Secret Brisbane: Capital’s most iconic buildings throw open their doors to public
The small but fascinating secrets of Brisbane’s history will be teased out a little further this weekend with the return of the city’s Open House celebration for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The popular Spring Hill reservoir. (Image: Melica Ahmet)
The Brisbane Open House program will again see some of the city’s most prominent buildings throw open their doors to the public for a glimpse into the past and some rare insight into the design of the Queensland capital’s built environment.
While some old favourites like Government House and St Stephen’s Cathedral will again be part of the program, organisers have amped up the variety of buildings and infrastructure on show after a two-year forced hiatus.
The showpiece of Brisbane Open House this year is South Brisbane’s Fish Lane, with its heady mix of restaurants, bars and public art installations.
The Fish Lane Arts Precinct, which turned a neglected part of normally bustling South Brisbane into an exemplar of urban renewal, will be offering guided and self-guided tours across the weekend to allow visitors to explore its unique design.
Some ticketed Brisbane Open House venues are already sellouts, including the popular tour of the Windmill Tower at Spring Hill, Aria’s The Standard project at Fish Lane, a tour of the Cross River Rail project and guided tours of the Howard Smith Wharves.
Heritage buses like this 1969 Leyland Panther will shuttle visitors between open house venues.
However, other venues such as the Griffith Film School at South Bank, the rejuvenated princess Theatre at Woolloongabba and Parliament House will be open all weekend.
The Queensland Omnibus and Coach Society will also offer free transport to Brisbane Open House venues on its fleet of vintage and historic buses. The Saturday and Sunday shuttles run between 9am and 5pm.
