Buses, ferries, bicycles and electric scooters: in Brisbane you will undoubtedly find your ideal way to get around the city while saving money!
After endless days of flights, stopovers, sleepless nights, here we are finally arrived at Brisbane, the final destination of our traveling journey, the starting point of this new life in Australia which, I am sure, will acquire the flavor of a splendid adventure.
Once we reach our super cheap Air BnB accommodation, located in a green suburb of the city, we take a day for the pre-patrol setting. Unpacked and resurrected from 13 hours of non-stop sleep due to the physiological stun of jet lag, we are finally ready for the long-awaited moment: the exit for the exploration of the area.
Brisbane, what to expect
Brisbane is a brilliant city populated from beyond two million inhabitants, but you must know that it has very little to share with the canonical metropolises. Located on the homonymous river about 30 kilometers from its mouth on the Pacific, this one Australian pearl it develops with a purely horizontal trend. The skylines that so much remember the well-known overseas cousin here, in fact, are concentrated almost exclusively in the CBD area: the Central Business District.
For the rest, the city extends for tens of kilometers from West to East, gradually declining in the various districts which, alternating with each other, populate the banks of the river and with their multiple facets give the city a colorful and multicultural profile.
You can well understand, therefore, that finding yourself 15000 kilometers away from home and without a personal means of transport, in a city with such a considerable geographical extension, was not initially such an attractive prospect.
Fortunately, the public transport system here works flawlessly and within a couple of days we have gained excellent autonomy in planning our journeys.
Whether you are backpackers like us with a Working Holiday Visa and plenty of time to experience the city or ordinary tourists with the intent of exploring the magnificent Queensland, remember: the password is GO CARD.
In a little while, I will explain better how it works.
Paper tickets
Unlike 90% of the city's transport systems in the rest of the world, here in Brisbane there is no option to buy long-term passes (monthly or yearly). This thing, in all honesty, initially created a certain disappointment in us.
In Queensland you pay exactly according to the route traveled or possibly you can buy a daily or weekly ticket.
So normally it proceeds like this: get on the bus, greet the driver and kindly communicate your final destination. You will be required to pay a sum that is quite large by our standards and you will be issued with a paper travel receipt. From that moment you have two hours to be able to move freely throughout the area included in your travel fare.
There are 9 zones in all and costs at the moment start from a minimum of $ 3,31 to reach a maximum of $ 19,96.
Paper tickets that can be purchased at the ticket offices or directly on the vehicles are divided as follows:
- Single ride with a maximum validity of 2 hours
- Daily ride with unlimited number of trips during the 24 hours
- Weekly race with unlimited number of trips during the 7 consecutive days of purchase.
On the Translink portal you can check the real-time update of the various rates divided by zones.
Low Cost Method: Go Card
Fortunately, there is a much cheaper way to use the public transport system and, as mentioned earlier, this is called GO CARD.
It is a nominal electronic card which gives the owner a 30% discount on the cost of the ride. Not bad, right?
Here is some practical information.
Where do I buy it?
- At the ticket offices of the railway stations
- At the vending machines located in the bus stations
- At all 7 Eleven stores and other authorized outlets.
How does it work?
At the time of purchase, you will be asked for your personal details and a security deposit of $ 10 (refundable) plus a minimum of $ 5 travel credit.
From this moment you can travel without interruption by swiping the card on the electronic reader at the beginning and at the end of your journey. The relative rate will be automatically deducted. Also in the case of the Go Card, the two hours of validity included in the fee paid apply.
Areas included in the service
You can explore the whole area of the South East Queensland. So if you are in Brisbane and want to take a trip to the Gold Coast and immerse yourself in a surfer's paradise, with your Go Card in hand it will be a breeze to reach Australia's most famous beach! We did it: super fast, easy and also very interesting as the train, crossing the provincial area, will allow you to admire the delightful lush villages that separate the city from the ocean coast.
