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Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
, and the third-most populous city in Australia and
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...
, which includes several other regional centres and cities. The central business district is situated within a peninsula of the Brisbane River about from its mouth at
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
. Brisbane is located in the hilly
floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
of the Brisbane River Valley between Moreton Bay and the
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...
and D'Aguilar
mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
s. It sprawls across several local government areas, most centrally the
City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...
. The demonym of Brisbane is ''Brisbanite''. The Aboriginal
traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have right ...
of Meanjin include the
Yugara The Jagera people, also written Yagarr, Yaggera, and other variants, are the Australian Aboriginal people who spoke the Yuggera language. The Yuggera language which encompassed a number of dialects was spoken by the traditional owners of the te ...
,
Turrbal The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the region of present-day Brisbane, Queensland. The name primarily referred to the dialect they spoke, the tribe itself being alternatively called ''Mianjin/Meanjin''. Mianjin was the Turrba ...
and Quandamooka peoples. Brisbane occupies the land of a number of Aboriginal language groups, primarily the Yugara language group which includes the Turrbal language. The
Moreton Bay penal settlement The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement operated from 1825 to 1842. It became the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established on the Redcliffe Peninsula on Moreton Bay in 1824, under the instruc ...
was founded in 1824 at Redcliffe as a place for secondary offenders from the Sydney colony, and soon moved to North Quay in 1825 on the banks of the Brisbane River, so named for Sir
Thomas Brisbane Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he had served, he was appoint ...
.
German Lutherans The religion of Protestantism, a form of Christianity, was founded within Germany in the 16th-century Reformation. It was formed as a new direction from some Roman Catholic principles. It was led initially by Martin Luther and later by John Cal ...
established the first free settlement of Zion Hill at Nundah in 1838, and in 1859 Brisbane was chosen as Queensland's capital when the state separated from
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. By the late 19th century, the city had grown into a major
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
and centre of immigration. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the Allied command in the
South West Pacific Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million as of ...
was based in the city, along with the headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur of the United States Army. Brisbane is classified as a global city,Schroders Global Cities Index
Schroders Schroders plc is a British multinational asset management company, founded in 1804. The company employs over 5,000 people worldwide in 32 locations around Europe, America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in the City of London, it ...
, 2019
and is a major centre of research and innovation in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in medicine and biotechnology. A transport hub, Brisbane is served by large
rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...
,
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
and ferry networks, as well as Brisbane Airport and the
Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland. ...
, Australia's third-largest seaport. A diverse city with over 32% of its metropolitan population being foreign-born, Brisbane is frequently ranked highly in lists of the most liveable cities. Galleries and museums are an important part of the city's culture, with the most prominent being the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art. Brisbane has hosted major events including the 1982 Commonwealth Games,
World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo wa ...
, the 2014 G20 summit, and will host the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Brisbane is a popular tourist destination. Major landmarks and attractions include
South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...
, the
City Botanic Gardens The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Poi ...
,
King George Square King George Square is a public square located between Adelaide Street and Ann Street (and between two sections of Albert Street) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brisbane City Hall is adjacent to the square. On 1 January 2004, King Ge ...
and City Hall, the
Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...
, the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and
Lookout A lookout or look-out is a person in charge of the observation of hazards. The term originally comes from a naval background, where lookouts would watch for other ships, land, and various dangers. The term has now passed into wider parlance. ...
and the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.


Name

Brisbane is named after the Brisbane River, which in turn was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, the governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825. The name is derived from the
Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
"''bris''", meaning "to break or smash" and the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
word "''ban''" meaning "
bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...
". Popular nicknames for the city include "Brissie", "Brisvegas" and the "River City". An historic nickname for Brisbane was "Queen City". Modern-day Brisbane sits on land known also as Meanjin, coming from the
Turrbal language Turrbal is an Aboriginal Australian language of Queensland. It is the language of the Turrbal people, who are the traditional owners and custodians of Brisbane. The Turrbal Association uses the Turrbal spelling and prefer this over other spelli ...
of the
traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have right ...
. Meanjin means "place shaped as a spike", referencing the shape of the Brisbane River along the area that Brisbane CBD now straddles.


History


Pre-colonisation

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...
lived in coastal South East Queensland for at least 22,000 years, with an estimated population between 6,000 and 10,000 individuals before European settlement in the 1820s. The traditional owners of Meanjin (Brisbane) include the
Yugara The Jagera people, also written Yagarr, Yaggera, and other variants, are the Australian Aboriginal people who spoke the Yuggera language. The Yuggera language which encompassed a number of dialects was spoken by the traditional owners of the te ...
,
Turrbal The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the region of present-day Brisbane, Queensland. The name primarily referred to the dialect they spoke, the tribe itself being alternatively called ''Mianjin/Meanjin''. Mianjin was the Turrba ...
and Quandamooka peoples. A website representing a Turrbal culture organisation claims that historical documents suggest that the Turrbal peoples were the only traditional owners of Meanjin when British settlers first arrived. Archaeological evidence suggests frequent habitation around the Brisbane River, and notably at the site now known as Musgrave Park. The rivers were integral to life and supplied an abundance of food included fish, shellfish, crab, and prawns. Good fishing places became campsites and the focus of group activities. The district was defined by open woodlands with rainforest in some pockets or bends of the Brisbane River. A resource-rich area and a natural avenue for seasonal movement, Meanjin was a way station for groups travelling to ceremonies and spectacles. The region had several large (200–600 person) seasonal camps, the biggest and most important located along waterways north and south of the current city heart: Barambin or "York's Hollow" camp (today's Victoria Park) and Woolloon-cappem (
Woolloongabba Woolloongabba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woolloongabba had a population of 5,631 people. Geography Woolloongabba is located south of the CBD. It contains the Brisbane Cricket Ground ('the Gabba') and t ...
/
South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people. Geography The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisba ...
), also known as Kurilpa. These camping grounds continued to function well into colonial times, and were the basis of European settlement in parts of Brisbane.


18th and 19th centuries

In 1770, British navigator James Cook, sailed through South Passage between the main offshore islands leading to the bay, which he named after
James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, KT, PRS (1702 – 12 October 1768) was a Scottish astronomer and representative peer who was president of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh from its foundation in 1737 until his death. He also became ...
, misspelled as "Moreton". Matthew Flinders initially explored the Moreton Bay area on behalf of the British authorities. On 17 July 1799, Flinders landed at present-day Woody Point, which he named "Red Cliff Point" after the red-coloured cliffs visible from the bay. In 1823 the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane, gave instructions for the development of a new northern penal settlement, and an exploration party led by John Oxley further explored Moreton Bay in November 1823. Oxley claimed, named, and explored the Brisbane River as far as
Goodna Goodna is a suburb on the eastern edge of the City of Ipswich in Queensland, Australia. In the , Goodna had a population of 10,461 people. Geography Goodna is from the Brisbane central business district, being just outside the Brisbane City ...
, upstream from the present-day central business district of Brisbane. Oxley recommended Red Cliff Point for the new colony, reporting that ships could land at any tide and easily get close to the shore. The
convict settlement A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer t ...
party landed in Redcliffe on 13 September 1824, under the command of Lieutenant
Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...
– the group included 14 soldiers (some with wives and children) and 29 convicts. However, the settlers abandoned this site after a year and moved to an area on the Brisbane River now known as North Quay, south, which offered a more reliable water-supply. The newly selected Brisbane region, at the time, was plagued by mosquitos. After visiting the Redcliffe settlement, Sir Thomas Brisbane then travelled up the Brisbane River in December 1824. Governor Brisbane stayed overnight in a tent and often landed ashore, thus bestowing upon the future Brisbane City the distinction of being the only Australian capital city visited by its namesake. Chief Justice
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
gave the new settlement the name of "Edenglassie" before it was named "Brisbane". The Corn Field Raids of 1827-1828 was a frontier conflict in the early
Moreton Bay Penal Settlement The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement operated from 1825 to 1842. It became the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established on the Redcliffe Peninsula on Moreton Bay in 1824, under the instruc ...
. The conflict consisted of
Turrbal The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the region of present-day Brisbane, Queensland. The name primarily referred to the dialect they spoke, the tribe itself being alternatively called ''Mianjin/Meanjin''. Mianjin was the Turrba ...
attempts to starve out the colony by repeated plundering and destruction of the maize fields in South Bank and Kangaroo Point. The penal settlement under the control of Captain
Patrick Logan Captain Patrick Logan (1791 – October 1830) was the commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement from 1826 until his death in 1830 at the hands of Aboriginal Australians who objected to him entering their lands. As he had been hated by co ...
(Commandant from 1826 to 1830) flourished, with the numbers of convicts increasing dramatically from around 200 to over 1,000 men. He developed a substantial settlement of brick and stone buildings, complete with school and hospital. He formed additional outstations and made several important journeys of exploration. Logan became infamous for his extreme use of the cat o' nine tails on convicts. The maximum allowed limit of lashes was 50; however, Logan regularly applied sentences of 150 lashes. Between 1824 and 1842, almost 2,400 men and 145 women were detained at the Moreton Bay convict settlement under the control of military commandants. Non-convict European settlement of the Brisbane region commenced in 1838 and the population grew strongly thereafter, with free settlers soon far outstripping the convict population. German missionaries settled at Zions Hill, Nundah as early as 1837, five years before Brisbane was officially declared a free settlement. The band consisted of ministers Christopher Eipper (1813–1894), Carl Wilhelm Schmidt, and lay missionaries Haussmann, Johann Gottried Wagner, Niquet, Hartenstein, Zillman, Franz, Rode, Doege and Schneider. They were allocated 260 hectares and set about establishing the mission, which became known as the German Station. Later in the 1860s many German immigrants from the
Uckermark The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, straddles the Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau. Geography The region is nam ...
region in
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
as well as from other German regions settled in the areas of Bethania,
Beenleigh Beenleigh is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Beenleigh had a population of 8,252 people. A government survey for the new town was conducted in 1866. The town is the terminus for the Beenl ...
and the
Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...
. These immigrants were selected and assisted through immigration programs established by John Dunmore Lang and
Johann Christian Heussler Johann Christian (John) Heussler (1820–1907) was a businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council. Early life Johann Christian Heussler was born at Bockenheim, Frankfurt, Germany o ...
and were offered free passage, good wages, and selections of land. Scottish immigrants from the ship arrived in Brisbane in 1849, enticed by Rev Dr John Dunmore Lang on the promise of free land grants. Denied land, the immigrants set up camp in York's Hollow waterholes in the vicinity of today's Victoria Park, Herston, Queensland. A number of the immigrants moved in and settled the suburb, naming it
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
after the ship on which they arrived. Free settlers entered the area from 1835, and by the end of 1840, Robert Dixon had begun work on the first plan of Brisbane Town, in anticipation of future development. The
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...
erected the Pugin Chapel in 1850, to the design by the gothic revivalist
Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...
. Letters patent dated 6 June 1859, proclaimed by Sir
George Ferguson Bowen Sir George Ferguson Bowen (; 2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899), was an Irish author and colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Mauritius and Hong Kong.R. B. Joy ...
on 10 December 1859, separated Queensland from New South Wales, whereupon Bowen became Queensland's first governor, with Brisbane chosen as the capital.
Old Government House Old Government House may refer to: * Old Government House, Parramatta, Australia * Old Government House, Queensland, Australia * Old Government House, South Australia, Australia * Old Government House, Hobart, Australia * Old Government House, ...
was constructed in 1862 to house Sir George Bowen's family, including his wife, the noblewoman Diamantina, Lady Bowen di Roma. During the tenure of
Lord Lamington Baron Lamington, of Lamington in the County of Lanark, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1880 for Alexander Baillie-Cochrane, a long-standing Conservative Member of Parliament and old friend of Benjamin Disra ...
, Old Government House was the likely site of the origin of Lamingtons. During the War of Southern Queensland, indigenous attacks occurred across the city, committing robberies and terrorising unarmed residents. "Reprisal raids" took place against the "Duke of York's clan" in Victoria Park in 1846 and 1849 by British soldiers of the 11th Regiment, however the clan had been wrongfully targeted as the attacks on Brisbane had not been committed by the
Turrbal The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the region of present-day Brisbane, Queensland. The name primarily referred to the dialect they spoke, the tribe itself being alternatively called ''Mianjin/Meanjin''. Mianjin was the Turrba ...
themselves but other tribes farther north. In 1855, Dundalli, a prominent leader during the conflict, was captured and executed by hanging at the present site of the GPO. In 1864, the Great Fire of Brisbane burned through the central parts of the city, destroying much of Queen Street. The 1860s were a period of economic and political turmoil leading to high unemployment, in 1866 hundreds of impoverished workers convened a meeting at the Treasury Hotel, with a cry for "bread or blood", rioted and attempted to ransack the Government store's. The
City Botanic Gardens The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Poi ...
were originally established in 1825 as a farm for the
Moreton Bay penal settlement The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement operated from 1825 to 1842. It became the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The Moreton Bay Penal Settlement was established on the Redcliffe Peninsula on Moreton Bay in 1824, under the instruc ...
, and were planted by convicts in 1825 with food crops to feed the prison colony. In 1855, several acres was declared a Botanic Reserve under the Superintendent
Walter Hill Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...
, a position he held until 1881. Some trees planted in the Gardens were among the first of their species to be planted in Australia, including the
jacaranda ''Jacaranda'' is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. The generic name is also used as the common name. The species ''Jacaranda mimosifolia'' has achie ...
and poinciana.
Charles Tiffin Charles Tiffin (1833–1873) was an English architect, who spent most of his career in Queensland, Australia where he held the post of Queensland Colonial Architect. Early life He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England where he studied und ...
was appointed as Queensland Government Architect in 1859, and pursued an intellectual policy in the design of public buildings based on
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...
and Renaissance revivalism, with such buildings as
Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...
, the Department of Primary Industries Building in 1866, and the
Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral st ...
built in 1867. The 1880s brought a period of economic prosperity and a major construction boom in Brisbane, that produced an impressive number of notable public and commercial buildings.
John James Clark John James Clark (23 January 1838 – 25 June 1915), an Australian architect, was born in Liverpool, England. Clark's 30 years in public service, in combination with 33 in private practice, produced some of Australia's most notable public buildin ...
was appointed Queensland Government Architect in 1883, and continuing in Tiffin's design for public buildings, asserted the propriety of the Italian Renaissance, drawing upon typological elements and details from conservative High Renaissance sources. Building in this trace of intellectualism, Clark designed the Treasury Building in 1886, and the Yungaba Immigration Centre in 1885. Other major works of the era include
Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
in 1889, and the Old Museum Building completed in 1891. Fort Lytton was constructed in 1882 at the mouth of the Brisbane river, to protect the city against foreign colonial powers such as
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, and was the only moated fort ever built in Australia. The city's slum district of Frog's Hollow, named so for its location being low-lying and swampy, was both the
red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...
of colonial Brisbane and its Chinatown, and was the site of prostitution, sly grog, and
opium den An opium den was an establishment in which opium was sold and smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America, and France. Throughout the West, opium dens were fr ...
s. In 1888, Frog's Hollow was the site of anti-Chinese riots, where more than 2000 people attacked Chinese homes and businesses. In 1893 Brisbane was affected by the Black February flood, when the Brisbane River burst its banks on three occasions in February and again in June in the same year, with the city receiving more than a year's rainfall during February 1893, leaving much of the city's population homeless. In 1896, the Brisbane river saw its worst maritime disaster with the capsize of the ferry Pearl, between the 80-100 people onboard there were only 40 survivors.


