This guide covers five places in Brisbane where visitors can look out over the city, the river or Moreton Bay: four Council-managed parks and reserves and one heritage-building tour. Details come from Council, Museum of Brisbane and State Library of Queensland pages, with volatile facts dated.
Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve
The Council’s Mount Gravatt Outlook Reserve page, checked 9 November 2026, lists the reserve at 185 Shire Road, Mount Gravatt, and gives its size as 91 hectares. As listed on that page, the lookout is open 6am to 11pm daily, and the reserve itself is open 24 hours. The page says that on a clear day the view reaches the Moreton Bay islands, the D’Aguilar Ranges and the Glasshouse Mountains. The summit has a cafe, a playground and a toilet block, according to the same page. The Council describes the Mount Gravatt Summit Track as a 1.2 km walk of about 40 minutes from Gertrude Petty Place to the outlook.
Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park
As listed on the Council’s Kangaroo Point parks page, checked 9 November 2026, Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park has an upper level at 461 Main Street and a lower level at 29 River Terrace. The same page lists the park as open 24 hours a day. The Council says both levels offer “unmatched views of the Brisbane River and city”. A 107-step staircase links the upper and lower sections, according to the page.
The Cliffs Boardwalk starts at the Riverlife Adventure Centre and ends under the Captain Cook Bridge, the Council says. The page lists rock climbing and bouldering, and says visitors can abseil down the 20-metre cliffs with a guided group. Public toilets and boat and canoe ramps are also listed.
Two other Kangaroo Point parks are described on the same page. The Council says Captain Burke Park has both city and river views. It sits below the southern end of the Story Bridge at 117 Holman Street. James Warner Park lies on the pathway between the cliffs and Captain Burke Park, and the Council says that there the Story Bridge and city buildings peep over the trees.
Wilson Outlook Reserve
The Council’s Wilson Outlook Reserve page, checked 9 November 2026, lists the reserve at 231 Bowen Terrace, New Farm, and says it is open 24 hours. The page lists a fitness station, seating, water bubblers and wheelchair access. It says the park offers views of the Brisbane River and Story Bridge, and that its elevator leads straight to the Howard Smith Wharves.
Mt Coot-tha Lookout
As listed on the Council’s Mt Coot-tha precinct page, checked 9 November 2026, the lookout is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and has a cafe and a gift shop. The Council describes it as offering “one of the best views in Brisbane”, with views across the city and out to Moreton Bay. It invites visitors to see Brisbane from its highest point at the heritage-listed lookout.
On the same page, checked 9 November 2026, the Council says you can drive via Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, where free parking is available, or ride up via Sir Samuel Griffith Drive or the Mahogany Track. Walkers can take the Summit Track or the Mahogany Track through Mt Coot-tha Forest. The lookout is part of Mt Coot-tha Reserve, which the Council calls the city’s largest natural area and only a 15-minute drive from the CBD.
Two nearby attractions make it easy to turn the visit into a longer outing. Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha sits at the base of the mountain, covers 56 hectares of the reserve and holds more than 200,000 plants, and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is inside the gardens. The Council also lists nine picnic areas in the reserve and suggests J.C. Slaughter Falls Picnic Area as a starting point for a walk to the lookout. For tracks and background, see the separate Mount Coot-tha guides on this site.
City Hall Clock Tower
Museum of Brisbane’s Clock Tower Tour page, checked 9 November 2026, says the tours at Brisbane City Hall are free and that tickets must be booked for all members of a group. According to the museum, the tour meets at Museum of Brisbane on Level 3 of City Hall, runs daily every 15 minutes, lasts about 15 minutes, and includes a ride in one of the city’s oldest working cage lifts and time on the observation platform. The museum says City Hall’s Clock Tower offered visitors a 360-degree view of the city for many years, that the view has changed significantly over the last 90 years, and that the tour includes a look behind Australia’s largest analogue clock faces and time on the observation platform. At 9 November 2026, the museum lists a maximum of seven people per tour, says the tour is not wheelchair accessible, and notes that it includes 36 steps.
The building around the tour has its own story. Council says City Hall was built between 1920 and 1930 and is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. It says the tower is 92 metres high, and the State Library of Queensland says it was declared the highest in the Commonwealth when it was built. The Council adds that it was the tallest structure in Brisbane until the 1960s. When it was built in the late 1920s, the Council says, the clock was Australia’s largest public clock and most modern timepiece, with a face almost 5 metres across and minute hands 3 metres long.
Before you go
Hours, tour times and access can change, so check the Council and Museum of Brisbane pages for current details before travelling. See also the Roma Street Parkland guide on this site.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mount Gravatt Outlook lookout open at night?
The Council lists the lookout as open 6am to 11pm daily, as checked 9 November 2026.
Is the City Hall clock tower tour free?
Museum of Brisbane lists the tours as free, with tickets to be booked for every group member, as checked 9 November 2026.
Can you climb at Kangaroo Point Cliffs?
The Council lists rock climbing and bouldering, and guided abseiling down the 20-metre cliffs, as checked 9 November 2026.
Can you reach Mt Coot-tha Lookout without a car?
The Council’s Mt Coot-tha page, checked 9 November 2026, says you can ride via Sir Samuel Griffith Drive or the Mahogany Track or walk the Summit Track or Mahogany Track.
