University of Queensland St Lucia Campus: A Day Out for Visitors

The University of Queensland St Lucia campus is a riverside parkland of sandstone cloisters, lakes and jacaranda trees about 8 km from the Brisbane CBD, and you do not need to be a student to enjoy it. Visitors come for the heritage-listed Great Court, a stroll around the UQ Lakes and a free museum on campus, and you can arrive by CityCat ferry.

It works as a slow half day: walk the Great Court, find a bench by the water, then add a museum visit on a weekday.

The Great Court

The Great Court is the heritage-listed centre of the campus. The sandstone buildings around it took about four decades to develop and carry more than 1,200 stone carvings, so it rewards a slow look at the detail rather than a quick walk through.

A walk around the UQ Lakes

The UQ Lakes are one of the campus greenspaces, with seating by the water and the campus’s jacaranda trees nearby. Plan your walk for the cooler parts of the day and bring water.

The two on-campus bus stops are at UQ Lakes and Chancellor’s Place, so you can start at the water and finish at the Great Court, or the other way round.

Other things to see on campus

UQ’s School of Music also hosts performances during the year, so check what is on before you visit. The campus pages list food, coffee and retail outlets around the grounds if you want a break between the Great Court and the lakes.

A simple half day: arrive by CityCat or bus, walk the Great Court first while it is cool, walk on to the UQ Lakes, and finish at the Anthropology Museum if it is a weekday between 11 am and 3 pm.

Museums and galleries open to the public

UQ says St Lucia is home to three public museums. The easiest one to drop into is the Anthropology Museum on Level 1 of the Michie Building (building 9). Entry is free, and it is open Monday to Friday from 11 am to 3 pm, except public holidays.

The UQ Art Museum is also on campus. Its website currently says the museum is closed while a purpose-built gallery is created in the Forgan Smith Tower, so check its visit page before you plan around it.

Getting there by CityCat and bus

The CityCat ferry is the scenic way in: UQ runs a ferry terminal on the St Lucia campus. There are two on-campus bus stops, at Chancellor’s Place and UQ Lakes. St Lucia has no train station; the nearest are Toowong, Park Road and Dutton Park, and you need a bus for the last part of the trip.

Plan the trip with the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30.

The Eleanor Schonell Bridge links St Lucia with Dutton Park across the Brisbane River; see our guide to the Eleanor Schonell Bridge.

Parking at UQ St Lucia

Parking is paid for visitors from Monday to Friday between 7 am and 9 pm. It is free outside those hours and on weekends. Zones near the centre of campus cost more than those on the outskirts.

• Blue zone (outdoor): $1.65 an hour, capped at $8.20 a day (maximum stay 14 hours).
• Grey zone (undercover): $2.80 an hour, capped at $11.50 a day.
• Red zone: $3.10 an hour, capped at $30.30 a day.
• Yellow zone (outdoor): $3.45 an hour, two hours maximum.

UQ lists accessible parking on its parking pages; check them before you go if you need it.

Planning your visit

• How long: allow 2 to 3 hours for the Great Court, a lake walk and one museum.
• Cost: the Anthropology Museum is free. Parking is the main cost on weekdays.
• What to bring: water, a hat and sunscreen for the lakes and the open lawns.
• Accessibility: UQ publishes pages on accessible buildings, routes and parking but they give no detail on the pages we could read, so check before you go if you need step-free access.
• Food and coffee: UQ lists food, coffee and retail outlets across campus but names none on its campus page.

Nearby

• Toowong – a close suburb for a meal or a second stop.
• Indooroopilly – riverside suburb with the Walter Taylor Bridge.
• Walter Taylor Bridge – a heritage suspension bridge over the Brisbane River.
• Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha – gardens and trails for a second green outing.
• Queensland Museum – a bigger museum visit at South Brisbane.
• West End Markets – a weekend market not far from campus.

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