Brisbane City

Currently involved with a wedding expo. The update is beautiful and they have kept the heritage style look. Pipe organ is plain awesome and I am happy to be the first petson to drive a car inside since the revamp. Can't wait for this to get started

I remember my Grandfather telling me that when he arrived in Brisbane around 60 years ago this was the tallest building in the city...which as a kid and even now amazed me as almost all of the giant structures in its vicinity dwarf it considerably. Its one of those buildings that you just have to check out if you get the chance as there aren't too many of them left. Buildings like City Hall offer us a beautiful look into this city's past, showing us the architecture of the time and how far we have come, allowing us to imagine how things were when our parents or grandparents saw them with their own eyes. I was fortunate enough to take a good look around the inside of this place before they started the restoration/renovations a few years ago and I remember telling myself 'wow, this is breathtaking, I want to live here, move out council officials I'm moving in!' - Unfortunately that didn't happen...but my attempts at staying there for an extended period one day went quite well until my friends and I were kicked out...No I am not a squatter although I suppose you could label what we were doing as that...We had decided one day to get into the lift, take it to the top of the clock tower and see how long we could stay up there without being asked to leave. You see the view from up there although obstructed by the architectural monstrosities of today is still worth the trip. I hope they will allow the public to go up into the tower once more as last I heard they restricted access long ago (maybe the restorations will change that). I cant wait to see what they have done with the place!

I understand that Brisbane City Hall has recently been renovated and reopened to the public. They must have done an exceptional job, because it just looks like it's old and extremely well-maintained, rather than totally restored. It's worth going on the tour, which takes about 45 minutes and is free. They'll tell you about the history of the building and show you around a bit. The soldiers' wall in the basement is worth the tour by itself. If you head up to the museum on the 3rd floor, you can get a free tour of the clock tower, which I highly recommend. They go up every 30 minutes or so, but you need to get there in advance because the lift only holds about 10 people. My only complaint is that they don't give you enough time at the top.

Brisbane City Hall is without doubt one of the most iconic buildings in Brisbane. Built over the decade from 1920 to 1930, it has sprung wooden floors, a ballroom (saw the Australian Ballet perform there once) and ornate pillars and frescoes. It's undergoing multi-million dollar renovations now - the job has been underway for a year and is expected to be done by early 2013, so a lot of the building is closed to the public, but you can take a trip in to the visitor experience centre, which shows film of the renovation process, historical artefacts uncovered by archaeologists and a virtual tour which includes footage or areas never seen by the public. The centre's entrance is on Adelaide Street, open Mon-Fri from 10am-4pm. In the meantime, the Mayor's and councillors' offices, civic admin, council chambers, and Museum of Brisbane are located at 157 Ann Street in the city.

Brisbane is a relatively young city compared to many big cities around world, which is the reason many Brisbane residents love and adore Brisbane City Hall. It is one of the oldest and most respected buildings in this city. Built during the the roaring 20's and 30's this building has plenty of charm and character. It has a clock tower which stands at about 70 metres tall and impressive columns at the front of the building. The design of the clock tower was loosely based on St Marks Campanile in Venice, Italy, but with it's additional 4 clocks on each face of the tower, it surely has it's own special characteristics. Although it is currently closed to the public due to renovations, It is still a beautiful site for tourists to visit. Towards the end of this year, the renovated works will be revealed and we'll able to enjoy it inside and out. Looking forward to it.

I have lived in Brisbane my entire life and I had no idea that there was this gem of a theatre inside City Hall. I know its only recently finished renovations and it was certainly done well. I just attended a stand-up comedy act at Brisbane City Hall and the venue was lovely. Grand old organ on the stage and plenty of marble (I'm going to say marble, but for all I know it was reproduction from Bunnings - I have no idea but it certainly looked the part). The ushers were very helpful and there was plenty of them. So it was a great venue and well worth a visit. And the child in me still loves those lions out the front :)