How to top up your Go Card
You can top up your balance from your personal online portal on the site Intralink by credit card or prepaid card, or by going to authorized retailers. Interesting is the possibility, for those like us who intend to stay a long time in Queensland, to set up an automatic recharge upon reaching a minimum threshold that you will establish.
But that's not all: here are the additional benefits:
1. Go Card can be used on all bus, train, tram and ferry services, including theAirtrain, the most comfortable and fastest way to reach the city from the airport.
As Brisbane runs along the river, the ferry system is super efficient and also an alternative way to explore the city from a different perspective.
All the suburbs that overlook the bank of the Brisbane River are visited by the ferry, the public ferry, or by the CityCat, a kind of hydrofoil.
2. The wonderful ones Stradbroke Island Islands, Moreton Island, Fraser Island and coral reef islands they are all accessible by ferry from the city center. In no time you will be moving from an urban and super cool environment to a real subtropical Eden, where you will be surrounded by dolphins, submerged wrecks, rainforests and fishing villages. Well ... I would say really not bad! :)
3. Upon reaching the 8 paid trips in the same week, you will be entitled to one 50% discount on any other additional trips made in the same week.
4. Travel outside peak times? Additional 20% savings.
5. Retired? Child? Student? Travel to Queensland for you it costs half!
Enrico, my partner who came with me here to Australia to pursue a master's degree in college, immediately took advantage of this opportunity.
Not just public transport
Before concluding, I would also like to suggest some other alternatives to wander in search of wonderful experiences in the streets of this splendid city. You can do it by walking slowly, savoring every hidden corner that surrounds you, following one of the many picturesque pedestrian paths, or letting yourself be led in the exploration by taking one of the numerous cycle paths.
The exponential growth of the region over the past two decades has given rise to a rather intricate road network. To emphasize this aspect, as already mentioned, the Brisbane River winds its way through the city and its suburbs.
An excellent idea could be to have an updated map or to activate the data connection to be able to freely access Google Maps and not risk getting lost among the many kilometers of urban roads.
Cycle 2 City
Also for this reason, the bicycle has become the preferred means of transport for the inhabitants, but also for casual explorers.
What do you have to do? Simple! Sign up for the Cycle2Cit portaly in order to start renting a bicycle at one of the various stations.
Also, as a new member, you will have the opportunity to try the service for free for three days before deciding whether to subscribe.
A safe, healthy and relaxed way to travel but above all low cost (add the savings to the cost of the gym membership). Furthermore, since we love the environment and as good responsible travelers we love to take care of our world, remember that pedaling does not emit harmful substances.
What more could you ask for?
Cycle2City is one of a kind and offers subscribers (including tourists) additional benefits, including showers and changing rooms, lockers with security systems and laundry service.
Amazing Time With Lime: the electric scooter
And finally ... here it is! Race everywhere with its bright green color. Are you fun-loving and always looking for an alternative way to perform ordinary actions? Do you get bored easily? If the answer is yes, the right medium for you is LIME: the electric scooter usable through a special application downloadable on the smartphone.
In a nutshell: by activating the GPS you will be shown a map indicating the position of the vehicles available closest to you. Super interesting is the fact that from the map you can also view the battery level and the kilometers of autonomy of the scooter.
Once you have reached a device, you can take possession of it by activating it by scanning the QR code on the vehicle. At this point the game is done: the system will deduct a fee based on the minutes of use of the service. Once you reach your destination, all you have to do is park the scooter in a location that does not hinder city traffic and this will immediately become available for the next user. Don't you want to try it?
In the city you can also move free
In conclusion, I also point out the existence of the City Loop or the Spring Hill Loop: buses distinguished from the others by their distinctive bright red and yellow colors, which, moving in a ring in the CBD area, will take you to the areas of greatest tourist interest.
In short, summing up, you will agree that Brisbane offers a transport service to satisfy every taste and need. The first steps may appear a little complicated, but once you become familiar with the city system, you can zigzag between the bends of the river and experience every corner of the third largest city in Australia and the magnificent surrounding area, with its tropical climate and multiple paradisiacal beaches.
