Getting There
By Air
The Brisbane Airport (+61 7 3406 3000/ http://www.bne.com.au) is Queensland's premier gateway providing direct service and connections to several domestic and international destinations international and domestic airlines including:
Air New Zealand (13 24 76/ http://www.airnewzealand.com.au)
Air Pacific (1 800 230 150/ http://www.airpacific.com)
Air Paradise (+61 7 3407 7243/ http://www.airparadise.com.au)
Alliance Airlines (1 300 130 092/ http://www.allianceairlines.com.au)
Cathay Pacific Airways (13 17 47/ http://www.cathaypacific.com.au)
China Airlines (1 300 668 052/ http://www.china-airlines.com)
Emirates (1 300 303 777/ http://www.emirates.com)
Japan Airlines (+61 7 3229 9916/ http://www.jal.co.jp/en)
Korean Air (+61 7 3226 6000/ http://www.koreanair.com)
Pacific Blue (13 16 45/ http://www.flypacificblue.com)
Qantas (13 13 13/ http://www.quantas.com.au)
Singapore Airlines (13 10 11/ http://www.singaporeair.com.au)
Virgin Blue Airlines (13 6789/ http://www.virginblue.com.au)
Bus services to and from Brisbane Airport include: Ex Brisbane City, which operates daily every 30 minutes from 5a-9p; Ex Brisbane Airport provides door to door service to all CBD Hotels and the Roma Street Transit Centre; Gold Coast service runs every hour via the Gateway Bridge; and Sunshine Coast service operates every hour from 5:50a-6:50p. For more information contact Coachtrans (+61 7 3238 4700; 7 3238 4700/ http://www.coachtrans.com.au).
Trains also run to and from Brisbane City and the Airport daily 5a-9p. The train station is linked via bridge to the arrivals and departures levels. On-line bookings can be placed at http://www.airtrain.com.au.
Taxi ranks are located at the Qantas and Virgin Blue ends of the Domestic Terminal and on Level 2 of the International Terminal. Fare to Brisbane's Central Business District from the airport is around AUD25.
Rental Car Companies
Avis (136 333/ http://www.avis.com.au) Budget (1 300 362 848/ http://www.budget.com.au) Europcar (1 300 13 13 90/ http://www.europcar.com.au) Hertz (13 30 39/ http://www.hertz.com.au) Thrifty (1 300 367 227/ http://www.thrifty.com.au)
By Train
CountryLink (132 232/ http://www.countrylink.nsw.gov.au) services 334 destinations throughout New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Victoria. Trains arrive regularly at the Brisbane Transit Station.
By Bus
Greyhound Australia (+61 7 4690 9950/ http://www.greyhound.com.au) provides service to over 1100 Australian destinations and accesses Brisbane daily from the Transit Centre on Roma St.
By Car
Approach Brisbane from Sydney by the Pacific Highway.
Getting Around
There is an extensive public transportation network throughout Brisbane including bus, rail and ferry, contact TransLink for further information (13 12 30/ http://www.transinfo.qld.gov.au).
Citytrain (07 3605 5555/ http://www.citytrain.com.au) runs throughout Southeast Queensland and is a convenient way of getting around Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Planning a Trip
Visitor Information
The Brisbane Visitor Information Centre (tel. 07/3006 6290; www.visitbrisbane.com.au) is in the Queen Street Mall, between Edward and Albert streets. It's open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 5:30pm, Friday 9am to 7pm or later, Saturday 9am to 5pm, Sunday and public holidays 9:30am to 4:30pm, and from 1:30pm on Anzac Day (Apr 25). It's closed Christmas Day and Good Friday. The Brisbane City Council website, www.ourbrisbane.com, and the Brisbane Transit Centre (tel. 07/3236 2020) are other good sources of information.
City Layout
The city center's office towers shimmer in the sun on the north bank of a curve of the Brisbane River. At the tip of the curve are the lush Brisbane City Gardens (sometimes called the City Botanic Gardens). The 30m (98-ft.) sandstone cliffs of Kangaroo Point rise on the eastern side of the south bank; to the west are the South Bank Parklands and the Queensland Cultural Centre, known as South Bank. The Goodwill Bridge, for pedestrians and bikes only, links South Bank with the City Gardens. To the west 5km (3 miles), Mount Coot-tha (pronounced Coo-tha) looms out of the flat plain.
Main Arteries & Streets -- It's easy to find your way around central Brisbane once you know that the east-west streets are named after female British royalty, and the north-south streets are named after their male counterparts. The northernmost is Ann, followed by Adelaide, Queen, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Mary, Margaret, and Alice. From east to west, the streets are Edward, Albert, George, and William, which becomes North Quay, flanking the river's northeast bank.
