Australian Woolshed
Remember in the movie Babe how that piglet got supposedly dumb sheep to make some smart moves in the show arena? That's just what happens in the Woolshed's Ram Show--eight well-behaved rams from the major Australian breeds walk calmly through the audience when their name is called and take their place on a dais with their name on it. Amazing! Set in eucalypt bushland this Australian sheep farm theme park is the next best thing to visiting a fair dinkum sheep station. After the sheep shearing, spinning, and sheepdog demonstrations that follow in the one-hour show, you will be classing wool and whistling the flock in like a true bushie. You can also milk a cow, bottle-feed baby farm animals, feed kangaroos, pat wombats and see emus, and have your photo taken cuddling a koala for A$12. There's a cafe serving Aussie specialties, BBQ lunches are an option, and billy tea and damper is served up with whip-cracking and bush poetry at 9am, 10:30am, and 12:30pm.

On some Friday and Saturday nights the Woolshed hosts a traditional bush dance featuring spoon-playing, sing-alongs, a live bush band, and a three-course dinner. Tickets cost A$35 per person at the door, A$30 if you pay in advance. You will need to book. Minimum entry age is 18.

148 Samford Rd., Ferny Hills. Phone: 07/3351 5366 . Open: Daily 7am-5pm (Ram Show 8am, 9:30am, 11am, 1pm, and 2:30pm).. Closed Christmas and until 1pm Anzac Day. Admission to Ram Show A$13 adults, A$9.50 seniors and students, A$7 children 3-14. Waterslide A$6 for 4 hours. Minigolf A$4 9 holes.. Train: Ferny Grove station is 800m (half a mile) from the Woolshed. Kelvin Grove Rd. from the city becomes Enoggera Rd., then Samford Rd.; the trip is 14km (9 miles).

Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha
A 15-minute drive or bus ride from the city takes you to these 52-hectare (130-acre) gardens at the base of Mt. Coot-tha. They feature diverse Aussie natives and exotics you probably won't see at home, including an arid zone, a glass Tropical Dome conservatory housing lush rain forest plants, a cactus house, fragrant plants, a Japanese garden, a new bonsai house, African and American plants, wetlands, pine forests, and a bamboo grove. There are lakes and walking trails, usually a horticultural show or arts and crafts display in the auditorium on weekends, and a cafe. Free one-hour guided tours leave the kiosk at 11am and 1pm Monday through Saturday (except public holidays).

Mt. Coot-tha Rd., Toowong, 7km (4 miles) from the city. Phone: 07/3403 2531 . Open: Daily 8am-5pm (5:30pm in summer).. Admission free. Bus: 471; also 410.

Newstead House
Brisbane's oldest surviving home has been restored to late Victorian splendor in a peaceful park overlooking the Brisbane River, a five-minute drive from the city. Wander the rooms, admire the exterior dating from 1846, and, on Sundays and public holidays between March and November, take Devonshire tea. The U.S. Army occupied the house in World War II, and the first American war memorial built in Australia is on the grounds.

Newstead Park, Breakfast Creek Rd., Newstead. Phone: 07/3216 1846 . Open: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm; Sun and most public holidays 2pm-5pm.. Closed Christmas, Good Friday, and Anzac Day (April 25). Admission A$4 adults, A$3 seniors and students, A$2 children 6-16, and $10 for a family pass.. Bus: 300, 306, 322.

Queensland Sciencentre
Adults love this hands-on science museum as much as the kids 12 and under for which it was designed. Become part of a battery, see walls expand before your eyes, watch shadows float in space, carry a briefcase with a mind of its own--these and other amazing feats demonstrating the principles of science cover three fascinating floors. Interactive shows run throughout the day.

110 George St. between Mary and Charlotte Sts.. Phone: 07/3220 0166 . Open: Daily 10am-5pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas, and until 1pm Anzac Day (April 25). Admission A$7 adults, A$5 seniors, students and children 3-15, and A$24 family pass.. Bus: City Circle 333. Ferry: Gardens Point (CityCat and CityFerry).

Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
If you haven't spied the Southern Cross yet, you will spot it in this fascinating astronomical show that recreates the Brisbane night sky in a dome-ceiling theatrette. The show explores some exciting "big" questions, like "are we alone in space?" Kids will like this place.

In the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha. Phone: 07/3403 2578 Wed-Sun noon-1pm for bookings or 07/3403 2531 Gardens information center for inquiries. Reservations are not necessary but advisable. . Open: Wed-Fri 3:30pm and 7:30pm; Sat 1:30pm, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm; Sun 1:30pm and 3:30pm.. Admission $9 adults, A$7.50 seniors and students, A$5.50 children under 15 (not recommended for children under 6).. Bus: 471; also 410.