CityCat is a ferry service operated in
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
,
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
by TransdevTSL, under contract from
Brisbane City CouncilBrisbane City Council is the governing council for Brisbane, which is the capital of Queensland, Australia. Unlike councils in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, where the local councils are generally responsible only for the relatively small Central Business Districts of those cities, Brisbane...
.
The CityCat service runs along the
Brisbane RiverThe Brisbane River is the longest river in southeast Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. The river is dammed by the Wivenhoe Dam, forming Lake Wivenhoe, the main water supply for Brisbane...
between Apollo Road in the suburb of
BulimbaBulimba is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is 4 kilometres north-east of the CBD, and is located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River...
in the east and the
University of QueenslandThe University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest university in Queensland and the fifth in the nation. The main campus is located in St Lucia, southwest of the Brisbane CBD...
at
St LuciaSt Lucia is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 4km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is bordered on three sides by the Brisbane River and is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.-History:...
, via South Bank and the Brisbane CBD. The network consists of 15 stops and passes locations such as
New Farm ParkNew Farm Park is a significant historic park in the suburb of New Farm, Brisbane, Australia, located at the southern end of the New Farm Peninsula on the Brisbane River. It covers , and it currently includes grounds, tennis courts, and basketball courts...
,
Kangaroo PointKangaroo Point is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia located directly east across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD.- Geography :Kangaroo Point is located on a peninsula formed of harder rhyolite rock which the Brisbane River flows around...
,
Queensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of Technology is located in Brisbane, Queensland, and is one of Australia's largest universities.QUT is marketed as "A university for the real world"...
,
South BankSouth Bank Parklands is a parkland which was opened to the public on 20 June, 1992. The parkland is located in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88.- Overview :...
,
ToowongToowong is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia which is located 5 km west of the Brisbane CBD. At the centre of Toowong is a commercial precinct including Toowong Village and several office buildings...
and
West EndWest End is an inner-city suburb of southern Brisbane.-History:West End was named by early English settlers who found the area reminiscent of the West End of London....
.
The popular CityCat vessels are
catamaranA catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s.
CityCat is a ferry service operated in
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
,
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
by TransdevTSL, under contract from
Brisbane City CouncilBrisbane City Council is the governing council for Brisbane, which is the capital of Queensland, Australia. Unlike councils in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, where the local councils are generally responsible only for the relatively small Central Business Districts of those cities, Brisbane...
.
History
The CityCat service runs along the
Brisbane RiverThe Brisbane River is the longest river in southeast Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. The river is dammed by the Wivenhoe Dam, forming Lake Wivenhoe, the main water supply for Brisbane...
between Apollo Road in the suburb of
BulimbaBulimba is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is 4 kilometres north-east of the CBD, and is located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River...
in the east and the
University of QueenslandThe University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest university in Queensland and the fifth in the nation. The main campus is located in St Lucia, southwest of the Brisbane CBD...
at
St LuciaSt Lucia is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 4km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is bordered on three sides by the Brisbane River and is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.-History:...
, via South Bank and the Brisbane CBD. The network consists of 15 stops and passes locations such as
New Farm ParkNew Farm Park is a significant historic park in the suburb of New Farm, Brisbane, Australia, located at the southern end of the New Farm Peninsula on the Brisbane River. It covers , and it currently includes grounds, tennis courts, and basketball courts...
,
Kangaroo PointKangaroo Point is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia located directly east across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD.- Geography :Kangaroo Point is located on a peninsula formed of harder rhyolite rock which the Brisbane River flows around...
,
Queensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of Technology is located in Brisbane, Queensland, and is one of Australia's largest universities.QUT is marketed as "A university for the real world"...
,
South BankSouth Bank Parklands is a parkland which was opened to the public on 20 June, 1992. The parkland is located in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88.- Overview :...
,
ToowongToowong is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia which is located 5 km west of the Brisbane CBD. At the centre of Toowong is a commercial precinct including Toowong Village and several office buildings...
and
West EndWest End is an inner-city suburb of southern Brisbane.-History:West End was named by early English settlers who found the area reminiscent of the West End of London....
.
