Of all the walks in the city, this Brisbane River walk is one of the best. At either end are two of my favourite places in Brisbane – New Farm Park and Howard Smith Wharves – and the walk is a comfortable length with sites to see along the way. Better still, you can ride or scoot along this path, and provided the weather is right, it’s one of the best ways to see Brisbane in a short time.
This walk follows the Brisbane River, and you could start at either Howard Smith Wharves or New Farm Park. However, the several times I’ve done it, I’ve started at New Farm Park, as there’s more parking and it just feels right. This time I went with my family, friends and my cocker spaniel Cookie from our usual starting point. Fortunately for us, the weather was tip-top as we took off along the river on a late Sunday morning.
New Farm Park – Brisbane River Walk
New Farm Park is one of Brisbane’s most iconic places. In short, it’s a pretty amazing part of the city. I’ve had so many wonderful sunset adventures and midday strolls in the sunshine here. It’s a place where something’s always going on, whether it’s a wedding (often multiple in one day), picnics, celebrations and general frivolity. You can read more about that in my other post here and you could even time a visit with the Jan Powers Farmers Markets, which you can read about here.
To begin, head to the cafe ‘End of the Road Coffee’ in the corner of the park, then walk down Brunswick Street and take your first left along Oxlade Drive. Here you can marvel at the grand houses and gardens before you arrive at the Officers Mess and the Merthyr Bowls Club.
The Officers Mess
The Officers Mess today is a restaurant by the Brisbane River which contains an expansive lawn out the back, often with a coffee cart. The mess was conceived during WWII due to the growing number of US Navy officers stationed here at the time. It once contained an officer’s quarters, dispensary, pool, kitchen, laundry, theatre, ship’s store, a jail, barber shop, post office, administration building, a booze shop and a chaplain’s office.
I’ve never eaten here (although I did go to a festival here once), but it’s a splendid spot to sit and have a coffee on the lawn out the back. We didn’t on this visit, but we did stop to admire the neighbouring wooden sculptures/posts that contained sand, rocks and other objects of nature. This is where the walk starts to get really lovely, as you join the water again and enter Merthyr Park.
Merthyr Park
Merthyr Park is a definite highlight on this Brisbane River walk. Firstly, it’s an expansive park that hugs the river for a decent part of the walk and there are a few things to see and do along its course. The park was named after Merthyr Tydvil in Wales, which was the birthplace of Sir Samuel Griffith, whose property (built in 1881) adjoined the park. Unfortunately, the house has since been demolished but the park offers visitors much to see.
Our little party enjoyed a nice stroll along the wide path, where people were riding bikes, which the walk accommodates well for. There’s gym equipment and children’s playground equipment along this section of the walk too.
My dog Cookie loved exploring the little beach you can find along here, and there’s a mangrove section you can walk through that makes you feel a little like you’re on a Hardy Boys adventure.
There are some nice trees along this section and I loved looking at some of the houses here too. Pretty soon, Merthyr Park comes to an end and you’ll reach Sydney Street Ferry Terminal. It’s here that you must head up Sydney Street before turning left into Griffith Street, which you’ll walk along before turning left into Merthyr Road, where you’ll enter the New Farm River Walk.
New Farm River Walk
The New Farm River Walk is another highlight of this walk, as it’s an expansive structure built for cyclists and pedestrians that sits in the Brisbane River itself. Completed in 2014, the New Farm River Walk is a sturdy structure built to withstand the raging torrents of the Brisbane floods. It’s 870 metres long and affords awesome views over the city, the river, Story Bridge and the expensive houses along the river’s edge.
We had a great time strolling along with our pooch, dreaming of which house we’d own (mine is picture below). My dog loved walking along here and we enjoyed stopping at the various lookout points while watching the looming structure of Story Bridge come into focus as we approached Howard Smith Wharves.
Howard Smith Wharves and Felons
Howard Smith Wharves is a great way to end or begin this walk, as it’s a lively place with excellent views that’ll impress your friends from out of town. I’ve been here quite a few times and the most prominent part of the wharves is Felons, which takes up a fair chunk of real estate. Felons is a brewery and restaurant that has various sections and things going on, depending on what time you’re here. You can read my more detailed post on Felons here.
It was fun arriving midday on Sunday in the sunshine to the buzzing atmosphere of Felons and Howard Smith Wharves. We passed the bean bag section – where people laze on bean bags, order food and drinks and enjoy the city river views (which I’m yet to do) – as well as the brewery before arriving at Felons restaurant where we had lunch and beer. I paid almost $20 for a pint, but as I sat there alongside Story Bridge and the river in the sunshine, I figured it was worth it (only just).
Final Thoughts
We absolutely love this walk. It’s one of the city’s best for a reason and while I’ve done it about three times, I’m sure I’ll do it again and again. It’s a great one to do with friends if they’re visiting from out of town (they’ll be impressed) and as there are many travel options – bicycles, scooters, ferries – it just opens your day up in a big way. Not to mention the picnic and eating and drinking opportunities along the way. This and its perfect length make this Brisbane River walk a classic must-do in the city!
Family-Friendly Walk
This Brisbane River walk is super family-friendly due to its length, difficulty and the fact you can ride your bike if you choose (I saw several families doing this). There’s also kid’s play equipment and gym equipment along the way, an expansive grassland and a small beach to explore. You also don’t have to return the same way (see below).
Return a Different Way
Another great thing about this walk is you don’t have to return the same way (although we did on this day). There are ferry terminals all along the walk and once you reach either Howard Smith Wharves or New Farm Park, you can jump on a ferry and travel the four stops back to where you started. You’ll also zigzag across the river, making it a fun way to travel. You can bring your dog on the ferry too, but they must wear a muzzle. As we forgot to bring Cookie’s muzzle, we had to walk the same way back.
Check out my video below to get a better idea of this Brisbane River walk.
How Far is the Walk?
This Brisbane River walk is just over 5km. However, it’s an easy journey, as it’s flat and paved the whole way.
Summary and a Few Fast Facts
- There are drinking troughs/bubblers along the walk for you and your doggy.
- There’s not much tree cover along this walk so you’ll need to wear a hat and sunscreen!
- There’s play and gym equipment, as well as several restaurants along the way.
- You can catch the ferry back so you don’t have to return the same way.
- The walk is just over 5kms long.
- There are also a couple of restaurants at New Farm.
- Here’s another (albeit longer) Brisbane River walk I’ve done nearby that you can check out!
