Brisbane - Australia 2004 - page 229

Gold Coast in Queensland; Coffs Harbour in New South Wales; and Launces-
ton 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 you
with flight inquiries, dispense tourist information, and make your hotel book-
ings, 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-call board connecting you to smaller local car-
rental companies that sometimes 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 intert-
erminal shuttle runs every 15 to 20 minutes and is free if you have an airline
ticket or costs A$2.70 (US$1.70) otherwise, or you can 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.
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 9pm daily, with a fare from Central Station to the air-
port costing A$9 (US$5.85) adults, A$4.50 (US$2.90) children, or A$22
(US$14) for a group of four (only from airport stations) and taking about 20
minutes. Airtrain also links the airport with the Gold Coast.
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
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,