There are plenty of boat tours of Brisbane and CityCat ferries to help you get around but my tip is the free Cityhopper.
The sparkling Brisbane River next to the South Bank parklands sets everything off beautifully and there’s a huge range of cafes and restaurants.
Do visit the Queensland Museum, Brisbane’s (free) State Museum where you can learn about Queensland’s history, geography, and native people from the hands on displays and beautiful exhibits.
If you’re into seeing and cuddling Australian animals and can’t make it to Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast then Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary will deliver the goods.