🇦🇺 Brisbane, Australia — Cruise Port Guide
Queensland's river city and now a major homeport, with a purpose-built terminal at the river mouth. Subtropical, unhurried, and a short drive from both a koala sanctuary and the Gold Coast surf.
Updated September 2026
Quick facts
Getting ashore
When to visit Brisbane
Cruises run year-round. April to October is drier and cooler; December to February is hot, humid and storm-prone.
Good to know
The terminal is genuinely isolated with nothing within walking distance, so do not plan to wander out. Book the shuttle or a taxi in advance, especially on turnaround days.
Things to do in Brisbane
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Koalas, kangaroos you can feed, platypus and Tasmanian devils. Reachable by river cruise, which makes the journey half the outing.
South Bank & the Cultural Precinct
A man-made lagoon beach in the middle of the city, plus the Queensland Art Gallery and GOMA — both free and both good.
Gold Coast day trip
An hour south to Surfers Paradise and 35 miles of beach. A pre-cruise day rather than a turnaround dash.
Climb the Story Bridge
Harnessed walk up the bridge's steel for a view over the river and out to Moreton Bay. Book ahead.
Mount Coot-tha lookout
Fifteen minutes from the centre for the city skyline with the bay behind it, plus a botanic garden and planetarium at the foot.
Moreton Island
Sand dunes you can toboggan down and shipwrecks you can snorkel, 75 minutes by ferry. A full day, and the best beach option near the city.
What to eat
- Moreton Bay bugs
- Barramundi
- Lamington
- Meat pie
- Flat white
Weather by month
Best time to visit: Apr–Oct; Dec–Feb is hot, humid and stormy
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 86° | 70° | 6.3" |
| Feb | 85° | 70° | 5.2" |
| Mar | 84° | 68° | 3.7" |
| Apr | 81° | 64° | 3.4" |
| May | 76° | 58° | 3.4" |
| Jun | 72° | 54° | 2.7" |
| Jul | 71° | 51° | 1" |
| Aug | 74° | 52° | 1.7" |
| Sep | 78° | 57° | 1.1" |
| Oct | 81° | 62° | 3.1" |
| Nov | 84° | 66° | 4.4" |
| Dec | 86° | 69° | 5.5" |
A little history
The Brisbane International Cruise Terminal opened in 2020 at Luggage Point near the river mouth, about 30 minutes from the centre — it replaced a cramped berth upriver and made the city a serious homeport.
Brisbane hosts the 2032 Olympic Games, and much of the riverfront is being rebuilt around that.
Lone Pine, opened in 1927, is the oldest and largest koala sanctuary in the world — and Queensland is one of the few places where holding a koala is still permitted.
The city was founded in 1824 as a penal settlement for reoffenders, deliberately placed somewhere considered too remote and hostile to escape from.
The Story Bridge, opened in 1940, can be climbed — one of only three bridges in the world offering it.