Must-do Brisbane activities you never knew existed

If you’ve ever dreamt of having wings to soar from one Brisbane brewery to another, this experience is for you.

For over 15 years, Pterodactyl Helicopters has been partnering with the best local wineries and breweries to provide helicopter tours that tickle your taste buds and get your adrenaline pumping. Choose from a country pub tour or the new coastal tour and you'll be in for a ride of a lifetime - flying over iconic scenery before landing in style at each of the vineyards, breweries, pubs and restaurants on your itinerary.  

2. Gondola the Brisbane River

Prove it's amore and enjoy a slice of Venice in Brisbane, with a gondola ride up the Brisbane River with Golden Gondolas. Take in the stellar views of the water and surrounding land to the natural soundtrack of waves lapping.

If you want to up your dating game, dial up the romance by heading out at dusk. Indulge in a candlelit cruise or toast Champagne while being serenaded by your gondolier—Venetian style.

Call yourself a casanova? We’ve got more ideas where this came from – check out these Brisbane first date ideas.

3. Walk the plank on Story Bridge

Most visitors and locals alike have heard of the Story Bridge Adventure Climb (one of only three bridge climbs in the world), but did you know you can get even more thrills on a tour? Test your fears on a supported 'lean out' above the city, or show your strength and 'walk the plank' as the sights and sounds of Brisbane loom below. An adventurous finish to one of Brisbane's most iconic adventure activities.  

4. Join the circus

If heart-stopping performances under a high-top tent is up your alley, make a visit to Circa Academy in Fortitude Valley.

Here, you’ll learn the art of being a circus performer from some of the world's best performers. The centre offers a range of courses for adults and children, including circus basics, ground acrobatics, aerials, physical fitness and creative development. If you’re not sure which level or area you want to enrol in, join one of their Come & Try classes held once a term.

5. Jet ski along Brisbane River

Looking to sight-see the Brisbane River a little bit differently? Grab your own Jet Ski and hang on tight with Jet Ski Tours Brisbane. Starting at Kangaroo Point, take in the city views alongside an experienced tour guide before heading out to Moreton Bay to meet the local marine life.

6. Take a ghost tour

Toowong is host to Brisbane's largest cemetery, which at 250 acres needs two hours to discover as you wind your way over hills of gravestones, tombs and crypts under the cover of darkness on a spooky ghost tour (the general public are no longer allowed to enter the cemetery after 6pm, so a guided tour is the only way to legally add some fright to your night).

While you won’t get to know all 120,000 souls who are buried here, you will meet a few of the most prominent, including dead governors, murderers, black widows, and buried boxers.

7. Make your own gin

Head to Rivermakers precinct in Morningside to experience one of Brisbane’s most hands-on activities.

Learn to make your own spirit or gin at Bavay Distillery, and by the end of the workshop you'll know all the tricks of the trade. The Make Your Own Gin Workshop includes a guided lesson on every step of the creation process, choosing from over 60 botanicals to create your one-of-a-kind bottle of gin, and complimentary drinks and snacks.

8. Sip cocktails in a hidden bar

If sipping cocktails with good company is your idea of a perfect weekend activity, then pay a visit to one of Brisbane’s hidden bars.

While we can't reveal all the secret locations, you'll strike gold if you seek out Before + After, an underground Amaro and cocktail bar tucked into the basement of heritage-listed Francis House in Brisbane's CBD. Wander down Fish Lane to find a colourful barbershop: pick up the phone, tell them the secret code, and you'll soon be in RnB bliss. An unmarked, closed orange door on Ann Street in Fortitude Valley leads the way to whiskey-forward cocktails and the sparkling chandelier of Savile Row. Climb through an antique wardrobe on the top floor of a certain Woolloongabba restaurant to enter a 1920's style speakeasy. Or make your way to one of Brisbane's best kept secrets - Junk Bar in Ashgrove - where cocktails sling to vinyl records playing in the front bar and live music in the back room.

Expect anything but the ordinary.   

9. Dine in a former brothel

Located on Fortitude Valley’s Wickham Street is a steakhouse with a particularly interesting history—once serving as a brothel, illegal casino and bath house.

While the current operation of Les Bubbles is all about giving guests a taste of France (via the national dish, steak frites), clever interior design ensures its colourful history is not forgotten. A giant neon sign reading ‘we regret to inform you we are no longer a brothel’ hints at the cheeky ambience the venue is famous for.

Want to turn dinner into a night on the town? Our guide to Fortitude Valley is your passport to a good time.

Note: Les Bubbles happily caters for vegetarians and pescatarians as well as carnivores.

10. Become a master of perfume

Another one of Brisbane’s best-kept-secret activities is Libertine Parfumerie’s perfume-making masterclasses.

Located at their New Farm store, you’ll be taught how to identify scents made famous by iconic perfume houses, while also creating your own personal scent.

11. Kayak between shipwrecks at Mulgumpin (Moreton Island)

If you’re looking for adventurous Brisbane activities to fill your weekend, this is a top contender.

Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) is well known for the wrecks off Tangalooma Island Resort, but Australian Sunset Safaris offers a unique experience thanks to fully transparent kayaks, which means you can see directly below as you paddle surrounded by marine life and sunken vessels. Take it a step further and join the night kayaking tour - your kayak will be fitted with LED lights for the ultimate underwater, after-dark show.  

If you want to spend the weekend at Mulgumpin (Moreton Island), check out this adventure guide to see what else you can get up to.

12. See Brisbane’s most unique apartment

Do real estate reality shows top your most-watched? Get an inside peep at one of Queensland's most curious residences. Built in 1932, Indooroopilly's Walter Taylor Bridge is Australia's only bridge that has a residence built inside the Pylon.

While the apartment is no longer lived in, join Brisbane Greeters for a tour of the bridge and its unique residences, which were designed by Walter Taylor himself in 1936 for the original toll keeper and his family - you'll learn all the fascinating history of the bridge and stories of those who lived there.  

13. Step inside the city's iconic clock

Brisbane’s version of Big Ben, City Hall, is renowned for bonging throughout the day—letting fellow city-goers know when we’ve reached a new hour.

If you want to see the clock from a different angle, book a tour with the Museum of Brisbane which will take you up in an old-fashioned elevator to see it from the inside. You’ll also be able to walk up to the observation platform to experience sweeping views of the city.

Sitting 87.47 metres above the ground, this clock has been keeping Brisbane on time since the 1930s. A great opportunity to get up close and personal with a piece of Brisbane history.

Clock tower tours run every 15 minutes, but should be booked in advance the number of people that can go up at a time is limited. Tours depart from level three and entry is free.

Looking for more free things to do in Brisbane? Check out this guide.

14. Go underground to hear opera

Step into Brisbane’s most unique performance space and be transported by the sound and intimate atmosphere. Spring Hill Reservoir held Brisbane’s water supply from 1871 to 1962, but is now a performance space for the Underground Opera Company, with numerous shows throughout the year.  

Performers’ voices resonate wonderfully throughout the reservoir, and can be heard clearly no matter where you’re seated. You won’t be disappointed.

15. Picnic with rescued deer

Nestled in the beautiful Samford Valley, just 30 minutes north of Brisbane city, the Lyell Deer Sanctuary is home to a small herd of rescued red, rusa and fallow deer. This peaceful little hideaway offers a unique and serene experience for adults and children alike.

The Lyell Deer Sanctuary has been caring for deer for over thirty years, and you'll also be able to to get up close to these magical creatures in a peaceful and beautiful setting. BYO picnic to enjoy as you interact with these gentle creatures.

16. Go glamping on a winery

For a night under the stars, on the doorstep of some of Queensland’s most impressive vineyards, stay at family-owned Sanctuary by Sirromet.

Located just 30 minutes from Brisbane, Sirromet Winery is renowned for putting Queensland wines on the map. Now, they offer luxury safari tents so guests can glamp with the grapes.

Surrounded by pretty paperbark trees and giant gums, Sanctuary by Sirromet is the perfect place to escape from the hustle of city living. You’ll also be able to mingle with the locals, including kookaburras, lizards, owls, and wallabies. Spend your days touring the vineyards, tasting wine, and indulging in mouthwatering food. From July - September, Sirromet's fragrant lavender fields are in full bloom and you can book a lunchtime picnic hamper to enjoy among the flowers.

To discover other top-notch glamping places in Brisbane, have a read of this luxury glamping list.

17. Play Quidditch

Do you want to be transported to the land of Harry Potter? Join QUT’s quidditch team, which play matches of this iconic literary game in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

You don’t have to be a student to become a member of the group; anyone is welcome to join. So grab your broomstick and sign up if you like your exercise a bit left of centre.

QUT Quidditch has a competitive team, called QUT Lycans, that plays against other universities both locally and nationally. But if you just want to play for fun, don’t worry; the group runs social games too.  

18. Learn Quandamooka culture on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island)

Did you know the world's second largest sand island can be found just a short ferry ride from Brisbane? Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) is home to thousands of years of Indigenous culture, and you can join a local elder as they guide you on this historical island trail down the Goompi (Dunwich) foreshore. You’ll hear stories of the Quandamooka People, learn ancient hunting and medicinal practices, as well as taste a little bush tucker from the native garden along the way.

19. Discover the secrets of the universe

Take a tour through the galaxy at Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. Located within the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, the Plantarium will expand your mind - and get you up close to incredible artefacts including asteroid fragments that are more than 4.5 billion years old, spacecraft models, and one of the world’s best replicas of Neil Armstrong’s lunar spacesuit.

Don't miss a Cosmic Skydome experience: the 12.5-metre-diameter projection dome is the centrepiece of the Planetarium and offers a range of educational shows for young and old. Due to popular demand, the Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon experience will run until December 2024 - an opportunity for music lovers to hear the iconic tunes played alongside breath-taking views of the solar system and beyond - a celebration of the album's 50th anniversary.

Ready to dive further into Brisbane? Get to know every nook and cranny of the city with this neighbourhood guide.