Riverlife Adventure Centre facts for kids

Riverlife is an exciting adventure center in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It's located at Kangaroo Point, right by the Brisbane River. You can find it in the old Naval Stores building, which is a very old and special place. Riverlife is famous for its fun outdoor activities like guided kayaking tours, rock climbing lessons, and abseiling. You can also rent cool gear there, such as kayaks, mountain bikes, kick scooters, and rollerblades.

Riverlife's Story

John Sharpe is the founder and owner of Riverlife.

The name "Riverlife" was first thought of in December 2003. After a lot of planning and talking to people, Riverlife officially opened on April 5, 2005. It started in the historic Naval Stores building at Kangaroo Point. This building was built a long time ago, between 1886 and 1888. It was used as a base for the Queensland Marine Defence Force. There were two such buildings, but one burned down in 1987.

The amazing pink and green stone of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs was dug out from these cliffs for many years. This happened from the early days when Brisbane was a penal colony until 1976. You can still see where the stone was taken from the cliff face. This special stone is called Brisbane tuff, and it was used to build many buildings in Brisbane.

In January 2011, big floods hit Queensland. These floods caused a lot of damage to Riverlife, costing over $100,000 to fix. Even with this challenge, Riverlife was very popular. In 2012, it was ranked as one of the top four attractions in Brisbane. It was also named one of Queensland's must-do experiences.

Aboriginal Culture at Riverlife

Aboriginal people have lived in the Brisbane area for at least 22,000 years, long before Europeans arrived in 1823. The river was a great source of food, providing fish and shellfish. The stringy bark trees along the river were used to make canoes.

There is a special dreamtime story called ‘The Rainbow Serpent’. This story explains how the cliff area along the river bank at Kangaroo Point was created. Different Aboriginal groups shared parts of this important story.

In 2005, Riverlife started a special partnership called Riverlife Mirrabooka. This was a joint effort with the Nunukul Yuggera Dance Troupe. They began sharing rich Aboriginal culture in Brisbane and on Moreton Island. They perform 'Welcome to Country' ceremonies, which are traditional greetings. They also play traditional musical instruments like didgeridoos. Riverlife Mirrabooka is part of Aboriginal Tourism Australia and works to respect Aboriginal culture in tourism.

Tangatours Adventures

In 2008, Riverlife started another exciting venture called Tangatours. This is located in Moreton Bay on Moreton Island, which is also known as Tangalooma. Tangatours offers guided tours along the beach using special vehicles called segways.

See also

• Tangalooma