Long before it was a place to walk, Brisbane's riverfront at Eagle Street was where the city connected to the world. From the 1860s through to the early 20th century, Eagle Street was Queensland's busiest port street, lined with merchants, traders and shipping companies operating directly off the wharves. Wool, sugar and produce moved from riverside stores onto ships bound for London, Hamburg and beyond – a concentration of commerce that earned the precinct the name the city's 'Street of Adventure'.

More than a century on, that same stretch of river is being reshaped again, not for cargo, but for people.

A restored connection

Completed in early February 2026, the newest section of Riverwalk reconnects a critical 250-metre section of CBD riverfront, linking Charlotte Street to Alice Street and restoring a continuous pedestrian and cycling route from the Story Bridge to the City Botanic Gardens. Delivered by Dexus in partnership with Brisbane City Council as part of the broader Waterfront Brisbane precinct, the upgrade replaces a constrained pathway with a six-metre wide, flood-resilient promenade – materially increasing capacity along one of Brisbane's most heavily used inner-city corridors.

Within months of reopening, more than 150,000 people have passed through the new section, a rate of uptake that reflects both the intensity of latent demand along this corridor and the river's continuing role in how Brisbane moves.

Part of a larger precinct

The Riverwalk is an early completed element of the $2.5 billion Waterfront Brisbane precinct, a long-term redevelopment of the Eagle Street riverfront that will deliver commercial office space, retail and approximately one hectare of public realm, with completion expected in 2028. As an early delivery, the Riverwalk establishes the benchmark for accessibility and amenity across the broader development.

For Dexus and its capital partners, the investment reflects a considered position on Brisbane's long-term fundamentals. The city is entering a sustained growth phase, underpinned by population expansion, more than $100 billion of committed infrastructure investment, and increasing global profile ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Within the CBD, new supply remains concentrated, supporting the relative performance of well-located, high-quality assets.

Dexus's broader Brisbane portfolio reinforces that positioning. Waterfront Brisbane and One Eagle anchor the riverfront strategy, while the repositioning of 41 George Street – a B-grade office asset transformed into student accommodation – reflects a disciplined approach to deploying capital into supply-constrained locations with strong occupier demand.

Continuity of place

During construction, more than 80 timber piles were uncovered beneath the riverfront, some dating to the 1860s – physical remnants of the original wharf structures that once underpinned Queensland's export trade. Their presence is a reminder that this stretch of riverfront has always been tied to how Brisbane generates and captures value, first through trade, and now through connection and place.

The form has changed. The importance has not.

For more information, visit Waterfront Brisbane.