Brisbane Introduction

Brisbane Overview
Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, is midway up the east coast of Australia - 27.5oS, 153oE. With the Gold Coast to the south and the Sunshine Coast to the north, domestic and international airports, Brisbane is an ideal headquarters for an Australian holiday. Brisbane, indeed all Queensland, operates on Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT. Summertime or Daylight Saving is not observed.
Residents and visitors to Brisbane enjoy a wide range of landscapes and lifestyles. The inner-city, metropolitan Brisbane is surrounded by leafy, sometimes very hilly, suburbs. Further out in the suburbs, the traditional Australian house on a large block or even acreage dominates. Moreton Bay and its islands provide water sports, sailing and sea-side suburbs. The Pacific Highway leads south to the Gold Coast and its well-known surf beaches. North is the seaside town of Redcliffe, the rainforest and picturesque countryside of Pine Rivers, Caboolture and the Glasshouse Mountains. Bribie Island offers the first surf beach to the north. The Sunshine Coast towns and hinterland are popular holiday spots.
In Australia, we drive on the left side of the road. Although there are trains, buses and ferries in Brisbane, most families own at least one car. The local currency is Australian dollars and the smallest coin in use is the 5 cent coin.
Getting Around Brisbane
Bus Services:
Travelling by bus is a convenient way of getting around town. Citybus operate regular all stop services from the city to the suburbs. For a quicker, more direct journey, hop onto the Cityexpress at designated stops. If you want to skirt around the city, then the Great Circle Line will take you to destinations