How to get from Brisbane to anywhere
Most guides to getting out of Brisbane assume you have a car. These don't. Each one gives the actual connections, roughly how long the trip takes, and what it costs, which for nearly all of them is a flat 50 cents each way.
Every route here has been checked rather than assumed, and the trips that come with a catch say so, because a day trip that strands you at the far end is worse than one you didn't take.
🌤️ Sunshine Coast & the north
Up the Sunshine Coast line and the buses that meet it. Beaches, the zoo and the volcanic peaks, all on the flat fare, though the far end is a genuine day out rather than an afternoon.
🐊 How to get from Brisbane to Australia Zoo →
Train to Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast line (~1¼ hr), then Free Australia Zoo courtesy coach from the station, 7 days
~1½ hr from Central · flat 50c
🌴 How to get from Brisbane to Noosa →
Sunshine Coast line to Nambour or Cooroy (~2 hr), then 631 bus through Eumundi to Noosa Junction
~2½ hr each way, make a day of it · flat 50c
🐚 How to get from Brisbane to Caloundra →
Sunshine Coast line to Landsborough (~1¼ hr), then Connecting bus into Caloundra (~25 min)
~1¾ hr from Central · flat 50c
⛰️ How to get from Brisbane to the Glass House Mountains →
Train to Glass House Mountains station on the Sunshine Coast line, then Walks and viewpoints start from the township
~1¼ hr from Central · flat 50c
🏄 Gold Coast & the south
The Gold Coast line to Helensvale, then the G:link tram down the strip. The longest 50c trips on the network, and the easiest coast to reach without a car.
🏄 How to get from Brisbane to Surfers Paradise →
Gold Coast line to Helensvale (~1 hr), then G:link tram into Surfers and on to Broadbeach South (~30 min)
~1½ hr from Central · flat 50c
🦜 How to get from Brisbane to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary →
Train to Helensvale, then the G:link tram to Broadbeach South, then 700 bus from Broadbeach South, stops outside the sanctuary (~30 min)
~2¼ hr from Central · flat 50c
🌊 How to get from Brisbane to Burleigh Heads →
Gold Coast line to Helensvale, then the G:link to Broadbeach South, then 700 bus down the Gold Coast Highway to Burleigh (~20 min)
~2 hr from Central · flat 50c
🌅 How to get from Brisbane to Coolangatta →
Gold Coast line to Helensvale, then the G:link to Broadbeach South, then 700 bus to Coolangatta (~45 min)
~2½ hr from Central, the full length of the network · flat 50c
🏝️ Moreton Bay & the islands
The bay is closer than people think. Some of these are a half-hour train ride, and the islands are the only day trips from Brisbane that involve a boat.
🏝️ How to get from Brisbane to Moreton Island →
Operator transfer coach from the city, or a taxi to Holt Street Wharf, Pinkenba, then Passenger ferry to Tangalooma, about 75 minutes, four services a day each way
About 2 hr door to island · extra fare
🏝️ How to get from Brisbane to North Stradbroke Island →
Cleveland line to the end (~1 hr), then Free courtesy shuttle or local bus to Toondah Harbour, then Water taxi to Dunwich (~25 min); island buses meet the ferries
~2 hr door to island · extra fare
🐟 How to get from Brisbane to Bribie Island →
Train to Caboolture (~50 min), then 640 bus over the bridge to Bongaree (~30 min)
~1½ hr from Central · flat 50c
🌊 How to get from Brisbane to Redcliffe →
Redcliffe Peninsula line to Kippa-Ring (~55 min), then 680 bus to the jetty (~15 min)
~1¼ hr from Central · flat 50c
⚓ How to get from Brisbane to Wynnum and Manly →
Cleveland line to Wynnum or Manly (~40 min)
~40 min from Central · flat 50c
🦀 How to get from Brisbane to Sandgate →
Shorncliffe line to Sandgate (~35 min)
~35 min from Central · flat 50c
🛶 How to get from Brisbane to Coochiemudlo Island →
Cleveland line, then a local bus to Victoria Point jetty, then The short TransLink ferry hop across to the island
~1¾ hr from Central · flat 50c
⛰️ Hinterland, ranges & rainforest
Where the network thins out. Trains reach the edges of the ranges and rarely go further, so these are the trips where the honest answer sometimes involves a car.
🌆 In and around Brisbane
Close enough to be an afternoon rather than a day trip.
🚢 How to get from Brisbane to the Brisbane Cruise Terminal →
Get to Brisbane Airport on the network, the closest it reaches, then Commercial cruise shuttle for the last 12km, about 15 minutes
About 1 hr from the city · extra fare
🌄 How to get from Brisbane to Mount Coot-tha →
471 bus from the CBD to the summit, via the Botanic Gardens (~30 min)
~30 min from the city · flat 50c
🚂 How to get from Brisbane to the Workshops Rail Museum →
Ipswich line to Ipswich station (~55 min), then About a 20 minute walk across the river, or a short local bus
~1¼ hr from Central · flat 50c
🧭 Further afield
The long ones people ask about anyway, including the trips where the useful answer is how far you can realistically get.
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