Brisbane can be the victim of some chilly westerlies in the winter months, but the upside is that these desert-driven winds tend to create crisp, spectral sunsets. The best place to check them out is from Tamborine Mountain in Tamborine National Park, just an hour south of the city centre. This long plateau boasts a series of lookouts with commanding views west towards the Great Dividing Range. Sitting with a late afternoon picnic watching the setting sun is perfect date material, but make sure you pack a warm sweater with your camera.
South Bank’s signature food, wine and lifestyle event, Regional Flavours has grown in recent years to stretch almost the entire length of these inner-city parklands. At this mid-July festival you can expect celebrity chefs, cooking demonstrations and a bunch of activities for the little ones. The best approach is to pick one of the impressive pop-up bars or restaurants scattered around the parklands and settle in for an afternoon of genial grazing and mingle with the locals.
There was a time when Queensland’s capital was defined by its affection for super-sized drinking barns. But that all changed a few years back with a confluence of state and council legislation that introduced cheaper, small-venue liquor licences and a plan to rejuvenate the city’s laneways. The result is a clutch of exceptional venues dotted throughout Brisbane’s back-alleys. Local favourites are the classy if always rambunctious Super Whatnot and the grungier Brew, both a short walk from Queen Street Mall. But don’t be afraid to go a little further afield to find the stately Gresham, or Laneway, which comes perched atop the Euro — one of the city’s best bistros.
As divey as it is delicious, Taro Akimoto’s uncomplicated inner Brisbane ramen joint is often cited as one of the best in the country. Akimoto conjures his delicious broths using prized Bangalow pork sourced just south of the Queensland–New South Wales border. Ramen is the ultimate winter warmer, and Taro backs it up with some tasty gyoza and specially imported kegs of Orion beer.
Once home to one of Brisbane’s more notorious strip joints, this Caxton Street venue is now Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall but traces of the old Velvet Cigar remain with lap-dance prices in the bathrooms and underwear hanging from wall-mounted taxidermy. The place drips in a saloon-style atmosphere: drinks flow freely while honky-tonk and bluegrass bands keep a typically eclectic crowd on its feet.
Teneriffe is an inner suburban oddity. Created around the turn of the millennium by combining New Farm’s wool store warehouses with a stack of new riverside apartments custom built for Brisbane’s bright young things, it makes for an immaculately presented (some may say soulless) precinct. The Teneriffe Festival, though, is an excellent opportunity to visit this area: the July sun beams straight along the tree-lined Vernon Terrace and the suburb celebrates its wartime and industrial roots. The festival extends into the back alleys, so give yourself plenty of time to explore all kinds of boutiques, food stalls and pop-up bars.
Finders Keepers pops up in both Sydney and Melbourne, but the Old Museum (460 Gregory Terrace, Fortitude Valley) in Brisbane is arguably the best venue for this classy collection of stalls. What’s on offer is a cut above your typical market like bamboo-woven t-shirts, natty bow ties and custom-printed gift cards. Still, the location, with its detailed 19th century brickwork, lofty towers and perpetual scaffolding, is half the charm. Get there early then laze on the lawn enjoying some winter sun and post-market refreshments.
Brisbane has a number of antique precincts but Woolloongabba is the best, the suburb’s pokey location and huge diversity of collectors meaning you could probably dig up almost anything if you put your mind to it. Woolloongabba Antique Centre (22 Wellington Rd, Woolloongabba) – Brisbane’s largest – is the best place to start, but don’t be afraid to double-back along the side streets towards Logan Road, where you can also pitstop for breakfast, lunch or dinner, depending on the time of day.
One of only two drive-in theatres left in Southeast Queensland, Yatala (100 Jacobs Well Rd, Stapylton) is the local go-to when combining four wheels with a couple of flicks. A family operation and it plays as much: the owners tear your tickets upon entry before reappearing to dish out hot dogs and fries from an authentically kitsch 1950s diner. Keep an eye out for themed nights, hire a utility (flat-bed truck) or van – if you can – then jump in the back with a pile of warm blankets. You won’t want to leave.
Byron Bay is a favourite weekend getaway for Brisbane locals but it comes into its own every July when it hosts Splendour in the Grass (splendourinthegrass.com), Australia’s go-to multi-day music festival. The line-up is invariably excellent, the crowds friendly, and the North Byron Parklands a lush (or muddy) paradise. Plan for this winter event a year ahead as tickets usually sell out in a matter of hours!
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