Brisbane - Australia 2004 - page 247

BUS TOURS For a good introduction to Brisbane, look no further than a
City Sights or City Nights bus tour, both run by Brisbane Transport ( & 13 12
30 in Australia). City Sights buses stop at 19 points of interest in a continuous
loop around the city center, South Bank, and Fortitude Valley, including Chi-
natown, South Bank Parklands, the Queensland Cultural Centre, Sciencentre,
the Riverside Centre (where markets are held Sun), the City Botanic Gardens,
the casino, and various historical buildings. The driver of the blue and yellow
bus gives a commentary, and you can hop on and off at any stop you like, get-
ting onto the next bus that comes along. The tour is good value as your ticket
also gives unlimited access to buses, ferries, and CityCats for the day as well as
discounts to some attractions. The bus departs every 45 minutes from 9am to
3:45pm daily except Christmas, Good Friday, and Anzac Day. The whole trip,
without stopping, takes 90 minutes. Tickets cost A$20 (US$13) for adults,
A$15 (US$9.75) for children 5 to 15. Buy your ticket on board. You can join
anywhere along the route, but the most central stop is City Hall, Stop 2 on Ade-
laide Street at Albert Street. Daily except Christmas, Good Friday, and Anzac
Day (Apr 25).
The City Nights tour shows you the city lights from Mt. Coot-tha, the Bris-
bane River at South Bank, and the illuminated cliffs at Kangaroo Point, New
Farm Park, and Fortitude Valley. It departs City Hall, Stop 2 on Adelaide Street,
at 6pm daily (Mar-Oct) and 6:30pm (Nov-Feb) and takes about 2 1 ⁄ 2 hours.
Daily except Christmas, New Year's Eve, Good Friday, and Anzac Day. Tickets
are A$20 (US$13) for adults, A$15 (US$9.75) for kids 5 to 15. The trip also
includes a sector by CityCat from South Bank to New Farm Park, where the bus
is waiting to pick you up again.
WALKING TOURS The Brisbane City Council has a wonderful program
called Walking for Pleasure ( & 07/3403 8888 ). Most days a free guided walk
departs from somewhere in the city or suburbs, exploring all kinds of territory
from bushland to heritage buildings to riverscapes to cemeteries. The walks are
aimed at locals, not tourists, so you get to explore Brisbane side by side with the
townsfolk. Every walk has a flexible distance option and usually lasts about 2
hours. Most are easy, but some are more demanding. Most start and finish near
public transport and end near a food outlet of some kind. Historical Walking
Tours are run by local history expert Brian Ogden ( & 07/3217 3673 ), who
leads visitors on a journey into Brisbane's past, regaling them with tales dating
from convict settlement right to the present day. Four different routes are taken
and each tour takes about 2 hours and costs A$15 (US$10). Prepare for shivers
up your spine if you take one of Jack Sim's Ghost Tours ( & 07/3844 6606 ),
to relive Brisbane's gruesome past. City walking tours (A$25/US$16) are run on
Friday nights and there are also tours of the historic Toowong Cemetery and the
now-disused Boggo Road Gaol. Bookings essential.
Free guided walks of the City Botanic Gardens ( & 07/3403 8888 ) at Alice
Street leave from the rotunda at the Albert Street entrance Monday through Sat-
urday at 11am and 1pm (except public holidays and the first Mon of each month).

7 Enjoying the Great Outdoors
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
ABSEILING & ROCK CLIMBING The Kangaroo Point cliffs just south of
the Story Bridge are a breeze for first-time abseilers (rappellers) to scale—so they
say. Outdoor Pursuits ( & 07/3391 8776; www.outdoorpursuits.com.au)