South Bank Parklands – All The Basics You Need to Know

South Bank Parklands – All The Basics You Need To Know

South Bank Parklands – All The Basics You Need to Know

The Southbank Parklands are situated on the Southern Bank of the Brisbane River directly opposite Brisbane City. Nestled between the Goodwill Pedestrian Bridge at the southern end and the Victoria Bridge at the northern end, both giving direct access to Brisbane, the Botanical Gardens, and the CBD. 

Southbank was originally a meeting place for the traditional indigenous landowners, and in the early 1840s became a central point for early settlers that had migrated to the area. From the 1850s the Southbank Precinct was quickly established as the business centre of Brisbane. Throughout the years the inner-city suburb of South Brisbane gained a very seedy reputation with many pubs, brothels, boarding houses, and industry all set amongst warehouses with very few homes. It was a real “no go” area especially after dark but changes were on the horizon and what a transition was coming. The renaissance of the area arrived when the “WORLD EXPO” announced it was coming to Brisbane, and South Brisbane was going to be its new home. The transformation had begun, and Expo 88 opened 30^th April 1988.

Today, the Parklands are now a mixture of Rainforest, open grassy areas with BBQ’s and places to picnic, beaches and freshwater pools and Markets as well as a Riverfront promenade, the Grand Arbour and many café’s, restaurants, takeaways, and bars. This is also one of Brisbane’s most important cultural districts accommodating the Queensland Museum and Science Centre, GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art), QPAC (Queensland’s Performing Arts Centre), Queensland Conservatorium and the State Library of Queensland at the northern end and the Queensland Maritime Museum at the southern end of the Parklands. Southbank is also an entertainment hub, regularly hosting large scale events and festivals attracting approximately 11,000,000 visitors annually.