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Travel - International
AIR: There are several major air carriers serving Brisbane and Queensland including: Air New Zealand, Air Pacific, All Nippon, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Garuda Indonesia, KLM, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines. For more flight details see Travel in the general Australia section. The major domestic airline is Qantas. Airlines such as Seair Pacific and Sunstate offer charter flights and feeder services to Queensland’s main towns and Barrier Reef island resorts.
Aproximate flight times: Approximate flying time from Brisbane to London is 23 hours 30 minutes.
International airports: Brisbane International (BNE) (website: www.bne.com.au). The airport is 13km (8 miles) northeast of the city centre (travel time – approximately 35 minutes). Flights are available from Europe, Asia, the Far East, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. Airport buses, taxis and trains operate services to the city. Airport facilities include left luggage, first aid, banks, bureaux de change, bars, car hire (Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar and Thrifty), duty-free shops, restaurants and tourist information.
Townsville (TSV) is 5km (3 miles) from the city. Townsville is served by flights from Europe, Asia, New Zealand and the Far East.
Cairns (CNS) is 8km (5 miles) from the city. Cairns is an excellent gateway both to the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical north, and hosts flights from Europe, Asia, the Far East, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. Airport shuttle buses (travel time – 10-15 minutes) and taxis operate services to the city.
The extensive internal airline system means that Queensland is connected with nearly all major Australian gateways. Brisbane is connected directly to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin, as well as having links with Cairns, Mount Isa, Townsville and other smaller airstrips within the state. Cairns and Townsville also offer easy connections to the rest of Australia.
RAIL: Queensland has its own railway system, run by QR (website: www.qr.com.au), the main routes being the Sunlander and the Queenslander which connect coastal towns from Brisbane to Cairns. In addition, other services, such as the Inlander, Westlander and Spirit of Outback (from Brisbane to Longreach) open up the Outback to travellers. The Spirit of the Tropics provides more coastal services. The main tourist services are the famous Kuranda Scenic Rail, the Savannahlander and the Gulflander. The Great South Pacific Express running from Brisbane to Sydney is a luxury service operated by Orient-Express Trains and Cruises. The new Tilt Train provides a faster service from Rockhampton to Brisbane. The main train stations are Central and Roma Street.
The Sunshine Railpass allows unlimited travel on Queensland’s rail routes. Passes are valid for 14, 21 and 30 days in first- or economy-class, offering excellent travel facilities for those intending extensive travel throughout the state. The Queensland Roadrail Pass, for economy class only, offers ten journeys over a 60-day period or 20 journeys over a 90-day period. For more information about rail travel and passes visit Queensland Rail Travel (website www.traveltrain.qr.com.au).
ROAD: There is a high standard of highways and road networks offering easy connections between towns and cities. The Bruce Highway runs down the whole east coast from Cairns to Brisbane and continues into New South Wales. An extensive coach network offers an easy and cheap way of getting around. The inland areas can be explored with four-wheel-drive vehicles, many of the interior roads being unsealed. Four-wheel-drive vehicles and guided self-drive tours are available. The other main highways running into the interior are the Capricorn Highway (Rockhampton–Winton), the Flinders Highway (Townsville–Mount Isa, connecting with the network in the Northern Territory) and the Warrego Highway (Brisbane–Charleville). The Mitchell and Landsborough Highways, which in places have unsealed road surfaces, run roughly north–south, connecting the main east–west highways and terminating at Sydney. The Newell Highway runs inland between Brisbane and Melbourne. For more information about driving in Queensland, visit the website of Queensland Transport (www.queensland-holidays.com.au/driving).
URBAN: Brisbane’s electrified rail system is easy to use for suburban services, particularly cross-river. There are also cross-river ferries, and a comprehensive bus network with zonal fares and ten-journey pre-purchase fares obtainable through newsagents. Day and other period tickets are also available. The City Sights Bus stops at 18 places of interest around the city, during a 90 minute tour, for A$20 (adult) and A$15 (children). In Cairns, bus services operate Mon-Sat and there is a touring bus that follows a circular route, Cairns Red Explorer, that departs from the Transit Centre. Day tickets are A$20 (adult) and A$10 (children). Taxis are also available.
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