Brisbane doesn't have a beach per se, so they built this thing. It's a palm-fringed inner-city swimming beach along a lagoon with a picnic area, bang in the middle of South Bank Parklands.
You might grimace at the idea of swimming at a fake beach (that’s a normal reaction) but then you get there and find yourself marvelling at the view over the city and the fact that the whole place is free. Plus they’ve always got lifeguards on duty, so it’s a safe place for kids to burn off energy while you cool down.
It's adjoined by a range of fountains calculated to have children squealing in hot weather. A relief map of Brisbane has streets with water running through them; tipping buckets fill with water them dispense it on unwary people beneath; and there is rock pool creek section to explore too. Shady trees and cabanas provide spaces to park your towel, and ice cream is readily available from nearby shops and carts.
Look, it really is a shame that Australia’s second-most tropical city was built on a tidal wetland rather than a beach, but Streets Beach goes some distance to atone for this mistake. It's actually rather wonderful.