Culture
Best Museums and Cultural Stops in Brisbane
Guide: Brisbane Art, History & Live Stages
South Bank’s art and museum buildings sit across the river from City Hall and colonial-era houses, while New Farm adds a power station turned performance venue. This guide distinguishes free collections, paid house visits and shows that need a specific ticket.
- Queensland Art GalleryQueensland Art Gallery displays Australian, Asian and international art around its water mall at Stanley Place. General collection entry is free, giving the building a different cost from a major ticketed exhibition; the adjacent GOMA is a separate gallery.
- Gallery of Modern ArtGOMA exhibits contemporary art at South Bank and houses the Children’s Art Centre and Australian Cinematheque. Free general entry makes a collection visit accessible, while special exhibitions and film screenings have their own tickets, programmes and times.
- Museum of BrisbaneMuseum of Brisbane explores the city through art, design and social-history exhibitions on City Hall’s third floor. General entry is free, but the Clock Tower tour is a separate timed booking rather than an automatic part of walking into the museum.
- Queensland Museum KurilpaQueensland Museum Kurilpa presents the state’s natural and cultural history at the Cultural Precinct, including the Wild State displays. General admission is free; SparkLab and some special exhibitions are paid experiences with their own ticket requirements.
- State Library of QueenslandState Library of Queensland’s galleries tell Queensland stories through exhibitions and collections beside the river at Stanley Place. The listed hours refer to slq Gallery, while reading rooms and other library areas have their own schedules, including some later weekday opening.
- Queensland Performing Arts CentreQPAC stages ballet, opera, music and touring productions across several theatres at South Bank. The choice is a particular performance rather than general sightseeing: tickets specify the theatre and start time, and foyer access follows that show’s arrangements.
- Brisbane PowerhouseBrisbane Powerhouse stages theatre, comedy and music inside New Farm’s former power station, where brickwork and industrial spaces remain part of the building. Its event calendar is the useful way to visit, since individual performances and exhibitions determine access and admission.
- Newstead HouseNewstead House opens restored rooms inside an 1846 residence overlooking Newstead Park, showing the domestic setting of Brisbane’s colonial elite. Paid house visits are limited to Friday and Sunday; access to the surrounding park is a separate matter.
- Commissariat Store MuseumThe Commissariat Store houses Queensland history in a convict-built store begun in 1828, with displays run by the Royal Historical Society of Queensland. The building makes early colonial administration tangible; public admission is paid and limited to Tuesday through Friday.
- Old Government HouseOld Government House preserves Queensland’s 1862 colonial governor’s residence at QUT Gardens Point and houses the William Robinson Gallery. Free entry covers a combination of architecture and art, with shorter Sunday opening and closures on Monday, Saturday and public holidays.
Tourism Australia — Brisbane museums, galleries and theatresGallery of Modern Art — officialMuseum of Brisbane — officialQueensland Museum Kurilpa — official
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