Queen Street, the main thoroughfare, becomes a pedestrian mall between Edward and George streets. Roma Street exits the city diagonally to the northwest. Ann Street leads all the way east into Fortitude Valley. The main street in Fortitude Valley is Brunswick Street, which runs into New Farm.
Street Maps -- The Brisbane Map, free from the Brisbane Visitor Information Centre or your hotel concierge, is a lightweight map that shows the river and suburbs as well as the city. It's great for drivers because it shows parking lots and one-way streets on the city grid. It can also be downloaded from www.ourbrisbane.com. Rental cars usually come with street directories. Newsdealers and some bookstores sell this map; the state auto club, the RACQ, in the General Post Office, 261 Queen St. (tel. 13 19 05), is also a good source.
Getting There
By Plane
About 20 international airlines serve Brisbane from Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, including Qantas, Air New Zealand, Pacific Blue, Singapore Airlines, Thai International, Malaysia Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. From North America, you can fly direct from Los Angeles to Brisbane on Qantas, but from other places you will likely fly to Sydney and connect on Qantas, or fly direct from Auckland, New Zealand.
Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) and its subsidiary QantasLink (book through Qantas) operate daily flights from state capitals, Cairns, Townsville, and several other towns. No-frills Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia; www.jetstar.com.au) has daily service from the Queensland centers of Cairns, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Proserpine and Hamilton Island, Melbourne's Avalon airport, Adelaide, Darwin, and Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania. Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia; www.virginblue.com.au) offers direct services from all capital cities as well as Cairns, Townsville, Hamilton Island and Proserpine in the Whitsundays, Mackay and Rockhampton in Queensland, and Newcastle in New South Wales. Tiger Airways (tel. 03/9335 3033; www.tigerairways.com) flies between Melbourne and Mackay, Rockhampton, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast.
Brisbane International Airport is 16km (10 miles) from the city, and the domestic terminal is 2km (1 1/4 miles) farther away. The arrivals floor of the international terminal, on Level 2, has a check-in counter for passengers transferring to domestic flights and an information desk to meet all flights, help with flight inquiries, dispense tourist information, and make hotel bookings. Travelex currency-exchange bureaus are on the departures and arrivals floors. Avis (tel. 07/3860 4200), Budget (tel. 07/3860 4466), Europcar (tel. 07/3874 8150), Hertz (tel. 07/3860 4522), Thrifty (tel. 1300/367 227), and local company Red Spot Rentals (tel. 1300/668 810) have desks on Level 2. On levels 2, 3, and 4 you will find ATMs, free showers, and baby-changing rooms. The domestic terminal has a Travelex currency-exchange bureau, ATMs, showers, and the big four car-rental desks. (Call the telephone numbers above.) For security reasons, luggage lockers are not available at either terminal.
Coachtrans (tel. 07/3238 4700; www.coachtrans.com.au) runs a shuttle between the airport and city hotels and the Roma Street Transit Centre every 30 minutes from 5am to 11pm. The one-way cost is A$12 (US$11/£5.40) adults and A$8 (US$7.20/£3.60) children ages 4 to 13. The round-trip fare is A$22 (US$20/£9.90) adults and A$10 (US$9/£4.50) children. Tickets for a family of four cost A$54 (US$49/£24) or A$32 (US$29/£14) one-way. The trip takes about 40 minutes, and reservations are not needed. No public buses serve the airport. A taxi to the city costs around A$28 (US$25/£13) from the international terminal and A$33 (US$30/£15) from the domestic terminal, plus A$2 (US$1.80/UK90p) for departing taxis.
Airtrain (tel. 07/3216 3308; www.airtrain.com.au), a rail link between the city and Brisbane's domestic and international airport terminals, runs every 15 minutes from around 6:15am to 7:30pm daily. Fares from the airport to city stations are A$13 (US$12/£5.85) per adult, A$6.50 (US$5.85/£2.90) per child. The trip takes about 20 minutes. Airtrain also links the airport with the Gold Coast.
The Airtrain fare between the international and domestic terminals is A$4 (US$3.60/£1.80). A taxi between terminals costs about A$10 (US$9/£4.50).
By Train
Queensland Rail (tel. 13 22 32 in Queensland; www.qr.com.au) operates several long-distance trains to Brisbane from Cairns. The high-speed Tilt Train takes about 25 hours and costs A$310 (US$279/£140) for business class. The slower Sunlander takes 32 hours and costs A$212 (US$191/£95) for a sitting berth, A$271 (US$244/£122) for an economy-class sleeper, A$417 (US$375/£188) for a first-class sleeper, or A$761 (US$685/£342) for the all-inclusive Queenslander class. Countrylink (tel. 13 22 32 in Australia; www.countrylink.info) runs two daily train services to Brisbane from Sydney. The 7:15am departure arrives in the town of Casino, south of the border, at 6:34pm, where passengers transfer to a bus for the rest of the trip to Brisbane, arriving at 10:20pm. The trip costs A$130 (US$117/£59) for an adult economy seat or A$174 (US$157/£78) for a first-class seat. The overnight train, which leaves Sydney at 4:20pm and arrives in Brisbane at 6:30am the next day, costs A$175 (US$158/£79) for a seat or an extra A$88 (US$79/£40) for a sleeper. Ask about off-peak discounts, depending on the time of year.
