The Swedish pop powerhouse Zara Larsson will officially end her decade-long absence from Australian stages by launching her massive new world tour under the stars at Brisbane’s Riverstage.
The upcoming visit marks the first time the singer has performed her own headline shows in the country in eleven years. While she was originally meant to visit as a supporting act earlier this year, she had to cancel those plans at the last minute. To make it up to her local fans, she shared a video online of herself singing a classic Delta Goodrem song and promised to come back with a show of her own.
True to her word, the Midnight Sun Tour 2026 kicks off at the Riverstage in Brisbane on October 14. From there, she travels to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on October 15 and Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena on 17 October. The final legs of the trip include the Entertainment Centre Theatre in Adelaide on 18 October and a closing night at Perth HPC on 20 October.
Larsson has undergone a massive transformation since she last visited Australian shores. She first found fame in Sweden as a ten-year-old talent show winner before evolving into a global chart-topper with billions of streams. Her career reached new heights with the massive success of her song Lush Life and her work with groups like Clean Bandit.
Recently, she has taken more control over her music by starting her own record label called Sommer House. Her latest music draws inspiration from the high-energy sounds of the early 2000s and her own Swedish roots. She recently told reporters that Australia was one of the first places to ever support her music and she felt that a return visit was long overdue.
Local fans have already begun sharing their excitement online following the official announcement from promoters. Many people noted that they have been waiting since their primary school years to see the singer perform live.
Because of the high demand, several early ticket windows will open before the general public can buy them. The first chances to grab a seat start with artist and partner presales on Wednesday, 11 February, at 9 am local time. Another chance follows on Thursday, 12 February, for Live Nation members. Anything remaining will go on sale to everyone else on Friday, 13 February, at 10 am.
El Vilsito, a Michelin Guide-recommended taqueria from Mexico City, is coming to Howard Smith Wharves, bringing its chefs to cook tacos the way they do at home for a limited-time takeover.
The visiting cooks are coming as part of La Mexicana, a short-run add-on to Margarita Week that expands the precinct’s cocktail calendar into a broader food-and-culture program.
The dates are split over two bursts: La Mexicana runs 5–8 March and 12–15 March, while Margarita Week continues across the full 5–15 March stretch.
Photo Credit: Supplied
For locals, the interesting part isn’t the branding. It’s the idea of a tight, street-food style operation built around one of Mexico’s most recognisable taco formats. It’s landing in a polished waterfront precinct and trying to keep its identity intact.
Two El Vilsito chefs will work alongside local teams to cook the tacos “as they’re served in Mexico City”, with the visiting group including Sandra Blanco, whose father, Juan Carlos Blanc,o owns the taqueria. The family connection matters because these aren’t “inspired-by” tacos; they’re recipes tied to a particular place and routine.
Photo Credit: Supplied
If you’ve seen Taco Chronicles on Netflix, you’ll recognise the al pastor theatre: marinated pork stacked on a vertical spit (the trompo), cooked, shaved, and tucked into tortillas with the kind of speed that looks like muscle memory. The taqueria also appears in the Michelin Guide, which frames it as approachable rather than precious—busy, fast, and built for repeat visits.
So why bring it to Brisbane at all? The idea originated after Katie Moubarak, Howard Smith Wharves’ brand director, visited Mexico City on a research trip, ate there, and stayed in contact with Blanco. It’s the sort of origin story that sounds neat on paper, but it reflects something real in the way venues now “travel” without moving: chefs swap places for a week, menus arrive like pop-up postcards, and locals get a new reference point for what a dish can taste like when it’s cooked by the people who grew up around it.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Photo Credit: Supplied
The other layer is Margarita Week itself. In a city where festival weekends are often tied to sport or school holidays, a precinct-wide drinks programme fills a gap: it gives venues a common reason to collaborate, and it gives residents a clear window to visit without feeling like they’ve missed the moment. This year’s pitch includes a spread of margarita styles—sweet, smoky, spicy, savoury—plus Tommy’s-style riffs and venue-specific twists, in partnership with Patrón.
