In this article, I’d like to tell you a bit about Brisbane’s ferries.
Like the ferries that run on Sydney Harbour, Brisbane too has CityCat ferry services that run on the Brisbane River.
These ferry services began in 1996. They have mainly been used for commuting to work and school but have now become a mode of transportation symbolic of Brisbane. Unlike the small canals of the Gold Coast, Brisbane has developed along a river, with the University of Queensland, the CBD (central business district), and densely populated residential areas, making these ferry services a daily mode of transport for Brisbane residents. Although these ferries are a form of public transport, the views of the cityscape from the river are so nice that riding one of these ferries feels just like a river cruise ship, and it’s curious to see commuters, students, and tourists all on the same ferry. There’s even a regular rush hour on weekday mornings and evenings.
Brisbane had ferries beforehand, but when these high-speed catamaran ferries, called CityCats, were introduced in 1996, they gained instant popularity. At first, there were only six ferries, but as the numbers of ferry users rapidly increased, they soon increased the number of CityCat services. In addition to the CityCats, there are also smaller, slower ferries called KittyCats, and now new, larger CityCats, including double-decker types, are being introduced.
Recently, I went on a ferry ride from a suburb called West End to the Northshore Hamilton Terminal, where there’s a night market. I got on the ferry around 7:00 in the evening and went up to the upper deck, where you get better views. The nighttime views of the residential areas and central Brisbane were really lovely. Those beautiful nighttime views are as good as any views you might get on a night-time sightseeing cruise. Passing under the Story Bridge, a large bridge carrying traffic across the river in and out of the city center, I got quite excited because this, my first nighttime ferry ride, was so lovely. The lighting on the Story Bridge changes color to match events and social messages. For example, it turns pink for breast cancer awareness campaigns, displays rainbow colors symbolizing the LGBTQ+ community, and is sometimes lit up in red on days of remembrance like ANZAC Day.
As we moved away from the city center, I couldn’t get enough of the lights in the residential areas and the trees in the riverside parks with all the lights and so on. Yet, despite having been told it was a high-speed ferry, it felt surprisingly slow.
My friend from Brisbane who got on the ferry with me, said, “This is taking quite a while, isn’t it?” But we bided our time for about an hour and a half. Apparently, it takes only about 25 minutes by car to get to our destination. Looking at the map, the river meanders in a W-shape, but the road runs straight across, as if a straight line had been drawn across the map, so driving is definitely faster. But being able to see such a beautiful night view for just 50 yen makes it well worth the ride. If you want an easy way to see Brisbane’s nightscapes, I recommend taking the ferry as a way to get around central Brisbane, for example, going from Southbank (which has train and bus stations) to Howard Smith Wharves, an area on the river with different kinds of restaurants and bars. Australia is known for its high prices, but both a round-trip from the Gold Coast to Brisbane and a return ferry trip on Brisbane River, a trip comparable to a sightseeing cruise, cost about 200 yen! I really hope this 50-yen campaign continues.
The ferries have both indoor and outdoor areas, and the one we took had seating on the second deck too.
Nightscape photos taken from the ferry. The sight of the illuminated bridge from the river is spectacular.
Beautiful nightscape photos that look as if they were photoshopped.
