Join us for a staycation in Brisvegas.
I know, you’ve been to Brisbane dozens of times, you may even have lived there, but I can guarantee you are going to see, do and learn things about our state capital that you had no idea about.
We’ll be staying at the very centrally located Adina Hotel. This grand historic building is heritage-listed and has been painstakingly and artfully restored. Twice. The hotel, located on George Street, has a fascinating history.
Initially built to accommodate the Queensland Government Savings Bank, it opened in 1922 after taking eight years to build (slowed down by supply chain during WW1).
It housed many government departments over the years from taxation to health to family services. It was finally sold and painstakingly restored, adhering to strict heritage guidelines, and opened as a boutique hotel in 2018.
Two months after opening, a hotel guest somehow managed to activate all the fire sprinklers on every floor causing extensive water damage. The hotel was subsequently closed for 14 months to repair the damage.
It re-opened November 2019, and as you can see by the photos is a stunning hotel in the heart of Brisbane. Then came 2020 . . . .
From here we are going to take a beautiful walk along and criss-cross the Brisbane River (or sometimes called the Ithaca River!). We’ll be passing South Bank, through the Botanic Gardens, alongside the Brisbane Wharf eateries, under the Storey Bridge, past the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, on the Brisbane River Walkway and end at the second convict’s farm and once racecourse of wild repute, now better known at New Farm Park.
It will be a fantastic day of discovery!
But wait, there’s more. On Sunday, we have engaged the services of Natalie Cowling, who is widely acclaimed as Brisbane’s “time traveller”. She has a deep enthusiasm for Brisbane’s heritage.
Natalie is an avid researcher, actor and energetic tour host who is passionate about living in Brisbane and sharing its stories.
Our tour will be focused on discovering many of Brisbane’s city firsts on our Sunday morning guided walk around the CBD.
Adina Hotel, Brisbane (Google Map)
1800hrs
After check-in meet the group in the lobby of the hotel at 6.00pm and we’ll go in search of food. We’ll leave the cars behind as this weekend is about exploring the city on foot and finding parts of the CBD you may not known even existed.
O/N Adina Hotel, George St
After breakfast in your room, we’ll meet in the lobby at 9.30am. After a short briefing, we’ll head off for a stroll to New Farm Park. This is a beautiful 8km walk through such a diverse range of environments, from botanic gardens to riverside, city street to river footbridge.
This is not a race, we can stop for a coffee on the way. There’s plenty of time to take photos and check out menus on the variety of cafes and eateries we pass along the way.
Depending on the time we make it to New Farm, we can have lunch there, or maybe just a snack and head back to the city, stopping along the way for a staggered tasting walk.
If you’ve had enough of walking, you can cruise back to the city by boat.
Rest of the day at leisure.
At 9.30 we’ll meet in the lobby and wander over to the City Hall to meet our amazing guide for the morning, Natalie.
Natalie is widely acclaimed as Brisbane’s “time traveller” due to her deep enthusiasm for Brisbane’s heritage and some of its most extraordinary leading ladies. She is an avid researcher, actor, dancer, musician and energetic tour host who is passionate about living in Brisbane and sharing its stories.
Our tour is about discovering the city’s heritage journey as a birthplace of new ideas, innovations and intriguing events.
This fun tour features over 100 facts and unique tales of Brisbane’s buildings, history, transport, technology, religion, science, music, food, education, sports, industry, culture, literature, and politics . . . to name but a few!
The tour will finish around mid-day.
End of Services
Suggested (free) add-ons:
Museum of Brisbane – The Story Tellers Exhibition
QAGOMA
Shopping (it’s free to look!)