Photo Credit: Supplied
You don’t have to be a cocktail person to appreciate what that does for a neighbourhood. A concentrated run of events changes the rhythm of a precinct: more early bookings, more groups arriving together, and more “let’s make a night of it” energy. It can also mean queues.
If La Mexicana lands the way the organisers hope, expect peak periods around Friday and Saturday evenings, with the most interest likely in the al pastor service because it’s both the headline and the thing you can’t easily reproduce at home.
The practical advice is simple: treat it like a short-season show. Pick a less hectic time if you want a relaxed visit; go later if you want the buzz. If you’re curious about the difference between a local taco interpretation and a Mexico City original, this is one of the rare chances to compare them without leaving the river.
Brisbane-based artist Renee Kire is transforming the Museum of Brisbane entryway with bold vinyl graphics and sculptural timber elements as the institution’s first Artist in Residence for 2026.
From March 6, visitors entering the Level 3 City Hall space will encounter Kire’s large-scale installation splashing colour, rhythm and movement across walls and ceilings in the museum’s main thoroughfare. The project marks ten years since the artist moved from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane to pursue her creative career.
The installation responds directly to the architecture of City Hall and the surrounding cityscape visible from the museum. Kire describes being initially overwhelmed by the amount of space available but came to appreciate the character of the historic building, noting no two walls are the same with numerous different planes and angles shaping her approach to forms, colours and interactions.
Working within a heritage-listed building presented challenges including restrictions on what could and couldn’t be done to the space. Kire notes the most difficult aspect became developing the works digitally and translating scale from screen to real life, requiring adjustments to how forms, colours and interactions would exist in the physical space.
Approach and Philosophy
Renee Kire approaches Minimalism from a contemporary feminist perspective, themes that she says remain central to why she creates. These influences shape each project she undertakes, whether explicitly stated or operating beneath the surface. For this installation, thinking through Minimalist and feminist lenses guided the forms, colours and interactions she developed, encouraging repetition and inclusivity for all visitors.
The artist creates work intended to be accessible across ages and backgrounds rather than targeting specific audiences. Her two-year-old niece responds to colours while her grandmother appreciates composition and how different shapes interact. Kire hopes her work sparks curiosity for anyone who encounters it, whoever they are.
Her practice often encourages people to slow down and look closely at their surroundings. In the busy transitional space of the museum entrance, she hopes the forms and colours will catch attention and invite people to pause momentarily to notice details they might otherwise miss in a heritage building space many pass through without close observation.
Community Participation Element
Part of the installation will be co-created with the community through hands-on workshops during the residency period. Renee Kire says she looks forward to stepping back and seeing how people interpret the shapes and colours she has been immersed in over several months of development, noting the different ways people think and create when interacting with the work.
The workshops allow Brisbane residents to contribute directly to an artwork in one of the city’s most prominent cultural institutions, creating an element of shared ownership in the finished installation.
Museum of Brisbane Context
Museum of Brisbane occupies Level 3 of Brisbane City Hall at King George Square, serving as the city’s leading history and art museum. The institution presents exhibitions, events, workshops and tours exploring Brisbane’s art, culture and social history. The museum is open 10am to 5pm during weekdays and weekends with free general admission.
The Artist in Residency program, supported by Tim Fairfax AC, provides opportunities for artists to create site-specific works within the museum environment. The program demonstrates the museum’s commitment to supporting contemporary Brisbane artists while enhancing the visitor experience through temporary installations in museum spaces.
City Hall itself holds significance as one of Brisbane’s most recognisable heritage buildings in the CBD. The building’s distinctive clock tower and classical architecture make it a landmark for both visitors and residents navigating central Brisbane. The museum’s location within City Hall adds layers of historical context to contemporary art installations like Kire’s project.
Previous Work and Recognition
Renee Kire works from her East Brisbane studio creating sculptural forms that explore playful curves and interactions. Reviews of her previous exhibition at Rockhampton Museum of Art noted her consistent employment of large-scale aesthetics and soft pastel colour palettes.
