Riverlife Brisbane Review

Really enjoyed abseiling - stunning view of the river, and John was a fun, friendly instructor who had everyone feeling safe and confident.

However I'd call ahead and check on the group size and number of kids in the group, so you get more than one turn down the cliffs for the price. Would love to do it again in a smaller group of adults.

Night kayak tour was beautiful. Great way to see the river from a different perspective

My son and his wife had their wedding reception here, beautiful place, most of the guest had difficulty getting to the venue due to no signage and access!

So
Disappointing

Beautiful venue setting lovely decorations.

But

Bikeway runs right through between the kids area/ toilets and the reception area with no signage for bikes to slow down

It s dangerous

I was so disappointed in their meal service for kids

They opted to pretty much let my
Child starve for the night. We asked for a kids meal in the planning of the evening. They said no. So we picked from the set menu of 3 the things closest to what he might eat. Then they ran out and gave him
A different meal that he wouldn t eat at all. .
They promised him 2 deserts to make up for it. Yet didn t even give that. So
He had a couple of bread sticks around 3pm and then a bite of a potato things a scoup of ice cream
With no cake and a coupe of lollies up until 10pm

Pretty pathetic really for the cost the host would have paid for the wedding

I walked off to dry my tears twice

It s really stressful as a mother watching your child 2 tables away not being fed.

surely the waiters saw at least 4 kids who didn t eat the meals. Nothing else provided for them. For god sakes you could have cooked up a bag of chips for $5 and fed them. Nothing else was close for us to duck
Over and buy something.

We were there to have a good time
Not to be stressed and upset.

Lots of cool things to do here to enjoy the outdoors in Brisbane. The abseiling was amazing and such a rewarding experience!

I had a great time kayaking on the river at night! Would highly recommend.

Best customer service I've had in a long time. All staff are super friendly and accommodating, dealing with them has been an absolute pleasure!!!

Really nice staff, great experience. Props to the instructor Ed, really nice fella, funny and makes climbing look easy. Definitely would try again!

So many activities, so little time :) If you are looking for action this is the place to be. The rock climbing for first timers is awsome !

Soooo good! Went kayaking on a private tour then hired the E scooter/bikes for the arvo to see Southbank and the Gardens. A perfect day at a great price with excellent service. Thanks RiverLife!

The staff were very nice and friendly when we hired kayaks and the trip along the river was beautiful. The only downside was that no one was officially there to help us disembark at the end and climb up the pier. As a first timer this was daunting. Similarly in getting into the kayak I had a little freakout and wanted to get out but the staff just ignored me.

Possibly THE worst coffee I've ever experienced. $7 for two oily cappuccinos with no froth & no sugar. Disgraceful

Beautiful atmosphere and views. The staff were really lovely and the food was super delicious

Really enjoyed the night kayak and abseiling from the cliffs. Friendly team!

Well run we had no problems. Loved the kayak along the river would go back.

Hi, sorry I didn t add a comment back in March, but I really enjoyed the Kayaking trip. Never done Kayaking before (and I m definitely not a youngster!) but the guide (a young lady, originally from the UK?) was really helpful, explained everything, put me at ease, and kept an eye on me on the water. Great way to see the city from the river. This was a family trip, and only hours before our flight back to the UK! Only reason for 4 stars was in comparison to an earlier snorkelling trip at Byron Bay!

Great place for fun. Convenient lockers, not far from ferry.

well someone got outa bed on the wrong side rhis morning turned up 20 mins early for 9am booking got told we have to go get more kyaks for a group booking we will try and make ot back on time , with scowl on face and walked of......okyipee sitting in the sun waiting patiently because the fact they overbooked is my fault.

No excuses when it come to variety. Everything from Abseiling, Rock climb, Kayaking, Segways, Bicycles, Standup paddle boards, Laser Tag and even getting Married!

Kayaking up the Brisbane River was a really fun team activity

It was fabulous very informative my wife and I had been on Segways before with you guys and went through South Bank it was good to,this time it was through Botanic Gardens it was fabulous and relaxing not so many people wide open areas to explore it is great that you guys could give us a choice , thank you so much our guide who was very friendly and informative,should be more like him we will definitely be back and tell other people as well thank you very much

There is something for everyone here when it comes to outdoor activities on and around the river. Our guide Michelle was super helpful and fun!

