What’s on in Brisbane’s south

The southside is the busiest of Brisbane’s outer regions and the one most geared to families. Its branch libraries do most of the work — Garden City at Upper Mount Gravatt, Sunnybank Hills, Coopers Plains, Holland Park and Mt Gravatt all run full programs — but what sets the south apart is Karawatha Forest Park and its Discovery Centre, a bushland anchor running guided walks and nature sessions among the story times and craft mornings. Add the council’s free outdoor fitness classes in local parks and you get a calendar that’s mostly free and weighted heavily to kids and families, with workshops, a nature strand and a little live music behind. It leans to weekday daytimes, busiest early-to-mid week, so a weekday outing works as well as a weekend one.

By public transport, the Garden City bus station at Upper Mount Gravatt sits on the South East Busway, the quick run in from the city. Coopers Plains and Salisbury are stops on the Beenleigh rail line; Karawatha Forest is best reached by car.