Frommer's Review
This modern complex stretching along the south bank of the Brisbane River houses many of the city's performing arts venues as well as the state art gallery, museum, and library. With plenty of open plazas and fountains, it is a pleasing place to wander or just sit and watch the river and the city skyline. It's a 7-minute walk from town.
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (tel. 07/3840 7444 administration Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, or 13 62 46 for bookings Mon-Sat 9am-8:30pm; www.qpac.com.au) houses the 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre for musicals, ballet, and opera; the 1,800-seat Concert Hall for orchestral performances; the 850-seat Playhouse theater for plays; and the 315-seat Cremorne Theatre for theater-in-the-round, cabaret, and experimental works. The complex has a restaurant and a cafe.
The Queensland Art Gallery (tel. 07/3840 7303; www.qag.qld.gov.au) is one of Australia's most attractive galleries, with vast light-filled spaces and interesting water features inside and out. It is a major player in the Australian art world, attracting blockbuster exhibitions of works by the likes of Renoir, Picasso, and van Gogh, and showcasing diverse modern Australian painters, sculptors, and other artists. It also has an impressive collection of Aboriginal art. Admission is free. There is a gift shop and bistro. The adjacent Queensland Gallery of Modern Art houses collections of modern and contemporary Australian, indigenous Australian, Asian, and Pacific art. The Australian Cinémathèque, located at the Gallery of Modern Art, has two cinemas in which it presents retrospective and thematic film programs, as well as a gallery dedicated to screen-related exhibitions. Both galleries are open Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm and weekends 9am to 5pm; they're closed Good Friday, December 25, and until noon on April 25 (Anzac Day).
The Queensland Museum (tel. 07/3840 7555; www.qm.qld.gov.au), on the corner of Grey and Melbourne streets, underwent a major revamp in 2003 and looks the better for it. The museum houses an eclectic collection ranging from natural history specimens and fossils to a World War I German tank. Children will like the blue whale model; the dinosaurs, which include Queensland's own Muttaburrasaurus; and the interactive Sciencentre on Level 1. The museum has a cafe and gift shop. Admission is free, except to the Sciencentre and traveling exhibitions. It's open daily 9:30am to 5pm; closed Good Friday, December 25, and until 1:30pm on April 25 (Anzac Day).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
