Brisbane: A guide to one of the world's most livable cities

• Brisbane, Australia, is one of the world's most livable cities
• Unique among Australia's major cities, sunny Brisbane has a beach near its central business district
• South Bank is an area for culture and international eateriesInterested in a lunch-hour swim, free from the office, in a big open-air pool with warm sand between your toes, palm trees swaying in the breeze and a cool drink close at hand? Or hitting a big city that doesn't feel like a big city, filled with bars, great coffee spots and decent dining options?
  If the answer's yes to either or both, consider Brisbane, Australia, one of the world's most livable cities, according to a 2014 Monocle Magazine index.
  Unique among Australia's major cities, sunny Brisbane has a beach right on the doorstep of its central business district.
  Its setting is South Bank, the lively entertainment and cultural precinct that -- as the name implies -- sits on the south bank of the Brisbane River.
  This is where the city comes for recreation and entertainment, to eat and drink at casual riverside restaurants and bars, listen to impromptu music shows, ride a giant Ferris wheel, check out street artists and nighttime light shows, take in a formal concert at the performing arts center and visit art galleries and the state museum and library.
  South Bank
  Within South Bank itself, the Gallery of Modern Art Restaurant (Stanley Place, Cultural Precinct, South Bank; +61 7 3840 7303) is normally one of the best lunch venues.
  For dinner it's hard to beat Stokehouse Brisbane (on the river at South Bank on Sidon Street; +61 7 3020 0600), near the maritime museum at the other end of South Bank.
  Next door to the convention center on Grey Street is one of the city's liveliest new beer outlets, The Charming Squire (133 Grey St., South Brisbane; +61 7 3077 7254).
  Two other great spots in South Bank are The Sangria Bar (Shop B12 Little Stanley Street, South Bank, Brisbane; +61 7 3846 1201), rated this year's "Best Bar with Food" by the Brisbane Times Good Food Guide, andBacchus (corner of Grey and Glenelg Streets, South Bank; +61 7 3364 0837), rated the restaurant with this year's best wine list.
  Central Business District
  Across the river in the CBD, there's no shortage of high-end diners, led by chef Ryan Squire's brilliant Esquire (145 Eagle St,, Brisbane; +61 07 3220 2123).
  According to the restaurant, "the degustation menu evolves daily, driven by the availability of the best local produce that day and hand picked by the team of skilled craftsmen, the chefs, who work swiftly in the kitchen."
  Other can't-miss choices include the highly creative Alejandro Cancino's Urbane (181 Mary St., Brisbane; +61 07 3229 2271) and the classy Aria Brisbane (1 Eagle St., Brisbane; +61 7 3233 2555), the northern edition of celebrity chef Matt Moran's original Aria in Sydney.