The Airtrain is the way in: 20 minutes from the International Terminal to Central station, A$23.30 one way, paid by tapping a contactless card at the gates. Trains run every 30 minutes, and the last one back to the airport leaves Central at 9:31pm.
What's the best way from Brisbane airport into the city?
Take the Airtrain from the station outside the International Terminal: 20 minutes to Central, about 30 to South Brisbane, A$23.30 one way. Tap a contactless card at the gates. Trains run every 30 minutes, and every 15 at weekday peaks. A taxi takes about 20 minutes and costs A$67 to A$82 plus a A$4.86 airport fee.
Getting through the border
Every trip into town starts with Australian immigration and biosecurity. Brisbane Airport (BNE) publishes no queue times, so allow about an hour from landing to sitting on the Airtrain.
- SmartGate. If you’re 7 or older, at least 1.1 m tall and travelling on an ePassport, you can usually use the automated SmartGates instead of a staffed desk.
- Biosecurity. After passport control you collect any checked bags and pass through biosecurity and customs, where officers may check your bags. That’s the part that can run long, so declare any food on your Incoming Passenger Card and keep it near the top.
- Bags. On one ticket, bags checked through to your next flight stay airside, so you walk out with only your hand luggage. On separate tickets you’ll have them with you: leave them in a locker at the airport, since trolleys aren’t allowed on the trains.
- Permission to enter. Everyone but Australian and New Zealand citizens needs an ETA, eVisitor or visa granted before the flight: see visa and transit rules.
The options at a glance
| Airtrain to Central | Airtrain to South Brisbane | Taxi or rideshare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To | Central, then Roma Street, for the city centre | South Brisbane, for South Bank | Anywhere |
| Time | 20 minutes | About 30 minutes | About 20 minutes outside peak hours |
| Single fare | A$23.30 | A$23.30 | A$67 to A$82, plus a A$4.86 airport fee and tolls |
| Pay with | Contactless card, go card or Airtrain ticket | Contactless card, go card or Airtrain ticket | The driver, or the app for rideshare |
Airtrain: the way in for most layovers
- Where. At the International Terminal, take the travelator or lift to Level 3 and follow the signs to the station, right in front of the building. At the Domestic Terminal, cross the Skywalk from the front of the terminal.
- The ride. 20 minutes to Central, 4 more to Roma Street and 9 more to South Brisbane, the stop for South Bank. Trains run every 30 minutes, and every 15 at weekday peak times.
- The fare. A$23.30 one way to any city station. The 50-cent fare on Brisbane’s buses and ferries doesn’t apply to the Airtrain.
- Paying. Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard, or a phone or watch, on the reader at the gates, and tap off at the other end with the same card; you pay the adult fare. Each person needs their own card or device. If a card is declined, the ticket office at the station sells tickets for the day. You can also buy an Airtrain ticket online: in November 2026 Airtrain’s website offered 15% off online tickets, and A$17 each for two or more adults.
- Children aged 14 and under ride free with an adult between the airport and the city, but only on an Airtrain ticket, not when the adult taps a card.
- Luggage. There’s room for cases on the train, but airport trolleys aren’t allowed on board.
| Monday to Friday | Saturday and Sunday | |
|---|---|---|
| First train from the International Terminal | 5:08am | 6:08am |
| It reaches Central | 5:28am | 6:28am |
| Last train to the airport from South Brisbane | 9:22pm | 9:22pm |
| Last train to the airport from Roma Street | 9:27pm | 9:27pm |
| Last train to the airport from Central | 9:31pm | 9:31pm |
| It reaches the International Terminal | 9:52pm | 9:52pm |
These are TransLink’s Airport line times for November 2026, the same every day of the week. Public holidays run the Sunday timetable, and Christmas Day has a timetable of its own, which Airtrain publishes about a month ahead. The 10:04pm on the airport’s signs is the last train leaving the airport, half an hour after the last one back from the city. Miss the 9:31pm and the way back is a taxi or rideshare.
Track work changes these times, mostly at weekends, so check Airtrain’s timetable on the day. On 28 and 29 November 2026 railbuses replace trains beyond Roma Street: the Airtrain still runs between the airport and Central, but not to South Brisbane.
Taxis, rideshare and pre-booked cars
- Taxis wait at ranks outside both terminals around the clock. A ride to the city centre takes about 20 minutes outside peak hours and costs A$67 to A$82, plus a A$4.86 airport fee and any tolls (seen November 2026). The airport’s taxi companies are 13cabs and Black & White Cabs.
- Rideshare cars pick up at marked areas outside each terminal, and the same A$4.86 airport fee is added to the fare.
- Pre-booked transfers meet you in arrivals at a fixed price, which helps with children and bags.
For one or two people, the Airtrain is as quick and about a third of the price. A car makes sense for three or four sharing, and after the last train, when it’s the only way back to the airport. Brisbane Airport publishes the fare into town only; budget about the same for the ride back.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary by bus
Lone Pine is 12 km out of the city centre, and a city bus is the simple way there: the CityCat ferries don’t go to it. It has its own plan on the itineraries page.
- The buses. Route 430 runs every day and route 445 Monday to Saturday, both from stop 11 on Ann Street at King George Square, about 10 minutes’ walk from Central. Between them they leave about every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays; on Sundays and public holidays only the 430 runs, at about 24 minutes past each hour.
- The ride. 35 to 45 minutes out. Back to Adelaide Street in the city takes 45 minutes to an hour, longer in the afternoon peak. Each ride costs 50 cents with a contactless card.
- The last bus back leaves Lone Pine at 5:56pm on weekdays and 5:22pm at weekends, after the sanctuary closes at 5pm.
Moving between the terminals
Arriving from abroad for a domestic flight, you always pass the border first: immigration, your bags and biosecurity, then the change of terminal.
- The free Terminal Transfer Bus leaves from the bus stop outside Level 2 of the International Terminal and runs from 4am to 1:30am every day, about every 10 minutes. Allow about 15 minutes with the wait. At the Domestic Terminal it stops outside, towards the Qantas end.
- The Airtrain links the two terminals in about 5 minutes, for A$5.
- Flying on with Qantas or Virgin Australia? Check your bags in again at the Domestic Transfer Desk in the International Terminal, after the border. With other airlines, take them with you to the Domestic Terminal.
Timing your return
Be back at the airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass and your bags checked through. That leaves time for security and the departure passport check. If you still have to check in or drop a bag, go back earlier: Brisbane Airport suggests 3 hours for international check-in.
Coming back from Central, allow 65 minutes from leaving town to reaching the terminal: the walk to the platform, up to 30 minutes’ wait and the 21-minute ride. So leave Central about 2 hours 35 minutes before your flight, or 2 hours 40 minutes from South Brisbane.
| Layover | Time in town |
|---|---|
| 5.5 hours | About 1 hour |
| 6 hours | About 1.5 hours |
| 8 hours | About 3.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 5.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 7.5 hours |
Each row counts the hour through the border, 50 minutes to Central including the wait for a train, 65 minutes on the way back, and the 90 minutes at the airport before take-off.