St Stephen’s Cathedral

Beautiful, historic church with lovely, holy servants of God. Masses throughout the day on weekdays. Tours weekdays at 10:00 am.

I might be a fallen Catholic, but I still love this Cathedral. Probably because the three times I’ve been in there in recent years, it’s been for very special occasions. My brother’s wedding; and the baptisms of first my niece Olivia and then a few years later, my nephew Renzo.
And the other day I found myself inside, needing some time to think after I heard some bad news about a friend’s mother. Inside it’s quiet, soothing, calm and peaceful. Exactly what you need when you’re feeling sad.
But it’s also a really lovely building with a hell of a lot of history — the first foundation stone was laid in 1863. And for a new city like Brisbane, it’s great to have something with a story.
And inside it’s quite beautiful — it’s not dark and dingy but light and airy, with mammoth ceilings, handcrafted wooden seats and kneelers (made from Queensland sycamore) and incredible stained glass windows — apparently some of the finest examples of that you’ll see anywhere in Oz. Some of the glass used dates back to the 1880s.
You don’t have to be religious to enjoy it either — anyone can pop in and have a look around. Or sit in the beautifully manicured gardens.