Brisbane On a Rainy Day: 10 Things To Do

Brisbane is one of Australia's warmest and sunniest cities, with an average of 280 days of sunshine per year. It’s a wonderful place for nature walks, wandering through the forest, and spending time at the Streets Beach or kayaking the Brisbane River. Although you’ll likely experience a pleasant day when you visit, it doesn’t mean you’ll be immune to the wet weather in the River City.

Rain falls in the Queensland capital year-round, and the chance of wet days varies throughout the year. If you’re unlucky to arrive in not-so-perfect weather, no need to despair! A rainy day in Brisbane doesn’t have to turn your fun vacation into a gloomy holiday. It can still be exciting and filled with adventures if you know where to go. And if you visit during the school holidays, more indoor attractions are worth exploring.

Leave your bags with luggage storage in Brisbane and take advantage of indoor activities and attractions, like art galleries, museums, or cathedrals. Enjoy the culture, arts, and sights while staying dry, go to a theater, or have a spa day with your pals. If you’re still unsure what to do, we’ve put together a list of Brisbane rainy day ideas to give you inspiration.

Go Indoor Rock Climbing

You can still remain active in Brisbane on a rainy day by heading to an indoor rock climbing gym. A favorite facility among adventure seekers is Urban Xtreme, about 15 minutes from the central business district. It boasts the perfect walls with creative routes for seasoned climbers and first-timers. It’s also an excellent facility to take your kids during the school holidays with its range of adventure sports and programs that suit everyone.

No matter your age or skill level, you’re welcome to climb at Urban Xtreme. It offers an opportunity to challenge yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally and helps you reach new heights. It has more than ten activities under one roof, so you can ensure there’s always something to cater to your needs.

If you want something different, check out Adventure Park at the indoor play centre. Here, you can be a ninja warrior, jump on the trampolines, play dodgeball and laser tag, or do parkour. There are also other exciting indoor activities and snow sports like snowboarding and skiing to maximize your experience.

Treat Yourself to a Spa Day

Perhaps, you want to take this chance to unwind and escape from the stress of your everyday life. In that case, pamper yourself with a spa day and leave feeling fresh and rejuvenated. You won’t even think about the wet weather as you’re left in the hands of professionals giving you a truly relaxing experience.

Lucky for you, Brisbane has an abundance of amazing spots to treat yourself with massages, body scrubs, and facials. Located in the city centre, Aquarius Health and Medispa offer cosmetic and non-cosmetic beauty services, massage, facials, and tanning, to name a few. It’s also a unique health club complete with a fully-equipped gym.

If you’re in Fortitude Valley, you can inquire at Kailo Medispa and see what services they offer that match your needs. This wellness spa will take your body on a luxurious journey with its world-class cosmetic procedures, spa rituals, and beauty treatments.

Visit Queensland Performing Arts Centre

Say goodbye to a dreary Brisbane on a rainy day and spend a few hours watching live shows at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). It’s part of the city’s arts and cultural hub, the Queensland Cultural Centre, located at South Bank, just a walking distance from the heart of Brisbane city.

QPAC opened in 1985, dedicated to contributing to the Queenslanders’ social, cultural, and intellectual developments. Since then, it has become one of the country’s premier arts and entertainment spaces and has attracted over 20 million visitors. It presents around 1200 live performances annually across its four theaters and a range of outdoor venues.

Try Indoor Skydiving

Do you want a more thrilling experience that will get your heart pumping and adrenaline rising? Go to Chermside, just 10 kilometers north of Brisbane city centre, and soar high like a bird at the iFly indoor skydiving facility. It’s a space where your dream of flying becomes a reality, and you’ll feel the freedom and unexplainable sensation of floating in the air that you’ll forget it’s a rainy day in Brissy.

Don’t worry if you haven’t experienced flying before. iFLY is suitable for everyone, including kids up to three years old and the elderly. There’s no parachute needed, allowing you to have a real free-fall experience without dangerously falling out of a plane. An iFLY certified instructor will be with you to ensure you’ll safely fly without a harness. It also offers services for birthday celebrations, corporate parties, and company events.

Unlock Escape Rooms

It’s your time to test your wits and solve puzzles to unlock an escape room. Instead of waiting for the sky to clear, get out of your apartment or hotel room and enjoy one of the best Brisbane rainy day activities to try with your friends and family. Every escape room in the city may be different with varying teams and offerings, but the idea remains the same. You have to find a way to escape within an hour by finding clues, solving riddles, and cracking codes.

Select one of the rooms at Fox in a Box Brisbane and use your creative thinking and teamwork to overcome challenges. There are several well-designed themed rooms you can choose from, such as the Bunker, Zombie Lab, Tesla’s Mystery, Zodiac Killer, and more. It is open from 10 am to 10 pm from Monday to Sunday, so you can come anytime.

Escape Hunt is another escape room facility you can check out in West End. It’s one of Brisbane’s earliest escape rooms that have kept participants on their toes. Every game centers around a theme and can take up to five players.