20th century

When the colonies united in a federation in 1901, celebrations were held in Brisbane to mark the event, with a
triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...
in Queen Street. In May that year, the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
) laid the
foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...
of St John's Cathedral, one of the great cathedrals of Australia. The
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
was founded in 1909 and first sited at
Old Government House Old Government House may refer to: * Old Government House, Parramatta, Australia * Old Government House, Queensland, Australia * Old Government House, South Australia, Australia * Old Government House, Hobart, Australia * Old Government House, ...
, which became vacated as the government planned for a larger residence. Fernberg House, built in 1865, became the temporary residence in 1910, and later made the permanent government house. In 1912, Tramway employees were stood down for wearing union badges which sparked Australia's first General strike, the 1912 Brisbane General Strike, which became known as Black Friday, for the savagery of the police baton charges on crowds of trade unionists and their supporters. In 1917, during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
conducted a raid on the Queensland Government Printing Office, with the aim of confiscating copies of
Hansard ''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official prin ...
that covered debates in the
Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral st ...
where anti-conscription sentiments had been aired. Russian immigration took place in the years 1911–1914. Many were radicals and revolutionaries seeking asylum from tsarist political repression in the final chaotic years of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
; considerable numbers were Jews escaping state-inspired pogroms. They had fled Russia via
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
and Northern China, most making their way to Harbin, in
Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...
, then taking passage from the port of Dalian to
Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
or Brisbane, the first Australian ports of call. Following the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, returned servicemen of the
First Australian Imperial Force The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 Au ...
were focused upon socialists and other elements of society that the ex-servicemen considered to be disloyal toward Australia.Coulthard-Clark 1998, pg. 165. Over the course of 1918–1919, a series of violent demonstrations and attacks known as the Red Flag riots, were waged throughout Brisbane. The most notable incident occurred on 24 March 1919, when a crowd of about 8,000 ex-servicemen clashed violently with police who were preventing them from attacking the Russian Hall in Merivale Street,
South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people. Geography The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisba ...
, which was known as the "Battle of Merivale Street". Over 20 small municipalities and shires were amalgamated in 1925 to form the City of Brisbane, governed by the
Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...
. A significant year for Brisbane was 1930, with the completion of Brisbane City Hall, then the city's tallest building and the
Shrine of Remembrance The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as The Shrine) is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but ...
, in ANZAC Square, which has become Brisbane's main war memorial. These historic buildings, along with the
Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...
which opened in 1940, are key landmarks that help define the architectural character of the city. Following the death of
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
in 1936, Albert square was widened to include the area which had been Albert Street, and renamed
King George Square King George Square is a public square located between Adelaide Street and Ann Street (and between two sections of Albert Street) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brisbane City Hall is adjacent to the square. On 1 January 2004, King Ge ...
in honour of the King. An
equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...
of the king and two
Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s were unveiled in 1938. In 1939, armed farmers marched on the
Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral st ...
and stormed the building in an attempt to take hostage the
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...
led by Labor Premier
William Forgan Smith William Forgan Smith (15 April 188725 September 1953) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of the state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in the state during the 1930s, and his populism, firm leadership ...
, in an event that became known as the "Pineapple rebellion". During World War II, Brisbane became central to the Allied campaign, since it was the northernmost city with adequate communications facilities, when the AMP Building (now called
MacArthur Central MacArthur Central, also known as MacArthur Central Shopping Centre, in Brisbane, Australia, is a four level shopping centre that incorporates an English Renaissance styled heritage-listed building known as MacArthur Chambers. MacArthur Central i ...
) was used as the headquarters for General MacArthur, until his headquarters were moved to Hollandia in August 1944. MacArthur had previously rejected use of the University of Queensland complex as his headquarters, as the distinctive bends in the river at St Lucia could have aided enemy bombers. Also used as a headquarters by the American troops during World War II was the T & G Building. About one million US troops passed through Australia during the war, as the primary co-ordination point for the South West Pacific. Wartime Brisbane was defined by the
racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...
of
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
servicemen,
prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
and sly grog, crime, and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...
s. In 1942, Brisbane was the site of a violent clash between visiting US military personnel and Australian servicemen and civilians, which resulted in one death and hundreds of injuries. This incident became known colloquially as the "
Battle of Brisbane The Battle of Brisbane was a riot between United States military personnel on one side and Australian servicemen and civilians on the other, in Brisbane, Queensland's capital city, on 26 and 27 November 1942, during which time the two nations w ...
". Post-war Brisbane had developed a "big country town" stigma, an image the city's politicians and marketers were very keen to remove. In the late 1950s, an anonymous poet known as The Brisbane Bard generated much attention to the city which helped shake this stigma. In 1955,
Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street and Whar ...
was the site of a terrorist incident involving shootings and bombs, by the German immigrant
Karl Kast Siegfred Karl Kast (c. 1916 – 1 December 1955) was a German immigrant to Australia who shot dead two doctors and unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb in Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, before committing suicide. Incident On Thursday, 1 De ...
. Despite steady growth, Brisbane's development was punctuated by infrastructure problems. The state government under
Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...
began a major programme of change and urban renewal, beginning with the central business district and inner suburbs.
Trams in Brisbane The Brisbane tramway network served the city of Brisbane, Australia, between 1885 and 1969. It ran on standard gauge track. The electric system was originally energised to 500 volts, and subsequently increased to 600 volts. All tramcars built in ...
were a popular mode of public transport until the network was closed in 1969, in part the result of the
Paddington tram depot fire The Paddington tram depot fire occurred on the night of 28 September 1962, and was one of the largest fires in Brisbane's history.Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...
, whose government was characterised by social conservatism and the use of police force against demonstrators, and which ended with the
Fitzgerald Inquiry The Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct (the Fitzgerald Inquiry; 1987–1989) into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry resulted ...
into police corruption, Brisbane developed a counterculture focused on the
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
, street marches and
Brisbane punk rock Brisbane punk rock had its main impact between 1975 and 1984 as part of the overall punk rock scene in Australia. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, the Queensland capital provided "some of the most anarchistic bands" of that er ...
music. In 1971, the touring
Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...
were to play against the Australian Rugby team. This was at a time of growing international opposition to South Africa's apartheid policies, and The Springbok's visit allowed the Queensland Premier, Bjelke-Petersen, to declare a state of emergency for a month. Violence erupted when several hundred demonstrators assembled outside a Brisbane motel on Thursday, 22 July 1971, where the Springbok team was staying. A second protest saw a large number of demonstrators assembled once more outside the Tower Mill Motel and after 15 minutes of peaceful protest, a brick was thrown into the motel room and police took action to clear the road and consequently disproportionate violence was used against demonstrators. In the lead up to the 1980s Queensland fell subject to many forms of censorship. In 1977 things had escalated from prosecutions and book burnings, under the introduction of the Literature Board of Review, to the statewide ban on protests and street marches. In September 1977 the Queensland Government introduced a ban on all street protests, resulting in a statewide civil liberties campaign of defiance. This saw two thousand people arrested and fined, with another hundred being imprisoned, at a cost of almost five million dollars to the State Government.Plunkett, Mark and Ralph Summy 'Civil Liberties in Queensland: A nonviolent political campaign.' "Social Alternatives" Vol 1 no. 6/7, 1980 p 73-90 Bjelke-Petersen publicly announced on 4 September 1977 that "the day of the political street march is over ... Don't bother to apply for a permit. You won't get one. That's government policy now." In response to this, protesters came up with the idea of Phantom Civil Liberties Marches where protesters would gather and march until the police and media arrived. They would then disperse, and gather together again until the media and police returned, repeating the process over and over again. The
Fitzgerald Inquiry The Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct (the Fitzgerald Inquiry; 1987–1989) into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry resulted ...
between 1987 and 1989 into
Queensland Police The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
, was a judicial inquiry presided over by
Tony Fitzgerald Gerald Edward "Tony" Fitzgerald (born 26 November 1941) is a former Australian judge, who presided over the Fitzgerald Inquiry. The report from the inquiry led to the resignation of the Premier of Queensland Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and the jaili ...
. The inquiry resulted in the resignation of the
Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Bjelke-Petersen Bjelke-Petersen is the name of an Australian family of Danish descent. The common ancestors of the Australian family are Georg Peter Bjelke-Petersen (born c. 1845), a Danish farmer and master-builder, and his wife Caroline Vilhelmine (maiden name ...
, the calling of two by-elections, the jailing of three former ministers and the Police Commissioner Terry Lewis (who also lost his knighthood). It also contributed to the end of the
National Party of Australia The National Party of Australia, also known as The Nationals or The Nats, is an List of political parties in Australia, Australian political party. Traditionally representing graziers, farmers, and regional voters generally, it began as the Au ...
's 32-year run as the governing political party in Queensland. In 1973, the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in the city's entertainment district, was firebombed that resulted in 15 deaths, in what is one of Australia's worst mass killings. The
1974 Brisbane flood In January 1974 a flood occurred in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia after three weeks of continual rain. The Brisbane River, which runs through the heart of the city, broke its banks and flooded the surrounding areas. The cyclone that produ ...
was a major disaster which temporarily crippled the city, and saw a substantial landslip at
Corinda Corinda is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Corinda had a population of 5,064 people. History The suburb takes its name from the Corinda railway station, which in turn was likely named after a local cattle stat ...
. During this era, Brisbane grew and modernised, rapidly becoming a destination of interstate migration. Some of Brisbane's popular landmarks were lost to development in controversial circumstances, including the Bellevue Hotel in 1979 and
Cloudland The Cloudland Dance Hall, originally called Luna Park, was a famous entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was demolished in 1982 and the site was subsequently developed into an apartment complex. On its ...
in 1982. Major public works included the
Riverside Expressway The Riverside Expressway is part of the Pacific Motorway that runs through Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located on the western side of the Brisbane CBD and is made up of various bridges and overpasses. The North Bank development is p ...
, the
Gateway Bridge The Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges are a side-by-side pair of road bridges on the Gateway Motorway (M1), which skirts the eastern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The western bridge carries traffic to the north and the eastern bridge car ...
, and later, the redevelopment of South Bank. Starting with the monumental Robin Gibson-designed
Queensland Cultural Centre The Queensland Cultural Centre is a heritage-listed cultural centre at Grey Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the South Bank precinct on the Brisbane River. It was built from 1976. The major compone ...
, with the first stage the
Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Gallery ...
completed in 1982, the
Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...
in 1985, and the
Queensland Museum The Queensland Museum is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist mu ...
in 1986. Brisbane hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games and
World Expo 88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of the Expo wa ...
. These events were accompanied by a scale of public expenditure, construction, and development not previously seen in the state of Queensland. Brisbane's population growth far exceeded the national average in the last two decades of the 20th century, with a high level of interstate migration from
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
and New South Wales. In the late 1980s Brisbane's inner-city areas were struggling with economic stagnation, urban decay and crime which resulted in an exodus of residents and business to the suburban fringe, in the early 1990s the city undertook an extensive and successful urban renewal of the Woolstore precinct as well as the development of
South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...
.