If you are thinking of having an event / wedding we highly recommend you choose this venue. Not only is the venue beautiful with the river and city views the staff are beyond helpful, friendly and treated our guests with so much curtesy and respect.
Biggest THANK YOU to our venue co-ordinator Isabelle, so sweet, helpful and genuinely wanted our day to be perfect. She was our blessing in disguise, our wedding wouldn't have been so perfect without her outstanding help.
Book this venue! It will be everything and so much more than you could imagine, I wish I could get married again so we could have another party there! Thanks again to all the staff!! Would give 10 stars if I could! xx

PS - Food was fantastic too!

Kayaking up the Brisbane River surprisingly peaceful. Staff were excellent & made sure everyone had a good time.

Great views of the 2017-2018 fireworks. Will be back soon I think!

Fantastic abseiling experience. Hamish was a great instructor.

Great night, awesome atmosphere, only downside parking and getting to venue easily.

My partner & I did the night kayaking tour on Brisbane River whilst on holidays recently. There were 35 kayakers on our tour .

After the safety briefing, we waited a long time for each kayaker to climb down the ladder from the pier and mount their kayak, one at a time.

We kayaked about 300 metres along the river towards Southbank then back, stopping regularly to wait for the rest of group.

Once back at riverlife, we again had to wait around 20 mins or so to get onto the pier

We had fun being on the water at night but there were too many in the group and too much time was wasted. We wouldn t do it again.

I could not rate these guys high enough. I have been working on a TV production filming in Brisbane and they have been so helpful at every turn. Activities have been great and easy to organise, and staff are wonderful. Thank you particularly to Mark for being so helpful!

Attended a workplace function great facilities, friendly and accommodating staff.

Such a great activity and the instructors were amazing and encouraging...even when being sworn at and flipped the bird....(Sorry about that Morgan, heat of the moment)

We went today for the kayak experience! Was really good, the instructor was really nicely and fun. We had great time! We definitely will come back! 5 stars :)

Riverlife is a great venue for weddings. The view is the best in Brisbane and the staff are excellent. Anna made everything very easy for us and it all ran very smoothly. A great service.

Did the night kayaking tour down stream to under the Storey Bridge. The quiet and calm on the water was such a contrast to the Friday night hustle and bustle of the bars and restaurants on the opposite side of the river.

I went kayaking. The girls were all really nice and its in a nice location. I found it to be quite well priced. Although the guided kayaking was good for the first time, I think next time I would hire a kayak on my own or go with friends. I'll be going back!

My son had a fantastic day doing the school holidays rangers

My daughter 9yo and my dad 66 yo did the first time SUP with me. The coach Sam was fantastic, especially took great care to my kid and dad. Definitely recommend to all level skill person to try.

Great parkland area to walk stroll exercise or sit and enjoy the city view

Attended the Riverlife Wonderlust New Years Eve event. Intially when I booked the tickets to the event there was a place to list all dietaries which I added to the booking as everyone attending had one, one guest was low fodmap. Everything was fine until the day before the email advises you to email the functions co-ordinator to be assured of your dietaries. I emailed about our dietaries ( no beef and lowmap) I was then advised that they would tell the chef about the low fodmap but they could not guarantee anything would be able to be provided, which meant that nothing had been organised even though you had to list dietaries. Luckily they were able to advise what the no beef options were. Got to the venue early so that we could find a person to provide food for the dietaries. When the food stations opened we informed of our dietaries, a person had to track down what we could eat and they were ill-informed of what was available for the low fodmap diet even though a list of food was provided to the function co-ordinator in an email due to the finite food that could be eaten. The person then had to come back and ask what exactly could be eaten by my low fodmap guest, as it was too loud and too difficult to explain all items that could be eaten my guest gave a simple explanation which resulted in them eating very little food. This was disappointing since we listed this dietary upon booking so there was an expectation that the dieataries would be catered to. This experience along with the inability to get plain water as there was no where but the packed bars to get this resulted in us leaving the event after only 2 hours. We were also disappointed in the lack of social distancing in the food and drink lines aswell as the lack of organisation in the service. From the start there was mixed messages about how to obtain food or drink and the amount you were allowed to take from the bar. Having set areas for certain drinks was a good idea but the bars were not set right for the amount of people attending especially since most beers were served warm and not cold. Very disappointed and would not attend a function here based on this experience.

Great venue! Nothing was too much trouble for our Events Manager Elle who helped make our function wonderful.

Such a fabulous and friendly operator. Our guide Chris was very welcoming, full of helpful information and so helpful. I'd recommend Riverside for everyone, if you are a visitor or a local, you'll find something new and amazing about Brisbane with these guys.

Had an awesome experience while paddleboarding. The staff is really friend and its not very expensive.

