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

218
CHAPTER 5 . BRISBANE
berth, A$235 (US$153) for an economy-class sleeper, A$352 (US$229) for a
first-class sleeper, or A$646 (US$420) for the all-inclusive Queenslander class.
Countrylink (& 13 22 32 in Australia; www.countrylink.nsw.gov.au) runs
daily train service to Brisbane from Sydney. The 14-hour trip from Sydney costs
A$110 to A$154 (US$72–US$100) in a sitting berth, and A$231 (US$150) for
a sleeper. Be sure to book the through-service; some services transfer to coach in
Murwillumbah, south of the border, tacking an extra 2 hours to the trip. This
train/coach service has no sleepers.
All intercity and interstate trains pull into Brisbane Transit Centre at Roma
Street (in the city center), 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 Transit Centre has food outlets, showers, tourist information, and
lockers.
Queensland Rail CityTrain (& 13 12 30 in Queensland) provides daily
train service from the Sunshine Coast, and plentiful services from the Gold
Coast.
BY BUS All intercity and interstate coaches pull into the Brisbane Transit
Centre (see “By Train” above). McCafferty’s (& 13 14 99 in Australia; www.
mccaffertys.com.au) and Greyhound Pioneer (& 13 20 30 in Australia, or
07/3258 1670; www.greyhound.com.au) serve the city several times daily. A
one-way Cairns–Brisbane ticket costs around A$192 (US$125), and the trip
takes 28 1 ⁄2 hours. The Sydney–Brisbane trip takes 18 hours and costs A$93
(US$60) one-way. Coachtrans provides daily services from the Gold Coast. Call
Transinfo (& 13 12 30) for details.
BY CAR The Bruce Highway from Cairns enters the city from the north. The
Pacific Highway enters Brisbane from Sydney in the south.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Brisbane Marketing has an info booth (& 07/3006 6290) in the Queen Street
Mall at Albert Street, open from 9am to 5:30pm Monday through Thursday, to
7pm or later Friday, and 4pm Saturday; Sunday it’s open from 10am to 4pm.
The Roma Street Transit Centre is another source of info (& 07/3236 2020).
The free weekly Brisbane News, available in newsstands, cafes, hotel lobbies,
and information booths, is a great source of information on dining, entertainment,
performing arts, galleries, shopping, and Brisbane’s laid-back lifestyle.
CITY LAYOUT
The city center’s office towers shimmer in the sun on the north bank of a curve
of the Brisbane River. In the tip of the curve are the lush Brisbane City 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
only) links South Bank with the City Gardens. To the west 5km (3 miles), Mt.
Coot-tha (pronounced Coo-tha) looms out of the flat plain, providing a great
vantage point for gazing over the city.
MAIN ARTERIES & STREETS It’s easy to find your way around central Brisbane
once you know all the east-west streets are named after female British royalty,
and all the north-south streets are named after their male counterparts. The
most northerly is Ann, followed by Adelaide, Queen, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Mary,