Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

216
CHAPTER 5 . BRISBANE
of several direct flights on Qantas, or fly direct from Auckland, in New Zealand.
Qantas (& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) operates daily flights
from state capitals, Cairns, and several other regional towns. No-frills Virgin
Blue (& 13 67 89; www.virginblue.com.au) offers cheaper fares and services from
all capital cities as well as Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and the Gold Coast in
Queensland, Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, and Launceston in Tasmania.
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, on Level
2, has an information desk open to meet all flights, help with flight inquiries,
dispense tourist information, and make hotel bookings, and a check-in counter
for passengers transferring to domestic flights. Travelex currency-exchange
bureaus are located on both the departures and arrivals floors. Avis (& 07/3860
4200), Budget (& 07/3860 4466), Hertz (& 07/3860 4522), and Thrifty
(& 1300/367 227) have desks on Level 2; in the airport there is also a free callboard
connecting you to smaller local car-rental companies that may offer better
rates. Free showers and baby change rooms are located on levels 2, 3, and 4;
Level 4 has an ATM.
The domestic terminal has a Travelex currency-exchange bureau, showers,
and the big four car-rental desks. (Call the telephone numbers above.) An interterminal
shuttle runs every 15 to 20 minutes and is free if you have an airline
ticket; if not, the cost is A$2.70 (US$1.75). You can also catch Airtrain, which
costs A$3 (US$1.95).
Due to current security measures, lockers at both airport terminals are only
available by contacting airport staff. Details are posted on the lockers, which cost
A$6 to A$11 (US$3.90–US$7.15) for 24 hours.
Coachtrans (& 07/3860 6999; www.coachtrans.com.au) runs a shuttle
between the airport and Roma Street Transit Centre every 15 minutes from 5am
to 7:30pm and every 30 minutes from 7:30 to 10pm. The cost is A$9
(US$5.85) per person one-way or A$11 (US$7.15) for hotel drop-off. Return
fare is A$15 (US$9.75) or A$17 (US$11). Family tickets are A$24 (US$16) or
A$29 (US$19) one-way. The trip takes about 40 minutes, reservations not
needed. No public buses serve the airport. A taxi to the city costs around A$20
(US$13) from the international terminal and A$25 (US$16) from the domestic
terminal, plus A$2 (US$1.30) for departing taxis.
BY TRAIN Queensland Rail (& 13 22 32 in Queensland; www.qr.com.au)
operates several long-distance trains to Brisbane from Cairns. The fast new Tilt
Train takes about 25 hours and costs A$280 (US$182) for a business class fare.
The slower Sunlander takes 32 hours and costs A$187 (US$122) for a sitting
The Train from the Plane
Airtrain (& 07/3211 2855; www.airtrain.com.au), a rail link between the
city and Brisbane’s domestic and international airport terminals, runs
every 15 minutes from 5:30am to 11:30pm daily, with a fare from Central
Station to the airport costing A$9 (US$5.85) adults, A$4.50 (US$2.90) children
ages 4 to 14, or A$22 (US$14) for a group of 4 (only from airport stations)
and taking about 20 minutes. Airtrain also links the airport with the
Gold Coast, twice an hour, a 90-minute trip that costs A$20 (US$13).