By Public Transportation
TransLink operates a single network of buses, trains, and ferries. For timetables and route inquiries, call TransInfo (tel. 13 12 30; www.translink.com.au). It uses an integrated ticket system, and the easiest place to buy your tickets is on the buses and ferries or at the train stations. You can also buy tickets and pick up maps and timetables at the Queen Street bus station information center (in the Myer Centre, off Queen Street Mall) and the Brisbane Visitor Information Centre in the Queen Street Mall. Tickets and electronic go-cards are also sold at some inner-city news dealers and 7-Eleven convenience stores.
A trip in a single sector or zone on the bus, train, or ferry costs A$4.80. A single ticket is good for up to 2 hours on a one-way journey on any combination of bus, train, or ferry. When traveling with a parent, kids under 5 travel free and kids 5 to 14 and students pay half fare. If you plan on using public transport a lot, it is worth investing in a go-card, which gives discounted rates (you can also buy online and just top up the card balance as you need it). This would reduce the price of a one-zone one-way trip to A$3.30. You will probably not need to travel farther than four zones on the transport system. This will cost you the princely sum of A$7.50. On weekends and public holidays, it’s cheaper to buy an off-peak ticket. The off-peak ticket is also available on weekdays, but you must plan your sightseeing around the fact that it cannot be used before 9am or between 3:30 and 7pm. You might also like to buy a SEEQ card, specially designed for visitors, which offers 3 or 5 consecutive days’travel on all public transport services, including two Airtrain trips. It also includes around A$700 worth of discounts at 80 attractions in and around Brisbane. SEEQ cards cost A$79 adults and A$40 children for 3 days or A$129 adults and A$65 children for 5 days.
By BusBuses operate from around 5am to 11pm weekdays, with less service on weekends. On Sunday, many routes stop around 5pm. Most buses depart from City Hall at King George Square, Adelaide, or Ann Street. The Loop is a free bus service that circles the city center. The Loop’s distinctive red buses run on two routes, stopping at convenient places including Central Station, Queen Street Mall, City Botanic Gardens, Riverside Centre, and King George Square. Look for the red bus stops. They run every 15 minutes from 7am to 6pm Monday through Friday.
By FerryThe fast CityCat ferries run to many places of interest, including South Bank and the Queensland Cultural Centre; the restaurants and Sunday markets at the Riverside Centre; and New Farm Park, not far from the cafes of Merthyr Street. They run every half-hour between the University of Queensland to the south of the city center, and Hamilton to the north (a route of around 20 km/12 miles). Slower but more frequent CityFerry service (the Inner City and Cross River ferries) has stops at points including the south end of South Bank Parklands, Kangaroo Point, and Edward Street right outside the Brisbane City Gardens. Ferries run from around 6 m to 10:30pm daily. Two hours on the CityCat takes you the entire length of the run (and there’s free Wi-Fi on board too!).
By TrainBrisbane’s suburban rail network is fast, quiet, safe, and clean. Trains run from around 5am to midnight (until about 11pm on Sun). All trains leave Central Station, between Turbot and Ann streets at Edward Street.
By BicycleCityCycle (tel. 1300/229 253; www.citycycle.com.au) has 150 bike parking stations across inner city Brisbane, with bright yellow bikes and helmets (compulsory by law) to hire. You can hire a bike between 5am and 10pm daily and return it to the station at any time. You can buy a subscription for A$2 a day or A$11 a week, and the first 30 minutes of hire is free. After that, usage charges start from A$2.20. Two to three hours will cost A$20, and 24 hours A$165—so unless you are only planning a short ride, it’s cheaper to hire a bike elsewhere.
By Car or Taxi
Brisbane’s grid of one-way streets can be confusing, so plan your route before setting out. Brisbane’s biggest parking lot is at the Myer Centre (off Elizabeth St.), open 24 hours (tel. 07/3229 1699). Most hotels and motels have free parking for guests.
Avis (tel. 13 63 33 or 07/3247 0577), Budget (tel. 1300/362 848 in Australia or 07/3220 0699), Europcar (tel. 13 13 90 in Australia or 07/3006 7440), Hertz (tel. 13 30 39 or 07/3221 6166) and Thrifty (tel. 07/3006 3255 in Australia) all have outlets in the city center.
For a taxi, call Yellow Cabs (tel. 13 19 24 in Australia) or Black and White Taxis (tel. 13 32 22 in Australia). There are taxi stands at each end of Queen Street Mall, on Edward Street and on George Street (outside the Treasury Casino).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
