The Perfect Weekend in Brisbane, Australia

While Sydney and Melbourne are fighting over which thinks they are Australia’s best city, Brisbane is quietly making a case of its own. As the capital of Queensland, it’s a thriving city perfectly situated on the Brisbane River with all of the ingredients needed for a more than memorable vacation. We decided to whip ourselves up an ideal Saturday and Sunday exploring some of the best that Brisbane has to offer. Join us as we take a look back at our perfect weekend!

Saturday

As you may know, we both love going to farmers markets and consider ourselves somewhat of connoisseurs at this point. We’ve been to farmers markets in over five countries and across three continents, so in our opinion there is no better way to start off a weekend than visiting the local market, which lead us to the Jan Powers Farmers Market.

The Market is held about a 10 minute drive from the CBD at the Brisbane Powerhouse every Saturday from 6:00AM to 12:00PM, so be sure to set your alarms! One thing that makes this Market so great was the local artists performing live music throughout the stalls. What better way to start off a Saturday than having a hipster serenade you with his clarinet! The Market has all types of local foods ranging from heart shaped brownies, to freshly made greek yogurt and locally farmed produce and meats. This was the perfect place to mingle with the locals and power up for a fun filled weekend in Brisbane!

Once we ate our fill, it was time to catch some cosmic rays at Streets Beach. Unlike most other beaches, to get to Streets Beach you don’t have to commute far. Located right in the middle of the Brisbane CBD, on the South Bank Parklands, this beach is famously known as the only beach in Australia that’s within a city. We decided to grab our towels and layout under the palm trees while taking in the city views. After we soaked up some sun we took a walk through South Bank and made our way to River Quay. If dinning and/or grabbing a few drinks while overlooking the river is your kind of thing, River Quay has plenty of options!

To end our Saturday we kept the local food market theme going and made our way to Eat Street Market.

Eat Street is like to other market we’ve ever been to before. It’s similar to a carnival except instead of games or rides they have what seems to be an endless selection of food stands. With over 60 stands perfectly placed in shipping containers you’re sure to find something that will broaden your pallet. They have cuisine from all corners of the globe so be sure to get your food passport ready! In one night you can try foods from Greece, Vietnam, Brazil, Hungary (Not after this!), France, China, and more. Once we grabbed a few plates we sat back and enjoyed the live music playing throughout the market. Oh and if you have a sweet tooth there are plenty of choices to choose from. Our personal favorite was the delicious “Cruffin”. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s a hybrid of a croissant and a muffin, having the flakey exterior of a croissant but the interior of a muffin filled with warm caramel. While it’s absolutely delicious, it’s not a first date kind of meal… they give you a whole handful of napkins for a reason.

If you’re not too full from Eat Street and looking to continue the party we’d suggest heading over to Alfred and Constance. Home to four bars all located within one complex you can have a mini pub crawl without ever having to cross the road.

Sunday

After sleeping off the lingering effects of the Cruffin, we decided a little exercise was in order and made our way to Kangaroo Point. Depending on how adventurous you’re looking to get, Riverlife, located beneath Kangaroo Point, offers a variety of activities including rock climbing up the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. We were feeling a bit sluggish and opted to relax and enjoyed a cup of coffee while taking in the great city views from Cliffs Cafe.

Since it was a beautiful day we wanted to continue to spend the afternoon outdoors and do a little shopping. We made our way over to James Street, a boutique shopping strip, to wander around and grab a bite to eat. While taking a stroll down James Street you’ll be sure to see a great mix of local lesser known brands as well as international designers.

After we grabbed a bite to eat on James Street it was time to jam out at the Sunday Sessions. The Sessions take place weekly (weather permitting) on the River Quay Green, and feature great local artists with an incredible view of the city skyline. Before taking the CityCat Ferry over from the Teneriffe stop near James Street we were sure to stop at the local super market and pick up some snacks and beer. Is there anything better to do on a Sunday afternoon than kick back on the lawn, listen to some great live music and knock back a few brewskies?! We don’t think so!

After jamming out for a few hours we took a very short walk (about 5 seconds) to Popolo on River Quay for a delicious Italian dinner. Growing up in New Jersey, we definitely know good Italian food when we have it and Popolo did not disappoint. It was a perfect meal to end a great weekend.

From our experience, a visit to Australia would not have been complete without spending at least a few days enjoying Brisbane! The city offers its visitors an array of unique things to do, ranging from getting lost in local food markets to strolling along the riverside. Thanks for a great weekend Brisbane!