Explore the Queensland Museum

Located in South Bank, South Brisbane, Queensland Museum is the flagship campus of the Queensland Museum Network. The museum showcases the natural history, cultural heritage, and human and scientific achievements that collectively tell the ever-dynamic story of Queensland. You can experience face-to-face interactions with giant dinosaurs, engaging nature displays, and fun touring exhibitions.

The museum hosts national and international exhibitions as part of its mission to educate people about the state’s rich history and culture. Early childhood activities, entertaining holiday programs, and other in-depth education experiences are some of the offerings of this world-class museum. Furthermore, inside is the home of millions of specimens and artifacts, so there are plenty of things to see.

One of the popular places visitors go to is the Dinosaur Garden. If you have kids with you, you can bring them to the discovery area to do some bird-watching. For the nature lover, you will want to visit the Wild State exhibit and Minerals: Inspirational Treasures from the Earth. You can find the museum open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm, making this place a great choice for a rainy day.

Spend a Few Hours at The Queensland Maritime Museum

Queensland Maritime Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021. Also known as QMMA, this museum aims to safeguard maritime history in Queensland and is one of Australia's largest museums. This place provides a glimpse of historic vessels of all shapes and sizes that have traveled the Coral Sea and beyond. You can enjoy magnificent exhibits like the iconic warship Diamantina and the lugger Penguin.

Some of the most popular events and exhibits QMMA has includes the Guided Historical Walking Tours of South Brisbane, which happens every Sunday from mid-June to mid-September. There is also the Forceful in War and Peace that tells the story of ST Forceful, a 288-ton steam tug that served the state from 1925 to 1970. Another interesting event showcased at the QMMA is the Women at Sea, which details the journey of female sailors and pirates.

Queensland Maritime Museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. If you’re visiting with the whole family, group tickets are available at discounted rates. Membership in the Queensland Maritime Museum Association is also encouraged so you can help in preserving the rich history and culture of the Queensland maritime industry.

Play Arcade Games

One of the challenges of arriving in Brisbane on a rainy day for parents is dealing with bored kids with nowhere to go. You need to be creative and up the activity level. Fortunately, you don’t have to rack your brains to find a solution to their boredom, as there’s a maze of game spots and arcades dotted around the city.

If you want to play retro games with your kids, take them to 1UP Arcade Morningside. It’s the country’s largest retro arcade located in Morningside, Brisbane. It has unlimited retro runs, exciting entertainment, and tons of family-friendly activities for kids and kids at heart. Be sure to accompany your kids because a few hours might turn into all-day play.

Another fun destination to explore is the Netherworld in Fortitude Valley. It’s one of the city’s very first arcade game bars, offering a comprehensive collection of retro games and gaming relics you only got to enjoy decades ago. These include pinball machines, classic consoles, arcade machines, and numerous board games. For those feeling competitive, Netherworld has competitive gaming you can join.

The Netherworld Arcade delivers more than the arcade games. As a bar and diner, it also serves a diverse collection of light snacks, bowls, and buns you can pair with cider, local bar, and other mixed elixirs.

Explore Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium

What better way to spend a rainy day in Brisbane than seeing the stars under the covers of the Planetarium? Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is one of the Queensland capital’s key leisure venues located within another famous attraction, Mount Coot-tha.

The Planetarium is only about five kilometers from the city centre, so it’s close to many top-rated sights, including the South Bank Parklands and Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Since you may not be able to explore the lush park areas and gardens on a wet day, spend a rainy afternoon touring through the galaxy in the Cosmic Dome.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors explore the Planetarium to witness the Cosmic Dome and watch interactive displays and exhibits. It also hosts educational and fun shows, observatories, and awe-inspiring activities for adults and kids.

Jump and Do Tricks on a Trampoline

Exercise and burn fat quickly while having an enjoyable experience jumping on a trampoline at a local jumping club. No matter your age, it’s undoubtedly one of the exhilarating rainy day ideas that will make you sweat without painfully working out. With several locations for trampoline jumping in Brisbane, you have no excuse to stay in your hotel room and wait for the rain to stop.

Head to a massive indoor adventure center with trampolines wall to wall. You can jump, flip, race with your friends on an obstacle course, perform tricks, or try new ones. There are endless possibilities! Enter a place where you can play, feel free, and be yourself in a safe environment.

Find a freestyle section where you can jump and bounce to your heart’s content. If you want a bit of a challenge for yourself and your mates, invite your friends to a dodgeball arena and have a game of dodge.

Rainy Day Ideas

We need some rain to fill the rivers and lakes, recharge the underground, and water the plants. But your mood can also drop when the wet days become longer and happen during your visit to Brisbane or weekend getaway.

Fortunately, this lovely River City won’t let the rain dampen your spirits. Endless indoor adventures and amazing activities are waiting for you in Brisbane, so you won’t run out of places to explore or things to do, no matter the weather conditions.

Looking for even more things to do in Brisbane on a rainy day? Check out these other guides:

Best Brunch In Brisbane: The Definitive Guide
Everything You Need To Know About Shopping In Brisbane
The Best Museums In Brisbane