Brisbane City Life Has Changed: 50-Cent Fares and New Homes

The colourful BRISBANE letters on the lawn at South Bank with the city towers and the Victoria Bridge behind them on a cloudy day

My own photo: the BRISBANE sign at South Bank, November 2026.

Brisbane City life has changed, and I only noticed because 50-cent fares got me going into the City again. For years we went in maybe once every few years. Now we go all the time, and each trip shows me something new. Old industrial suburbs are full of apartments, new bridges make it easy to get in, and the City feels more upmarket than the south side where I always thought the good life was.

I talk about it in Cantonese on my podcast, with English subtitles on screen:

Did 50-cent fares really change how often we go into the City?

Yes. Since Queensland made every TransLink trip 50 cents, we go into the City far more than before. It started as a trial in August 2024, and the government then made it permanent.

A blue and yellow CityCat ferry crossing the brown Brisbane River in front of the Victoria Bridge and the CBD towers

Fifty cents means we don't think about it any more. Whatever comes, we hop on. The buses and trains are cooler with the air-con, the seats feel more comfortable and the vehicles feel newer. So we stay out longer. The other day we tried tofu ice cream, just because we were already there.

Is the City now better than Brisbane's south side?

For shopping and eating out, it feels that way to me now. I used to think the south side was the best place to be, but I have to be honest: I hadn't seen much.

When your whole circle lives on the south side, of course you think the south side is the best. Everyone you know is there, so that is where you shop, eat and spend weekends. Going into the City more often showed me how narrow that view was. I may simply have been wrong.

Why does it feel like more people live in the City?

Because they do: you can see the apartments everywhere. Areas that were industrial when I first came to Brisbane are now mostly housing.

Brisbane CBD skyline seen across the river from South Bank, with heritage sandstone buildings in front of modern towers and a ferry on the water

West End used to be all industrial. So was Newstead. The Valley too. Now all three have a lot of new apartments. Add the City fringe and the suburbs out towards Toowong, and the whole inner ring feels like one big City rather than a CBD with suburbs around it.

The numbers back up the feeling. Several Brisbane property reports this year say apartment sales are growing faster than house sales, with younger buyers and downsizers choosing city living. Treat those as market commentary, not official data.

How easy is it to get into Brisbane City now?

Much easier than a few years ago. High-frequency buses link the inner suburbs, and new walking and cycling bridges cut across the river.

A white cable-stayed pedestrian bridge with a V-shaped mast crossing the Brisbane River in front of new city towers

Brisbane City Council finished the Kangaroo Point and Breakfast Creek green bridges in 2024, and there is a new pedestrian bridge between Queen's Wharf and South Bank. Some of my friends ride bikes or e-scooters, and they zip into the City in no time to try somewhere new to eat.

Has Brisbane City become more upmarket?

It feels a lot more upmarket than it used to. People seem happier to spend, and there are more trendy, photo-worthy shops and new restaurants.

A wall of pink hydrangeas, roses and purple wisteria decorated with blue and red butterflies in Brisbane City

Before, all of that was on the south side. If you wanted a new restaurant or the latest dessert shop, you drove south. Now a lot of it is in the City, a 50-cent ride away.

Why are more people choosing a City apartment over a big house?

The idea of a good life has shifted. People who were a bit better off used to live on the south side, in a big house on a big block with a big garage for the cars. Now more of them buy a nicer apartment in the City.

A wide stone terrace in Brisbane City with a gold-ribboned Christmas tree, an escalator and a view over the river

The difference is what the apartments offer. Older apartments didn't have a club house or shared facilities, and there wasn't much to like about them. Many new City apartments come with a club house and shared facilities, so you trade a big backyard for something more compact and more polished. That, to me, is what people mean by City Life.

I'm not saying one is better. A big house still makes sense for a lot of families, especially with kids and a car or two. But the choice is real now in a way it wasn't when I arrived.

So, has Brisbane City Life changed?

For us, yes. A small thing like a 50-cent fare got us out of our south-side routine, and once we started going in, we saw a City that has grown up. If you haven't been in for a while, take the bus or the CityCat and have a look.

I'd love to hear from you. Do you prefer a big house in the suburbs or an apartment in the City? Tell me in the YouTube comments.

More from Brisbane: my favourite Christmas photo spot in the City is Brisbane Arcade at Christmas, and if you're new here, read whether you can live in Brisbane speaking only Cantonese. For a day out, try a Movie World day trip from Brisbane, or browse my photo albums.

Sources

Queensland Government and TransLink: 50-cent fares on all TransLink services, trial from 5 August 2024, made permanent.
Brisbane City Council, Green Bridges program: Kangaroo Point and Breakfast Creek bridges completed in 2024.
Brisbane property market reports (2026) on apartment demand in the inner city. These are industry commentary, not official statistics.

Date checked: 15 November 2026. This article is based on my own Cantonese podcast; AI helped with the translation and the fact-checking. All photos are my own.