Photo Credit: Rockchampton Museum of Art / Facebook
Her work has been compared to feminist minimalist sculpture, presenting what critics describe as a positive approach to domestic spaces through curves that invite interaction.
The curved prisms in her work require higher woodworking skills to create. Apart from some computer numerical control cutting, Kire painstakingly fashions the forms herself. Her constructions feature bends singular in direction and plane, with aspects twisted across additional axes by aligning consecutive sections at right angles, creating what observers describe as squiggle-like forms that could transport viewers back to childhood memories.
The Museum of Brisbane residency represents Kire’s largest and most public commission to date, positioning her work where thousands of visitors will encounter it as they access exhibitions and programs throughout the six-month installation period.
Repeat Visitor Experience
Because the work forms part of the museum’s everyday environment rather than a discrete exhibition, visitors may encounter it multiple times. Renee Kire hopes people experience the space the way she did while developing the work, discovering new details each visit in what might otherwise be an overlooked transitional area.
She notes that each time she spent time in the entrance during development, new details emerged including subtle shifts in light, repetitive nature of shapes, and small architectural features she had not noticed before. Repeat visits should allow people to discover these layers and notice something new each time they pass through.
The installation runs from March 6 through September 6, 2026, providing a substantial timeframe for both regular museum visitors and Brisbane CBD workers to engage with the work multiple times across changing seasons and light conditions.
Accessibility and Public Engagement
The entrance location ensures maximum visibility and accessibility for the installation. Unlike gallery-based exhibitions that require deliberate visits, Kire’s work will be encountered by everyone accessing Museum of Brisbane programs including school groups, tourists, families and regular visitors to City Hall.
This positioning aligns with broader movements in contemporary art practice toward engaging public audiences in everyday spaces rather than exclusively within traditional gallery contexts. The installation demonstrates how temporary public art can activate heritage buildings and enhance visitor experiences in cultural institutions.
For Fortitude Valley and Brisbane CBD residents who regularly visit City Hall for various civic purposes beyond museum attendance, the installation adds an element of visual interest and creative energy to a familiar heritage building. The work contributes to Brisbane’s identity as a city supporting contemporary artistic practice alongside preservation of historic architecture.
More information about the workshop is available here.
Fortitude Valley has welcomed a unique literary hub called Cursive Knives that trades mainstream bestsellers for a community-focused space dedicated to underrepresented authors and local creativity.
The shop began as a popular online community for readers and writers before moving into a physical storefront on Ann Street in late December. Unlike typical retail outlets, the shop specialises in “weird girl” literature and works from independent publishers that often struggle to find space on larger shelves.
The collection prioritises books by women, queer authors, and people of colour, offering a range of fiction, poetry, and art books that reflect a diverse range of voices.
Beyond its role as a bookstore, the space functions as a gathering point for the Brisbane creative scene. It hosts regular activities such as craft sessions, book clubs, and writing workshops to encourage locals to connect in person.
Specific programmes include a twelve-week course focused on the creative process and hands-on weekend workshops where participants can learn skills like making leather journals. This approach moves away from quick shopping and instead focuses on building a slow-paced, supportive environment for the neighbourhood.
The establishment of the shop marks a shift in the local area towards a more boutique and arts-focused district. Located on the traditional lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera peoples, the shop acknowledges the deep history of the region.
Fortitude Valley itself has changed significantly over the years, moving from its roots as a 19th-century settlement for immigrants into a busy nightlife area, and now into a centre for independent businesses.
While some industry experts suggest that only certain popular genres sell well, this local shop has seen a different result. The first batch of over one thousand books sold out much faster than expected, with many residents returning multiple times to support the venture. The shop’s name, which often confuses people looking for cutlery, is actually a nod to poetry and music. It joins several other independent bookstores that have recently appeared in the city, suggesting a growing local interest in physical books and shared creative experiences.
When Super Bowl LX kicks off on Monday, 9 February (Feb 8 US time), Fortitude Valley will be home to one of Brisbane’s most ambitious viewing events. Finn McCool’s is pulling out all the stops, transforming Brunswick Street Mall into an outdoor Super Bowl festival that’s set to redefine how Brisbane watches the big game.