21st century

Brisbane was impacted by major floods in January 2011 and
February 2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
. The Brisbane River did not reach the same height as the previous 1974 flood on either occasion, but caused extensive disruption and damage to infrastructure. The
Queensland Cultural Centre The Queensland Cultural Centre is a heritage-listed cultural centre at Grey Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the South Bank precinct on the Brisbane River. It was built from 1976. The major compone ...
was also expanded, with the completion of the
State Library A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...
and the Gallery of Modern Art in 2006, and the
Kurilpa Bridge The Kurilpa Bridge (originally known as the Tank Street Bridge) is a 63 million pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The bridge connects Kurilpa Point in South Brisbane to Tank Street in th ...
in 2009, the world's largest hybrid
tensegrity Tensegrity, tensional integrity or floating compression is a structural principle based on a system of isolated components under compression inside a network of continuous tension, and arranged in such a way that the compressed members (usually ...
bridge. Brisbane also hosted major international events including the final
Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...
in 2001, the Rugby League World Cup Final in 2008 and again in 2017, as well as the
2014 G20 Brisbane summit The 2014 G20 Brisbane summit was the ninth meeting of the G20 heads of government/heads of state.
. Population growth has continued to be among the highest of the Australian capital cities in the first two decades of the 21st century, and major infrastructure including the
Howard Smith Wharves Howard Smith Wharves is a heritage-listed wharf on the Brisbane River at Boundary Street, Brisbane City and Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to 1940s circa. It is also known as Brisbane Central Wha ...
,
Roma Street Parklands Roma Street Parkland covers 11 hectares in the centre of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Roma Street Parkland is adjacent to Brisbane Transit Centre and the Roma Street railway station from which it takes its name (the park ...
,
Queens Wharf Queens Wharf is a multi-purpose venue in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia with a cafe, pub, restaurant, observation tower and ferry wharf built as part of the redevelopment of the Hunter River foreshore. Opened in May 1988 by Queen Elizabet ...
, the
Brisbane Riverwalk The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Gov ...
, the Queen's Wharf casino and resort precinct, the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, the
Clem Jones Clem Jones AO (16 January 191815 December 2007), a surveyor by profession, was the longest serving Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, representing the Labor Party from 1961 to 1975. He was chair of the Darwin Reconstruction Commission from 19 ...
, Airport Link, and
Legacy Way The M5 Legacy Way (formerly Northern Link Tunnel) is a long tunnel linking the Western Freeway at Toowong and the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove, Brisbane. The project consisted of two bored tunnels carrying two motorway grade lanes of tr ...
road tunnels, and the
Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
,
Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...
,
Redcliffe Peninsula The Redcliffe Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Moreton Bay Region LGA in the northeast of the Brisbane metropolitan area in Queensland, Australia. The area covers the suburbs of Clontarf, Kippa-Ring, Margate, Newport, Redcliffe, Ro ...
and
Cross River Rail Cross River Rail is an underground railway project through central Brisbane, which is, , under construction. Cross River Rail will see the development of a new rail line underneath Brisbane River, and the redevelopment of a number of stations ...
railway lines have been completed or are under construction. Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.


Geography and environment

Brisbane is in the southeast corner of Queensland. The city is centred along the Brisbane River, and its eastern suburbs line the shores of Moreton Bay, a bay of the Coral Sea. The greater Brisbane region is on the coastal plain east of the
Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...
, with the
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...
and D'Aguilar ranges extending into the metropolitan area. Brisbane's metropolitan area sprawls along the Moreton Bay floodplain between the
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
and
Sunshine Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
coasts, approximately from
Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 26,433 people. It is located on the north side of the Caboolture River, which separates the town from Morayfi ...
in the north to
Beenleigh Beenleigh is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Beenleigh had a population of 8,252 people. A government survey for the new town was conducted in 1866. The town is the terminus for the Beenlei ...
in the south, and across to
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
in the south west. Brisbane is sited on the ''Meanjin'' () land of the Turrbal peoples. The Brisbane River is a wide
tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
and its waters throughout most of the metropolitan area are
brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
and
navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against dir ...
. The river takes a winding course through the metropolitan area with many steep curves from the southwest to its mouth at Moreton Bay in the east. The metropolitan area is also traversed by several other rivers and creeks including the
North Pine North Pine Sports Club is an Australian football (soccer) club from Dakabin, a suburb of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The club currently play in the Capital League 1 after relegation from Brisbane Premier League in 2016. History North ...
and South Pine rivers in the northern suburbs, which converge to form the Pine River estuary at
Bramble Bay Bramble Bay is an embayment of Moreton Bay in South East Queensland, Australia. The Brisway map reference is 12 H5, or see page 91 G19 in Refidex. The Houghton Highway, Hornibrook Bridge and Ted Smout Memorial Bridge span Bramble Bay, connectin ...
, the
Caboolture River The Caboolture River is a small river in South East Queensland, Australia. Location and features Formed by runoff from the D'Aguilar Range, the Caboolture River rises below near and flows generally east, joined by two minor tributaries and fl ...
further north, the
Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gover ...
and
Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...
rivers in the south-eastern suburbs, and
tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
of the Brisbane River including the Bremer River in the south-western suburbs,
Breakfast Creek The Breakfast Creek ( Aboriginal: ''Barrambin'') is a small urban stream that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Course and features Rising as the Enoggera Creek ...
in the inner-north, Norman Creek in the inner-south,
Oxley Creek The Oxley Creek ( Yagara: ''Benarrawa'') is a creek that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Rising in the low hills in Scenic Rim Region, water from the large ...
in the south,
Bulimba Creek Bulimba Creek, originally known as Doboy Creek or Doughboy Creek, is a perennial stream that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Course and features The Bulimba C ...
in the inner south-east and
Moggill Creek Moggill Creek is a creek in Brisbane, the largest city in Queensland, Australia. The creek rises on the Taylor Range and runs in a south-easterly direction from the southern edge of Brisbane Forest Park in Kholo and Pullenvale, flowing through ...
in the west. The city is on a low-lying
floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
, with the risk of flooding addressed by various state and local government regulations and plans. The waters of Moreton Bay are sheltered from large swells by
Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...
,
Stradbroke Stradbroke ( ) is an English village in the Mid Suffolk district of the county of Suffolk. The ''Census'' of 2011 gave the parish a population of 1,408, with an estimate of 1,513 in 2018. Heritage The village was listed in the Domesday Book ...
and Bribie islands, so whilst the bay can become rough in windy conditions, the waves at the Moreton Bay coastline are generally not surfable. Unsheltered surf beaches lie on the eastern coasts of
Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...
,
Stradbroke Stradbroke ( ) is an English village in the Mid Suffolk district of the county of Suffolk. The ''Census'' of 2011 gave the parish a population of 1,408, with an estimate of 1,513 in 2018. Heritage The village was listed in the Domesday Book ...
and Bribie islands and on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast to the north and south. The southern part of Moreton Bay also contains smaller islands such as St Helena Island,
Peel Island Peel Island (Indigenous, Janday: ''Teerk Roo Ra'', also and more phonetically spelled 'Jercuruba' or 'Jercroobai' ) is a small heritage-listed island located in Moreton Bay, east of Brisbane, in South East Queensland, Australia. The island i ...
,
Coochiemudlo Island Coochiemudlo Island is a small island in the southern part of Moreton Bay, near Brisbane, in South East Queensland, Australia. It is also the name of the locality upon the island, which is within the local government area of Redland City. In th ...
, Russell Island, Lamb Island and
Macleay Island Macleay Island is an island in Moreton Bay, South East Queensland, Australia. The island constitutes a town and locality within the City of Redland. In the , the locality of Macleay Island had a population of 2,681 people. Geography Maclea ...
. The city of Brisbane is hilly. The urban area, including the central business district, are partially elevated by spurs of the Herbert Taylor Range, such as the summit of
Mount Coot-tha Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , there were no residents in the suburb. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mou ...
, reaching up to and
Enoggera Hill Enoggera Hill is a small mountain of the Taylor Range in Australia in the Brisbane suburb of Enoggera, in Queensland, with a peak of 273 meters (896 feet) above sea level. Enoggera Hill is close to Mount Coot-tha and like this peak, it is mos ...
. The
D'Aguilar National Park D'Aguilar National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia. It contains the D'Aguilar Range and is located along the northwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The park is traversed by the winding scenic Mount Nebo Road and Mount Glor ...
, encompassing the
D'Aguilar Range The D'Aguilar Range is a mountain range near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The town of Dayboro, Queensland, Dayboro is situated on the lower foothills midway along the range and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland town of Mooloolah, Queensland, ...
, bounds the north-west of Brisbane's built-up area, and contains the taller peaks of
Mount Nebo Mount Nebo ( ar, جَبَل نِيبُو, Jabal Nībū; he, , Har Nəḇō) is an elevated ridge located in Jordan, approximately above sea level. Part of the Abarim mountain range, Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses ...
,
Camp Mountain Camp Mountain is a rural locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Camp Mountain had a population of 1,416 people. Geography Camp Mountain is near Samford, north-west of the Brisbane central business district. The ...
, Mount Pleasant,
Mount Glorious Mount Glorious is a rural locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mount Glorious had a population of 296 people. Geography Mount Glorious is a mountain which is part of the D'Aguilar Range and is a suburb in Moreton ...
,
Mount Samson Mount Samson is a rural Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mount Samson had a population of 594 people. Geography Mount Samson is about halfway between Samford, Queensland, S ...
and Mount Mee. Other prominent rises in Brisbane are
Mount Gravatt Mount Gravatt is a southern suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and a prominent hill and lookout within this suburb (). In the , Mount Gravatt had a population of 3,366 people. Geography The suburb is situated in the south- ...
,
Toohey Mountain Toohey Mountain is a mountain at the eastern side of the City of Brisbane's suburb of Moorooka. The rise was named after James Toohey, an Irish born Sydneysider who made his wealth in the California gold rush, before settling in the newly for ...
,
Mount Petrie Mount Petrie is a mountain in the south east of the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The 170 metre rise is sometimes referred to as Petrie Hill. It elevates semi-rural residential parts in the suburbs of Mackenzie and Burbank. Th ...
, Highgate Hill,
Mount Ommaney Mount Ommaney is a south-western riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The mountain of the same name is located within the locality (). In the , Mount Ommaney had a population of 2,360 people. Geography Mount Omman ...
, Stephens Mountain, and
Whites Hill Whites Hill is a hill in the suburb of Camp Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Surrounding the hill is Whites Hill Reserve, a public reserve occupying the south of the suburbs of Camp HIll and Carina Heights. The reserve covers an ...
, which are dotted across the city. Much of the rock upon which Brisbane is located is the characteristic
Brisbane tuff Brisbane tuff is a type of rock, formed as a result of a volcanic eruption. As the name suggests, it is a type of tuff found in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a form of welded ignimbrite. Brisbane tuff comes in a variety of colours: pin ...
, a form of welded
ignimbrite Ignimbrite is a type of volcanic rock, consisting of hardened tuff. Ignimbrites form from the deposits of pyroclastic flows, which are a hot suspension of particles and gases flowing rapidly from a volcano, driven by being denser than the surrou ...
, which is most prominently found at the
Kangaroo Point Cliffs The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are heritage-listed cliffs located at Kangaroo Point just across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. A popular recreation spot, especially for climbing and running, they are convenientl ...
at Kangaroo Point and the New Farm Cliffs on the
Petrie Bight Petrie Bight is a reach (geography), reach of the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The land to the north of the bight, centred on the area under the Story Bridge's northern point and around the Brisbane River to Customs House, B ...
reach of the Brisbane River. The stone was used in the construction of historical buildings such as the Commissariat Store and Cathedral of St Stephen, and the roadside kerbs in inner areas of Brisbane are still manufactured of Brisbane tuff.


