The best way to explore any city is with a gps/a map, a good pair of trainers , a bottle of water and time.

You can go from nature trails to city walks by the river to shopping malls and museums all in one day, all free and all within walking distance of each other.

So I set off with my daughter to try to take in as much of the city as possible in one day or at least until our legs gave out. Beautiful clear blue skies and the temperature not too high, it was a perfect day. Brisbane is such a young  diverse city, multi cultural, bright and busy, I waas glad my daughter could choose a starting point. Home to more than 1000 boutiques and flagships, it is the state’s premier shopping destination and ideal for the  shopaholic.

Brisbane CBD is a food and drink lovers paradise with everything from burger joints, riverside bistros ,   cafes in  hidden laneways to fine dining eateries. I love the street art that decorates the  pillars on the many fly over bridges along the river (see the photos ) it makes for interesting photos and conversation . The City Cat river bus is great to hop on and off from one end of the river to the other. Great views of the city and riverside properties.If you see something to want to visit or explore  just hop off at the nearest stop, then get back on again to continue on. Or, hop off and visit the lush parkland of The South Bank with picnic areas, great snack places and the incredible man made beach, if you feel like swimming or relaxing on the sand.

One of the great things we discovered is the Guided Walks.   Local senior citizens give  up their time to show visitors around the city,offering historical facts, local information , funny anecdotes and stories from their own past. The information is endless and because it doesn’t feel like a history lesson it is great fun and a great way to see  parts of the city that are off the tourist radar. And it’s free, isn’t this a great idea that every city  could adopt. I’m sure our local seniors would love a chance to  interact with all kinds of people while showing them around the locality.

Apart from eating, drinking and shopping there is also a great museum, art gallery and Casino. We spent more than 6 hours on our city visit and it was worth every minute even if I did get slightly sun burnt I’m sure I lost at least 2kg!!! and that’s an added bonus.