Perfect Brisbane City wedding venue option. Our team have shot many weddings at Riverlife and are always impressed with the venue and run by such a lovely team. The view is stunning and the photography background options along Brisbane River are amazing!

Chris was a great guide/instructor for the rock climbing. He was funny which you need when you are scared on a rock face calm and helpful. He encouraged you to push yourself just enough. Will diffinetly use him again.

A great place to view the city of brisbane whilst taking part in various fun activities. For us, this was a night kayaking session. The session was a guided tour which lasted about 2 hours roughly. With the booked package we had our own kayaks, paddles and life vests. The instructor was on hand to answer any questions throughout the night. After we finished kayaking we were each given a cheese platter and an alcoholic beverage. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun night out. All up the package was well priced and I would consider doing this again as I had so much fun.

Best place for outdoor activities. Reasonable price and friendly staff will impress you a lot for sure.

Wonderful sctivities, good friendly staff, affordable services! My partner and I rented water bikesand had an absolutely fantastic time! A big shout out to Jacinta for being so absolutely fantastic! Well ne back !!!!

Julian and Chris were great instructors. Cheers guys

Such a unique experience. Highly recommend at night time. It is a great way to see Brisbane.

I went kayaking on a Sunday morning. The group was small. Totally okay for beginners. It was a leisurely paddle from the kangaroo point cliffs to the story bridge and back again. Very pleasant way to spend the morning. I fell in the water!

Stuart our rock climbing guide was absolutely excellent. He was funny, knowledgeable, supportive and professional, he made sure we had an experience we wouldn t never forget. Thanks Stuart!

Thank you for supporting SBH Queensland and the 2018 SSKB Wheel & Walk Fun Run - Queensland s most inclusive fun run.

Your support was incredibly appreciated, helping raise awareness and support for children and adults with spina bifida, the most frequently occurring, permanently disabling birth defect.

Thank you for being community-minded and supporting people with a disability.

I would not book a birthday party with these people due to misleading advertising, I have an ethical issue with these sales tactics. They provided us some printed package information for either a celebration package and/or a 21st, where the advertised flyers clearly state $50 per head plus security if required etc.

When we then visited the venue by appointment to view, the host said the pricing was all together different to the provided pricing sent through and as advertised upon investigation.

We followed up as to why the base per head was now $80 plus extras... and the manager said "they were a lawyer", and that they didn't accept our price offer and that it would be the inflated price. We said we didn't offer a price but wanted to accept their advertised rate from the information provided at enquiry, based on our enquiry. If they pre-knew they had different rates (which they don't), why provide us the wrong pricing intentionally.

They said its peak season for weddings and there is a security risk... so the new price still didn't include security and it was an extra still (the main reason stated for the price hike) Normally companies would have a schedule for peak times if the prices are to vary, like motels do for holiday season) but this isn't the case with these people, they just have one price without the need to advertise varying rates.

They wouldn't let us book the celebration package either saying it was only for bookings within 12 weeks, another term not disclosed.

Basic deck, lovely view but there seams to be sharks in the water, who aren't empathetic to say the least.

We recently had our wedding at Riverlife and it was such a negative and stressful experience for me and my husband. During the 8 month lead up to our wedding we were assigned three different wedding coordinators.

The first change was at my request. We were assigned Isabelle who we signed the agreement and paid our deposit with. The moment we paid our holding fee her 'customer service' was polarising. Everything we originally discussed as part of our vision now had additional cost associated to move ahead. We discussed our vision at length and at no point during the sales process did she mention that it cost extra for pretty much everything we wanted. Simple things like having BYO available for guest while the photos are done, bringing in our own cheese table etc.

In addition to their deceptive conduct Isabelle would take weeks to respond, she was inflexible with her availability to meet with us and even showed up to one meeting in thongs and rushed us through because 'she needed to get to a party boat and start drinking'. We were then palmed off to Dean who was actually very good. Dean left the company two weeks out from our wedding and we were tossed to Jess. Throughout the lead up to our event all of these staff members said that there was no other events on our night. FYI- if there other events you will be battling against there music and speeches. They carried on this lie until the notice period to cancel (4 weeks out) lapsed and then informed us that there was three other weddings in other marquees and there was no backup if it rains.

