Brisbane:
Wheelchair-friendly activities

28 JULY 2023

Brisbane’s top experiences are accessible and inclusive for all abilities, allowing travellers with wheelchairs to get among all the action. Read on for some of Brisbane’s wheelchair-friendly and accessible activities.

People on wheel chairs at City Botanic Gardens.
City Botanic Gardens

City Botanic Garden 

Also located in The City, these parklands, ponds and playground by Brisbane River are also wheelchair-friendly. For littlies, the inclusive playground includes equipment for all abilities with a wheelchair-accessible swing, roundabout, sandpit and other fun things to do. Kids will also like spotting the resident wildlife around the accessible pathways and weekend markets. 

Brisbane Whale Watching 

From July to November, humpback whales beat a migratory path past on their way to and from Antarctica. Brisbane Whale Watching is well equipped to accommodate guests in wheelchairs with accessible bathrooms and special procedures to ensure everyone gets to see the frolicking giants.  

Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art

Feel inspired by a visit to Australia’s largest gallery of modern art, QAGOMA, which has featured engaging exhibitions from Andy Warhol to Valentino. The gallery has a range of free services and programs for visitors with a disability as well as excellent accessibility access with ramps and lifts throughout. You can also book free wheelchair and mobility scooter hire in advance.   

Roma Street Parkland 

All of Brisbane’s green spaces are accessible by wheelchair, and Roma Street Parklands in The City is easy to get to and enjoy. The expansive 16-hectare park is full of manicured gardens, water features and displays to admire with wheelchair-accessible pathways to get around. 

South Bank Parklands 

With 17 hectares of lush waterfront gardens, a manmade beach with city views, alfresco restaurants and year-round events, South Bank is one of Brisbane’s favourite places to unwind. Facilities and access to the parklands are designed to accommodate wheelchairs. Standard and specialty pool and beach wheelchairs can also be hired from the South Bank Visitor Information Centre.  

Wheel of Brisbane

Almost 60m high, the Wheel of Brisbane soars above South Bank, offering visitors sweeping views across the city and river. This sky-high attraction is also wheelchair-friendly with two gondolas fitted for access and a ramp provided for ease of boarding plus accessible bathroom facilities. 

People with accessible needs at King George Square.
Brisbane City Hall, CBD

Brisbane City Hall

One of Brisbane’s oldest and most architecturally stunning buildings, City Hall can easily be explored via wheelchair. While you’re there, take the lift to the Museum of Brisbane and learn about the city’s history, culture and lifestyle through the eyes of local artists, creatives and storytellers. City Hall’s Mobility Centre also provides free loans of mobility devices for use in The City, South Bank Parklands and the Cultural Precinct. 

Brisbane Botanic Gardens

Located at Mt Coot-Tha, the 56-hectare subtropical garden features countless plant species and a range of beautiful displays, including a Japanese garden and a tropical dome. The gardens provide wheelchair facilities, accessible adult changing facilities and access.  

Tangalooma Island Resort

On Moreton Island/Mulgumpin, one of the world’s largest sand islands, Tangalooma Island Resort is a popular spot for those looking for white sand, turquoise water and playful wild dolphins. Tangalooma Island Resort is wheelchair-friendly and all facilities, including the ferry, can accommodate mobility devices with accessible bathrooms and ramps.  

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary 

Enjoy an animal encounter in Brisbane’s west at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which, as the name suggests, provides a haven for Australian wildlife such as koalas, wombats, kangaroos and bird life. The attraction is wheelchair-friendly and offers accessible facilities for visitors with limited mobility, including viewing platforms. 

Group of people strolling past the Rivermakers restaurant building.
Rivermakers, Morningside

Urban Precincts

With wheelchair access on council buses and CityCats, exploring Brisbane’s inner-city is geared for ease of getting around.

Rivermakers 

Brisbane’s newest lifestyle, heritage and retail precinct, Rivermakers in Morningside offers a raft of eateries, breweries, venues and specialty shops to enjoy. The heritage quarter boasts a wheelchair-accessible River Lawn and other accessible venues. 

West Village 

Located in West End, West Village has a curated selection of gourmet food, international restaurants, gift shops and residential apartments in the one convenient spot to catch up on gossip or shopping. The entire retail area in the heritage hub is wheelchair-friendly with lifts, ramps and travelators throughout the precinct.

Brisbane_HowardSmithWharves_HSW_FriendsWalking_Wheelchair_Accessible

Howard Smith Wharves 

The expansive reclaimed historic wharves  beneath the Story Bridge in The City is one of Brisbane’s favourite spots to meet with an onsite brewery, restaurants, bars, a 5-star hotel and plenty of space with river views at every vantage point. The shared pathway makes it easy to get around the open space and parkland with two lifts for street access above.

Eat Street Northshore 

The Eat Street Northshore food and drink precinct is a beloved Brisbane weekend dining tradition with more than 70 traders operating out of repurposed shipping containers serving a smorgasbord of cuisines on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The space includes a portable wheelchair ramp, wide pathways throughout and two accessible facilities near both entrances. 

People walking past stores on street, Suncorp Stadium
Caxton Hotel, Caxton Street

Accessible experiences 

Brisbane’s top experiences are open to all to enjoy so you can immerse yourself in everything from gin and wine tastings, true crime tours and much more. 

Gin School

Learn how to make your own craft gin with a two-hour session of creativity and fun. Gin School classes can offer a wheelchair-accessible table so you can mix in your choice of 180 botanicals and pair your bespoke gin with a charcuterie board to enjoy. 

City Winery

Brisbane’s urban winery, City Winery conducts a food and wine pairing experience from its Fortitude Valley hub on Wandoo Street that includes sampling all the goodies such as their Gerler brand of wines. Give the venue a head’s up at the time of booking to enable suitable seating arrangement for all guests. 

Brisbane True Crime Tour

Discover the wicked past of Brisbane on a True Crime Tour. Departing from Brisbane City Hall, the 1.5-hour walking tour through The City is wheelchair-friendly and geared for all abilities to sleuth along. 

Brisbane Nature Tours

Take a guided tour through nature with Brisbane Nature Tours' Kangaroos, Mangroves and the Ocean Tour. Discover the local kangaroos, mangroves and oceans of Moreton Bay as you drive along its beautiful coastlines. With plenty of chances to hope out and explore at your own pace, this tour is well suited to wheelchair users.

Brisbane_Riverlife_Kayaking