300C.com

Brisbane Transportation

Brisbane Airport is located 9km northwest of the centre, at the end of Kingsford Smith Drive. You’ll find banks (including ATMs) and luggage lockers at both the domestic and the new international terminals. The quickest way to reach Brisbane from either terminal is aboard the new Airtrain , which runs four times an hour to the Roma Street Transit Centre and charges $9 one-way ($15 return). For the same price you could take the SkyTrans bus (tel 07/3236 1000), which delivers direct to central accommodation and the Transit Centre every thirty minutes between 5am and 10.45pm. A taxi into the city costs around $30 for the half-hour trip. For the Gold Coast, Airtrain run twice an hour ($20 one-way, $35 return), while buses delivering direct to accommodation include SkyTrans, Airporter (book in advance tel 07/5588 8777), Airport Transit (book in advance tel 1300/655 655) and Active Tours (tel 07/5597 0344), who all charge $33 one-way, $54 return.

Buses and trains connect with Brisbane’s functional Transit Centre , located in the heart of the city on Roma Street. On the highest of the three levels are the bus offices, luggage lockers and a hostel information desk (Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat & Sun 8am-5pm). The middle floor has fast-food joints, a bar, toilets and showers, a medical centre and ATMs, while on the ground floor is the arrival and departure point for local and interstate trains .

During the day, reaching your accommodation seldom poses any problems as local buses and taxis leave from just outside the Transit Centre, and most hosteliers either meet buses or will pick you up if you call them. You can’t always rely on a pick-up late at night , however, when it’s best to take a taxi. While Brisbane is not as dangerous as most European or American cities of its size, it’s still not a good idea to wander around after midnight with your luggage in tow; some areas - particularly Fortitude Valley, and even Queen Street Mall - are best avoided altogether. If you simply must get somewhere and don’t have the cab fare, it’s worth considering leaving your luggage in the lockers.

Brisbane’s centre is small and possible to cover on foot, but as the only Queensland city with a comprehensive transport system , it offers a level of luxury that’s worth taking advantage of. Anywhere further afield is relatively easy to reach with private or public transport.

Buses, trains and ferries

All fares are calculated by zone - the more zones you cross, the more you pay. For example, a single bus fare in the central zone is $1.60, while a ride out to the suburbs costs around $3.60. One-way tickets can be bought on your journey (bus drivers give change); for several journeys and longer stays it’s cheaper to buy a book of tickets or a pass from agencies around the city - look for the yellow-and-white flags outside participating shops. Some passes give discounts for day or off-peak travel - for example, the Day Rover offers unlimited bus, ferry and train travel for a day, ending at midnight, for $8; an Off-Peak Saver gives the same benefits Mon-Fri 9am-3.30pm and after 7pm, and throughout Saturday and Sunday. A Ten-Trip Saver is a book of ten single fares, available for anything from one to all zones, for the price of eight. For bus, train or ferry information call tel 13 1230.

There are several types of buses : Citybus serves central destinations, while you’ll make suburban trips on Cityxpress. Services operate daily roughly between 6am and midnight, with most buses travelling via Queen Street Bus Station (below the Myer Centre), where platforms are named after native animals (platypus, koala, etc) and where there’s an information office open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm; there are no regular night-time bus services. There’s also a special City Sights bus, which tours a preset route through the centre with a guide from 9am-5pm daily - look for the specially marked stops. Tickets cost $18 and are valid all day, and also allow unlimited use of bus and ferry services.

The electric Citytrain network provides a faster service than the buses, but it’s not as frequent or comprehensive, and has at times come under criticism from residents for unreliable service. Trains through central Brisbane run every few minutes, but for the more distant suburbs you may have to wait an hour. The last trains leave Central Station on Ann Street at about 11.45pm - timetables are available from ticket offices. Buy tickets and passes at most stations.

Revamped in 1996, Brisbane’s ferries are a quick way of getting across the city. Running every 10-30 minutes between 5.50am and 10.30pm, there are a couple of easy cross-river connections, but the Inner City and City Cat services are the most useful, the latter running at a bracing 27 knots between the University of Queensland campus in the southwest to Bretts Wharf, up towards the airport on Kingsford Smith Drive. Fares start at around $1.60 for a single crossing, and most bus passes are also valid. The central departure points for Inner City and City Cat are from South Bank Parklands, Eagle Street Pier and North Quay, next to Victoria Bridge.

Taxis, cars and bikes

During the week, Brisbane’s public transport is closed down by midnight, so you may well need a taxi if you’re out on the town. After dark they tend to cruise round the clubs and hotels; during the day Roma Street is a good place to find one. To call a taxi, try B&W Cabs (tel 13 1008), or Yellow Cabs (tel 13 1924).

Driving is not much fun until you get your bearings. Unfortunately, signs just at junctions, rather than well before them, are typical not only of Brisbane but of all of Queens land, and you’d be well advised to get some sort of street directory as soon as possible. Once familiar with the city, there are no great problems, although parking is expensive and in short supply in the centre.

Cyclists have a good number of bike routes from which to choose. Maps are available from some information sources, libraries and city council offices. A few hostels loan bikes, but they can be easily rented elsewhere.