If we could conjure an image of our dream Australia Day celebration, it would ultimately involve a beach, an esky of cool beverages and triple j playing in the background. For those lacking friends with the added bonus of a pool (and a party) at their disposal, avoid resorting to card games at the kitchen table in your sweaty Queenslander, and make a weekend of it, travelling up or down the coast to your favourite beach of choice. You could go camping if you prefer your weekend escapes to head inland rather than coastal, or simply gather some friendly folk for a hassle-free day of bowls, catching river breezes at Merthyr Bowls Club if you plan to stay bound to the city.

While there are oodles of events happening at bars and venues about Brisbane celebrating Australia Day this Sunday, you could also put a theatrical spin on your day’s celebrations seeing Queensland Theatre Company’s Australia Day production at QPAC. There will also be free live tunes and a tempting barbecue stationed on the QPAC Green, and Lifeline Bookfest is still running just around the corner. For more local musical goodness, catch Trainspotters at Grand Central Hotel on Saturday evening or, if film is more your scene, a two-hour retrospective of West End Film Festival’s best films will screen at SLQ on Sunday afternoon.

Further afield, attend a bush-tucker talk, learn to crack a whip and play beach cricket at the Aussie Beach Party at Bribie Island, or head to the Lockyer Valley for bush poetry, vintage car and tractor displays and blacksmith demonstrations.