Ecology

Brisbane is located within the
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...
biogeographic region An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
, and is home to numerous
Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
varieties. Common trees in Brisbane include the
Moreton Bay fig ''Ficus macrophylla'', commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig or Australian banyan, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia, from the Wide Bay–Burnett region in the north to the Illawarra in New So ...
, an evergreen
banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...
with large
buttress roots Buttress roots also known as plank roots are large, wide roots on all sides of a shallowly rooted tree. Typically, they are found in nutrient-poor tropical forest soils that may not be very deep. They prevent the tree from falling over (hence t ...
named for the region which are often lit with decorative lights in the inner city, as well as the
jacaranda ''Jacaranda'' is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. The generic name is also used as the common name. The species ''Jacaranda mimosifolia'' has achie ...
, a subtropical tree native to
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
which line many avenues and parks and bloom with purple flowers during October. Other trees common to the metropolitan area include Moreton Bay chestnut, broad-leaved paperbark, poinciana, weeping lilli pilli and
Bangalow palm ''Archontophoenix cunninghamiana'' (Bangalow palm, king palm, Illawara palm, ''piccabben'', ''piccabeen'') is an Australian palm. It can grow over 20 m tall. Its flower colour is violet and the red fruits are attractive to birds. It flowers i ...
. Some of the banks of the Brisbane River and
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
are home to
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
wetlands. Brisbane is home to numerous bird species, with common species including
rainbow lorikeet The rainbow lorikeet (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six ...
s,
kookaburra Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...
s,
galah The galah (; ''Eolophus roseicapilla''), also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus ''Eolophus'' of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the co ...
s,
Australian white ibis The Australian white ibis (''Threskiornis molucca'') is a wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia. It has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and blac ...
es,
Australian brushturkey The Australian brushturkey or Australian brush-turkey or gweela (''Alectura lathami''), also frequently called the scrub turkey or bush turkey, is a common, widespread species of mound-building bird from the family Megapodiidae found in eastern ...
s,
Torresian crow The Torresian crow (''Corvus orru''), also called the Australian crow or Papuan crow, is a passerine bird in the crow family native to the north and west of Australia and nearby islands in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The species has a black ...
s,
Australian magpie The Australian magpie (''Gymnorhina tibicen'') is a black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. Although once considered to be three separate species, it is now considered to be one, with nine recognised subs ...
s and
noisy miner The noisy miner (''Manorina melanocephala'') is a bird in the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae, and is endemic to eastern and southeastern Australia. This miner is a grey bird, with a black head, orange-yellow beak and feet, a distinctive yellow ...
s. Common reptiles include
common garden skink The common garden skink (''Lampropholis guichenoti'') is a small species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Additional common names for ''L. guichenoti'' include grass skink, Guichenot's grass skink, pale-fle ...
s,
Australian water dragon The Australian water dragon (''Intellagama lesueurii''), which includes the eastern water dragon (''Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii'' ) and the Gippsland water dragon (''Intellagama lesueurii howittii'' ) subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species ...
s,
bearded dragons ''Pogona'' is a genus of reptiles containing six lizard species which are often known by the common name bearded dragons. The name "bearded dragon" refers to the underside of the throat (or "beard") of the lizard, which can turn black and gain we ...
and blue-tongued lizards.
Common ringtail possum The common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'', Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, ...
s and
flying foxes ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Austra ...
are common in parks and yards throughout the city, as are common crow butterflies, blue triangle butterflies, golden orb-weaver spiders and St Andrew's Cross spiders. The Brisbane River is home to many fish species including yellowfin bream, flathead,
Australasian snapper The Australasian snapper (''Chrysophrys auratus'') or silver seabream is a species of porgie found in coastal waters of Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and New Zealand. Its distribution areas in the Northern and ...
, and
bull shark The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...
s. The waters of
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
are home to
dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...
s,
humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...
s,
dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...
s,
mud crabs Mud crab may refer to any crab that lives in or near mud, such as: *''Scylla serrata'' *''Scylla tranquebarica'' *''Scylla paramamosain'' *''Scylla olivacea'' *Members of the family Panopeidae, such as '' Panopeus herbstii'' *Members of the fam ...
, soldier crabs,
Moreton Bay bug ''Thenus orientalis'' is a species of slipper lobster from the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. ''T. orientalis'' is known by a number of common names. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization prefers the na ...
s and numerous
shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...
species.


Climate

Brisbane has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Cwa/Cfa'') with hot, wet summers and moderately dry, moderately warm winters. Brisbane experiences an annual mean minimum of and mean maximum of , making it Australia's second-hottest capital city after Darwin. Seasonality is not pronounced, and average maximum temperatures of above persist from October through to April. Due to its proximity to the Coral Sea and a warm ocean current, Brisbane's overall temperature variability is somewhat less than most Australian capitals. Summers are long, hot, and wet, but temperatures only occasionally reach or more. Eighty percent of summer days record a maximum temperature of . Winters are short and warm, with average maximums of about ; maximum temperatures below are rare. The city's highest recorded temperature was on
Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...
1940 at the Brisbane Regional Office, with the highest temperature at the current station being on 22 February 2004; but temperatures above are uncommon. On 19 July 2007, Brisbane's temperature fell below the freezing point for the first time since records began, registering at the airport station. The city station has never dropped below , with the average coldest night during winter being around , however locations in the west of the metropolitan area such as
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
have dropped as low as with heavy ground frost. In 2009, Brisbane recorded its hottest winter day (from June to August) at on 24 August; The average July day however is around with sunny skies and low humidity, occasionally as high as , whilst maximum temperatures below are uncommon and usually associated with brief periods of cloud and winter rain. The highest minimum temperature ever recorded in Brisbane was on 29 January 1940 and again on 21 January 2017, whilst the lowest maximum temperature was on 12 August 1954. Annual precipitation is ample. From November to March, thunderstorms are common over Brisbane, with the more severe events accompanied by large damaging hail stones, torrential rain and destructive winds. On an annual basis, Brisbane averages 124 clear days. Dewpoints in the summer average at around ; the
apparent temperature Apparent temperature, also known as feels like, is the temperature equivalent perceived by humans, caused by the combined effects of air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. The measure is most commonly applied to the perceived outdoo ...
exceeds on almost all summer days. Brisbane's wettest day occurred on 21 January 1887, when of rain fell on the city, the highest maximum daily rainfall of Australia's capital cities. The wettest month on record was February 1893, when of rain fell, although in the last 30 years the record monthly rainfall has been a much lower from December 2010. Very occasionally a whole month will pass with no recorded rainfall, the last time this happened was August 1991. The city has suffered four major floods since its founding, in February 1893, January 1974 (partially a result of
Cyclone Wanda In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
), January 2011 (partially a result of
Cyclone Tasha Tropical Cyclone Tasha was a short-lived, but devastating tropical cyclone that exacerbated widespread floods in Queensland, Australia during the 2010 Christmas holiday. Meteorological history Tropical Cyclone Tasha was first identified on 24& ...
) and
February 2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
. Brisbane is within the southern reaches of the
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
risk zone. Full-strength tropical cyclones rarely affect Brisbane, but occasionally do so. The biggest risk is from ex-tropical cyclones, which can cause destructive winds and flooding rains. The average annual temperature of the sea ranges from in July to in February.


Urban structure

The
Brisbane central business district Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...
(CBD, colloquially referred to as "the city") lies in a curve of the Brisbane river. The CBD covers and is walkable. Most central streets are named after members of the
House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...
. Queen Street (named in honour of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
) is Brisbane's traditional main street and contains its largest
pedestrian mall Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
, the
Queen Street Mall The Queen Street Mall is a pedestrian mall located on Queen Street in the centre of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The mall extends approximately from George Street to Edward Street, and has more than 700 retailers over of retail spa ...
. Streets named after female members (
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Alice,
Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
,
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
,
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
,
Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
, and Mary Street, Brisbane, Mary) run parallel to Queen Street and perpendicular to streets named after male members (Albert Street, Brisbane, Albert, Edward Street, Brisbane, Edward, George Street, Brisbane, George, and William Street, Brisbane, William). The CBD's Town square, squares include
King George Square King George Square is a public square located between Adelaide Street and Ann Street (and between two sections of Albert Street) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brisbane City Hall is adjacent to the square. On 1 January 2004, King Ge ...
, Post Office Square, Brisbane, Post Office Square and ANZAC Square (home to the city's central war memorial). Brisbane's metropolitan area is broadly and colloquially divided into the "northside" and the "southside", with the dividing line being the Brisbane River, as crossing one of the 15 Bridges over the Brisbane River, bridges across the river is required to travel to the opposite side by land transport. This results in many areas which are south of the CBD being classified as located in the "northside", and vice versa, as a result of the river's winding trajectory. In addition to being classified as located on the "northside" or "southside" there are further broad and colloquial regions such as the "westside' for some areas to the southwest of the CBD and the "bayside" for areas located on the coast of
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
. Greater Brisbane had a density of in 2021. Like most Australian cities, Brisbane has a sprawling metropolitan area which takes in excess of one hour to traverse either north to south or east to west by car without traffic. From the 1970s onwards, there has been a large increase in the construction of apartment developments, including low-rise building, mid-rise and high-rise building, high rise buildings, which has quickened in the 21st century. At the 2021 census, 73.4% of residents lived in Single-family detached home, separate houses, 14.7% lived in apartments, and 11.4% lived in townhouses, terrace houses, or semidetached houses.


