Brisbane with kids

Keeping your children entertained while on holiday in Brisbane is easy, with endless activities to enjoy. Whether entertaining young ones or teenagers, make the most of your short stay in Brisbane with this family-friendly itinerary.

Day One

Morning: River Cruise

Enjoying the river is almost mandatory in Brisbane City and there are many leisurely river cruises designed for this purpose. Jump on board with Kookaburra Showboat Cruises, Mirimar Cruises or River City Cruises. 

Afternoon: Riverlife

Enjoy the outdoor green spaces in Brisbane’s inner city with Riverlife Adventure Centre, nestled on the river’s edge at the base of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. Grab some bikes, scooters, or strap on some rollerblades and cruise along one of the city’s many bike paths, or get wet and wild with kayaks and stand up paddle boarding. 

Evening: Brisbane apartments

Choose from many options of spacious self-contained apartments – from the centrally located Hotel Jen on Roma St, or Rydges South Bank located in the heart of South Bank’s cultural precinct.

Day Two

Morning: South Bank

Explore the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, State Library, Queensland Museum and the fantastic Brisbane Sciencentre, along with the state-of-the-art playground and cafes in South Bank, just a short stroll over the Victoria Bridge from the city.

Take a dip in Streets Beach or join a free Brisbane Greeters tour of South Bank. They depart at 10am from the South Bank Visitor Information and Booking Centre. Bookings are essential 24 hours in advance. Call (07) 3029 1797 or email [email protected] to book.

Afternoon: Mini golf

Head to the Victoria Park Golf Club, just a short drive from Brisbane CBD and enjoy a game of mini golf. This challenging and exciting 18-hole mini golf course weaves around a rocky terrain while sporting a magnificent view of Brisbane’s skyline. 

Day Three

Ipswich Workshops Rail Museum

Visit the Workshops Rail Museum in Ipswich. This is the birthplace of rail in Queensland and also home to Australia’s oldest working steam locomotive which was constructed on site in 1865. The museum holds regular events, exhibitions and hands-on school holiday programs.

Day Four

Tangalooma Island Resort

Visit Tangalooma Island Resort and hand-feed wild dolphins, snorkel the Tangalooma wrecks, whizz down 50m sand dunes on a waxed board or explore the resort environs with views across the bay on a quad bike. 

Other family-friendly things to do in Brisbane

Escape Hunt Brisbane

Escape Hunt Brisbane is an adventure like no other. Become a real-life detective as you solve puzzles and crack clues to escape before time runs out! 

Markets around Brisbane

Pick up a bargain at one of Brisbane’s markets. Whether you’re after fresh produce, a worldly-inspired meal or the latest local designer pieces, there’s plenty on offer. Take a leisurely roam while listening to local performers belt out a few tunes. Try the South Bank Collective Markets, Eat Street Markets or the Boundary Street Markets.

Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium

Turn your attention to the stars at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. See recreations of Brisbane’s night sky in the cosmic Skydome, fragments of asteroids and spacecraft models in the Display Zone, short feature shows on astronomy and space missions in the Mini Theatre or stargaze with one of the planetarium’s astronomers in the observatory. 

TreeTop Challenge

Make like Tarzan and challenge the whole family to a day of rope and wire climbing. Find the TreeTop Challenge at Mount Tamborine where six massive courses span across 10 acres of unspoilt natural bushland. 

Go Karting

Satisfy young speed demons with a trip to the track. Not just for horse racing, Eagle Farm is home to Go Karting Brisbane, which features 400m of adrenalin-pumping action and karts that speed up to 70kph. Kingston Park Raceway delivers on the ultimate fun and thrill of go kart racing that is suitable for the whole family.