All intercity and interstate trains pull into the city center's Brisbane Transit Centre at Roma Street, often called the Roma Street Transit Centre. From here, most city and Spring Hill hotels are a few blocks' walk or a quick cab ride away. The station has food outlets, showers, tourist information, and lockers.
Queensland Rail CityTrain (tel. 13 12 30 in Queensland) provides daily train service from the Sunshine Coast and plentiful service from the Gold Coast.
By Bus
All intercity and interstate coaches pull into the Brisbane Transit Centre. Greyhound Australia (tel. 1300/473 946 in Australia, or 07/3236 3035 for the Brisbane terminal; www.greyhound.com.au) serves the city several times daily. A one-way Cairns-Brisbane ticket costs A$253 (US$228/£114); the trip takes nearly 30 hours. The Sydney-Brisbane trip takes nearly 17 hours and costs A$126 (US$113/£57) one-way. Coachtrans provides daily service from the Gold Coast. Call Transinfo (tel. 13 12 30) for details.
By Car
The Bruce Highway from Cairns enters the city from the north. The Pacific Highway enters Brisbane from the south.
Planning a Trip
Visitor Information
The Brisbane Visitor Information Centre (tel. 07/3006 6290; www.visitbrisbane.com.au) is in the Queen Street Mall, between Edward and Albert streets. It's open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 5:30pm, Friday 9am to 7pm or later, Saturday 9am to 5pm, Sunday and public holidays 9:30am to 4:30pm, and from 1:30pm on Anzac Day (Apr 25). It's closed Christmas Day and Good Friday. The Brisbane City Council website, www.ourbrisbane.com, and the Brisbane Transit Centre (tel. 07/3236 2020) are other good sources of information.
City Layout
The city center's office towers shimmer in the sun on the north bank of a curve of the Brisbane River. At the tip of the curve are the lush Brisbane City Gardens (sometimes called the City Botanic Gardens). The 30m (98-ft.) sandstone cliffs of Kangaroo Point rise on the eastern side of the south bank; to the west are the South Bank Parklands and the Queensland Cultural Centre, known as South Bank. The Goodwill Bridge, for pedestrians and bikes only, links South Bank with the City Gardens. To the west 5km (3 miles), Mount Coot-tha (pronounced Coo-tha) looms out of the flat plain.
Main Arteries & Streets -- It's easy to find your way around central Brisbane once you know that the east-west streets are named after female British royalty, and the north-south streets are named after their male counterparts. The northernmost is Ann, followed by Adelaide, Queen, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Mary, Margaret, and Alice. From east to west, the streets are Edward, Albert, George, and William, which becomes North Quay, flanking the river's northeast bank.
Queen Street, the main thoroughfare, becomes a pedestrian mall between Edward and George streets. Roma Street exits the city diagonally to the northwest. Ann Street leads all the way east into Fortitude Valley. The main street in Fortitude Valley is Brunswick Street, which runs into New Farm.
Street Maps -- The Brisbane Map, free from the Brisbane Visitor Information Centre or your hotel concierge, is a lightweight map that shows the river and suburbs as well as the city. It's great for drivers because it shows parking lots and one-way streets on the city grid. It can also be downloaded from www.ourbrisbane.com. Rental cars usually come with street directories. Newsdealers and some bookstores sell this map; the state auto club, the RACQ, in the General Post Office, 261 Queen St. (tel. 13 19 05), is also a good source.
Getting There
By Plane
About 20 international airlines serve Brisbane from Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, including Qantas, Air New Zealand, Pacific Blue, Singapore Airlines, Thai International, Malaysia Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. From North America, you can fly direct from Los Angeles to Brisbane on Qantas, but from other places you will likely fly to Sydney and connect on Qantas, or fly direct from Auckland, New Zealand.
Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) and its subsidiary QantasLink (book through Qantas) operate daily flights from state capitals, Cairns, Townsville, and several other towns. No-frills Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia; www.jetstar.com.au) has daily service from the Queensland centers of Cairns, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Proserpine and Hamilton Island, Melbourne's Avalon airport, Adelaide, Darwin, and Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania. Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia; www.virginblue.com.au) offers direct services from all capital cities as well as Cairns, Townsville, Hamilton Island and Proserpine in the Whitsundays, Mackay and Rockhampton in Queensland, and Newcastle in New South Wales. Tiger Airways (tel. 03/9335 3033; www.tigerairways.com) flies between Melbourne and Mackay, Rockhampton, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast.