Parklands

Brisbane's major parklands include the riverside
City Botanic Gardens The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Poi ...
at Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point, Roma Street Parkland, the 27-hectare Victoria Park at Spring Hill, Queensland, Spring Hill and Herston,
South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...
along the river at South Bank, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane Botanic Gardens at
Mount Coot-tha Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , there were no residents in the suburb. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mou ...
and the riverside New Farm Park at New Farm, Queensland, New Farm. There are many national parks surrounding the Brisbane metropolitan area. The
D'Aguilar National Park D'Aguilar National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia. It contains the D'Aguilar Range and is located along the northwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The park is traversed by the winding scenic Mount Nebo Road and Mount Glor ...
is a major national park along the northwest of the metropolitan area in the
D'Aguilar Range The D'Aguilar Range is a mountain range near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The town of Dayboro, Queensland, Dayboro is situated on the lower foothills midway along the range and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland town of Mooloolah, Queensland, ...
. The Glass House Mountains National Park is located to the north of the metropolitan area in the Glass House Mountains, Queensland, Glass House Mountains and provides green space between the Brisbane metropolitan area and the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast. The Tamborine National Park at Tamborine Mountain is located in the Gold Coast hinterland to the south of the metropolitan area. The eastern metropolitan area is built along the Moreton Bay Marine Park, encompassing
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
. Significant areas of
Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...
, North Stradbroke Island, North Stradbroke and Bribie islands also covered by the Moreton Island National Park, Naree Budjong Djara National Park and the Bribie Island National Park respectively. The Boondall Wetlands in the suburb of Boondall, Queensland, Boondall include 1,100 hectares of wetlands which are home to Australian mangroves, mangroves and wader, shorebirds as well as walking tracks.


Architecture

Brisbane has a number of heritage buildings, some of which date back to the 1820s, including The Old Windmill, Brisbane, The Old Windmill in Wickham Park, Brisbane, Wickham Park, built by convict labour in 1824, which is the oldest surviving building in Brisbane, and the Commissariat Store on William Street, Brisbane, William Street, built by convict labour in 1828, which was originally used as a grainhouse, and is now the home of the Royal Historical Society of Brisbane and contains a museum. Other 19th and early 20th-century buildings of architectural significance include the Treasury Building, City Hall,
Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
, the Land Administration Building, MacArthur Chambers, The Mansions, Brisbane, The Mansions, the National Australia Bank (308 Queen Street), National Australia Bank Building and the Federation style People's Palace, Brisbane, People's Palace, a former temperance hotel on Edward Street, Brisbane, Edward Street. Queenslander (architecture), Queenslander-style housing is common in Brisbane. Queenslander homes typically feature timber construction with large verandahs, gable roof, gabled corrugated iron roofs, and high ceilings. Most of these houses are elevated on stumps (also called "stilts"), traditionally built of timber, which allow for a void under the houses which aids in cooling. The relatively low cost of timber in south-east Queensland meant that until recently, most residences were constructed of timber, rather than brick or stone. Early legislation decreed a minimum size for residential blocks leading to few terrace houses being constructed in Brisbane. The high-density housing that historically existed came in the form of miniature Queenslander (architecture), Queenslander-style houses which resemble the much larger traditional styles, but are sometimes only one-quarter the size. These houses are most common in the inner-city suburbs. Brisbane is home to several of List of tallest buildings in Australia, Australia's tallest buildings. All of Brisbane's skyscrapers (buildings with a height greater than 150 metres) are located within the CBD, but the inner suburbs are also home to a number of high-density buildings. Brisbane's 91-metre City Hall was the city's tallest building for decades after its completion in 1930 and was finally surpassed in 1970, which marked the beginning of the widespread construction of high-rise buildings. List of tallest buildings in Brisbane, Brisbane's tallest building is currently Brisbane Skytower, which has a height of 270 metres. Architecturally prominent skyscrapers include the Harry Seidler-designed Riparian Plaza, One One One Eagle Street, which incorporates LED lighting resembling the buttress roots of the
Moreton Bay fig ''Ficus macrophylla'', commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig or Australian banyan, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia, from the Wide Bay–Burnett region in the north to the Illawarra in New So ...
, and 1 William Street, Brisbane, 1 William Street, the executive headquarters of the
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...
.


Demographics

Brisbane's Greater Capital City Statistical Area includes the Local Government Areas of
City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...
, City of Ipswich, Moreton Bay Region, Logan City and Redland City, as well as parts of Lockyer Valley Region, Scenic Rim Region and Somerset Region, which form a continuous metropolitan area. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that the population of Greater Brisbane is 2,560,720 as of June 2020, making it the List of cities in Australia by population, third-largest city in Australia.


Ancestry and immigration

At the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were: The 2021 census showed that 31.7% of Brisbane's inhabitants were Immigration to Australia, born overseas and 52.2% of inhabitants had at least one parent born overseas. Brisbane has the Foreign born#Metropolitan and Urban regions with largest foreign born populations, 26th largest immigrant population among world metropolitan areas. Of inhabitants born outside of Australia, the five most prevalent countries of birth were New Zealand, England, India, Mainland China and the Philippines. The areas of Sunnybank, Queensland, Sunnybank, Sunnybank Hills, Queensland, Sunnybank Hills, Stretton, Queensland, Stretton, Robertson, Queensland, Robertson, Calamvale, Queensland, Calamvale, MacGregor, Queensland, Macgregor, Eight Mile Plains, Queensland, Eight Mile Plains, Runcorn, Queensland, Runcorn and Rochedale, Queensland, Rochedale, are home to a large proportion of Brisbane's Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong-born population, with Chinese being the most commonly-reported ancestry in each of these areas. The Vietnamese-born are the largest immigrant group in Inala, Queensland, Inala, Darra, Queensland, Darra, Durack, Queensland, Durack, Willawong, Queensland, Willawong, Richlands, Queensland, Richlands and Doolandella, Queensland, Doolandella. The Indian-born are the largest immigrant group in Chermside, Queensland, Chermside. At the 2021 census, 3.0% of Brisbane's population identified as being Indigenous Australians, Indigenous —
Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...
and Torres Strait Islanders.


Language

At the 2021 census, 77.3% of inhabitants spoke only English at home, with the next most common languages being Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin (2.5%), Vietnamese language, Vietnamese (1.1%), Punjabi language, Punjabi (0.9%), Cantonese (0.9%) and Spanish language, Spanish (0.8%).


Religion

At the 2021 census, the most commonly cited religious affiliation was "No religion" (41.4%). Brisbane's most popular religion at the 2021 census was Christianity at 44.3%, the most popular denominations of which were Catholic Church in Australia, Catholicism (18.6%) and Anglican Church of Australia, Anglicanism (9.7%). Brisbane central business district, Brisbane's CBD is home to two cathedrals – St John's Cathedral (Brisbane), St John's (Anglican) and Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane, St Stephen's (Catholic). The most popular non-Christian religions at the 2021 census were Hinduism, Hindu (2%), Buddhism, Buddhist (1.9%) and Islam, Muslim (1.8%).


Economy

Globalization and World Cities Research Network, Categorised as a global city, Brisbane is among Asia-Pacific List of cities by GDP, cities with largest GDPs and is one of the major business hubs in Australia, with strengths in mining, banking, insurance, transportation, information technology, real estate and food industry, food. Some of the largest companies headquartered in Brisbane, all among Australia's largest, include Suncorp Group, Virgin Australia, Aurizon, Bank of Queensland, Flight Centre, CUA (company), CUA, Sunsuper, QSuper, Domino's Pizza Enterprises, Star Entertainment Group, ALS Limited, ALS, TechnologyOne, NEXTDC, Super Retail Group, New Hope Coal, Jumbo Interactive, National Storage, Collins Foods and Boeing Australia. Most major Australian companies, as well as numerous international companies, have contact offices in Brisbane. Brisbane throughout its history has been one of Australia's most important seaport cities. The
Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland. ...
is located at the Brisbane River's mouth on
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
and on the adjacent Fisherman's Island, created by means of land reclamation. It is the 3rd busiest port in Australia for value of goods. Containerization, Container freight, sugar, grain, coal and bulk liquids are the major exports. Most of the port facilities are less than three decades old and some are built on reclaimed mangroves and wetlands. The Port is a part of the Australia TradeCoast, which includes the Brisbane Airport along with large industrial estates located along both banks at the mouth of the Brisbane River. White-collar industries include information technology, financial services, higher education and public sector administration generally concentrated in and around the central business district and satellite hubs located in the inner suburbs such as
South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people. Geography The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisba ...
, Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, Queensland, Spring Hill, Milton, Queensland, Milton and Toowong. Blue-collar industries, including petroleum refining, stevedoring, paper milling, metalworking and Queensland Rail, QR railway workshops, tend to be located on the lower reaches of the Brisbane River proximal to the
Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland. ...
and in new industrial zones on the urban fringe. Tourism is an important part of the Brisbane economy, both in its own right and as a gateway to other areas of Queensland, as is international students, international education, with over 95,000 international students enrolled in universities and other tertiary education institutions in the central
City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...
local government area alone in 2018.


Retail

Retail in the Brisbane central business district, CBD is centred around the
Queen Street Mall The Queen Street Mall is a pedestrian mall located on Queen Street in the centre of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The mall extends approximately from George Street to Edward Street, and has more than 700 retailers over of retail spa ...
, which is Queensland's largest pedestrian mall. Shopping mall, Shopping centres in the CBD include the The Myer Centre, Brisbane, Myer Centre, the Wintergarden, Brisbane, Wintergarden,
MacArthur Central MacArthur Central, also known as MacArthur Central Shopping Centre, in Brisbane, Australia, is a four level shopping centre that incorporates an English Renaissance styled heritage-listed building known as MacArthur Chambers. MacArthur Central i ...
and QueensPlaza, with the last of these along with Edward Street, Brisbane, Edward Street forming the city's focus for Luxury goods, luxury brands. There are historical shopping arcades at Brisbane Arcade and Tattersalls Club, Tattersalls Arcade. Suburbs adjacent to the CBD such as
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
(particularly Fortitude Valley, Queensland#Commercial area, James Street), South Brisbane, Queensland, South Brisbane and West End, Queensland, West End are also a major inner-city retail hubs. Outside of the inner-city, retail is focused on indoor Shopping mall, shopping centres, including numerous regional shopping centres along with six super regional shopping centres, all of which are List of largest shopping centres in Australia, among Australia's largest, namely: Westfield Chermside in the north; Westfield Mt Gravatt (formerly known as Garden City) in the south; Westfield Carindale in the east; Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in the west; Westfield North Lakes in the outer-north; and Logan Hyperdome in the outer-south. Brisbane's major outlet store, factory outlet centres are the Direct Factory Outlets at DFO Brisbane, Skygate and DFO Jindalee, Jindalee. The 100 hectare Rocklea#Fruit and vegetable market, Brisbane Markets at Rocklea are Brisbane's largest Wholesale marketing of food, wholesale markets, whilst smaller markets operate at numerous locations throughout the city including
South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...
, Davies Park in West End, Queensland and the Eat Street Markets at Hamilton, Queensland, Hamilton.


