About Brisbane
On this page you will find directions, and information about Brisbane.
Table of Contents
Directions
The conference will be held at 308 Queen Street, in Brisbane’s city centre. The venue is within walking distance of Central train station, Riverside ferry terminal, and the main bus route hubs for Brisbane: Queen Street and King George Square**.
**Note: There is some ongoing construction in the city centre at this time causing stop locations to change. Please refer to the Translink website for up-to-date information.
Brisbane airport to city centre
Brisbane’s international and domestic airports are directly connected to the city centre by train. When departing the airport, look for signs pointing to the AirTrain station. Trains depart approximately every 20min, and tickets cost around $10 one way. Central is the train station closest to the conference venue, and the journey takes about half an hour.
We recommend checking AirTrain times on the Translink website in case you’d like to consider this when booking flights. Otherwise, there are taxi ranks at both airports, and rideshare services available.
Gold Coast airport to city centre
You will first need to take a connecting bus, Route 760, from the Gold Coast airport to Varsity Lakes train station, then take the Airport line train to Brisbane. Central is the train station closest to the conference venue. Note that this journey takes about 2 hours.
About Brisbane
Public Transport
For infomation about Brisbane’s public transport networks, visit the Translink website. If you are planning to use public transport while you’re here, we recommend purchasing a GoCard, however technology has recently been upgraded to allow credit cards on trains and ferries (not buses).
Note that services are less frequent on weekends, particularly Sundays.
Fares in Queensland are currently 50 cents per trip, regardless of distance (except for the AirTrain, as mentioned above).
Climate
Early November is the edge of summer in Brisbane. Temperatures range around 26-30°C in daytime, sometimes into the low 30s, but humidity can make it seem hotter. Overnight temperatures tend to be around 18°C. There may also be storms. Air-conditioning indoors can be very cold, so please consider bringing something warm for inside the conference venue.
The Australian sun really is harsher than in the Northern hemisphere! We have one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. We recommend purchasing sunscreen in Australia to use here as it is tested for our sun, wearing appropriate clothing, and keeping an eye on the UV index while you’re here. See here for recommendations for sun safety.
Things to See and Do
It’s a quick walk (or ferry) from the centre of the city, across the river, to the cultural precinct of Southbank, which includes museums and art galleries, restaurants, and a public artificial beach. The next suburb over, West End, also has a variety of restaurants and cafes.
For natural beaches, one can travel north to the Sunshine Coast, or south to the Gold Coast, or east to Stradbroke Island (however note these are definitely day trips!).
Mt Coot-tha overlooks the city, and can be reached by bus. The Brisbane Planetarium and Mt Coot-tha botanic gardens are also nestled into the side of the mountain.
Visiting the University of Queensland
If you’d like to visit the University of Queensland campus, and the School of Mathematics and Physics, we are located in the suburb of St Lucia, about half an hour by bus from the city centre (or slightly longer but more scenically by ferry).
If you are considering extending your stay either side of the conference, and would like to get in touch with anyone in the School, please let us know!