The Best Things To Do When It’s Stinking Hot In Brisbane

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every year in Brisbane, we spend several months feeling absolutely stinking hot. And when that happens, we need to seek relief. That goes double if we have small children who won’t listen to reason, and don’t care that it’s not your fault that it’s hot. They just want to cool down, and let’s face it, so do you.

Here are our top solutions for beating the heat:

Hang out at Southbank

You can spend a whole day at Southbank getting away from the heat if you like. Paddle in the lagoons and play among the water features of Streets Beach, grab and ice cream from Nitrogenie, sit by the river and enjoy the river breeze, or pop across the road to Grey Street to hide in the air conditioned cinema for a couple of hours. 

Where: Southbank Parklands, South Brisbane

Hit the cultural precinct

Pop across Melbourne Street from Southbank (take the overpass over the busway) and you’re in the cultural precinct – the air-conditioned cultural precinct. You can spend a whole day wandering between the art and activities of GOMA, the educational experiences of Queensland Museum, and the craft and storybook activities at The Corner in the State Library. All of these places also have great child-friendly cafés, so you really don’t have to go anywhere else.

Where: Cultural Precinct, Stanley Place, South Brisbane

Paddle in a pool

If you have a pool or a friend with a pool, what are you even reading this for? Get in there! But if not, we have some great public pools in Brisbane, and plenty of them have paddling pools for toddlers, waterslides, and lots of fun activities. Try Newmarket, Chandler, or Runcorn for kid-friendly fun. And Yeronga Pool even has childcare so you can drop your tinies off for a bit and go for an unencumbered swim by yourself. Bliss!

Image credit: City Aquatics and Health Clubs - Runcorn Pool Facebook 

Aimless shopping

The glorious things about those enormous city-sized shopping centres we have is that they are set at a very comfortable temperature, and they have everything you could possibly need to survive a zombie apocalypse. Or a hot day in Brisbane. So pack the kids up and head to one of the many kid-friendly shopping centres like Carindale, Chermside, Garden City or Northlakes. Grab yourself a child buggy or a pram and wander aimlessly, stopping occasionally for coffee or lunch. And if the kids get bored, hit one of the big department stores and hang out in the toy section. 

Go for a bushwalk

Sure, it’s hot outside, but our rainforests mean you’ll be sheltered from above, and if you’re lucky you might catch a breeze out there. If you head up a mountain, like Mt Nebo or Mt Tamborine, you’re sure to find some cooler climes. Places like Kondalilla Falls and Natural Arch at Springbrook also offer rockpools where you can have a dip and cool off. 

Go for ice cream

Nothing cools you down like an ice cream, and Brisbane has got some seriously great ice cream establishments to please even the fussiest ice cream eater (and really, what kid is that fussy about ice cream?). 

Some of our favourites include Nitrogenie at Southbank, Gelato Messina on Melbourne Street, South Brisbane, Baskin Robbins (several locations across Brisbane), Tutti Frutti in the Myer Centre in the city, and Cold rock (several locations across Brisbane). 

Image credit: Gelato Messina South Brisbane

Want more things to keep the kids entertained this summer? Check out Brisbane’s:

• 6 Of The Best Kid-Friendly Museums In Brisbane
• 6 Of The Best Rock Climbing Centres in Brisbane
• The Top Kid-Friendly Cafés With A Play Area

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