Culture and sport

Brisbane is home to several art galleries, the largest of which are the
Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Gallery ...
and the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), which is the largest modern art gallery in Australia. GOMA holds the Asia Pacific Triennial (APT) which focuses on contemporary art from the Asia and Pacific in a variety of media from painting to video work. In addition, its size enables the gallery to exhibit particularly large shows. Dramatic and musical theatre performances are held at the multiple large theatres located at
Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...
(QPAC). The Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm, Queensland, New Farm and the Judith Wright Arts Centre in
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
also feature diverse programmes featuring exhibitions and festivals of visual art, music and dance. Brisbane is also home to numerous small theatres including the Brisbane Arts Theatre in Petrie Terrace, Queensland, Petrie Terrace, the La Boite Theatre Company which performs at the Roundhouse Theatre at Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Kelvin Grove, the Twelfth Night Theatre at Bowen Hills, Queensland, Bowen Hills, the Metro Arts Theatre in Edward Street, Brisbane, Edward Street, and the Queensland Theatre Company's Bille Brown Theatre in West End, Queensland, West End. The
Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...
(QPAC) at South Bank, consists of the Lyric Theatre, the Concert Hall, the Cremorne Theatre and the Playhouse Theatre and is home to the Queensland Ballet, Opera Queensland, the Queensland Theatre Company, and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. The Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Queensland Conservatorium, a musical conservatorium in which professional music companies and conservatorium students also stage performances, is located within the
South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...
. Numerous choirs present performances across the city annually. These choirs include the Brisbane Chorale, Queensland Choir, Brisbane Chamber Choir, Canticum Chamber Choir, Brisbane Concert Choir, Imogen Children's Chorale and Brisbane Birralee Voices. Brisbane has maintained a constantly evolving live music scene, producing acts spanning genres including punk rock, punk (see
Brisbane punk rock Brisbane punk rock had its main impact between 1975 and 1984 as part of the overall punk rock scene in Australia. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, the Queensland capital provided "some of the most anarchistic bands" of that er ...
), indie rock, electronic music, experimental music, noise rock, Metal music, metal and post-punk. Brisbane's live music history is often intertwined with social unrest and authoritarian politics, as retold by journalist Andrew Stafford in Pig City (music festival)#Pig City (book), ''Pig City: From The Saints to Savage Garden'', ''Radical Brisbane: An Unruly History'', edited by academics Raymond Evans and Carole Ferrier, and ''BNE – The Definitive Archive: Brisbane Independent Electronic Music Production 1979–2014'', produced by record label director Dennis Remmer. There are also popular entertainment pubs and clubs within both the Brisbane CBD, City and
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
. The Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall, Queensland, Boondall is an arena which hosts many musical concerts, with some of the largest being held at Lang Park. Musicians from Brisbane include the Bee Gees (raised in Redcliffe and Cribb Island, Queensland, Cribb Island), Powderfinger (who met at Brisbane Grammar School and the
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
), The Go-Betweens (after whom Brisbane's Go Between Bridge is named, and whose songs and albums, such as ''Spring Hill Fair'', reflect the attitudes of 1980s Brisbane), The Veronicas (born and raised in Albany Creek, Queensland, Albany Creek), The Saints (Australian band), The Saints (based in Brisbane since 1974, one of the first punk rock bands), Savage Garden, Sheppard (band), Sheppard, Pete Murray (Australian singer-songwriter), Pete Murray, Ball Park Music, and TwoSet Violin. The city is featured in music including The Saints (Australian band), The Saints' "Prehistoric Sounds, Brisbane (Security City)" (1978); The Stranglers' "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus), Nuclear Device" (1979) about
Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...
; Midnight Oil's single "Dreamworld (Midnight Oil song), Dreamworld" (1987); and Powderfinger's album ''Vulture Street (album), Vulture Street'' (2003). Prominent writers from Brisbane include David Malouf (whose 1975 novel ''Johnno'' is set in Brisbane and at Brisbane Grammar School during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
), Nick Earls (whose 1996 novel ''Zigzag Street'' is set at Zigzag Street in Red Hill, Queensland, Red Hill), and Li Cunxin, author of Mao's Last Dancer (book), Mao's Last Dancer and artistic director of the Queensland Ballet. ''Brisbane'' is a novel by Russian writer Yevgeny Vodolazkin. In the novel, the city serves as a metaphor of the promised land for the protagonist. The State Library of Queensland, the state's largest library, is located at the
Queensland Cultural Centre The Queensland Cultural Centre is a heritage-listed cultural centre at Grey Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the South Bank precinct on the Brisbane River. It was built from 1976. The major compone ...
. Since the late 20th century, numerous List of films shot in Brisbane, films have been shot in Brisbane, and the popular children's animated television series ''Bluey (2018 TV series), Bluey'' was produced and set in Brisbane Brisbane is home to over 6,000 restaurants and dining establishments, with Al fresco dining, outdoor dining featuring prominently. The most popular cuisines by number of dining establishments are Japanese cuisine, Japanese, Chinese cuisine, Chinese, Modern Australian cuisine, Modern Australian, Italian cuisine, Italian, American cuisine, American, Indian cuisine, Indian, and Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese.
Moreton Bay bug ''Thenus orientalis'' is a species of slipper lobster from the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. ''T. orientalis'' is known by a number of common names. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization prefers the na ...
s, less commonly known as flathead lobsters, are an ingredient named for the Brisbane region and which feature commonly in Cuisine of Brisbane, the city's cuisine, along with Macadamia, macadamia nuts, also native to the region.


Annual events

The Royal Queensland Exhibition (known locally as the Ekka), an agricultural exhibition held each August at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills, Queensland, Bowen Hills, is the longest-running major annual event held in Brisbane. A public holiday is held for each local government area across Brisbane to enable widespread public attendance. The Brisbane Festival is held each September at
South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...
, the Brisbane central business district, CBD and surrounding areas. It includes one of the nation's largest annual fireworks displays, called "Riverfire", which is attended by hundreds of thousands of residents. The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is held in July/August each year in a variety of venues around Brisbane. BIFF features new films and retrospectives by domestic and international filmmakers along with seminars and awards. The Buddha's Birthday, Buddha Birth Day festival at South Bank parklands attracts over 200,000 visitors each year, and is the largest event of its type in Australia. There are also many smaller community events such as the Paniyiri Greek Festival (held over two days in May), the Brisbane Medieval Fayre and Tournament (held each June), the Bridge to Brisbane charity fun run, the Anywhere Festival and the Caxton Street Seafood and Wine Festival. Major events are often held at the 171,000 square metre Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in South Brisbane, Queensland, South Brisbane.


Sport

Brisbane has hosted several major sporting events including the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the 2001 Goodwill Games, as well as events during the 1987 Rugby World Cup, 1992 Cricket World Cup, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2008 Rugby League World Cup, 2017 Rugby League World Cup and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. It will host the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. It holds the Brisbane International tennis competition every year. Rugby league is popular in Brisbane and the city hosts the Brisbane Broncos and Dolphins (NRL), Dolphins, who play in the National Rugby League competition and the Queensland Maroons who play in the State of Origin series. In rugby union the city hosts the Queensland Reds who play in the Super Rugby competition. Cricket is popular in the Brisbane and the city hosts the Brisbane Heat who play in the Big Bash League and the Queensland Bulls who play in the Sheffield Shield and the Ryobi One Day Cup. Brisbane also hosts an A-League soccer team, the Brisbane Roar FC; an Australian Football League team, the Brisbane Lions; a basketball team, the Brisbane Bullets; a baseball team, the Brisbane Bandits; a netball team, the Queensland Firebirds; a field hockey team, the Brisbane Blaze; and water polo teams the Brisbane Barracudas and Queensland Breakers. The city's major stadiums and sporting venues include the Gabba (a 42,000 seat round stadium at
Woolloongabba Woolloongabba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woolloongabba had a population of 5,631 people. Geography Woolloongabba is located south of the CBD. It contains the Brisbane Cricket Ground ('the Gabba') and t ...
), Lang Park (a 52,500 seat rectangular stadium at Milton, Queensland, Milton also known by its corporate name Suncorp Stadium), Ballymore Stadium, the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, the Sleeman Centre (Brisbane), Sleeman Centre (swimming), the Tennyson Tennis Centre, State Tennis Centre, the Eagle Farm Racecourse and the Doomben Racecourse. The city is also home to numerous golf courses, with the largest being the Indooroopilly Golf Club at Indooroopilly, Queensland, the Brookwater Golf and Country Club at Brookwater, Queensland, Brookwater, the Keperra Country Golf Club at Keperra, Queensland, Keperra and the Royal Queensland Golf Club at Eagle Farm, Queensland, Eagle Farm. In addition to its flagship sport franchises, Brisbane and its regions and suburbs have numerous teams in secondary leagues including the Intrust Super Cup, National Rugby Championship, Queensland Premier Rugby, National Premier Leagues Queensland, National Premier League Queensland, National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League, ANZ Championship, Australian Baseball League, Hockey One, Australian National Water Polo League, National Water Polo League and F-League.


