Brisbane South Bank Walk (Self Guided), Brisbane

Goodwill Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Brisbane River. It is located between Stanley Street and Gardens Point Road. It is open to both foot traffic and bicycles.

The bridge is 21.3 feet wide and 1,480 feet long. Goodwill Bridge is made from reinforced steel and brushed concrete. It was designed by architect Philip Sutton Cox, who also designed Singapore's Helix Bridge and the award-winning One One One Eagle Street building in Brisbane.

The asymmetrical bridge is functions doubly as a means of transportation and a work of art. It is also a good place to stop and relax. In the midst of the bridge is a seating area and coffee cart where visitors can watch boats pass through the river or take in a stunning vista of Brisbane.

Goodwill Bridge is widely used by both locals and visitors. Some estimates show that the bridge experiences foot traffic of about 40,000 unique individuals every day.

The Queensland Maritime Museum is located at the Kangaroo Point end of the Southbank Parklands and was opened in 1971. Located on the banks of the Brisbane River it is home to a vast collection of Queensland and Australian maritime historical documents and artifacts. Since Brisbane has always been a bustling port city, there is a lot of valuable historical information to be gleaned on a visit here. The museum is divided into different exhibitions that focus on: Navigation, Lighthouses, Ship Models, Marine Engines, Vessels, and the Dry Dock. The library onsite has extensive archived information relating to pearling, immigration, shipwrecks, commercial ships and yachts.

The Dry Dock at the museum is one of the most important signs of Queensland’s colonial past. It was proposed in 1870 and building began in 1875 by 1881 it was functioning. It was also of strategic importance during World War II when it was used by the major allied defense to service around 50 submarines amongst other navy vessels. Visitors also get to board the Diamantina, which was a Queensland built WWII vessel and you can see how navy officers lived and worked on deck. The Queensland Maritime Museum is open every day from 9:30am to 4:30pm.

South Bank Grand Arbour is a pedestrian walkway between Vulture Street, near Griffith Film School, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The Arbour Walkway, as it is often called, cuts through South Brisbane War Memorial Park, past the Griffith University Art Museum and by many shops and eateries.

The arbour walk is about 1 kilometer in length, making it only a little more than half a mile. Tourists can use the walkway to reach the Queensland Maritime Museum, the Picnic Island Playground, the Clem Jones Promenade and Streets Beach.

The walkway was designed by Denton Corker Marshall architectural firm. It is composed of 443 steel columns that curl overhead. The columns are lined with bright pink bougainvillea. Thanks to the climate in Brisbane, the bougainvillea vines bloom for most of the year.

South Bank Grand Arbour is open to pedestrian traffic 24 hours per day. The flowers are best viewed in the daylight but multicolor lights create a safe and lovely walk even once the sun has set.

The South Bank Piazza is a multi-purpose venue located in the South Bank Parklands. The Courier-Mail was the naming rights sponsor of the venue from 2013, prior to which it was known as the Suncorp Piazza and is currently known as the South Bank Piazza.

The amphitheatre is covered by a sound shell (designed by architectural firm Ark Atelier), and features a 5x4m suspended screen. The amphitheatre seating of the venue has a capacity of 2,158 people, while the floor space (which has an area of 513m2) can accommodate either 750 people standing, or 532 people seated in temporary seating.

The Venue will host the 3x3 Basketball in the 2032 Olympic Games.

The venue is close to the South Brisbane railway station and the Cultural Centre Busway Station.

The Nepal Peace Pagoda is one of the most significant heritage items in Brisbane from the hosting of the Expo. It is the only international exhibit remaining on the site. In 1986, the United Nations International Year of Peace, the Kingdom of Nepal agreed to participate in World Expo '88, and the Association to Preserve Asian Culture was commissioned to create, operate for the Expo, and find a new home for the Pagoda at the Expo's conclusion.

The Peace Pagoda was built by German architect Jochen Reier (APAC) on behalf of the Kingdom of Nepal. Immediately, 80 metric tons (79 long tons; 88 short tons) of indigenous Nepalese timber were sourced from the Terai jungle forest of Nepal, carted across to the capital Kathmandu where 160 Nepalese families worked for two years at crafting its diverse elements. These were then shipped to Australia in two 40-foot (12 m) containers and one 20-foot (6.1 m) container, where they were assembled at the Expo site by a handful of Australian workers under Nepalese supervision. The final assembly for World Expo 88 Expo 88 Brisbane only took a few days.

The Pagoda is one of only three Nepal Peace Pagodas outside of Nepal, the other two being in Munich and Osaka, and is a close copy of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, with significant Hindu and Buddhist iconography representing the different Avatars of Shiva, buddhas in different states of meditation, or mudras, the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism, a sacred statue of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist deity of compassion, as well as a Peace Bell, two smaller side Pavilions, a Buddhist stupa, and a Peace Post, with the calling to World Peace in four languages Japanese, French, Spanish and English. Sanskrit prayer chants also feature inscribed on the roof eaves of the two side Pavilions, as well as the inscription for om above the central door.

Whilst not used as a traditional Buddhist or Hindu centre, it is occasionally used for weddings, private functions, book launches and company events, and many visitors can be seen using the Pagoda's internal first level Church pews for personal meditation.

The Wheel of Brisbane is a 197-foot tall Ferris Wheel located in the South Bank Parklands. The Ferris wheel was built in 2008 in honor of the 150th anniversary of Queensland. It was also part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of World Expo 88. Visitors can expect a 15-minute ride that offers exceptional views of Brisbane.

