Jack’s Blog

River Cats
The River Cats are very modern catamarans with very little wash even at speed, which is great for the river banks. They are air-conditioned inside, which is a real plus during hot summer days. There are open deck front and back and toilets at the back.
Great to sit and relax and watch the river go by.
Also the ability to get on and off whenever you wish. Last time I got off at Bulimba, walked into the village shops and had a coffee. Very busy place with a lot of cafes. Back to the Cat and then off again at Brett’s wharf which is the new cruise ship terminal. More coffee shops and restaurants.
The Saga Rose was at the Wharf-I would have liked to be able to have a tour of the ship because they cater for seniors. Unfortunately it was boarding passengers ready to sail.

Queensland has the smallest rail gauge in Australia which means there are limited numbers of seats available during peak times and during the weekends can be difficult unless you travel early. I generally leave on the 7.53am service from Robina which gets me to Brisbane about 9.05 and I can then change to any other line.
One problem is the damage to the train windows. Many of them are scratched which makes it uncomfortable for viewing. Some of the older carriages are in poor condition which doesn’t help either. At least they are airconditioned which is so necessary here during summer.
The service from the Gold Coast to Brisbane is very fast as there are only 5 stations to Beenleigh, then it runs express to Brisbane during peak hours. Off peak there are sometimes 1 and sometimes 2 stops between Brisbane and Beenleigh.

Another huge advantage of these off peak fares is the fact that the ticket-depending on how many zones you pay for-and at only $8.70 for the whole day on weekends, why not pay for the max number of zones-you can take a trip on the Brisbane River Cats. Great ride and you can go from one end of the route to the other. It takes a couple of hours for the whole trip, but is a great way of seeing Brisbane and the river suburbs. The last trip I did, I hopped on and off and had a look at places I had never been.

I’m looking at cheap flights from Adelaide to Brisbane at the moment. I’m doing a couple of trips which will find me in Adelaide about the middle of May. I’m planning to stay on a shoestring there-I’ve already found accommodation for $50 per night-haven’t booked yet so hope their website is up to date. Part of my retirement is doing a website for seniors & nomads and I will report on what I have done and the costs. I’ve made the major bookings but not telling the companies about it as I want to give you my unbiased opinions. More later

I found out that there are “off peak” prices for seniors and these prices were available all Saturday & Sunday plus between 9am and 3.30pm during the week.
So I started searching for timetables for trains and buses.
SE Queensland is divided into zones-I am in Zone 15. On the weekend I can travel by train from the southern last stop-Robina-to the furtherst point on the Brisbane network for $8.70 return.
That’s a real bargain!

I never realised how cheap it is for pensioners/seniors to use public transport in Queensland