- Duration
- 3.5 km on foot (≈ 3 h 59 min: moving and stop time only)
- Who it suits
- Everyone
- Transport
- walk
- Start
- Streets Beach
- Finish
- City Botanic Gardens
- Pace
- relaxed pace
- Best time
- Morning, before the midday heat; South Bank runs weekend markets
- Budget per adult
- Free: QAGOMA and the gardens cost nothingPrices as of: July 2026; transport and zoo prices October 2026
Getting there
CityCat ferry or train to South Brisbane. Trips cost 50 cents with a go card or bank card.
Stops in order
The text version of the route: stops, time at each and the legs between them. Times are estimates, without queues, traffic or swims.
1. Streets Beach~30 min at the stop
Australia's only patrolled man-made inner-city beach: a white-sand lagoon facing the skyline.
Worth knowing: The parklands replaced the Expo 88 site. Streets Beach, a man-made lagoon, opened with the new South Bank in 1992.
Tip: The lagoon is open and lifeguarded. The neighbouring Aquativity water play area is currently closed for maintenance. Check the South Bank site on the morning you go.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 16 min · 1.2 km
2. QAGOMA~1 h 30 min at the stop
The twin state galleries: classics in QAG, contemporary Asia-Pacific art in GOMA. Free general entry.
Worth knowing: The gallery's story starts in 1895. GOMA opened in 2006 beside the Queensland Art Gallery building (1982), on the riverbank the Turrbal people call Kurilpa.
Tip: GOMA's Children's Art Centre has hands-on installations: an easy way to split up for an hour.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 6 min · 0.5 km
3. Kurilpa Bridge~10 min at the stop
A tensegrity footbridge of masts and cables: one of the most photogenic angles on the river and CBD.
Tip: A footbridge. In a wind, keep to the middle. The shade is by the supports.
Open on the map ↗↓ walk · 27 min · 2.1 km
4. City Botanic Gardens~1 h at the stop
Brisbane's oldest park in a river bend: banyan avenues, a bamboo grove, water dragons on the lawns. Open 24 hours.
Worth knowing: The city gardens were established in 1855 on a former creek flat by the river, and still hold a remnant of the original riverside forest.
Tip: Since 2024 the Kangaroo Point footbridge starts here: extend the walk across the river if you have energy left.
Open on the map ↗
Before you go
- Route times are estimates: walking, driving and a sensible pause at each stop. Add queues, traffic and swims yourself.
- Prices, timetables and trail status change. Check the venue's official site and the state transport app before you go.
- On beaches, swim only between the red and yellow flags. Use sun protection even when it is cloudy.