10 Things to Do in Brisbane This Summer for $10 or Less

Summer is the perfect time of year to make the most of this city – and there’s plenty to do that won’t break the bank. From picking up some of the best sourdough in town and tucking into perfectly blistered and flaky Portuguese custard tarts, to admiring the best Christmas light displays and visiting a free Goma exhibition, here are 10 things to do in summer that won’t blow your budget.

Take a $2 dip in one of 22 local pools

Sail into summer with a splash thanks to Brisbane City Council’s seasonal initiative offering $2 entry to all 22 of its public pools. The returning $2 Summer Dips initiative runs until February 28, 2025. For just a gold coin – or a quick card tap – you can score entry and enjoy water play, swim laps, attend a fitness class or just lounge by the pool. This includes the Newmarket Olympic Swimming Pool, with its eight-lane Olympic-length pool, kids slide, splash pad, wading pool and barbeques; Sandgate Aquatic Centre, with its leisure pool and slides; and the colourful, heritage-listed Spring Hill Baths, as well as 19 other pools in the council area.

Visit the planetarium

Tucked inside the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium boasts a projection dome with a diameter of 12.5 metres, an observatory and courtyard, and – most importantly for this list – free general admission. If you’re looking to splurge a bit and book into a show in the cosmic sky dome, your options include educational shows about the cosmos (beamed in from the American Museum of Natural History and narrated by Robert Redford), family-friendly shows about a cheeky dog blasting off to discover Mars, or full playthroughs of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon set to scenes of the solar system – all costing between $10 and $17. Head here for more information.

Grab a freshly-baked Portuguese tart

South Brisbane’s Lisboa Caffe is dedicated to the deliciousness of pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts). Here, you’re able to watch the tart-making process behind a pane of glass and then eat the crispy, perfectly blistered, creamy custard creations straight from the oven. For $6 choose from the traditional pastél de nata; a Nutella version; a savoury goat’s cheese option, a walnut and honey tart; and a chicken and herb tart.

Indulge in a nostalgic rocky road

Pick up a deliciously decadent rocky road from Woolloongabba’s 31 Degrees Chocolate. Its traditional rocky road is made from high-quality artisanal ingredients including house-made vanilla marshmallows, coconut and candied almond coated generously in 62-per-cent Valrhona dark chocolate. Seriously addictive, the 31 Degrees rocky road will set you back $7.

Dig into half-price tacos at Rita’s

Teneriffe tequila and taco bar Rita’s, are offering pairs of tacos for between $12.50 and $16 (meaning if you grab a mate, you can pick up a taco for less than $10 a pop). Tacos include a baja grilled prawn with chipotle marinade, braised slow cooked beef, crispy eggplant with chilli caramel and miso mayo and more.

Check out a free exhibition (or two) at QAGOMA

Escape the heat and head into the air-conditioned Gallery of Modern Art (Goma) or Queensland Art Gallery. The galleries are currently showing a series of free exhibitions including the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, showcasing works from 70 artists, collectives and projects from more than 30 countries (running until April 27), and Suburban Sublime which runs until August 17 and features photography depicting Australian suburbia over the decades.

Hit up a Toowong backstreet for some of the best sourdough in town

Back in 2022, former subscription service Riser Bread opened a permanent bakery in the backstreets of Toowong. For less than $10, you can buy some of the best sourdough in town (the Mount Zero olive, lemon zest and rosemary loaf is legendary but costs a couple of extra dollars at $12 a loaf). There’s also a plain croissant served with a seasonal house jam (currently strawberry, orange blossom and vanilla), which may sound simple, but is extremely delicious and won’t break the budget.

Check out a film at Palace Cinemas

On Mondays, Palace Cinemas (The Barracks and James Street) offers $10 movie tickets for all members (it's free to join and benefits run all year). Looking for inspiration? Check out our summer watchlist. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked is now showing, as is Hugh Grant’s horror-thriller Heretic and Kate Winslet’s Lee, or catch Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal in Gladiator 2.

Feast on $10 ramen at Hai Hai Ramen

Paddington ramen joint Hai Hai dishes up delicious $10 bowls of ramen every Monday and Tuesday between 5 and 6pm for those who don’t mind an early dinner. Enjoy a fragrant bowl of tonkotsu ramen made with black garlic oil and topped with a gooey egg and nori, or a chashu pork bowl. There’s also chashu grilled chicken ramen, and vegetarian and vegan options.

Enjoy sunset hour at Melrose

At this 110-seat rooftop restaurant and bar inspired by the lavish beach clubs of Bali and Koh Samui, you can get the night started early with drink specials and $4 oysters from 3pm to 5pm every Friday to Sunday. Beers at Melrose are just $8 for those wanting to keep it under $10, and house-shucked oysters will only set you back $4 with fresh lime or $5 with a red nahm jim sauce.

This article was originally published on December 12, 2022 but has been updated to reflect changes to pricing, exhibitions and films.