This isn’t your typical pub sports broadcast. Finn McCool’s is taking the action outside, with temporary bars popping up alongside massive screens throughout the mall. The street party atmosphere sets this event apart from traditional indoor venues, creating a festival vibe that’s unique among Brisbane’s Super Bowl offerings. It’s the kind of setup that turns casual viewers into part of something bigger—a proper American-style tailgate party, Valley edition.
Photo credit: Facebook/Finn McCool’s Fortitude Valley
The venue is offering both basic and premium all-inclusive packages starting from $109 per person, with everything sorted in one booking—food, drinks, and entertainment throughout the broadcast. Games and giveaways will run alongside the on-field action, keeping the energy high during breaks in play. The American-themed menu keeps the stateside vibe flowing, ensuring you won’t be reaching for a meat pie when you’re in the mood for proper game day fare.
For those who’ve been to Finn McCool’s for major sporting events before, the venue’s reputation for creating an atmosphere speaks for itself. The outdoor setup takes that experience and amplifies it, giving punters room to move, multiple viewing angles, and the kind of open-air environment that turns a Monday morning sports broadcast into a genuine event. Whether you’re a die-hard NFL supporter or just someone who enjoys the spectacle and the excuse for a Monday session, the Brunswick Street setup has been designed to accommodate everyone.
Other Brisbane Venues Worth Considering
Photo credit: Markus Ravik
While Fortitude Valley claims Finn McCool’s as the Super Bowl destination, several other Brisbane pubs are creating their own game day experiences for those based elsewhere in the city.
Out in Toowong, Regatta Hotel on Coronation Drive is running a week-long celebration of American cuisine from 1-9 February. The riverside venue will broadcast the game across multiple screens, with a dedicated menu featuring foot-long baguette toasties, loaded nachos, a full kilogram of wings, classic po’boy sandwiches, and their popular dawg basket. The sprawling venue offers plenty of viewing areas for those who prefer a more traditional pub setting.
Photo supplied
The Lord Alfred at Petrie Terrace is taking a competitive approach with games and giveaways running throughout the broadcast. Their kitchen has prepared special game day items including breakfast burritos, chicken and waffles, and loaded dogs. The wall-to-wall coverage and chef specials create an atmosphere focused on both the food and the sport.
In the CBD, Port Office Hotel on Edward Street has organised two package options for advance bookings. The Game Day Package runs $55 per person with curated American-style food, whilst an optional four-hour beverage upgrade is available for those wanting to make a proper session of it. Screens throughout the venue will broadcast every moment of the action.
Planning Your Game Day
With venues across Brisbane, and particularly Finn McCool’s street party setup gearing up for the big day, anyone planning to attend should contact their chosen venue sooner rather than later. Package bookings are available, and advance booking is recommended to secure your spot.
The beauty of Finn McCool’s outdoor approach is that it scales to accommodate the crowd whilst maintaining the festival atmosphere. Combined with the all-inclusive packages that sort your food, drinks, and entertainment in advance, it’s designed to be the kind of event where you can just show up and enjoy without worrying about the logistics.
Whether you’re deeply invested in the outcome or just appreciate a good excuse for American comfort food and a Monday morning beer, Fortitude Valley’s Super Bowl offering has created something that goes beyond a simple pub broadcast. It’s a street party, a sports event, and a cultural moment all rolled into one.
Valentine’s Day in Brisbane this year is shaping up around shared banquets and set dining menus across several well‑known restaurants in the CBD and Fortitude Valley. Rather than traditional two‑course dinners, locals can choose from multi‑course banquets or group‑friendly sessions at a range of venues between 13 and 15 February.
Donna Chang in the Queen Street precinct is offering a special banquet for Valentine’s Day. The modern Cantonese restaurant’s set menu comprises nine dishes at a fixed price of $139 per person. This banquet option is available on Valentine’s Day and also from 13 to 15 February, giving diners a few days to secure a table and try the curated menu.
