Queensland Museum Kurilpa

Queensland Museum Kurilpa is the South Bank campus of the state museum, which was founded in 1862 by the Queensland Philosophical Society. The collection moved around Brisbane for more than a century, occupying the Old Windmill, Parliament House, the General Post Office and the Exhibition Hall in Bowen Hills, before settling in the Queensland Cultural Centre in 1986.

The permanent galleries cover Queensland's natural and human history. Dinosaurs Unearthed and Prehistoric Queensland deal with the fossils and ancient animals found in the state, Wild State looks at the wildlife of modern Queensland, and the Discovery Centre lets visitors look more closely at specimens. The Anzac Legacy Gallery is a highlight for military history enthusiasts, as it holds Mephisto, the only surviving German A7V tank from the First World War. Each March the museum is the main venue for the World Science Festival Brisbane.

General entry is free, which makes it easy to call in for an hour. SparkLab, the hands-on science centre aimed at children, charges an entry fee, as do some temporary exhibitions and events, and tickets can be bought online. The museum is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, opens at 1.30pm on Anzac Day and closes on Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The museum works well for families, particularly on hot or wet days, and for anyone wanting an introduction to Queensland's landscape before travelling further north. Allow one to two hours for the free galleries and longer if you add SparkLab. The main entrances are on Levels 1 and 2, closest to the Cultural Centre busway station; from October 2026 the Level 0 entrance beside the Dinosaur Garden is reserved for pre-booked school and group visits.

You can walk to the museum from the city centre across Victoria Bridge or Kurilpa Bridge in a few minutes. South Brisbane railway station, the Cultural Centre busway station and the South Bank ferry terminals are all within walking distance, and the Queensland Cultural Centre car park sits beneath the building, entered from Stanley Place. The Queensland Art Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art and the State Library are next door, and South Bank Parklands is a short stroll away.