The popular CityCat vessels are
catamaranA catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s. Services began in 1996 with 6 vessels, each capable of carrying 150 passengers, with two further vessels being added to the CityCat fleet in 1998 due to increased demand. The service carried approximately 2.88 million passengers in 2004. The system is particularly appealing to tourists as it is a pleasant way to travel past such Brisbane icons as the
Story BridgeThe Story Bridge is a cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River. Part of Bradfield Highway , it connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. Before the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 the Government of Queensland asked John Bradfield to design a new bridge in Brisbane...
and
South Bank ParklandsSouth Bank Parklands is a parkland which was opened to the public on 20 June, 1992. The parkland is located in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88.- Overview :...
.
Six further catamarans of a new design, capable of carrying 12 more passengers, have since been added to the fleet. Refurbishment of the first generation CityCats began in 2005. Refurbished CityCats have more comfortable internal seating, with space set aside for parking 12 passengers' bikes, a plasma screen mounted inside to show news services and advertisements, larger onboard toilet facilities and more and better padded seating available outside, especially in the forward seating area.
A further five CityCats have been ordered and whilst they are similar configuration as the current second generation vessels they will have slightly different lines and colour scheme.
Starting with the launch of
Ya-wa-gara in late 2008, the CityCat fleet has received the addition of WiFi internet access on board. Three services are available for users:
- CityCatWireless, a free service requiring no authentication and available to everyone, but limited to a number of BCC and Brisbane-related sites, including Translink for public transport timetables.
- Eduroam, a free service provided for all users from educational institutions that are part of the Eduroam federation. Eduroam users must run a VPN to connect to their home institution for internet access.
- UQconnect, which provides the same facilities as at The University of Queensland campuses.
The CityCat WiFi service was developed by Scott Sinclair of UQ, who recruited Danny Smith (a founder of
AusCERTThe AusCERT is the national Computer Emergency Response Team for Australia and a leading CERT in the Asia/Pacific region...
) and Simon Rose (General Manager of UQconnect) to help implement the service. CityCat WiFi is a partnership of The University of Queensland and
Brisbane City CouncilBrisbane City Council is the governing council for Brisbane, which is the capital of Queensland, Australia. Unlike councils in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, where the local councils are generally responsible only for the relatively small Central Business Districts of those cities, Brisbane...
.
Vessel Names
The CityCats are named after the Aboriginal place names for various parts of the Brisbane River and adjacent areas. The English name is given in brackets, with the launch date.
First generation
- Kurilpa (West End
West End is an inner-city suburb of southern Brisbane.-History:West End was named by early English settlers who found the area reminiscent of the West End of London....
) — launched November 1996
- Mirbarpa (Indooroopilly) — launched November 1996
- Barrambin (Breakfast Creek) — launched November 1996
- Tugulawa (Brisbane River at Bulimba
Bulimba Ferry Wharf is a wharf on the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the BCC Ferries network. It also serves to connect the Teneriffe Wharf to the CityCat via the Bulimba Cross River Ferry....
) — launched November 1996
- Mianjin (Gardens Point) — launched December 1996
- Binkinba (New Farm) — launched December 1996
- Mooroolbin (Hamilton Sandbank) — launched October 1998
- Baneraba (Toowong) — launched December 1998
Second generation
- Beenung-urrung (Highgate Hill
Highgate Hill is suburb of inner Brisbane, Australia and is located 2 km south of the Brisbane CBD on the Brisbane River. The topography of the suburb is undulating hills no more than 70 metres above sea level....
) — launched August 2004
- Tunamun (Petrie Bight) — launched June 2005
- Meeandah (this suburb is next to Eagle Farm and Pinkenba) — launched February 2008
- Wilwinpa (Observatory) — launched June 2008
- Ya-wa-gara (Breakfast Creek) — launched November 2008
- Mahreel (Spring Hill) — launched April 2009
See also
- TransLink (South East Queensland)
The TransLink Transit Authority is the body of integrated public transport that covers rail, bus and ferry networks in South East Queensland, Australia...
- Cityferry
CityFerry is an inner city ferry service operated in Brisbane, Queensland by Metrolink Queensland, a joint venture of Brisbane City Council and French company, Transdev...
- Brisbane Ferries
This page deals with Brisbane ferry history, this covers non operational ferry services and private operational passenger and vehicular services such as Dutton Park Ferry, Moggill Vehicular Ferry and Bulimba Vehicular Ferry and pre translink council services...
External links