Now Cruising: Travelling to and From Howard Smith Wharves Via CityCat Has Finally Become a Reality

Getting to Howard Smith Wharves just got easier, especially travelling to the revamped space beneath the Story Bridge via the very thing it peers out over: the Brisbane River. While the site's ferry terminal opened in December 2021, and the CityHopper and Cross River Ferry Service have been servicing it since, the CBD spot is only now becoming part of the CityCat route.

From Monday, May 27, 2024, you can cruise into and out of Howard Smith Wharves all day each day. The first services start at 6.10am daily, and the last run at around 11.30pm on weeknights and midnight on weekends. So, there's no more needing to get off at Riverside and walk up to HSW — even if that stroll does come with a nice riverside vantage.

If you're thinking "finally", that's understandable. Any new riverside precinct in inner-city Brisbane was always going to need to be part of the CityCat network — and 45,000 people per year have already been getting to Howard Smith Wharves via the CityHopper and Cross River Ferry Service.

"Howard Smith Wharves is not only one of Brisbane's most beloved entertainment areas, but directly linked to the iconic Fortitude Valley precinct, so a permanent CityCat stop at the wharves makes perfect sense," said Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.

"The introduction of these daily services will mean that more people can easily travel between Howard Smith Wharves, the city and South Bank, as well as a host of other terminals along the river as they see the best of Brisbane."

The CityHopper and Cross River Ferry Service will keep running as they have been, giving folks a heap of ways to get to HSW via the river, but the CityHopper will move its timings by three minutes.

Howard Smith Wharves started opening in late 2018, giving Brisbane a riverside brewery in the heart of the city — plus everything from Japanese, Greek and Cantonese restaurants to an overwater bar. Since then, it's been making the most of its perch by the water in every way except one; however, that's changed now that it's part of the now-19 stop CityCat network.

Getting there and back via CityCat from Monday, August 5 will also only cost you 50 cents per journey for six months, when the Queensland Government slashes all Translink public transport fares to half a dollar for half a year.

CityCat services to and from Howard Smith Wharves, which is located at 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane, commenced on Monday, May 27, 2024. Head to the Translink website for timetables and further details.

Top image: Reuben Nutt.