The first CityCat: how Brisbane's river ferries took off in 1996

CityCat ferries began running on the Brisbane River in November 1996. Nearly three decades later they carry the river's ferry traffic from the University of Queensland to Northshore Hamilton. This guide covers where the first boats came from, how the fleet has changed, and what you need to know to ride one today.

The short version

• CityCat service began in November 1996 with high-speed catamarans, each carrying 149 passengers.
• The network now has 22 terminals, from UQ St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton.
• Four generations of boats have followed the originals. The newest are double-deckers carrying 170.
• Brisbane City Council plans to retire two of the first-generation boats and offer them for sale.
• Bulimba terminal is closed from 9 November to mid-December 2026.

Before the CityCats

Ferries crossed the river long before the catamarans. The State Library of Queensland records a Customs House to Kangaroo Point ferry in the 1840s, and Kangaroo Point, Indooroopilly, Bulimba and Moggill ferries have all operated at various times. Some still do.

By the early 1990s the council's Cityferry fleet was being run by a private operator. Wikipedia's timeline records that River Connections took over the fleet in August 1991. The CityCats then arrived alongside it.

The first boats

The first-generation CityCats were built by Brisbane Ship Constructions. Sources differ on how many were running on day one. The State Library says four entered service in 1996, with two added later that year "due to the high level of demand" and two more in 1998. Wikipedia's fleet table lists six launched between November and December 1996, and it agrees on two more in 1998.

The original six were Kurilpa, Mirbarpa, Barrambin, Tugulawa, Mianjin and Binkinba. Mooroolbin and Baneraba followed in 1998. In December 1998 services east of Norman Park were withdrawn, and the Apollo Road service was reinstated in January 2007.

Growing up

By 2004 the service had passed five million trips. That year the first second-generation CityCat arrived and passenger numbers rose 26 per cent. After another second-generation boat in 2005, demand rose a further 31 per cent, according to Wikipedia's timeline.

The fleet has grown in generations:

• Second generation: 162 passengers, launched from 2004.
• Third generation: 162 passengers, launched from 2010.
• Fourth generation: 170 passengers, built by Aus Ships at Murarrie. The first, Yoogera, began operating on 26 November 2019, and the double-deckers have followed.

Floods and setbacks

On 10 January 2011 all ferry services were suspended ahead of the floods. The boats themselves escaped damage, but much of the infrastructure did not. Partial services resumed on 14 February 2011 using 15 repaired wharves, and six more wharves reopened on 18 April. The 19th CityCat, Spirit of Brisbane, launched in October 2011 to honour flood recovery volunteers.

The 2022 floods brought another loss. The second-generation Beenung-urrung sank on 1 March 2022. Sources differ on the cause: one says it was sunk in the floods, another describes a collision with a houseboat.

The 2020 reset

In July 2020 the ageing fleet's hulls became a problem. On 25 July 2020 the CityHopper and cross-river services were suspended over concerns about the ageing monohull ferries' hulls. The Bulimba to Teneriffe crossing resumed on 17 August 2020,. The old monohull ferries were later auctioned, in August 2022.

The next step was to fill the gap and renew the main fleet. In December 2019 the council had awarded Aus Ships a contract for six more fourth-generation CityCats at $3.73 million each, to replace first-generation boats. The CityCat Neville Bonner was launched in August 2020. On 4 November 2020 RiverCity Ferries took over operations from Transdev, and the smaller KittyCat cross-river ferries, five 12-metre catamarans leased from Captain Cook Cruises, began service the same month.

The fleet today

The council says it now operates 24 CityCats and 5 KittyCats. The free CityHopper service ended on 28 January 2025. In November 2025 the council announced the double-decker upgrade was complete with Mirbarpa II, which takes the name of the first-generation Mirbarpa. A prototype electric ferry, the EVCat, was announced on 14 June 2023, though the sources I read don't say how that has progressed.

Where the first boats are now

Brisbane City Council says it plans to retire two first-generation CityCats and make them available for sale to accredited operators. Its page doesn't name the vessels or give a date. Wikipedia's fleet table lists Barrambin and Mianjin as withdrawn in January 2021 and Kurilpa in June 2026, but the council hasn't confirmed which two are meant, so treat those details with caution.

Riding a CityCat today

According to the council:

• Route: the all-stops CityCat (F1) runs daily from UQ St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton.
• Express services: weekday peak periods only. Apollo Road to Riverside (F11) and West End to QUT Gardens Point (F12).
• Cross-river ferries: Bulimba to Teneriffe (F21), Dockside to Sydney Street (F22), Holman Street to Riverside (F23), and Maritime Museum to QUT Gardens Point (F24).
• Check which boat stops where: the council runs the all-stops CityCat (F1), two express routes and four cross-river KittyCat routes, and not every service calls at every terminal. See the CityCat guide and check Translink before you travel.
• Dogs: allowed at off-peak times only, 8.30am to 3.30pm and 7pm to 6am on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
• Timetables: check Translink for current times.
• This month: Bulimba terminal is closed from 9 November to mid-December 2026. Use Hawthorne and the F21 to Teneriffe instead.

Vessel counts and dates come from public sources that differ in places. Check Brisbane City Council and Translink for current details.

Sources: State Library of Queensland, Brisbane river ferries; Wikipedia, Transdev Brisbane Ferries and RiverCity Ferries; Brisbane City Council, CityCat and ferry services and Planned retirement of CityCat vessels; Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, Double-decker CityCat fleet now complete, 25 November 2025.