Motorcycle Culture

With the continuing increase in petrol prices, and the ongoing traffic congestion which occurs around Brisbane, one of the alternatives being sort by more and more city dwellers is use of motorcycles or scooters. Over the past five years there has been a definite upswing in the number of riders in and around the city. There are different makes and models being used, from the larger, faster, performance bikes, through to scooters and even old postal delivery bikes. Although we haven't quite matched the Asian countries on uptake, more people are making use of this form of travel.

One of the biggest growth areas has been in Scooters. Scooters are economical to buy and a whole lot cheaper to run around on than public transport! On top of that, in Queensland you can ride a scooter up to 50cc on a Car licence. Anything over 50cc will require you to have a Motorcycle licence. There are a number of places where you can buy scooters, including Scootopia and TeamMoto. There are less bike rental options in the city, although if you go North or South to the holiday spots, it is quite easy to pick up rentals, for example, Aussie Biker tours and rentals offer a range of bikes.

As you can see from these two shots, parking is also a little easier to get! This area on Turbot Street has seen a growing increase in bike patronage, and even thought the signs urge riders not to park beyond certain boundaries, these seem to be often ignored. Regardless, the city has a real need to cater for this upsurge, and catering for our bikers is an important aspect of the continuing growth of another form of cheap and alternative transport which reduces the number of cars on the roads.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Brisbane Transit Centre

One of the key places associated with travel to and from Brisbane is the Brisbane Transit Centre. Located on Roma Street adjacent to Roma Street Station, the transit centre acts as a hub for trains and buses travelling within Queensland and interstate. City buses also utilise the transit centre. The complex also includes a number of shops, cafes and restaurants, two office towers, multi-level car park and also a Holiday Inn hotel. The Transit Centre can be entered via ground level, or by a pedestrian overpass across Roma Street, which is accessed by a stairway or escalator.

Components of the centre have a long history. Roma Street Station was Brisbane's first railway station and opened in 1876. Over the years, the station was extended, with new platforms and facilities added. The most recent, and most significant change to the Railway Station occurred in the 1980s when the transit centre, incorporating the Hotel and associated business towers, was constructed.

If you are a tourist or backpacker, travelling around the city and into the far reaches of Queensland on the train and bus will no doubt take you through the transit centre. There are a number of tour operators on the site, and many tours run from here. Baggage and storage lockers are available. Use this as a starting point, and not only the delights of Brisbane and it surrounds will be available to you, but so will the whole of our magnificent country.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Riverside Expressway

The Riverside Expressway is part of the Brisbane road network which runs from the end of the Pacific Motorway to Coronation Drive, hugging the Brisbane River and CBD. Construction began in late 1968 on the North bank of the Brisbane River with final completion in 1975. It is six lanes wide, with three lanes in each direction and ramps entering and exiting the Brisbane CBD. Up to 150,000 cars use the Expressway each workday.


Part of the Expressway includes the Captain Cook Bridge. This section was officially opened to traffic on 26 February 1973. With the high traffic flows it is the second busiest bridge in Australia after the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Both the Bridge and Expressway were refurbished in 2006, however, the discovery of hairline fractures in parts meant sections of the expressway were closed, causing traffic chaos across the city. Many people didn't realise how much we relied on this significant piece of infrastructure until its access to us was removed. Today you can even watch a web cam of traffic on the Expressway to esnure you don't get it any traffic snarls.


Most people may think "What's with putting a road on a tourism and travel blog?" The fact is, this 3km stretch of road is one of the most travelled in the whole State. If you come to Brisbane from South, West or North, chances are you will use all or part of it. It offers spectacular views of the city and the river, as well as across to Southbank. It is an engineering marvel, and even aesthetically it adds a visual dimension to the city from above as it wraps and snakes its way along the river, its tendrils reaching into the city. To me, its creation was all part of when the city grew up.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Inner Northern Busway Tunnel Construction

Right now there is a significant amount of construction going on near King George Square on the Inner Northern Busway. This section represents the construction of the busway from Queen Street to Upper Roma Street, which commenced in June 2006. This has resulted in the closure of a significant portion of King George Square, and a relocation to storage of many of the sculptures and public features there. This new section will allow buses travelling north and west to bypass traffic congestion in Brisbane's CBD by constructing tunnels linking the Queen Street Bus Station (underneath the Myer Centre) to Upper Roma Street, where it will connect with the existing Inner Northern Busway.

There are two tunnels being built as a result of this work. It is currently scheduled for completion in late 2008, and as I understand it they are on schedule. There is a consortium of contractors working with the city council and government to complete the work. If you want, you can download a flythru of the proposed completed work. The main aims of the roadworks are to reduce travel time for the bus network, and reduce traffic congestion on the main arterial roads through the city.

I personally am all for anything which is going to make travel on our bus network better. With the rising costs of petrol, and the continuing influx of people moving to our fair state, anything we can do to help encourage people onto public transport is a good thing. Construction to me is always a sign of progress and change. I heard a story that as they were doing the tunnel work, they actually dug up old sewer lines and previous tram tracks. An urban myth floated around that there was even a whole tram amongst the rubble, but this I can neither confirm nor deny (and so it will keep proliferating!)

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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CityCat and CityFerry

The CityCat and CityFerry are catamaran and ferry services which are operated on the Brisbane River. The services run along the Brisbane River between Brett's Wharf in the suburb of Hamilton in the east and the University of Queensland at St Lucia, via the Brisbane CBD. It is a great way to get around the city on the river. Services began on CityCat in 1996 with 6 vessels, each capable of carrying 150 passengers, with two further vessels being added to the CityCat fleet in 1998 due to increased demand. Two more were added in 2004-05. The area covered by the CityFerry service differs from that of the CityCat ferry service in that it is smaller, and is operated with 12 monohull ferries.

The service is a great way to get around the city via the river, with various crossings over the river, along with runs up and down the river stopping at various locations. Services run from around 6:00am through to 10:30pm each day. For around $5, you can travel all day. Full details can be found at the Translink web site.


I've used the cats and ferries as a great way to see the city from the river. There are a number of terminals near Eagle Street Pier which will allow you go either go up or down river, or across to Kangaroo Point. We have taken the kids on the ferry from New Farm Park up to South Bank Parklands, and they love it! Its definitely an enjoyable and cheap way of cruising the river.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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The Free Red Loop Bus

The Loop bus service is a transport service which operates on two routes, clockwise and anti-clockwise, around the Central Business District. Most obvious by the distinctive Red buses which mainly operate the route, you can hop on and off at a number of different locations and get from one end of the city to the other with relative ease. Each bus stop on the service has distinctive red signposts as well. The whole circuit takes about 15-20 minutes.

Details of the loop stops and locations can be found on the Translink web site. Suffice to say, all the main sites through the city, like the Queen Street Mall, City Botanic Gardens, and Eagle Street all get passed by. Best of all the loop is Free! It runs Monday to Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm, approximately every 10 minutes.


I've found this a great way to get around the city. If I need to get somewhere and I'm feeling too lazy to walk, I can get on the bus and around the same time I can be at the other end of the city. The buses are air-conditioned, new and very comfortable. A great service, but now, if they could only extend it to the weekends as well...

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

Click Here for the Google Map Reference for this post. (The Queen Street Mall Stop)