Accommodation
There are many options for accommodation nearby to The University of Queensland.
UQ Colleges
There are several residential colleges on the UQ campus that are a short walk from QBI. They are available during semester breaks, and some of them also offer short term accommodation during semester time. Please contact the individual UQ colleges for more information.
Hotels
The UQ St Lucia campus is 7km from Brisbane CBD. Suburbs surrounding St Lucia include Indooroopilly, Toowong and Taringa, where there are the following hotels:
Jephson Hotel
63 Jephson St, Toowong. 2.3km to St Lucia campus; bus routes available.
Toowong Central Motel
38 Jephson St, Toowong. 2.3km to St Lucia campus; bus routes available.
Toowong Inn and Suites
24 Lissner Street, Toowong. 2.8km to St Lucia campus; bus routes available.
Benson Court Motel
61 Benson Street, Toowong. 2.5km to St Lucia campus; bus routes available.
Transport
The University of Queensland (postcode: 4072) is surrounded on three sides by the Brisbane River, and on one side by the suburb of St Lucia (postcode: 4067). It is about 4km from the Brisbane CBD, and about 40 minutes drive from the airport, depending on traffic. The QBI is adjacent to the main bus terminal at the St Lucia campus.
There are several public transport options for Brisbane in general and the UQ campus specifically.
UQ's Transport and Parking guide has details on public transport and parking options at the university. The QBI has a lockable bike shed, so cycling to the Institute is also an option.
To get to other destinations in Brisbane apart from UQ, there are several options:
Public Transport
Brisbane public transport is cheap and comprehensive, and you can go almost anyway on the city’s buses, trains, or ferry service. To find out how to get from one place to another, visit the Translink website. This site has a journey finder where you can plug in your starting point and destination and it will display the best route to get there using public transport, as well as times: https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/journey-planner/results.
The fares for public transport depend on the length of the journey. Each section of Brisbane is divided into zones, and your trip cost will depend on how many zones you travel through. For information about the types of tickets and fares, click here. Student fares are half of the cost of adult fares; however, in order to qualify for a student fare, you must have a full-time student card. If you don't want to buy tickets every time you travel, you can purchase a Go Card. This card allows you to pre-load money which can then be used to pay for your journey. Go card fares are 20 percent cheaper than adult and student fares.
Brisbane offers a bicycle hire service with hire stations found all over the city. The Bicentennial Bikeway is a beautiful ride along the river, and can take you right through the city.
About Brisbane
Australia's third largest city, Brisbane is located almost directly between both the Sunshine and the Gold Coast (only a moderate 1-2hr drive away), which boast dozens of beaches and forests.
Brisbane is a modern city and thriving centre of culture, food, and entertainment. You can curl up with a book by the State Library of Queensland’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the river, interact with an exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art, or enjoy to some spoken poetry at the Brisbane Powerhouse.
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre also offers a range of plays, musicals, and dance exhibitions over the year, and Suncorp Stadium often hosts various concerts and sporting events.
Brisbane’s food scene has also boomed, with some of Australia’s best restaurants located here. Spread throughout the city, rooftop bars and restaurants overlooking the river serve incredible food and drink. Whether it’s for a light snack, a drink with friends, or a three-course meal, you’re sure to find the perfect one within the many options dotted all over the city.
It’s called the sunshine state for a reason - while some more southern cities are said to go through four seasons in one day, Brisbane's subtropical temperatures are predictable and steady, and almost always sunny, boasting around 300 sunshine days/year. With hot summers to spend at the beach and very mild winters, Brisbane weather is the perfect balance between hot and cold.