Popular transport attractions in Brisbane

Is your Brisbane kid mad about planes? Do you have a budding car or train enthusiast? Brisbane has a plethora of transport attractions that are perfect for kids. We’ve put together a list of the top transport attractions in Brisbane to make planning your next weekend or holiday adventure easy.

Brisbane’s best train attractions

Steam Train Sundays

Ever wanted to ride a real-life steam train? One Sunday each month the Workshops Rail Museum hold Steam Train Sundays where you can travel through Brisbane on a steam train like the ones used in the olden days. The train departs from (and returns to) Roma Street Station at 10:15 and 11:40am with rides lasting approximately one hour. For more information and online purchase tickets, visit the Workshops Rail Museum website.

The Workshops Rail Museum

Just 40 minutes outside Brisbane in Ipswich is The Workshops Rail Museum, which boasts 15 permanent hands-on railway exhibitions. One of the best attractions for little kids is the Nippers Railway, an indoor adventure playground full of fun things like selling train tickets, climbing aboard a miniature train and changing the signal from the signal box.

There’s also a miniature railway, tours and historical exhibitions to see at the museum. For more information, and to book tickets, please visit their website here.

Miniature steam train rides in Brisbane

If you can’t make it to ride a real steam train, there are many places to ride miniature ones throughout Brisbane.

(Please check with each organiser about their shoe and age requirements, and double-check they are running before you go as sometimes we find out last minute that the events are on hold, or not running over the school holiday dates. They are all subject to the sunshine-filled weather 🙂

Bracken Ridge Miniature Steam Trains are run on the 4th Sunday of every month from 9:30am-2:30pm at McPherson Park (Denham Street).
The Brisbane Bayside Steam Railway Society hosts train rides on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month from 10am until 4pm at Wynnum Junction Station on Wynnum Road.
Bribie Island Miniature Steam Train rides operate at Melsa Park on the 3rd Sunday of each month from 10am to 2:30pm.
The Logan Model Engineering Society operate on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month at Ewing Park Logan.

For other great Brisbane train attractions, including train-themed playgrounds, please see our Brisbane Kids guide to trains, trains, trains.

The best places to see planes in Brisbane

Brisbane Airport Surrounds

The best place to view planes taking off and landing are from one of the many vantage points around Brisbane Airport. Many streets around the Airport provide the perfect spot to watch planes up close. The best spot being the Acacia street loop at the domestic terminal which has ample parking and room to set up camp for plane spotting. For more vantage points around the airport check out the Brisbane Airport Corporation website.

Domestic Terminal, Brisbane Airport

If you don’t mind paying for parking and want a really up-close view of take-offs, then the Brisbane domestic airport allows you to get as close as the boarding gate to watch the planes taking off.

Woolworths Skygate (DFO)

There’s a mock cockpit inside Woolworths Skygate where kids can get up close and personal to see what it feels like to be in a real plane! (Incidentally, this is the first Brisbane Woolworths supermarket to open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from July 2015.)

For more information about where to spot planes in Brisbane, please check out our article on plane spotting in Brisbane.

Car attractions in Brisbane for Kids

[Image credit: Caboolture Historical Village]

Caboolture Historical Village

A visit to the Caboolture Historical Village will let your kids see what cars looked like in the “olden days”. They have a collection of over 73 vintage cars and tractors around the grounds. To find out more visit the Caboolture Historical Village website.

Kingston Park Raceway

If your Brisbane kid wants to get in the driver’s seat themselves, they can do just that at Kingston Park Raceway. Kids aged 5-7 can ride in a dual kart with an adult and kids 8-10 can ride in rookie karts. There are also karts for older kids (and adults) and a games room. For more information, please visit the Kingston Park Raceway website.

Laserzone

Kids can also get in the driver’s seat on Brisbane’s north side on the dodgem car track at Laserzone Lawnton. Kids need to be 120cm to drive, but can be a passenger at 80cm. For prices and opening times, please visit the Laserzone website.

For more fun attractions to visit with kids in Brisbane check out our extensive list of things to do in Brisbane with kids.