Brisbane International Airport is 16km (10 miles) from the city, and the domestic terminal is 2km (1 1/4 miles) farther away. The arrivals floor of the international terminal, on Level 2, has a check-in counter for passengers transferring to domestic flights and an information desk to meet all flights, help with flight inquiries, dispense tourist information, and make hotel bookings. Travelex currency-exchange bureaus are on the departures and arrivals floors. Avis (tel. 07/3860 4200), Budget (tel. 07/3860 4466), Europcar (tel. 07/3874 8150), Hertz (tel. 07/3860 4522), Thrifty (tel. 1300/367 227), and local company Red Spot Rentals (tel. 1300/668 810) have desks on Level 2. On levels 2, 3, and 4 you will find ATMs, free showers, and baby-changing rooms. The domestic terminal has a Travelex currency-exchange bureau, ATMs, showers, and the big four car-rental desks. (Call the telephone numbers above.) For security reasons, luggage lockers are not available at either terminal.
Coachtrans (tel. 07/3238 4700; www.coachtrans.com.au) runs a shuttle between the airport and city hotels and the Roma Street Transit Centre every 30 minutes from 5am to 11pm. The one-way cost is A$12 (US$11/£5.40) adults and A$8 (US$7.20/£3.60) children ages 4 to 13. The round-trip fare is A$22 (US$20/£9.90) adults and A$10 (US$9/£4.50) children. Tickets for a family of four cost A$54 (US$49/£24) or A$32 (US$29/£14) one-way. The trip takes about 40 minutes, and reservations are not needed. No public buses serve the airport. A taxi to the city costs around A$28 (US$25/£13) from the international terminal and A$33 (US$30/£15) from the domestic terminal, plus A$2 (US$1.80/UK90p) for departing taxis.
Airtrain (tel. 07/3216 3308; www.airtrain.com.au), a rail link between the city and Brisbane's domestic and international airport terminals, runs every 15 minutes from around 6:15am to 7:30pm daily. Fares from the airport to city stations are A$13 (US$12/£5.85) per adult, A$6.50 (US$5.85/£2.90) per child. The trip takes about 20 minutes. Airtrain also links the airport with the Gold Coast.
The Airtrain fare between the international and domestic terminals is A$4 (US$3.60/£1.80). A taxi between terminals costs about A$10 (US$9/£4.50).
By Train
Queensland Rail (tel. 13 22 32 in Queensland; www.qr.com.au) operates several long-distance trains to Brisbane from Cairns. The high-speed Tilt Train takes about 25 hours and costs A$310 (US$279/£140) for business class. The slower Sunlander takes 32 hours and costs A$212 (US$191/£95) for a sitting berth, A$271 (US$244/£122) for an economy-class sleeper, A$417 (US$375/£188) for a first-class sleeper, or A$761 (US$685/£342) for the all-inclusive Queenslander class. Countrylink (tel. 13 22 32 in Australia; www.countrylink.info) runs two daily train services to Brisbane from Sydney. The 7:15am departure arrives in the town of Casino, south of the border, at 6:34pm, where passengers transfer to a bus for the rest of the trip to Brisbane, arriving at 10:20pm. The trip costs A$130 (US$117/£59) for an adult economy seat or A$174 (US$157/£78) for a first-class seat. The overnight train, which leaves Sydney at 4:20pm and arrives in Brisbane at 6:30am the next day, costs A$175 (US$158/£79) for a seat or an extra A$88 (US$79/£40) for a sleeper. Ask about off-peak discounts, depending on the time of year.
All intercity and interstate trains pull into the city center's Brisbane Transit Centre at Roma Street, often called the Roma Street Transit Centre. From here, most city and Spring Hill hotels are a few blocks' walk or a quick cab ride away. The station has food outlets, showers, tourist information, and lockers.
Queensland Rail CityTrain (tel. 13 12 30 in Queensland) provides daily train service from the Sunshine Coast and plentiful service from the Gold Coast.
By Bus
All intercity and interstate coaches pull into the Brisbane Transit Centre. Greyhound Australia (tel. 1300/473 946 in Australia, or 07/3236 3035 for the Brisbane terminal; www.greyhound.com.au) serves the city several times daily. A one-way Cairns-Brisbane ticket costs A$253 (US$228/£114); the trip takes nearly 30 hours. The Sydney-Brisbane trip takes nearly 17 hours and costs A$126 (US$113/£57) one-way. Coachtrans provides daily service from the Gold Coast. Call Transinfo (tel. 13 12 30) for details.
By Car
The Bruce Highway from Cairns enters the city from the north. The Pacific Highway enters Brisbane from the south.
