Queensland · Cultural Landmark
South Bank Parklands
Brisbane's Cultural and Recreation Precinct with an Artificial City Beach
schedule 2 min read / Updated Apr 2026
A 17 hectare public parkland on the south bank of the Brisbane River, built on the site of the 1988 World Expo. South Bank is home to Queensland's main cultural institutions, a free artificial swimming lagoon called Streets Beach, and some of the best views of the Brisbane skyline.
South Bank Parklands runs for 17 hectares along the south bank of the Brisbane River, directly opposite the CBD. The area was developed from the ground up for the 1988 World Expo and opened as a public park in 1992. It is now the main cultural and recreation precinct of Brisbane and the most visited public space in the city.
Streets Beach, the centrepiece of the parklands, is a 2,000 square metre artificial saltwater swimming lagoon complete with white sand, palm trees and a beach. It is the only inner-city beach in Australia and is free to use, patrolled by lifeguards year-round. Kids love it and the locals use it as their main city swimming spot through the summer. The Boat Pool, a shallow wading area, sits next to it for younger children.
The cultural precinct on the northern end of the parklands contains the Queensland Museum, the Queensland Art Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA, the largest modern art gallery in Australia), the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. All five institutions are free to enter (with paid ticketed exhibitions available at GOMA and the museums).
The Wheel of Brisbane, a 60 metre ferris wheel installed for the G20 summit in 2014, sits in the middle of the parklands and gives a slow revolving view over the river and the Brisbane skyline. The Arbour, a 1 kilometre walkway of steel arches covered in magenta bougainvillea, runs the length of the parklands and is one of the most distinctive pieces of public landscape architecture in the country.
The South Bank Lifestyle Market runs on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, with around 150 stalls. The precinct is a 2 minute walk from the South Brisbane train station and is also served by the CityCat ferry at the South Bank terminal.
Scenic views
Lookouts near South Bank Parklands.
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Attribution
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- 28 - South Bank Parklands (4741163759).jpg · Brisbane City Council · CC BY 2.0
- Arched bridge Southbank Parklands South Brisbane P1330421.jp... · John Robert McPherson · CC BY-SA 4.0
- At the Parklands at South Bank, South Brisbane, 2021.jpg · Anonymous · CC BY 4.0
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