The Best Spots in Brisbane for Sundowners
The best places to see out the sunlight with a drink in your hand.
The Best Spots in Brisbane for Sundowners
The best places to see out the sunlight with a drink in your hand.
We all know the type: the seemingly regular folks who love nothing more than a crack-of-dawn start time. The people that live for early mornings and consider 7am a sleep in. They're busy saluting the sun and chugging a green juice while the rest of us are waging war on the snooze button. So for those chipper early birds — we love you, we truly do.
For those among us that prefer sunset over sunrise, however, Brisbane is a completely different place. We don't need that extra-strong coffee to get us charged up, because we're enjoying the other end of the day and raising a toast to Brisbane's finest spots for a sundowner.
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The Regatta Hotel has survived more than its fair share of floods and fires over the years, but this iconic Brisbane venue is still standing strong after more than 140 years in the game. With multiple wraparound verandas, the heritage-style watering hole is the ideal spot for sunset-seekers. If you listen carefully, you can hear waves breaking at the river bank – sure, it’s actually the wash caused by our beloved City Cats, but we can all just pretend it’s an ocean swell, ok?
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Aaaah, Mt Coot-tha. She’s a beauty, isn’t she? But unless you have friends visiting from out of town, it’s easy for Brisbane locals to forget about the view from the lookout. Whatever the weather, do yourself a favour and mosey on up to Summit Restaurant & Bar. Treat yourself to a bottle of Ruinart while the sun slowly dips into that thick Queensland humidity. Bonus points if you stay after dark — this is the ultimate vantage point for viewing those cracking summer lightning storms. All-year-round, you’ll find lunch and dinner also on the menu, plus coffees for caffeinated stares off into the horizon.
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Are you a sucker for a bit of fairy floss sky? Us too. That pinkish hue that dapples the air above at the end of a long, hot day couldn’t be a better sight. For a bird’s-eye view of those fluffy, blush-coloured clouds, get yourself over to Kangaroo Point on Friday and Sunday afternoons from 3pm. Perched on the twelfth floor, the sunset vantages across the cliffs from Eagles Nest makes even the winding brown snake that is the Brisbane river look postcard-perfect.
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Desperately need to be snapped from that mid-summer stupor? A few rounds of beverages at Blackbird’s outdoor terrace bar should do the trick nicely. Here, you’ll sneak a peek at the setting sun while enjoying views across the river to the Story Bridge. There’s an impressive selection of oysters and caviar on offer too, for a truly decadent sundowner session — because really, nothing screams ‘Queensland summer’ quite like champagne and seafood on the waterfront. Bliss.
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Anyone who has had even the slightest brush with Instagram will know the importance of the golden hour. It’s that magical time just before the sun dips below the horizon, where everything is bathed in the most perfectly peach glow. It’s seriously the stuff that #nofilter dreams are made of — trust us on this. And, sitting absolute riverfront at Southbank, the top-notch sunset view at Stokehouse Q will make you understand why. Head down at sunset to catch the final rays bouncing off the city skyline, and maybe nab yourself a new selfie too — if you are that way inclined. Also on offer: a oysters, wagyu cheese burgers, grapefruit martinis and blood orange margaritas.
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