At nearby Boom Boom Room, the underground dining space beneath Donna Chang, Valentine’s Day is being marked with Japanese‑inspired omakase banquets designed to be shared. The venue is presenting two set options at different price points and with dedicated evening sittings, inviting guests to enjoy multiple courses in its basement environment.
Blackbird Brisbane (Photo supplied)
Blackbird Bar Dining & Events on Eagle Street is offering a three‑course Valentine’s menu with choices across starters, mains and desserts. Priced at $139 per person, the menu is available on 14 February and across the broader Valentine’s period from 13 to 15 February. Its riverside location on Eagle Street remains a popular setting for special occasion dining in the CBD.
At Lúc Lắc at The Star Brisbane, a Southeast Asian‑inspired banquet is on offer, with two set banquet options labelled Classic and Premium. The lunch and dinner menus include sharing‑style dishes, and the venue will also run a bottomless Valentine’s session with themed beverages during the afternoon. These options are available across Valentine’s weekend, with the bottomless session running midday into the afternoon.
Fortitude Valley
Bisou Bisou (Photo supplied)
In the Valley, Bisou Bisou, the French brasserie near Hotel X, has a curated three‑course J’Adore menu for Valentine’s Day, priced at $109 per person. This menu is available not only on 14 February but also from 13 to 15 February, giving diners a range of days to book. Bisou Bisou’s offering includes choices of entrées, mains and desserts, following the format of its regular service style.
Mas Margarita in Fortitude Valley is hosting a ‘Galentines’ event on Sunday 15 February for groups of friends. The venue will serve a banquet teamed with pink‑themed margarita services over an extended brunch session, creating another way for locals to celebrate Valentine’s beyond the traditional couples‑only format.
Whether you’re celebrating with a partner, gathering with friends, or simply enjoying a special meal out, the CBD and Fortitude Valley offer a variety of Valentine’s Day banquets and menus to suit different tastes and schedules. With multiple sittings and group-friendly options, locals have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the city’s dining scene over the Valentine’s weekend.
In a historic moment for one of Queensland’s most prestigious educational institutions, Brisbane Girls Grammar School welcomed its first-ever primary school students through the gates of its Spring Hill campus on 28 January 2026, marking a transformative chapter in the school’s 151-year history.
Years 5 and 6 students stepped into the purpose-built junior campus on Gregory Terrace, directly opposite the school’s iconic Main Building that has stood proudly in Spring Hill since 1884. The expansion represents the first time in the school’s history that it has educated students below secondary level.
“In 2026, BGGS will become Brisbane’s first secular, independent girls’ school to educate girls in Years 5 and 6,” Principal Jacinda Euler Welsh stated. “This modern iteration of the ‘experiment’ and ideals on which our School was founded represents a tangible commitment to the pursuit of gender equality, and a great optimism for our collective future.”
Photo credit: Brisbane Girls Grammar School
The new five-storey junior school building features specialist learning spaces for science, art and music, alongside a dedicated library, tuckshop and play areas. Designed with a ‘miniature’ concept that mirrors architectural elements from the school’s existing heritage buildings, the facility has been created as a “whole school within a singular building”—the ‘little sister’ of the senior campus.
Students will benefit from access to both their dedicated junior facilities and the broader main campus resources, including the library, theatre spaces, swimming pool and nearby green spaces. They will also utilise the school’s sporting campus at Rangakarra and outdoor education facility at Marrapatta.
Photo credit: Brisbane Girls Grammar School
The expansion comes as independent schools across Australia experience sustained enrolment growth. According to Independent Schools Australia, the sector has seen average annual increases of 2.6 per cent over the past decade, significantly outpacing Catholic systemic schools at 0.8 per cent and government schools at 0.9 per cent.
The move by Brisbane Girls Grammar reflects a broader strategic shift amongst elite private schools to secure students—and their families’ financial commitment—earlier in their educational journey. Research indicates that whilst public primary school enrolments have remained relatively stable, independent high school enrolments have surged, with one study finding a 70 per cent increase between 2012 and 2020.