Tourism and recreation

Tourism plays a major role in Brisbane's economy, being the third-most popular destination for international tourists after Sydney and Melbourne. Popular tourist and recreation areas in Brisbane include the
South Bank Parklands The South Bank Parklands are located at South Bank within the suburb of South Brisbane in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The parkland, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88, was officially opened to the public on 20 June 1992. ...
(including the Wheel of Brisbane), the
City Botanic Gardens The City Botanic Gardens (formerly the Brisbane Botanic Gardens) is a heritage-listed botanic garden on Alice Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was also known as Queen's Park. It is located on Gardens Poi ...
, Roma Street Parkland, New Farm Park, the
Howard Smith Wharves Howard Smith Wharves is a heritage-listed wharf on the Brisbane River at Boundary Street, Brisbane City and Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to 1940s circa. It is also known as Brisbane Central Wha ...
, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the Teneriffe, Queensland, Teneriffe woolstores precinct,
Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...
(including Fortitude Valley, Queensland#Commercial area, James Street and Chinatown, Brisbane, Chinatown), West End, Queensland, West End, City Hall (including the Museum of Brisbane), the Parliament of Queensland, the
Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...
and bridge climb; St John's Cathedral, ANZAC Square and the
Queensland Cultural Centre The Queensland Cultural Centre is a heritage-listed cultural centre at Grey Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the South Bank precinct on the Brisbane River. It was built from 1976. The major compone ...
(including the
Queensland Museum The Queensland Museum is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist mu ...
,
Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (also known as QPAC) is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank, Queensland, South Bank precinct. Opened in 1985, it ...
,
Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Gallery ...
, the Gallery of Modern Art and the State Library of Queensland), the
Kangaroo Point Cliffs The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are heritage-listed cliffs located at Kangaroo Point just across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. A popular recreation spot, especially for climbing and running, they are convenientl ...
and park, and the Queensland Maritime Museum. Brisbane is notable for its
Brisbane Riverwalk The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Gov ...
network, which runs along much of the Brisbane River foreshore throughout the inner-city area, with the longest span running between Newstead, Queensland, Newstead and Toowong. Another popular stretch runs beneath the
Kangaroo Point Cliffs The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are heritage-listed cliffs located at Kangaroo Point just across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. A popular recreation spot, especially for climbing and running, they are convenientl ...
between South Brisbane, Queensland, South Brisbane and Kangaroo Point. Several spans of the Riverwalk are built out over the Brisbane River. Brisbane also has over of bicycle pathways, mostly surrounding the Brisbane River and city centre. Other popular recreation activities include the
Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...
adventure climb and rock climbing at the
Kangaroo Point Cliffs The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are heritage-listed cliffs located at Kangaroo Point just across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. A popular recreation spot, especially for climbing and running, they are convenientl ...
.
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
and its Moreton Bay Marine Park, marine park is also a major attraction, and its three primary islands Moreton Island, North Stradbroke Island and Bribie Island, accessible by ferry, contain popular surf beaches and resorts. Tangalooma resort on Moreton Island is popular for its nightly wild dolphin feeding attraction, and for operating Australia's longest running whale watching cruises. The Fort Lytton National Park including a Fort Lytton Historic Military Precinct, colonial defence fort and museum is also a historical bayside attraction. Beachside suburbs such as those on the Redcliffe Peninsula, as well as Shorncliffe, Queensland, Shorncliffe, Sandgate, Queensland, Sandgate, Wynnum, Queensland, Wynnum, Manly, Queensland, Manly and Wellington Point, Queensland, Wellington Point are also popular attractions for their bayside beaches, piers, and infrastructure for boating, sailing, fishing and Kiteboarding, kitesurfing. The Mount Coot-tha Forest, Mount Coot-tha Reserve, including Mount Coot-tha, the Mount Coot-tha Lookout, the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is a popular recreational attraction for hiking and bushwalking. There are many national parks surrounding the Brisbane metropolitan area which are popular recreational attractions for hiking and bushwalking. The
D'Aguilar National Park D'Aguilar National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia. It contains the D'Aguilar Range and is located along the northwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The park is traversed by the winding scenic Mount Nebo Road and Mount Glor ...
runs along the northwest of the metropolitan area in the
D'Aguilar Range The D'Aguilar Range is a mountain range near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The town of Dayboro, Queensland, Dayboro is situated on the lower foothills midway along the range and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland town of Mooloolah, Queensland, ...
, and contains popular bushwalking and hiking peaks at
Mount Nebo Mount Nebo ( ar, جَبَل نِيبُو, Jabal Nībū; he, , Har Nəḇō) is an elevated ridge located in Jordan, approximately above sea level. Part of the Abarim mountain range, Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses ...
,
Camp Mountain Camp Mountain is a rural locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Camp Mountain had a population of 1,416 people. Geography Camp Mountain is near Samford, north-west of the Brisbane central business district. The ...
, Mount Pleasant, Queensland (Mackay Region), Mount Pleasant,
Mount Glorious Mount Glorious is a rural locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mount Glorious had a population of 296 people. Geography Mount Glorious is a mountain which is part of the D'Aguilar Range and is a suburb in Moreton ...
,
Mount Samson Mount Samson is a rural Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mount Samson had a population of 594 people. Geography Mount Samson is about halfway between Samford, Queensland, S ...
and Mount Mee. The Glass House Mountains National Park is located to the north of the metropolitan area in the Glass House Mountains, Queensland, Glass House Mountains between it and that of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast. The Tamborine National Park at Tamborine Mountain is located in the Gold Coast hinterland to the south of the metropolitan area.
Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...
, North Stradbroke Island, North Stradbroke and Bribie islands are substantially covered by the Moreton Island National Park, Naree Budjong Djara National Park and the Bribie Island National Park respectively. The Boondall Wetlands in the suburb of Boondall, Queensland, Boondall are protected
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
wetlands with floating walking trails. Immediately to the south and north of Brisbane are the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast respectively, which are home to several of Australia's most popular swimming and surfing beaches, and are popular day and weekend destinations for Brisbanites. In 2015, a competition by travel guidebook ''Rough Guides'' saw Brisbane elected as one of the top ten most beautiful cities in the world, citing reasons such as "its winning combination of high-rise modern architecture, lush green spaces and the enormous Brisbane River that snakes its way through the centre before emptying itself into the azure Moreton Bay".


Governance

Unlike other Australian capital cities, a large portion of the greater metropolitan area, or Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) of Brisbane is controlled by a single Local government in Australia, local government area, the
City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...
, which is the largest local government area (in terms of population and budget) in Australia, serving more than 40% of the GCCSA's population. It was formed by the merger of twenty smaller LGAs in 1925, and covers an area of . The remainder of the metropolitan area falls into the LGAs of Logan City to the south, Moreton Bay Region in the northern suburbs, the City of Ipswich to the south west, Redland City to the south east, and into the Somerset Region, Somerset, Scenic Rim Region, Scenic Rim and Lockyer Valley Region, Lockyer Valley regions on the urban periphery. Several of these are also among the nation's most populous LGAs. Each LGA is governed under a similar structure, including a directly elected mayor (including the Lord Mayor of Brisbane), as well as a council composed of councillors representing geographical wards. Brisbane City Hall is the seat of the
Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...
, the governing corporation of the City of Brisbane LGA, and the bulk of its executive offices are located at the Brisbane Square skyscraper. As the capital city of
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
, Brisbane is home to the Parliament of Queensland at Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament House at Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point in the Brisbane central business district, CBD, adjacent to Old Government House, Queensland, Old Government House. Queensland's current Government House, Brisbane, Government House is located in Paddington, Queensland, Paddington. The bulk of the state government's executive offices are located at the 1 William Street, Brisbane, 1 William Street skyscraper. The Queensland Supreme Court of Queensland, Supreme and District Court of Queensland, District courts are located at the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane, Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law in George Street, Brisbane, George Street, while the Magistrates Court of Queensland, Magistrates court is located at the adjacent Brisbane Magistrates Court building. The various federal courts are loced at the Commonwealth Law Courts building on North Quay. The Australian Army's Enoggera Barracks is located in Enoggera, Queensland, Enoggera, while the historic Victoria Barracks, Brisbane, Victoria Barracks in Petrie Terrace, Queensland, Petrie Terrace now hosts a military museum. The Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Moreton base is located at Bulimba, Queensland, Bulimba. The Royal Australian Air Force's RAAF Base Amberley is located in Amberley, Queensland, Amberley in the outer south-west of the metropolitan area. Brisbane's largest prisons and correctional facilities, the Brisbane Correctional Centre, Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre, Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre and Wolston Correctional Centre are located at Wacol, Queensland, Wacol, while the city's main historical prison, the Boggo Road Gaol, is now a museum.


Education

Brisbane hosts numerous university campuses. Three major universities are headquartered in Brisbane, namely: * The
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
(UQ), which is Queensland's oldest university and frequently College and university rankings, ranks among the world's top 50, with campuses in St Lucia, Queensland, St Lucia, Herston and Gatton, Queensland, Gatton * Queensland University of Technology (QUT), with campuses in the central business district (Gardens Point, Brisbane, Gardens Point) and Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Kelvin Grove * Griffith University (GU), with campuses in Nathan, Queensland, Nathan,
Mount Gravatt Mount Gravatt is a southern suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and a prominent hill and lookout within this suburb (). In the , Mount Gravatt had a population of 3,366 people. Geography The suburb is situated in the south- ...
, South Bank and Meadowbrook, Queensland, Meadowbrook Two other major universities, which are not headquartered in Brisbane, have multiple campuses in the Brisbane metropolitan area, namely: * The University of Southern Queensland (USQ), with campuses in Springfield, Queensland, Springfield and
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
* The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), with campuses in Petrie, Queensland, Petrie and Caboolture, Queensland, Caboolture Other universities which have campuses in Brisbane include the Australian Catholic University, Central Queensland University and James Cook University. Brisbane is a major destination for international students, who constitute a large proportion of enrolments in Brisbane's universities and are important to the city's economy and real estate market. In 2018, there were over 95,000 international students enrolled in universities and other tertiary education institutions in the central City of Brisbane local government area alone. The majority of Brisbane's international students originate from China, India and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. There are biotechnology and research facilities at several universities in Brisbane, including the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and CSIRO at the
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology. There are three major TAFE colleges in Brisbane; the Brisbane North Institute of TAFE, the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE, and the Southbank Institute, Southbank Institute of TAFE. Brisbane is also home to numerous other independent tertiary providers, including the Australian College of Natural Medicine, the Queensland Theological College, the Brisbane College of Theology, SAE Institute, Jschool: Journalism Education & Training, JMC Academy, and American College (Brisbane), American College and the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts. Many of Brisbane's pre-school, primary, and secondary schools are under the jurisdiction of Education Queensland, a branch of the
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...
. Independent (private),
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
and other religious schools also constitute a large share of Brisbane's primary and secondary schooling sectors, with the oldest such independent schools composing the memberships of the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland (GPS) for boys' schools and Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA) for girls' schools.


Infrastructure


Transport

Brisbane has an extensive transport network within the city, as well as connections to regional centres, interstate and to overseas destinations. Like all Australian cities, the most popular mode of transport is private car. Public transport is provided by rail, bus and ferry services and is co-ordinated by TransLink (South East Queensland), TransLink, which provides a unified ticketing and electronic payment system (known as "go card") for
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...
. The region is divided into seven Fare, fare zones radiating outwards from the
Brisbane central business district Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...
(CBD), with Brisbane's built-up area falling within zones 1–3. Bus services are operated by public and private operators whereas trains and ferries are operated by public agencies. The CBD is the central hub for all public transport services with services focusing on Roma Street railway station, Roma Street, Central railway station, Brisbane, Central and Fortitude Valley railway station, Fortitude Valley railway stations; King George Square busway station, King George Square, Queen Street bus station, Queen Street and Roma Street busway station, Roma Street busway stations; and North Quay ferry wharf, North Quay, Riverside ferry wharf, Riverside and QUT Gardens Point ferry wharf, QUT Gardens Point ferry wharves.


Roads

Brisbane is served by a large network of urban and inter-urban motorways. The Pacific Motorway (Brisbane–Brunswick Heads), Pacific Motorway (M3/M1) connects the inner-city with the southern suburbs, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast and
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. The Ipswich Motorway (M7/M2) connects the inner-city with the outer south-western suburbs. The Western Freeway, Brisbane, Western Freeway and Centenary Motorway (M5) connect the city's inner-west and outer south-west. The Bruce Highway and Gympie Arterial Road (M1/M3) connect the city's northern suburbs with the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast and northern Queensland. The Logan Motorway (M2/M6) connects the southern and south-western suburbs. The Gateway Motorway is a toll road which connects the Gold and Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast. The Port of Brisbane Motorway links the Gateway Motorway to the
Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland. ...
. The Inner City Bypass, Brisbane, Inner City Bypass and
Riverside Expressway The Riverside Expressway is part of the Pacific Motorway that runs through Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located on the western side of the Brisbane CBD and is made up of various bridges and overpasses. The North Bank development is p ...
serve as an inner ring freeway system to prevent motorists from travelling through the city's congested centre. Brisbane also has a large network of major road tunnels under the metropolitan area, known as the TransApex network, which include the Clem Jones Tunnel between the inner-north and inner-south, the Airport Link, Brisbane, Airport Link tunnel in the north-east and the Legacy Way, Legacy Way tunnel in the south-west. They are the three longest road tunnels in Australia.


Bridges

The Brisbane River creates a barrier to road transport routes. In total there are Bridges over the Brisbane River, sixteen bridges over the river, mostly concentrated in the inner city area. The road bridges (which usually also include provision for pedestrians and cyclists) by distance from the river mouth are the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges, the
Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...
, the Captain Cook Bridge, Brisbane, Captain Cook Bridge, the Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, Victoria Bridge, the William Jolly Bridge, the Go Between Bridge, the Eleanor Schonell Bridge, the Walter Taylor Bridge the Centenary Bridge and Colleges Crossing. There are three railway bridges, namely the Merivale Bridge, the Albert Bridge, Brisbane, Albert Bridge and the Indooroopilly Railway Bridge. There are also three pedestrian only bridges: the Goodwill Bridge, the
Kurilpa Bridge The Kurilpa Bridge (originally known as the Tank Street Bridge) is a 63 million pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The bridge connects Kurilpa Point in South Brisbane to Tank Street in th ...
and the Jack Pesch Bridge. The Houghton Highway (northbound) and Ted Smout Memorial Bridge (southbound) bridges, over
Bramble Bay Bramble Bay is an embayment of Moreton Bay in South East Queensland, Australia. The Brisway map reference is 12 H5, or see page 91 G19 in Refidex. The Houghton Highway, Hornibrook Bridge and Ted Smout Memorial Bridge span Bramble Bay, connectin ...
between Brighton, Queensland and the Redcliffe Peninsula, are the longest bridges in the state. The abutment arches of the original crossing The Hornibrook Bridge still remain in place.