The wheel was built with 42 gondolas that seat up to six adults and two children. Each of the gondolas are enclosed and air conditioned. Tickets may be purchased at the wheel or in advance through the Wheel of Brisbane website. Visitors can choose standard tickets or they can have a VIP experience that consists of a double ride and a glass of wine to enjoy while riding.

The Wheel of Brisbane operates from 10 AM to 9 PM from Sunday to Thursday. It is open from 10 AM to 10 PM on Friday and Saturday. The wheel does not take reservations.

The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre.

In recent years, QPAC has presented some of the world's leading artists and companies in the QPAC International Series including Paris Opera Ballet in 2020, Bolshoi Ballet in 2019, La Scala Theatre Ballet in 2018, The Royal Ballet in 2017, Bolshoi Ballet in 2013, Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg State Opera and Hamburg Philharmonic in 2012 and American Ballet Theatre in 2014.

QPAC produces the Out of the Box Festival for children 8 years and under, and Clancestry program, as part of the QPAC First Nations Program which recognises the significant role First Nations Peoples have contributed and continue to contribute to Queensland’s historical, creative and cultural landscapes.

QPAC is the performance home for Queensland's leading performing arts companies – Queensland Ballet, Queensland Theatre Company, Opera Queensland, Queensland Youth Orchestras and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. In addition, QPAC regularly hosts many of Australia's leading performing arts companies including The Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Bangarra Dance Theatre.

The Queensland Museum is part of the arts complex at Southbank just across the river from the CBD. The museum has been a part of the Queensland landscape for more than 150 years and has previously had homes at the Old Windmill, the Parliament Building, the Old Post Office and it was housed at the Exhibition Building for 86 years until it moved to its current site in 1985. To celebrate the museum’s 150th anniversary in 2012 it was extensively refurbished in order to provide Queenslanders with even better tangible access to their past and give visitors a clearer understanding of where the state has been and where it may go in the next 150 years.

There are more than one million artifacts in the museum’s collection, but popular permanent fixtures include: the dinosaur garden; a German AV7 tank; Captain Cook’s compass, Queensland aviator, Burt Hinkler’s aircraft from his solo flight from England to Australia in the 1920s and indigenous artifacts from the 19th century. The museum is open every day from 9.30 am - 5.00 pm. It is closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day and on ANZAC Day from 1.30 pm. General entry is free, but there may be some exhibitions that charge a small fee.

Brisbane is undergoing a true renaissance at the moment with more and more cultural activities garnering national and international attention. The Queensland Art Gallery is one of the frontrunners in providing Queenslanders and visitors with a range of art to see and enjoy. The gallery is located in the Queensland Performing Arts Complex, known locally as QPAC, just across the river from the CBD. The gallery was originally opened in 1895, but it shifted to its current location in 1982. In addition to its sizeable permanent collection, the gallery has a fine history of presenting impressive national and international visiting exhibitions.

The Queensland Art Gallery has always had the philosophy of connecting people through art and in this vein it has always had extensive indigenous art and children’s art programs and displays in place. The permanent collection features works by indigenous artists such as Albert Namatjira and Thanakupi. The Australian collection has works by Arthur Streeton and many other well known artists. There are also sizeable Asian and Pacific collections along with European works by Provost and Tintoretto. Combined with a visit to the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), right next door, the gallery is providing exciting and inspiring installations to artists and admirers of all ages.

Hours: Monday-Sunday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.

The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art is one of the newest and most exciting galleries in Australia only opening in 2006. In only a few short years the gallery has created quite a splash offering wide reaching installations for art lovers of all ages. Indeed, it has become internationally recognized for its innovation and the range of art that is offered to school aged children. It is also home to Australia’s only purpose built cinematheque – a film archive devoted to showing old or art house film reels. There is a regular program of silent, retro, classics, anime and art house films shown at the gallery each day.

Well received temporary installations at the GOMA have included Warhol, Picasso and Matisse exhibitions and there is always something exciting on the program to see and experience. Located within the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC) at Southbank, just across from the CBD, it is easily accessible by road, train, bus or ferry. It is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Within the premises there is a store and an excellent restaurant and café to stimulate your gastronomical senses as well as your aesthetic sense.

The William Jolly Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge over the Brisbane River between North Quay in the Brisbane CBD and Grey Street in South Brisbane. It was designed by A E Harding Frew and built from 1928 to 1932 by M R Hornibrook Ltd.

The style of the bridge's design is Art Deco, which was popular at the time. Manuel R. Hornibrook's company built the bridge that consists of two piers that were built in the river and two pylons on the river banks, which support three graceful arches. The rainbow arch type, as it was described, was claimed to be the first of its type in Australia. It is a steel frame arch bridge with an unusual concrete veneer, treated to make it appear like "light-coloured porphyry".

When opened, during the worst year of the Great Depression, the bridge was known simply as the Grey Street Bridge. It was renamed to the William Jolly Bridge on 5 July 1955 in memory of William Jolly, the first Lord Mayor of Greater Brisbane. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 August 1996.

In 2003 the bridge was a location for the filming of Inspector Gadget 2.

From 2009, the bridge is being used as a canvas for artistic light shows. Two towers, five metres high, are used to project images onto the bridge. The cost of the project was $2,000,000.