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.

I went to Straddie for the first time and I called Flyer Gold beforehand to sort logistics. The…read morelady on the phone with me was super friendly and assisted me with all my questions. She was super patient and everything we discussed went according to plan! They provide a courtesy bus from Cleveland Train Station to the ferry. You can purchase your tickets for the ferry when you arrive without any dramas. They are quick and efficient and the next thing you know- you're on the boat heading to Straddie. 25 minutes later, you arrive and the Straddie bus times align with the ferry arrivals making it very visitor friendly. They were a little late arriving but a little early on the return. The buses will wait and adjust their time to the ferry which is fantastic. I really appreciate that. I had a great experience on the flyer gold and would definitely take it again. If you're a frequent visitor or go in a group, you can purchase a multi-pass which may be more economical.

Australians are somewhat spoiled on transit options. It must be noted that this ferry is not part…read moreof Translink, meaning that you cannot use your card or its perks. There is a slight student discount, but the rate as a whole is not bad. The boat runs about hourly, and it is a quick ride and a quick boarding process. It is a large catamaran, and thus very stable. A smooth ride. They allow you to bring pets and whatever you want to carry, and claim to have hosted people who took full advantage of that policy, up to bringing on pigs and goats. I did not see any of those; just people and dogs. It is worth noting that if you take this passenger ferry, you will end up in a fairly anonymous town, so unless you are meeting someone there you will take a bus to the good parts of the island. Since I'm not writing a separate review for that, I'll say that the bus is limited but effective. Again, you have to pay in cash, but for the bus, a student discount makes a rather large difference (half price). The bus is timed to coincide with the boat, though the first and last boats of the day lack a bus service. It goes across the island pretty quickly; there aren't a lot of stops along the way. On the mainland side, a free bus runs to and from the train station, clearly labeled, enabling you to get to anywhere in Brisbane at a very decent clip. All told, this is a cost- and time-efficient way for people in Brisbane to enjoy a day trip to a tropical island paradise.

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.

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.

I've got a thing for laundromats. They're my favourite place to go and get some time to myself. The…read morelaundromat on Brunswick Street is the best in Brisbane as far as I'm concerned, and here's why. It seems that the owners have thought about what exactly a laundromat is in a multiplicity of ways and have fashioned their service around their conclusions. Who are the people who use laundromats most? Travellers (and people who don't have washing machines or dryers). I suspect this is why every wall of this laundromat is covered with travel pictures- so you can fantasise or reminisce about where you want to go, or where you've been while you're waiting for your items. Yes! Now, there's nothing to do in a laundromat, and the owners understand this, so they've installed two internet stations ($2 and free wifi) for you to use while your clothes get cleaned. Great! Further, the owners have installed environmentally friendly washing machines because they understand that having these appliances going all the time uses a lot of energy and water, and so they've done the good thing, spent a bit of dosh so you can know you're having a lesser impact on the environment when you wash your grundies at Brunswick Street Laundromat. A cold wash load will set you back $5. Not too bad. Bring coins, notes won't get you anywhere here. Did I mention that Burger Urge is just next door in case you got hungry for some burger and milkshake action? Local historical factoid- the Brunswick Street laundromat marks the beginning point of the 'zone of terror' in New Farm which used to extend from Harcourt to Heal Street. Story is, you used to be able to see plenty of action on this stretch of road back in the day, if you're getting my drift.

I'm not sure if Brunswick Street Laundromat is the official name of this place, the signs all just…read moresay Coin Laundromat. But this place has been here on the corner of Harcourt Street for years and years. This corner used to be quite a popular hang out for the prostitutes and drug dealers that would frequent New Farm back when it was a bit sketchy, before the urban gentrification. These days, the pros have been moved on and there's new cafes and restaurants surrounding, but the daggy old Coin Laundromat still remains. There's also an Internet Cafe - $2 for 20 minutes. Or you can pop across the road to Home Ground for a coffee, or next door to Burger Urge while you're waiting for your laundry.

I must admit that there is something that I really do like about the Brisbane busways. There is…read morejust something that is really cool about them. Anyway, this is basically an interchange station, though it is also the second from the end, and it is located outside what is effectively a huge shopping centre. Honestly, I really actually liked the station, especially since not only are there regular buses going into the city, but many of them are express as well. Yeah, this place isn't bad at all.

Easy access. Wheelchair accessible. No stairs to navigate. Station kept clean and well lite.read more

I booked my first solo trip overseas with the help of the team at Student Flights on Adelaide…read morestreet. I was after accommodation and flight times that would be safe for a woman travelling alone, and Jamaal (the store manager) was patient with me and understanding of my concerns. I could only drop by at late hours (past 5pm) after work, which was when Student Flights was also set to close, and Jamaal was willing to stay back past closing hours until everything was booked. I even caught him stepping out once for lunch and he stayed back even though I insisted he go grab something to eat! This place can get very packed at certain hours, particularly during lunch breaks, Friday nights, and weekends. So be sure to pop in early on a week day if you don't want to be waiting around, unless you like reading masses of travel brochures. But all up I've never had such great service from a travel agency before. I'm definitely going back for the next trip I book.

We booked travel, hotel and excursions with Rima at Student Travel in Brisbane. She was AMAZING!…read more She took the time to make sure we had exactly what we wanted for a trip to Port Douglas and asked us to come back to her for any feedback we had, which we did. Overall, we had a lovely experience in Port Douglas with only a few things that were, well, awful. She immediately looked into getting those items if not fixed, at least removed from their listings. She was incredible and we highly recommend her!