The days are warm and sunny, the nights cool and its a delightful contrast to the chilly misery further south. However, winter is also the time everyone from Sydney and Melbourne heads north to escape the cold, so expect a crowd.

The City Botanic Gardens are a pleasant respite from the busy city and a firm favourite of lunching office workers. The gardens are dominated by open, grassy walking areas and are popular with strollers, joggers, picnickers, cyclists and skaters. The park is partly lit up at night and you stand a good chance of seeing tame possums here.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the largest koala sanctuary in the world. Set in attractive parklands beside the river, over one hundred and thirty of the fuzzy marsupials live here, alongside kangaroos, dingoes and wombats. The koalas are undeniably cute and for a fee visitors can cuddle one and capture it on film or hand feed the tame kangaroos.

New stead House, on the Brisbane River, is Brisbanes best known heritage site. Set in attractive forested grounds, the historic homestead dates from 1846 and is beautifully fitted out with Victorian furnishings and antiques, clothing and period displays.

On Australia Day 26 January, Kangaroo Point hosts cockroach races. Brisbanes major festival of the arts, the outdoor Brisbane River festival, is held over two weeks in mid September. The Royal Queens land Agricultural Show is held at the Exhibition Grounds in mid August. Theres also a twelve day international film festival in July and August. A biennial music festival is held every second June. Also in June, kids get their moment at the Out of the Box festival, a week of performances, workshops, art and games all designed to excite three to eight year olds.

Eagle Farm Airport is a busy international arrival and departure point.

Brisbane has many shopping centres. The Queen Street Mall has restaurants, souvenirs and shopping centres, including Winter garden, Broadway on the Mall, Queens Plaza, Brisbane Arcade and the Myer Centre. The majority of consumer commerce is generally done within the suburbs of Brisbane, via massive shopping centre hubs which include major departments chains. There are four major shopping centres in Brisbane located in the suburbs of Chermside, Indooroopilly, Mt Gravatt and Carindale.