On the day of our event Jess assured us Isabelle would be on site to put into place our hired furniture which was being delivered at 9am. Of course Isabelle let us down. Guests were arriving at 2:30 pm and Jess didn't even arrive to set up until 11:00 am. If it wasn't for my lovely brother who worked from 10am until 2pm setting up our wedding and directing the florist it would never have come together. In addition to this our BYO was mis-managed and all of our beer ran out by 6pm. Our package didn't even start until 4:30pm I don't know how this was possible. Jess wouldn't let us bring in more BYO beer but rather forced us to purchase from Riverlife. Convenient considering Isabelle said they make most of their money of alcohol sales.

Our 'dedicated co-coordinator' Jess left our event at 6pm without letting us know and there was no alternate coordinator assigned to manage anything. The wait staff were rude and rushed our food around without serving people. We had hungry and insulted guests. They threw around our hired furniture at the end of the night causing damage in a bid to make us get out so they could pack up.

Do not have your event here. It will cause you much heartache and disappointment. Jess also claims to be a lawyer which was a blatant scare tactic so you don't bother to fight back when your unhappy with the appalling service they have provided you. I wish we never booked this place.

Riverlife's kayak adventure was great. Energetic and helpful staff as well as the management. It was my first kayak experience and I really enjoyed it. 90 minutes on the kayak is totally worth the money. Highly recommend to everyone.

We had a really awesome day kayaking on the Brisbane river! :) The staff here is extremely friendly, helpful and easy going. We were the first Emirates crew to come here on our layover, but I'm sure we were not the last :). We'll definitely spread the word about this awesome place. They have so many great adventures to offer. Just pick a thing to do here and prepare to have some great fun! :)

Lovely outlook and views. Staff could be a little more people friendly

Kayaking the river with city lights a memorable night

Visited Riverlife for a wedding. Staff were very friendly and helpful when we were setting up. Venue was nice and well kept. Food was average which has held back the 5th star.

I booked a Saturday night kayaking and bbq dinner with Riverlife and I am really impressed with the way we were treated. Customer service and care was given in an abundance and we were treated almost like we were royalty. Thankyou to our guide and everyone involved it was an amazing experience!!

Great party venue with the best views. It's just a little inaccessible.

Done the absailing last week with family and partner, Fluer was the instructor really good at her job made it easy for 1st timers.

Highly recommend

The team at Riverlife are fantastic. Always super friendly and helpful. Such an amazing location.

I wanted to rent bikes for my son and I, They took our payment by CC then revealed they do not have children's bikes and refused to refund the rental. 0/10 would not recommend

Came here for a winter food/music event. Selection was limited (only 2 dishes were left at around 4PM) and venue was small. Overall a very disappointing experience. Hot chocolate with rum was really good though.

Paddle boarding is so much fun. Friendly team, easy instructions and helpful...gonand try it out

Went to Riverlife for NYE - it was great to watch the fireworks right on the river (without having to brave the crowds at Southbank). Live music and good service made a good night even better! Happy New Year everyone!

We had a big family group go paddle boarding with Brent. Easy set up, access to the river and you know - FUN. Our guy Brent was knowledgeable, really helpful, and full of fun facts. Getting back to hear them while staying steady on the current was tricky but good challenge.

Ask for the fun fact about San Francisco or Aussie highways!

Loved it. You will too.

It was a lot of fun to join the kayak tour in riverlife recreation center. The guide was very help in instructing us and giving us information on the way, the kayaks are in good shape and the river itself is a source of beauty. Totally recommend.

Friendly and professional staff, equipment was in good condition. Would recommend.

So many amazing tours, great staff and an unbeatable location for pretty much any function.

Was An okay kayak experience if you're an experienced kayakker it's boring tho. Good for a family day/night activity.

Looking for the adventure, kayaking, abseiling, rock climbing, cycling or any kind of adventure, just go for it. This is perfect for someone looking for adventure and want some leisure time in the heart of city. Highly recommended for people who don t want to go remote but want adventure trail. I personally loved it and suggest you guys to go for it. The prices are fair enough and even they provide safety precautions and safety instruments. There are lockers to store your goods.
The charge is minimal, walk from the cultural centre through south bank, see the river view, and reach the kangaroo point. The cliff is astonishing and you will definitely feel interesting as well. I suggest you guys to go for it and take maximum benefit out of it. Don t look for the second option , when you ve river life in the heart of the city. They even provide discount on different occasions. The staffs are helpful, they provides pictures as well. Last time i tried adventure. Abseiling and kayaking. Went to see the story bridge, doing kayaking with few of mu friends which was very great experience and did abseiling was freaking scary but i did it. I can recommend this place because it either now or never. Cheers

Great venue for weddings, parties........ anything really. Great food. Great staff. Fantastic location.