The second part of a trip full of sample activities for incentive winners curated by Tourism Australia (and the Brisbane Convention Bureau for this leg) took our group of six incentive planners and me to this sunny city in Queensland, about 600 miles up the coast from Sydney.
In the Central Business District, the city's Gallery of Modern Art features the GOMA Restaurant, which holds 350 for a reception. Here, executive chef Josue Lopez takes the fare at way beyond the expected for a meal at a museum. GOMA can be the jumping off point for a a tour of Brisbane's South Bank district, including the urban Parkland, created on the Brisbane River after the World Expo that was held there in 1988. Events of all sizes are welcomed there, including at the Kingdom of Nepal's contribution to the Expo, the three-story Peace Pagoda made of hand-carved Nepalese timber.
For groups that want to get their hands on the local fauna, the Lone Pines Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket, allows guests to hold koalas, feed kangaroos and visit more than 100 native species. The sanctuary, which opened in 1927, handles groups of up to 900 people, splitting them up to rotate through the opportunities to cuddle koalas, hang with the kangaroos, grab lunch and wander the rest of the park.
The Brisbane River is an event venue in itself, welcoming yachts like the Pure Adrenalin, which holds 24 and sails from the suburbs, under the city's distinctive bridges and out into the ocean. For a golf/cocktail outing, the driving range at Victoria Park is attached to event space that accommodates 70 people standing and 40 seated. The park also features a mini golf course and a ballroom with a deck for up to 1,000 people.
Our group also took a helicopter tour with Executive Helicopters, flying down the shoreline along the Gold Coast and then heading inland over the Great Dividing Range to Spicers Peak Lodge in the Scenic Rim region, a retreat with 10 suites and two private lodges.
Our accommodations in Brisbane were at the stylish 50-room New Inchcolm Hotel, which features meeting space for up to 80 people. The rooms have a 21st Century club look with whimsical touches.
Read about the Melbourne leg of our journey here.