The streets in Brisbane city are laid out in a very systematic grid. The streets in the CBD are easy to remember. Starting at the river from Victoria Bridge, the streets that run parrallel to the river are named after Kings, such as William, George, Edward and Albert. The streets running the opposite direction, starting at the botanical gardens and running parrallel to that are named after Queens, such as Alice, Margaret, Mary, Charlotte, Elizabeth and Adelaide.
Brisbane is a very easy city to get around and most tourist attractions are within an easy walking distance of the CBD. Also the public transport system is excellent and very inexpensive to use. The city cat is a great way to see the city from the river. You can get off and on as much as you like. You can also buy an all day pass that combines the train, bus and ferry services to get you around to wherever you need to go.
One of the best ways to see Brisbane is by bicycle. Hire a bike in the city and ride along the river in pretty much any direction. You'll see an awful lot more of the real city than getting around any other way.
Recommended rides:
- Head west along the river and follow the blue "bicycle" signs to the University of Queensland at St Lucia;
- Ride across the Goodwill Bridge from the city, turn left and ride past the Kangaroo Point cliffs (if you're relatively fit, ride up past the Story Bridge Hotel, under the bridge and then back across the bridge - you can then follow the river back to the city).
- Further afield, there are more good biking suggestions from OurBrisbane.com
- Brisbane City Council provide bikeway maps
here
The city is very flat, so pretty much anyone can get around by bike.
Car hire is an easy and affordable option in Brisbane. There are many car rentals to choose from. Rent a cheap new new and save on fuel costs and potential reliability issues!
Apex -
http://www.apexrentacar.com.au/
Avis -
http://www.avis.com.au/
Brisbane Bargain Rent a Car - http://bargainrentacar.com.au
East Coast -
http://www.eastcoastcarrentals.com.au/
Hertz -
http://www.hertz.com.au/
Thrifty -
http://www.thrifty.com.au/