stay on the road and follow it around until you see the signs for the J C Slaughter Falls. There are a number of car park areas as well as toilets open from 6am-7pm. A short walk in from the car park and toilets, you'll find the Picnic Area, a luscious green flat area, where all the BBQ's and tables are. A little further in there's a Bush Chapel area. It's an open air chapel with a sandstone pulpit and log seating on a concrete base. There's seating available for 30-40 people, and would be a fantastic space for an outdoor wedding. And if you're feeling adventurous after your picnic, walk up the Summit Track - 3.8km return trip, which takes about an hour to complete.

I know this park is fairly small, but I still like it and it is such a relaxing area…read more The park runs alongside Sturgeon Street as you head towards Ormiston from Wellington Point. I like grabbing some food at the local shops then heading down to Apex park for a picnic. On a hot day, there is plenty of shade plus Hillards Creek runs next to it and provides a great mini water view over lunch. It is like a little oasis away from the main road. I came here not too long ago with a friend. We got a coffee and some cheese and biscuits and had a nice lazy afternoon in the shade. It is a good place for a morning walk too.

My local park which I visit atleast once a day with my son. There is a great play area for a…read moredifferent ages that has very good shade. It can get a bit crowded at certain times during the school day with the kids come out for a break but for the most part there is always a place for the kids to play. There is a large grass area for kids to run about, a basketball half court and a cricket pitch. There are afew picnic tables that many people use for parties on the weekend and one bbq. There are many locals that frequent the park for a walk for their dog, take part in a bootcamp in the early mornings or even sometimes there may be a yoga class. Oh and there is also free wifi. There are toilets close to the park that are clean most of the time.

Gregory Park is a large sprawling park occupying the space between Baroona Road and Milton State…read moreSchool. It has a cricket pitch in the middle of it that is surrounded by a large circle of fairly-healthy grass and little else until you reach the extensive perimeter. There's a basketball half-court and a respectable, brightly painted public toilet in one corner and a playground in another. (The playground seems to be open to the public during the day, but I've seen the local school kids using the equipment during school hours.) Flanking the playground corner is a series of fence posts, carved and coloured to look like a rainbow spectrum of coloured pencils. Even as a (technical) adult, I have to admit this is a pretty cool effect. Another corner features a tennis court where I've managed to whack a ball over the net and the fence itself a few times. I can't remember the fee for using the court, but I remember thinking the price was insane even by the standard of already-exorbitant court rental fees across Brisbane. (If you don't care about price, the courts are pretty decent hard-court ones and the owners can be contacted on 0437 953 980). It's a friendly park and a lot happens here. Families have picnics and barbecues, people play informal games of cricket, football, basketball or soccer and some others come to just relax and just read on the grass. I went to a martial arts class here once and found being outside and training on the grass was a fantastic experience. I should warn you now, however - at night, I've seen fire twirlers and bongo players having a good old hippy hoedown in the middle of the park. Next thing you know, it'll be hacky-sack or soulful guitar playing. It could eventually turn into a Hippy Jam-Band Festival of epic proportions.

Great place to bring young kids - Misha's makes a very good coffee and I adore his iced lattes!read more

The Flats, or Des Connor Park as it is officially known, is a large block of land owned by Marist…read moreCollege Ashgrove. Depending on the time of year the park is usually filled with kids playing rugby, soccer, AFL or cricket. When there isn't an official game being played, however, the fields are open for anyone to use and they generally get a pretty good work out. Given the large amount of room available the Flats are able to accommodate large groups of people and you will never feel short of space. Intended to be used primarily as playing fields this is not the place to go for a family picnic given there is no shade or seating aside from the wooden logs that line one side. That is not to say the Flats is completely one dimensional as it is a favourite route for walkers and cyclists as the paved path is nicely shaded and lined on one side by a trickling creek. So whether you're looking to throw down a few bouncers on one of the concrete cricket pitches, line up a few place kicks or just go for a leisurely stroll, the Flats would be a good option.