Brisbane Riverwalk: Travel Guide

Your shoes ring faintly on concrete, and there is nothing under the deck but the brown, slow-moving Brisbane River. The Riverwalk runs out over the water and follows the bend from the city towards New Farm. Office towers are at your back, and the Story Bridge’s steel girders are ahead.

It’s one of the easiest ways to understand how Brisbane is laid out. It costs nothing, and you can walk it in running shoes or sandals.

Where the path goes

The city end sits around Eagle Street, at the listed address of 45D Eagle St, Brisbane City. From there the path heads downstream along the river’s edge.

Heading towards New Farm, you pass:

• Howard Smith Wharves, the restored wharf precinct tucked under the cliffs, with restaurants and bars
• The Story Bridge, which you walk directly beneath
• The New Farm Riverwalk, the long section over the water
• New Farm Park and the Brisbane Powerhouse arts centre at the far end

Walked at an easy pace, the whole route takes most people between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, depending on stops. It’s consistently well rated by visitors, largely for the views rather than any single sight.

The flood that rebuilt it

The section you walk today is the second version. Brisbane’s original Riverwalk was a floating walkway. In the January 2011 floods it broke away, and large pieces drifted downstream towards the river mouth.

Its replacement opened in 2014 and was built to take a flood rather than float on one. It stands on fixed piers instead of pontoons, so it stays put when the river rises.

Knowing this changes how you read the structure. The heavy supports and the height of the deck above the waterline are flood engineering, not decoration. It’s a quiet reminder that this calm river has a record of rising fast.

Getting there and back

The simplest plan is to walk one way and ride the CityCat ferry back. The ferries run along this same stretch of river, with terminals at Riverside near Eagle Street, at Howard Smith Wharves, and at New Farm Park. Look at the Translink timetable before you set out.

On foot, the Eagle Street end is an easy walk from Queen Street Mall and Central Station through the CBD. If you’re starting from New Farm, the path begins by the park and the Powerhouse. You can do the walk in reverse and finish in the city for dinner.

Walking it at dusk

The river faces the Kangaroo Point Cliffs on the far bank. Late in the day the low sun lights up the rock face, and the city skyline behind you starts to switch on.

After dark the Story Bridge is floodlit, and the deck lighting keeps the path usable. The view back upstream towards the CBD towers is the one most people stop to photograph. Howard Smith Wharves, halfway along, is a natural place to stop for a drink before you carry on or catch a ferry.

Brisbane is subtropical. Between roughly May and September the days are mild and dry, which is ideal for walking. In summer the midday sun on open water is harsh and there’s very little shade over the river. Early morning or evening is far more comfortable.

Sharing the deck with commuters

The Riverwalk is a working commuter route as well as a sightseeing path, so a few habits help.

• Stay in the pedestrian lane. The walkway is split into separate lanes for walking and cycling. Cyclists heading to work in the city move quickly and expect a clear lane.
• Keep left. Australians walk and ride on the left, and overtaking happens on the right.
• Step aside to take photos. Stopping dead in the middle of the lane for a skyline shot is the most common way visitors cause a near miss.
• Tap on for the ferry. The CityCat takes a go card or a contactless bank card or phone. Tap on and tap off at the terminal readers.
• Bring water in summer. Once you’re over the water there’s nowhere to get out of the sun.

Joggers and cyclists use the path heavily on weekday mornings and evenings, because that’s commuting time. If you want to stroll slowly, you’ll have more room outside those rush periods.

What to add on either end

The walk works best as a link between two areas. At the New Farm end, New Farm Park has open lawns, big shade trees and riverside picnic spots. The Brisbane Powerhouse, a former power station turned arts venue, often has shows and a weekend market; see its programme for dates.

At the city end, the City Botanic Gardens are a short walk upstream along the river. Across the water, the Kangaroo Point Cliffs have lookouts and a clifftop path. You can reach them by crossing the Story Bridge on foot, which gives you the Riverwalk from above.

Put those together and you have a half-day loop. Walk the Riverwalk to New Farm, ride the CityCat back, then climb the cliffs for the view down onto the path you just walked. Before you go, check Brisbane City Council notices for any maintenance closures, particularly after heavy rain.