Fast Facts

American Express -- The office at 131 Elizabeth St. (tel. 1300/139 060) cashes traveler's checks, exchanges foreign currency, and replaces lost traveler's checks. It's open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to noon Saturday.

Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday through Thursday from 9:30am to 4pm, until 5pm on Friday. Some restaurants close Monday night, Tuesday night, or both; bars are generally open from 10 or 11am until midnight.

Currency Exchange -- Travelex, in the Myer Centre, Queen Street Mall (tel. 07/3210 6325; www.travelex.com.au), is open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 5:30pm, Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm, and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Locations at the airport are open whenever flights are arriving.

Dentist -- The Adelaide and Albert Dental Centre, Level 1, 245 Albert St. at Adelaide Street, opposite City Hall (tel. 07/3229 4121), is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm.

Doctor -- The Travellers' Medical and Vaccination Centre (tel. 07/3221 9066; www.thetraveldoctor.com.au) is on Level 5 of the Qantas building, 247 Adelaide St., between Creek and Edward streets. It is open Monday and Friday from 8am to 5pm, Tuesday 8am to 7pm, Wednesday 8am to 9pm, Thursday 8am to 4:30pm, and Saturday 8:30am to 2pm. For after-hours emergencies, call tel. 0408/199 166.

Embassies & Consulates -- The United States, Canada, and New Zealand have no representation in Brisbane. The British Consulate-General is at Level 26, Waterfront Place, 1 Eagle St. (tel. 07/3223 3200).

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 000 for fire, ambulance, or police help in an emergency. This is a free call from a private or public telephone.

Hospitals -- The nearest one is Royal Brisbane Hospital, about a 15-minute drive from the city at Herston Road, Herston (tel. 07/3636 8111).

Hot Lines -- Lifeline (tel. 13 11 14) is a 24-hour emotional crisis counseling service.

Internet Access -- The South Bank Visitor Information Centre, Stanley Street Plaza, South Bank Parklands, offers Internet access daily from 9am to 4:30pm and charges A$1 (US80¢/UK40p) per 10 minutes. There are several Internet cafes on Adelaide Street, including the Cyber Room, 25 Adelaide St. (tel. 07/3012 9331), and Netparadise, 198 Adelaide St. (tel. 07/3211 8218).

Luggage Storage & Lockers -- The Brisbane Transit Centre on Roma Street (tel. 1800/632 640) has baggage lockers. Medium-size lockers are also available to hire at South Bank Parklands, in the Stanley Street Plaza near Streets Beach. The cost is A$3 (US$2.40/UK£1.20) for 3 hours or A$6 (US$4.80/UK£2.40) for 6 hours storage.

Newspapers & Magazines -- The Courier-Mail (Mon-Sat) and the Sunday Mail are Brisbane's daily newspapers. Another good news source is the online newspaper Brisbane Times, www.brisbanetimes.com.au. The free weekly Brisbane News magazine is a good guide to dining, entertainment, and shopping.

Pharmacies (Chemist Shops) -- T & G Corner Day & Night Pharmacy, 141 Queen St. Mall (tel. 07/3221 4585), is open Monday through Thursday from 7am to 9pm, Friday from 7am to 9:30pm, Saturday from 8am to 9pm, Sunday from 8:30am to 5:30pm, and public holidays from 9am to 7:30pm.

Police -- Dial tel. 000 in an emergency, or tel. 07/3364 6464 for police headquarters. Police are stationed 24 hours a day at 65-69 Adelaide St. (tel. 07/3224 4444) in the city.

Safety -- Brisbane is relatively crime free, but as in any large city, be aware of your personal safety, especially when you're out at night. Stick to well-lit streets and busy precincts.

Time Zone -- The time in Brisbane is Greenwich Mean Time plus 10 hours. Brisbane does not observe daylight saving time, which means it's on the same time as Sydney and Melbourne in winter, and 1 hour behind those cities October through March. For the exact local time, call tel. 1194.

Weather -- Call tel. 1196 for the southeast Queensland weather forecast.