Howard Smith Wharves

Howard Smith Wharves is Brisbane's riverside dining precinct, a strip of restored 1930s wharf buildings tucked beneath the Story Bridge on the northern bank of the Brisbane River, at the eastern edge of the central business district. Long derelict, the heritage wharves were redeveloped in 2018 into a lively waterfront of restaurants, bars and event spaces backed by dramatic cliffs.

The setting is the draw. The precinct sits in a narrow band between the river and the Kangaroo Point cliffs, directly under the steel span of the Story Bridge, giving it one of the city's most photogenic backdrops. A riverside lawn, a brewery, waterfront restaurants and a boutique hotel share the reclaimed wharf sheds, and the area glows after dark when the bridge is lit.

History underpins it. Built during the Great Depression as public-works relief, the wharves later served wartime and shipping uses before falling idle. Interpretive signage and preserved structures recall that industrial past, and air-raid shelters cut into the cliff during the Second World War survive nearby.

Practical notes: the wharves are reached on foot along the river from the central business district, by CityCat ferry to the nearby terminal, or via a walkway down from the city; a lift and ramps make the riverside level accessible. The precinct is liveliest in the evenings and at weekend brunch. Dining ranges from casual brewery fare to upmarket riverside restaurants. The riverwalk connecting it to the New Farm and city reaches makes a fine stroll. Combine a meal with a walk across the Story Bridge or along the riverfront to the Botanic Gardens. The riverside lawn hosts markets, festivals and open-air events through the warmer months, and the dramatic cliff backdrop, floodlit bridge and passing CityCats make it one of Brisbane's most atmospheric spots after dark.