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Brisbane event weekends: what to do between sessions

Subtropical river city with a city beach, koalas at Lone Pine and the Gold and Sunshine coasts an hour away.

Events we cover in Brisbane

2 Jul 2027*Gold Coast Marathon
Brisbane, AustraliaMarathon 1 Oct 2027Rugby World Cup 2027 in Brisbane
Brisbane, AustraliaRugby

Arriving

Brisbane airport (BNE) has the Airtrain to the city in 20 minutes.

Where to stay

Budget	Where	Why
Budget	Fortitude Valley	Nightlife and cheaper rooms.
Mid-range	South Bank	Parklands and the river.
Splurge	CBD riverside	Tower hotels.

Three hotels we would book

Budget: Ibis Brisbane
Mid-range: Rydges South Bank
Splurge: The Westin Brisbane

Event weekends sell out early and prices rise as the date gets closer: book a cancellable room as soon as you know you are going.

Tours

Half day · Family

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Cuddle a koala.

See times and prices

Full day · Family

Gold Coast theme parks

Movie World and Dreamworld.

See times and prices

Full day · Family

Moreton Island day trip

Dolphins and sand dunes.

See times and prices

Half day · Low walking

River cruise

CityCat ferry or a cruise.

See times and prices

Where to eat

Eat Street Northshore Container food market
Howard Smith Wharves Riverside dining

With kids

Queensland Museum.
Streets Beach.

Rainy-day backups

GOMA.

Free things to do

South Bank Streets Beach.
Kangaroo Point cliffs.

Getting around

Go card or contactless on trains, buses and CityCat ferries.
Tap on with a contactless card on trains, trams, buses and ferries in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Uber, DiDi and taxis are easy; distances outside the centres are long.