South Bank Parklands, QLD, Australia
The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane’s World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. The South Bank Parklands are located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, at South Bank, directly opposite the City. The parklands are connected to the City by the Victoria Bridge at the northern end, and to Gardens Point by the Goodwill Bridge at the southern end.
The parklands consist of a mixture of rainforest, water, grassed areas and plazas as well as features such as the riverfront promenade, the Streets Beach, the Grand Arbour, the Courier Mail Piazza, the Nepal Peace Pagoda, the Wheel of Brisbane, restaurants, shops and fountains. The parklands are also home to the Queensland Conservatorium. South Bank and its parklands are one of Brisbane’s most important cultural precincts and they regularly host large scale festivals and events. Approximately 11,000,000 people visit South Bank Parklands each year.
This beautiful green strip is home to performance spaces, sculptures, buskers, eateries, bars, pockets of rainforest, barbecue areas, bougainvillea-draped pergolas and hidden lawns. The big-ticket attractions here are Streets Beach , a kitsch artificial swimming beach resembling a tropical lagoon (packed on weekends); and the London Eye–style Wheel of Brisbane , which offers 360-degree views from its 60m heights. Rides last around 10 minutes and include audio commentary (and air-con!).
Also in the parklands is Stanley St Plaza , a renovated section of historic Stanley St lined with kitschy, mainstream cafes, shops, restaurants and a pub. The vintage/touristy Collective Markets South Bank happen here on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. Not far away, Courier-Mail Piazza is an outdoor performance space that screens big-ticket sporting events, and movies during school holidays, both for free.
Own or work here?
