Brisbane to Canberra flights: Flight times and fare prices

Direct flights from Brisbane to Canberra flights are available with Qantas and Virgin Australia. Expect a Brisbane to Canberra flight time of around 1h45m.

Brisbane to Canberra flights are pretty much a necessity if you want to get from the Queensland capital to the Australian Capital Territory.

Canberra offers wine and distillery tours, plus guided visits to the National Museum of Australia. To investigate Canberra tour and experience options, head here. To find the best Canberra hotel deals, book here.

The drive from Brisbane to Canberra is nearly 1,200km long, and takes at least 12 hours. That’s feasible as a road trip, but not if you just want to get to the capital of Australia as quickly as possible. There’s an argument for driving from Sydney to Canberra, or undertaking the Melbourne to Canberra drive. But for Brisbane or Adelaide to Canberra, you’re realistically looking at domestic flights.

Direct Brisbane to Canberra flights

Mercifully, it’s not necessary to change planes in Sydney. There are some direct Brisbane to Canberra flights, with both Qantas and Virgin Australia flying the route.

Flights from Brisbane to Canberra are not the cheapest in Australia, but they’re by no means the most expensive. Competition between the two major Australian airlines keeps fares in affordable territory.

6 supreme Brisbane day trips that will improve your holiday

Moreton Island day trip – with kayaking, sandboarding and snorkelling or with dolphin-feeding and desert dunes adventure.
Springbrook National Park glowworms and rainforest tour – including Tamborine Skywalk.
Eumundi Markets day trip – Australia’s best markets, plus the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and Noosa.
North Stradbroke Island day tour – with cruise, wildlife spotting and guided walk.
Tamborine Mountain winery tour – with gourmet lunch.
Maialia rainforest walking and wildlife tour – visit lesser-known D’Aguilar National Park.

Brisbane to Canberra fare prices

The cheapest tickets on the Brisbane to Canberra flight route are generally around $169 with Virgin Australia. That’s for a one way ticket. If these sale fares are not available, then $219 seems to be a fairly standard introductory price.

There are dozens of options for indirect flights to Canberra from Brisbane, but these are rarely any cheaper. They also take much longer, so there’s really no advantage to going via Sydney.

Brisbane to Canberra flight time

The Brisbane to Canberra flight time seems to depend on which airline and aircraft you’re flying with. The quickest Brisbane to Canberra flights are with Qantas, taking an hour and 45 minutes. The Virgin Australia flights to Canberra from Brisbane are scheduled to take an hour and 50 minutes, but there are also some Qantas flights taking two hours and ten minutes.

Things to do in Canberra once you arrive include Parliament House visits, Lake Burley Griffin Segway tours, the Questacon science museum and the National Museum of Australia.

The top Canberra accommodation picks

There is a large selection of Canberra accommodation options. But these are particularly good choices…

The one with the highest guest rating: A By Adina Canberra.
For something cool and stylish: East Hotel and Apartments.
The one where the VIPs stay: Hyatt Hotel Canberra.
For high quality apartments: Quest Canberra City Walk.
For something much cheaper and family-focused: Alivio Tourist Park.

Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Photo courtesy of VisitCanberra

9 brilliant Brisbane experiences to book in advance

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary tickets (or entry plus river cruise combo) – hold a koala and see lots of adorable native wildlife.
Brisbane River cruise – see the key sights and learn about the city on the way.
Story Bridge Adventure Climb – walk along the top of Brisbane’s famous bridge, with 360 degree views.
Combine the Southbank Parklands, City Botanic Gardens and Kangaroo Point Cliffs on a fun Segway tour.
Helicopter flight – see the city from a bird’s eye view.
Kayaking tour – choose the night tour to see the city light up, the day tour to enjoy the sunshine.
XXXX brewery tour – see how Australia’s most famous beer is made.
Guided wine flight tasting – get an Aussie wine introductory course.
See Brisbane’s spooky side on a city centre ghost tour.