Karen McArdle has been appointed as the school’s inaugural Head of Junior School, bringing extensive experience from her previous role as foundation Head of Junior School at Ipswich Girls Grammar School and her current position at St Catherine’s in Toorak, Melbourne. She commenced in January 2025 to oversee the establishment of the new campus.
The junior school operates under separate academic, co-curricular and pastoral care models specifically designed for primary-aged students, whilst maintaining the high academic standards the school is renowned for at secondary level.
Founded in 1875 as a branch of Brisbane Grammar School, Brisbane Girls Grammar became independent in 1882. The move to its current Gregory Terrace site in 1884 established the school’s presence in Spring Hill, where it has remained for 142 years.
The school was established at a time when the idea of a girls’ school was considered a radical ‘experiment’, reflecting the pioneering spirit of early advocates for female education in Queensland.
Brisbane Girls Grammar offers enrolment places based on date order of application submission. The school is among Brisbane’s most expensive educational institutions.
For families in Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill and the surrounding CBD, the establishment of the junior campus provides another education option in the inner-city area, adding to the diverse educational landscape of the precinct.
The junior school development represents a significant investment in the historic Spring Hill site, continuing the school’s tradition of expanding and enhancing its facilities to meet the evolving needs of students whilst preserving its heritage and educational philosophy.
Brisbane City and Kangaroo Point are now reconnected along a major riverfront route, with the upgraded CBD Riverwalk reopening and restoring a direct walking and cycling link near the Kangaroo Point Bridge approaches.
The upgraded strip was fenced off since 2023 during works at the Waterfront Brisbane site. Developers say the reopened section will connect Charlotte Street to Alice Street, restoring a continuous riverside route from the Story Bridge to the City Botanic Gardens.
A wider shared path through Brisbane City
The reopened section runs between the Riparian building and the Stamford Plaza area, giving people a direct riverside connection between the ends of Charlotte and Alice streets. Plans for the rebuilt walkway show it reaching up to 15 metres wide in places, with new concrete paths and steel railings designed for both commuters and recreational users.
Project information released for Waterfront Brisbane describes the rebuilt Riverwalk as a shared zone for pedestrians and cyclists, with multiple access points intended to improve movement between Eagle Street and the river’s edge.
This part of the Riverwalk is near the city-side access to the Kangaroo Point Bridge, which links Scott Street in Kangaroo Point to the corner of Alice Street and Edward Street in the CBD. With the Riverwalk section reopening, walkers and riders should have a more direct route along the waterfront and into the bridge approaches, rather than relying on detours.
The closure has been a sore point for some active transport users, with community cycling groups previously raising concerns about a key public route being blocked for a private development.
Work continues…
While the Riverwalk section is returning soon, work around it will continue. Hoardings are expected to screen construction activity linked to the broader Waterfront Brisbane build as works progress toward an estimated late 2028 completion.
The wider riverfront plan includes new public space and future dining areas set back from the path, along with landscaping described as subtropical or tropical in style. Plans also flag cyclist end-of-trip facilities, including bike storage and e-bike servicing. Developers say the rebuilt public realm is being shaped to keep the walkway usable while the larger site takes shape.
The Riverwalk works sit alongside Waterfront Brisbane, a major redevelopment of the former Eagle Street Pier precinct, led by Dexus with builder John Holland. Public project material describes a future mix of two office towers, retail, food venues and public space, with the Riverwalk intended to be a key part of how people move through the area. John Holland previously confirmed its involvement in the project’s stage works on its company update page.
Dexus has previously cited weather and the complexity of building alongside the river as factors behind delays and cost pressures, while stating that the Riverwalk reopening has been prioritized.
Nearby routes are reopening, too
The Riverwalk announcement follows recent changes to other key pedestrian links, including ongoing works associated with the Story Bridge restoration program, which Brisbane City Council says has delivered new footpath decking and accessibility upgrades as part of longer-term works.
For regular CBD walkers, office workers, and riders commuting between Brisbane City and Kangaroo Point, the Riverwalk reopening is set to bring back a familiar waterfront line — now rebuilt to handle heavier daily use.
