Brisbane - Brisbane International Cruise Terminal

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland, on the east coast of Australia, spread along the winding Brisbane River as it flows towards Moreton Bay. Portside Wharf sits on the north bank of the river in the suburb of Hamilton, a few kilometres downriver from the city centre and reachable by the CityCat river ferry.

A note on terminals is useful here. Portside Wharf opened in 2006 and served as Brisbane's cruise terminal for years, handling mid-sized ships up to around 270 metres (890 feet). Since 2022, cruise ships have used the newer Brisbane International Cruise Terminal near the airport, which can take the largest vessels afloat. Portside Wharf itself is now a riverside precinct of restaurants, shops and a cinema.

For the ships that used it, Portside was a turnaround base as well as a stop, with lines homeporting here for cruises out into the Pacific.

Brisbane rewards time ashore. It is a relaxed river city, with the South Bank parklands and their riverside beach, the climb or walk over the Story Bridge, and easy access to Moreton Bay, where dolphins, dugongs and, in season, migrating humpback whales can be seen. The climate is humid subtropical, with warm, wet summers and mild, drier winters, average temperatures running from about 62F (17C) overnight to 80F (27C) by day.

On The Cruise Globe you can see the exact route any cruise sailed to and from Brisbane, the real track down the river and out through the bay.