These Brisbane busway stations are actually pretty cool. In fact on my first trip to Brisbane I was…read morerather surprised at the extent of its busway network, not that it is actually a huge network, but it is certainly much larger that a number of the other (or even all of the other) cities that I have visited. The busses do come through here rather frequently as well, though a number of them do tend to be express. However, having a dedicated busway station does work.

These Brisbane busway stations are actually pretty cool. In fact, on my first trip to Brisbane, I…read morewas rather surprised at the extent of its busway network, not that it is actually a huge network, but it is certainly much larger than a number of the other (or even all of the other) cities that I have visited. The busses do come through here rather frequently as well, though a number of them do tend to be express. However, having a dedicated busway station does work.

Below the Brisbane city are various underground bus tunnels and the main station below is Queens St…read moreBus Terminal. It is locate below Queen St Mall and the Myer Centre and is used by many. It is convenient to access and has plenty of surrounding shops and eateries. This bus terminal services those passengers who need buses to Southern, Eastern and Western (Indooroopilly, Kenmore coridor) areas of Brisbane I used to use this bus a fair bit when I used to go to QUT Gardens Point and I've always thought this station seemed a bit unique. Compared to other big bus terminals where there are several rows or platforms to wait on, this terminal runs along a corridor with doors opening up to the buses that stop by. In some ways it is convenient, but it can also get extremely crowded and hot down there. Too many people combined with little space to move about makes me feel a little cluster-phobic despite the aircon that they apparently have running down there. This bus terminal is decent enough and has information machines to help you calculate the best bus routes in case you are lost. They are touch screen, so be patient as it can be a little slow and frustrating.

I should point out that all of the buses that stop here don't stop at the bus station at the Myer…read moreCentre, which probably makes a lot of sense since it does happen to be just around the corner. Mind you, there isn't a direct access to the Myer Centre bus station either. However, it does happen to be pretty cool, and it is somewhat easier to navigate that the one down at the myer centre, when the elevators work of course.

This 'bus only' station is central, air-conditioned and clean - You don't really need much else…read morefrom a bus station though really do you? There are lifts, escalators and stairs available to get you to your bus depending on your needs. There are often roaming trans-link representatives to give you information and security (although not always in sight) on site. Once you head down from the street level you will have access to electronic bus timetable information on the screens descending from the roof and if you need to plan your journey, purchase a ticket or top up your Go Card there are facilities for that too. If you want more information regarding Brisbane Bus times and the like across the road (Ann street not Adelaide) and across from the Sebel hotel there is a trans-information center.

Great transportation for anyone. Particularly for tourists. Use Google maps. It will tell you…read morethe bus route, stops, etc. Get a transit card which is can be used (discounted) on the buses, trains, river ferries. Get unused $$ back when you leave town/Queensland.

Buses are never going to be the cool mode of public transit (despite Brisbane's efforts to get you…read moreto "catch the Buz"), but the system here is quite useful. Substantial bus-only roads and bridges cover routes complementary to the train system, enabling the buses to still be useful during rush hour. The system is quite well integrated with its counterparts, allowing easy access to ferry stops and train stations. I've had mostly good experiences with the drivers. Giant bus depots with many routes coming through make travel much more efficient when changing routes. The buses are quite clean for public transit, and by and large the services are regular and fast enough to be useful. The worst things I've experienced are the occasional overcrowded bus (but nowhere near as often as I'm used to) and the occasional late or missing bus (again, not that often). There's no such thing as 100% reliability, but I feel comfortable making long trips to unknown areas and trusting my Translink app to find me a way back, which I would never have risked where I come from. The protected bus routes are very much oriented around the universities and hospitals, which pushes the clientele even more towards students and hospital workers than one would expect. However, since I happen to be both of those things, I am okay with that.

After the tumultuous madness that was the awful Brisbane floods, it's nice to see that the new…read moreTeneriffe Ferry Terminal has been rejuvenated to include not only the cross river ferry from Teneriffe to Bulimba, but also a new City Cat stop. Since living in Teneriffe I've not really embraced the City Cat because previously it meant a 20 minute walk up to New Farm Park. But voila! Now I can join the boating commuters and jump on the City Cat from the new Teneriffe terminal. I find that the ferry and the City Cat is also a great way to show off Brisbane to friends who are visiting from elsewhere, especially at night when the boat approaches the city. The lights on the Story Bridge always look so magical. Is there a more relaxing, pretty way of traveling? I think not!

Quiet and unassuming, I love this ferry terminal. The…read moreoperators are a bit gruff but friendly and services depart for Bulimba every 10 minutes or so. What's also cool about this terminal is the bus transport on hand. CityGlider and 199 services patiently chug their way down Commercial Rd and depart every couple of minutes. (A far far cry from the Northside buses I've experienced.) Making for a idyllic way to get to work or as a great way to show tourists the river. Teneriffe Terminal is a perfect slice of Brisbane life.

Well, it looks like this is another one of those railway stations where they have gone and built a…read moreshopping centre on top of it. Then again, I probably shouldn't be all that surprised considering that Fortitude Valley does happen to be one of Brisbane's entertainment districts. Then again, it actually reminds me a lot of Darlinghurst Road in Kings Cross - in more ways than one - particularly what happens to be located across the road.

The Fortitude Valley train station is located inside the Valley Metro mall on the corner of…read moreBrunswick and Wickham Streets. I remember the days when it was called Brunswick Street station (in my late teens when catching the train to the Valley with friends to go clubbing was the norm). Not much has changed since then. The station has had a bit of a facelift and all the train services and lines pass through Fortitude Valley on the way to or from Central Station. If you're heading to the Valley for a gig, to eat out, to go to Chinatown or to browse some of the fabulous shops on James or Ann Streets, than the train is one of the easiest places to start. The services are regular, but I will pass out a word of warning for anyone traveling alone. The Valley station can become a bit rough, particularly at night, so if you're a young woman or you're waiting by yourself than be a little careful because there are some pretty interesting characters who hang out there at night. Generally it is well lit and there are Queensland Rail officials around, but better be safe than sorry. Also, avoid using the toilets!

Garden City Busway is the biggest bus interchange on the south side of Brisbane - or maybe it's the…read moresecond biggest after the Cultural Centre. If you accidentally board the wrong bus on the south side, fear not. It will eventually stop at Garden City where you can turn around and find the correct bus. For city commuters, Bus 160, Bus 111 and the Logan Bus 555 will take about fifteen minutes from Garden City with only about five stops along the Busway. Bus 150 is relatively faster as it only stops once at Griffith before going straight through to Mater Hospital, South Bank, Cultural Centre and City. I've seen a lot of people get caught up by this one and shout at the bus driver for not stopping along the busway in between. Bus 156 Stretton Rocket is the fastest as it goes directly from Garden City to the City. There is a Park'n' Ride carpark at Garden City but unless you arrive before 7pm in the morning, it's pretty full up. Plus it's at the bottom of a hill so it's a steep trek to make it to the busway. I wouldn't test my luck driving around Garden City looking for a car park before 9am. There are often security guards out and a lot of the car parks are locked. If you do need to park your car, at the crest of Macgregor Street, cross over the bridge and there's usually some street parking available here.