Fortitude Valley’s Wandoo Street is about to welcome a new regular, with Aunty — the latest venue from Brisbane’s Tassis Group. Locals first heard whispers about the modern Asian newcomer back in mid-2025, when plans to transform the former City Winery site at 11 Wandoo Street were revealed. Now, the countdown is properly on — bookings are live, trading hours are published, and the menu’s broad direction is now clear.
Aunty will open on 5 February 2026 as a roughly 400-square-metre dining destination built for both intimate catch-ups and bigger, celebratory outings, with capacity for around 100 guests. Design-wise, the venue will lean into a moody, polished look — deep greens, timbers and marble — with subtle nods to Cantonese culture, including references that evoke mahjong.
More importantly for Valley diners: Aunty is expected to trade 11:30 a.m. ’til late, seven days a week.
What’s on the menu?
While full menus tend to land closer to opening day, multiple sources have flagged the broad direction: modern Asian, anchored by Cantonese flavours and technique, plus a dedicated dim sum offering.
A few dishes are already being positioned as signatures, including:
Whole chilli mudcrab
Half duck two ways
Char siu pork neck
The menu is described as share-friendly, pairing dim sum with larger signature dishes designed for the centre of the table.
Drinks, lunch-to-late hours and a reason to arrive early
Aunty is also leaning heavily into its beverage program. The wine list spans around 250 labels, alongside cocktails drawing on Asian flavours.
The venue’s lunch-to-late trading hours suggest it’s aiming to suit both daytime diners and late-night crowds — and with interest building ahead of opening day, expect more detail (including the full menu and banquet options) to land closer to launch.
Bookings are already live via Aunty’s official site. For Wandoo Street, the opening adds another high-profile dining room to the strip — one built to run from lunch through late, every day of the week.
Brisbane CBD Albert Street station construction has reached a visible milestone, with the massive 42-metre-long entrance canopy now installed, sitting 16 metres above street level.
The underground station is transforming the southern end of the city centre, giving passersby their first clear view of how the new infrastructure will reshape the area between Queen Street Mall and the Botanic Gardens.
Record-Breaking Escalator Connects Street to Platform
The Brisbane CBD Albert Street station installed Queensland’s longest escalator late last year, measuring 37.5 metres in total length. Located at the northern entrance, the escalator provides direct access from Queen Street Mall down to the station platforms below.
The scale of the underground station required engineering solutions beyond typical transit infrastructure. Moving passengers efficiently between street level and deep underground platforms meant installing equipment that breaks state records for size.
Massive Canopy Provides Shade and Flood Protection
The station’s entrance canopy now dominates the Albert Street streetscape. The steel structure weighs 153 tonnes, spans 22 metres wide and stretches 42 metres long, sitting 16 metres above the street.
Construction crews assembled the canopy from four pre-fabricated trusses, each so large they required nighttime transport through the city. The finished structure serves dual purposes: shading the public plaza below during regular operation and storing flood barrier systems that can be deployed to protect the underground station during flood events.
Green Spine Reconnects CBD Spaces
Sections of the Albert Street green spine reopened to pedestrians before Christmas, with more areas opening throughout 2026. The subtropical plaza runs between Mary and Elizabeth streets, creating new public space outside the station entrance.
The green spine design includes space for outdoor dining, shaded seating areas and improved pedestrian connections linking Queen Street Mall to the Botanic Gardens. This north-south corridor addresses a longstanding gap in CBD pedestrian infrastructure, where crossing between these destinations previously meant navigating busy traffic.
What This Means for Brisbane CBD
The Brisbane CBD Albert Street station represents the largest public transport infrastructure change to the city centre in decades. The underground station removes the bottleneck that currently limits train frequency through the CBD, allowing more services to run across the entire rail network.
For CBD workers and residents, the station provides a second major transit hub beyond Central station. The southern CBD location serves office towers, cultural institutions and riverside precincts that previously sat further from convenient rail access.
Construction continues on remaining station elements, with completion expected as part of the broader Cross River Rail project opening. More details at crossriverrail.qld.gov.au.
