City Centre
The city centre is bordered on three sides by the meandering Brisbane River that dominates the city’s landscape. Brisbane makes great use of its location and instead of being confined by the dominating river it has been embraced as a transport route and you find some of the main catamaran terminals on either side of the city centre. The main shopping area is found in the centre of the city and is a mix of multi story shopping and office blocks that hold thousands of city workers. Heading south from the centre you find the wonderful botanic gardens bordered by parliament house and Old government house with views out over the river.

Heading to the north of the centre you find more shops, restaurants and bars but you also find Brisbane’s town hall and the cities casino. Keep heading north to Roma Street for the Brisbane’s main transit centre that provides links to the suburbs and to the rest of the country.

South Brisbane
South Brisbane underwent a huge redevelopment scheme many years ago and has become a much loved part of the city by locals and tourists alike. Generally known as South Bank the area holds much of the cities public parklands and much of the cities cultural entertainment. The cultural centre houses gems such as the Queensland museum and the science centre as well as the state library. Towards the south end of the parklands you’ll find the maritime museum that’s gives an excellent insight into Australia's maritime advances throughout the years.

The south Bank parklands provide the city community with an excellent entertainment and socialising area. Backpackers swarm to the area on hot sunny days to wander around the numerous cafes and bars or just to relax in the beautiful surroundings. If the weather gets too hot for you then you could always cool off in the cities man made beach and adjoining saltwater lagoon that is a focal [point of the parklands.

South bank is serviced by all the major public transport and a short walk west unveils a funky small cluster of popular bars in the West End.

Fortitude Valley
The northern suburbs of Brisbane hold little interest for the backpacker and mostly play host to residential areas to house the growing Brisbane community. There are of course a scattering of bars, cafes and restaurants in these areas but with the existence of Fortitude Valley you’ll find little need to wander.

Fortitude Valley is simply known to the locals as The Valley and is a backpacker haven. This lively suburb of Brisbane holds a huge array of bars, clubs, restaurants and Brisbane backpacker hostels. The hostels are reasonably priced and offer an ideal location to nightlife and public transport to explore the rest of the city. Your main focus for evening entertainment is the partially pedestrianised Brunswick Street that holds Brisbane's largest concentration of bars and clubs. The Valley also offers a network of side streets that with a little exploration reveal the cities Chinatown, some funky bars and fun (if not a little pricey) boutique shopping during the day.