Brisbane, known locally as ‘Brissy´, is the official capital of Queensland. It is also the third biggest city in Australia with more than 1.5 million residents.

Brisbane has a lively cosmopolitan character, interesting districts, many restaurants, a beautiful park and a rich and diverse cultural programme. Because of the fantastic climate the city is an excellent place to spend the holidays. Life here is sedate, going from one district to another by river ferry. As the ocean is just forty kilometres away the locals tend to behave in the centre of the city as if they were on the beach!

Brisbane has a sub-tropical climate which allows people to grow mango and banana trees in their back gardens. The choice is yours: to visit some really great entertainment parks or world class art galleries, go to the theatre or a restaurant, play golf or go fishing or whale watching - the list is endless. You could just go shopping in the impressive shopping centres.

During a one-day trip from Brisbane you can see many of the attractions the state of Queensland offers including the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and the koala reserve.

Koala Sanctuary. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is a koala reserve near Brisbane. You can get there by a local bus. Opened in 1927 it has become the biggest koala reserve in Australia and is even recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. It current has over 130 koala bears any of which you can stroke and hold.