Run the South Brisbane Reach: A Guide to its Heritage and Development

Brisbane – or Meanjin – has seen 200 years of transformation. Once an Indigenous hunting and meeting place, it became a penal colony for British convicts, a European settlement and, later, a vibrant cultural precinct in what is Australia’s third largest city today. On this running tour, you’ll discover the city’s remarkable history while following a safe, winding and scenic route.

Starting in ANZAC Square at the Boer War Horseman memorial, you’ll make your way up the famous pedestrian staircase, Jacob’s Ladder. You’ll run through the Roma Street Parklands, once the city’s busiest rail yard and now home to the world’s largest urban subtropical garden. The route crosses the river twice via distinctive pedestrian bridges.

Along the way, I’ll point out sites tied to Brisbane’s colonial past, including the Ship Inn and the Commissariat Store Museum, built by convicts under the notorious Captain Logan. As you loop through the City Botanic Gardens, you’ll find out how floods have repeatedly shaped the city’s development. The tour ends at Brisbane City Hall in King George Square.

During this 75-minute running tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Circle the Old Windmill, one of only two remaining convict-built structures in Brisbane and the site of Queensland’s first executions
• Experience the world’s largest urban subtropical garden at Roma Street Parklands
• Cross the Kurilpa Bridge, the world’s largest hybrid tensegrity bridge with its distinctive maritime design
• Visit the site where the 1896 Pearl Ferry disaster occurred, claiming 40 lives
• Learn about the iconic woman whose name is attributed to 17 Queensland landmarks
• Discover the story behind the delicious Lamington cake at Old Government House
• Find the hidden “fairy door” in Burnett Lane, marking the yard where Captain Logan’s notorious convict punishments occurred
• Follow the Arbour Walk through South Bank, where bougainvillea vines create a stunning natural canopy

By the end of this tour, you’ll have gained local insight into Brisbane’s complex history while getting a great workout along one of the city’s most scenic running routes.