Rail

The Queensland Rail City network consists of 152 train stations along 13 suburban rail lines and across the metropolitan area, namely: the Airport railway line, Brisbane, Airport line; the Beenleigh railway line, Beenleigh line; the Caboolture railway line, Caboolture line; the Cleveland railway line, Cleveland line; the Doomben railway line, Doomben line; the Exhibition railway line, Exhibition line; the Ferny Grove railway line, Ferny Grove line; the Ipswich and Rosewood railway line, Ipswich/Rosewood line; the Redcliffe Peninsula railway line, Redcliffe Peninsula line; the Shorncliffe railway line, Shorncliffe line; and the Springfield railway line, Springfield line. The network extends to the
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
and
Sunshine Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
coasts, which are fully integrated into the network on the Gold Coast railway line, Gold Coast line and Sunshine Coast railway line, Sunshine Coast line. The Airport railway line, Brisbane, Airtrain service which runs on the Airport railway line, Brisbane, Airport line is jointly operated between the
City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...
and Brisbane Airport. 55 million passenger trips were taken across the network in 2018–19. Construction of the network began in 1865 and has been progressively expanded in the subsequent centuries. Rail electrification in Queensland, Electrification of the network was completed between 1979 and 1988. The
Cross River Rail Cross River Rail is an underground railway project through central Brisbane, which is, , under construction. Cross River Rail will see the development of a new rail line underneath Brisbane River, and the redevelopment of a number of stations ...
project includes a twin rail tunnel ( long) which will pass under the Brisbane River to link two new railway stations at Albert Street, Brisbane, Albert Street in the CBD and Woolloongabba, Wooloongabba; it is under construction and scheduled to be completed in early 2025.


Bus

Brisbane has a large dedicated bus rapid transit network, the Busways in Brisbane, Brisbane busway network. The network comprises the South East Busway, the Northern Busway, Brisbane, Northern Busway and the Eastern Busway, Brisbane, Eastern Busway. The main network hubs are the King George Square busway station, King George Square, Queen Street bus station, Queen Street, and Roma Street busway station, Roma Street busway stations. There are also numerous suburban bus routes operating throughout the metropolitan area, including the high-frequency Blue and Maroon CityGlider routes which run between Newstead, Queensland, Newstead and West End, Queensland, West End (Blue), and Ashgrove, Queensland, Ashgrove and Coorparoo, Queensland, Coorparoo (Maroon) respectively.


Ferry

RiverCity Ferries operates three ferry services along the Brisbane River, CityCat, Cityferry, Cross River and CityHopper. Brisbane's ferries, and particularly its catamaran CityCats, are considered iconic to the city. The CityCat high-speed catamaran ferry service, popular with tourists and commuters, operates services along the Brisbane River between the
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
and Northshore Hamilton ferry wharf, Northshore Hamilton, with wharves at University of Queensland ferry wharf, UQ St Lucia, West End ferry wharf, West End, Guyatt Park ferry wharf, Guyatt Park, Regatta ferry wharf, Regatta, Milton ferry wharf, Milton, North Quay ferry wharf, North Quay, South Bank 1 & 2 ferry wharf, South Bank, QUT Gardens Point ferry wharf, QUT Gardens Point, Riverside ferry wharf, Riverside, Sydney Street ferry wharf, Sydney Street, Mowbray Park ferry wharf, Mowbray Park, New Farm Park ferry wharf, New Farm Park, Hawthorne ferry wharf, Hawthorne, Bulimba ferry wharf, Bulimba, Teneriffe ferry wharf, Teneriffe, Bretts Wharf, Apollo Road ferry wharf, Apollo Road and Northshore Hamilton ferry wharf, Northshore Hamilton. The Cross River services operate smaller vessels for popular cross-river routes, namely: Bulimba ferry wharf, Bulimba–Teneriffe ferry wharf, Teneriffe and Holman Street ferry wharf, Holman Street–Riverside ferry wharf, Riverside. The free CityHopper service operates smaller vessels along a route between North Quay ferry wharf, North Quay and Sydney Street ferry wharf, Sydney Street, stopping at South Bank 3 ferry wharf, South Bank, Maritime Museum ferry wharf, Maritime Museum, Riverside ferry wharf, Riverside and Holman Street ferry wharf, Holman Street.


Pedestrian

An extensive network of pedestrian and cyclist pathways span the banks of the Brisbane River in the inner suburbs to form the Brisbane River#Brisbane Riverwalk, Riverwalk network. In some segments, the Riverwalk is built over the river. The longest span of the Riverwalk connects Newstead, Queensland, Newstead in the east with Toowong in the west.


Airports

Brisbane Airport (IATA code: ''BNE'') is the city's main airport, the List of the busiest airports in Australia, third busiest in Australia after Sydney Airport and Melbourne Airport. It is located north-east of the city centre on Moreton Bay and provides domestic and international passenger services. In 2017, Brisbane Airport handled over 23 million passengers.Airport traffic data
– Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2017
The airport is an airline hub for Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar as well as a number of minor and freight airlines. The airport is served by the Airtrain service which runs on the Airport railway line, Brisbane, Airport line, providing a direct service to the Brisbane central business district, CBD. Archerfield Airport in Brisbane's southern suburbs, Redcliffe Airport (Queensland), Redcliffe Airport on the Redcliffe Peninsula and Caboolture Airfield in the far north of the metropolitan area serve Brisbane as general aviation airports. Brisbane is also served by other major airports in
South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...
, including Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta, Sunshine Coast Airport at Marcoola, Queensland, Marcoola and Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport at Wellcamp, Queensland, Wellcamp.


Seaport

The
Port of Brisbane Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland. ...
is located on the south side of the mouth of the Brisbane River on
Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
and on the adjacent Fisherman's Island, an artificial island created by land reclamation. It is the third busiest port in Australia for value of goods. The port is the endpoint of the main shipping channel across Moreton Bay which extends 90 kilometres north near Mooloolaba. The port has 29 operating berths including nine deep-water container Berth (moorings), berths and three deep-water bulk berths as well as 17 bulk and general cargo berths. There are two cruise ship terminals in Brisbane. Portside Wharf on the north side of the river at Hamilton, Queensland, Hamilton is an international standard facility for cruise liners. Due to the height of the
Gateway Bridge The Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges are a side-by-side pair of road bridges on the Gateway Motorway (M1), which skirts the eastern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The western bridge carries traffic to the north and the eastern bridge car ...
which must be passed to reach the terminal, the wharf services small and medium-sized cruise ships. The Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point in Pinkenba, Queensland, Pinkenba on the north side of the river opposite the Port of Brisbane is able to accommodate the largest cruise vessels in the world.


Healthcare

Brisbane is covered by Queensland Health's "Metro North", "Metro South" and "Children's Health Queensland" Hospital and Health Services. Within the greater Brisbane area there are eight major public hospitals, four major private hospitals, and numerous smaller public and private facilities. The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Princess Alexandra Hospital are two of Queensland's three major trauma centres. Standing alone, they are the largest hospitals in Australia. The Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Princess Alexandra Hospital houses the Translational Research Institute (Australia) along with the state's renal and liver transplant services. The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital includes a specialist burns unit. The Prince Charles Hospital is the state's major cardiac transplant centre. Other major public hospitals include the Queensland Children's Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital, and the Mater Group, Mater Hospital. Specialist and General practitioner, general medical practices are located in the CBD, and most suburbs and localities. Brisbane is also home to the headquarters of the Queensland Ambulance Service central executive, located at the Emergency Services Complex Kedron Park, along with the headquarters of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and the Queensland Emergency Operations Centre.


Other utilities

Water storage, treatment and delivery for Brisbane is handled by Seqwater, which sells on to Queensland Urban Utilities (previously Brisbane Water) for distribution to the greater Brisbane area. Water for the area is stored in three major dams to the north-west of the metropolitan area: Wivenhoe Dam, Wivenhoe, Lake Somerset, Somerset and North Pine Dam, North Pine. There is an open market in relation to the supply of electricity and gas in Brisbane with the largest providers being Energex (electricity) and Origin Energy (gas). Metropolitan Brisbane is serviced by all major and most minor telecommunications companies and their networks, including Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Australia (brand), Vodafone Australia. Brisbane is home to numerous cemetery, cemeteries including the following large 19th-century historical cemeteries: the 44-hectare Toowong Cemetery (the largest cemetery in Queensland, which is a popular destination for walkers and joggers), Balmoral Cemetery, Brisbane, Balmoral Cemetery, Lutwyche Cemetery, Nudgee Cemetery & Crematorium, Nudgee Cemetery, Nundah Cemetery and South Brisbane Cemetery.


Media


Print

The main local print newspapers of Brisbane are ''The Courier-Mail'' and its sibling ''The Sunday Mail (Brisbane), The Sunday Mail'', both owned by News Corporation (1980–2013), News Corporation. Brisbane also receives the national daily, ''The Australian'', its sibling the ''Weekend Australian'', as well as the ''Australian Financial Review''. Sydney's ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' and Melbourne's ''The Age'' also sell in Brisbane in smaller numbers. The ''Brisbane Times'' is Brisbane's second major local news source, owned by Nine Entertainment Co., Nine, and is online only. There are community and suburban newspapers throughout the metropolitan area, including ''Brisbane News'' and ''City News'', many of which are produced by Quest Community Newspapers.


Television

Brisbane is served by all five major television networks in Australia, which broadcast from prominent Transmission tower, television transmission towers on the summit of
Mount Coot-tha Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , there were no residents in the suburb. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mou ...
. The three commercial stations, Seven Network, Seven, Nine Network, Nine, and Network Ten, Ten, are accompanied by two government networks, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC and Special Broadcasting Service, SBS. Channels provided by these networks include 10 HD (10 broadcast in HD), 10 Bold, 10 Peach, 10 Shake, TVSN, ABC HD (Australian TV channel), ABC TV HD (ABC TV broadcast in HD), ABC TV Plus/ABC Kids (Australia), Kids, ABC ME, ABC News (TV channel), ABC News, SBS HD (SBS broadcast in HD), SBS World Movies, SBS Viceland HD (SBS Viceland broadcast in HD), SBS Food, National Indigenous Television, NITV, SBS WorldWatch, 7HD (Seven broadcast in HD), 7two, 7mate, 7flix, 7mate HD (7mate broadcast in HD), Racing.com, 9HD (Nine broadcast in HD), 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life, 9Gem HD (9Gem broadcast in HD) and 9Rush. 31 Brisbane, 31 Digital, a community station, also broadcast in Brisbane until 2017. Optus and Foxtel operates Pay TV services in Brisbane, via Cable television, cable and Satellite television, satellite means.


Radio

Brisbane is serviced by five major public radio stations including major commercial radio stations, including 612 ABC Brisbane (local news, current affairs and talk); ABC Radio National (national news and current affairs); ABC NewsRadio (national news); ABC Classic FM (classical music); Triple J (alternative music); and SBS Radio (multicultural broadcasting). Brisbane is serviced by numerous major commercial and community radio stations including 4BC (local and national talk, news and current affairs); 4KQ (sport); 4BH (classic hits); KIIS 97.3 (pop); B105 FM, B105 (pop); Nova 106.9 (top 40); Triple M Brisbane, Triple M (rock); 96five Family FM (Christian/pop); Radio TAB (betting) and 4MBS (classical). Brisbane is also serviced by community radio stations such as VAC Radio (Standard Chinese, Mandarin); Radio Brisvaani (Hindi); 2ME Radio Arabic, Radio Arabic (Arabic); 4EB (multiple languages); 98.9 FM (Brisbane), 98.9 FM (Indigenous Australians, indigenous); 4RPH (vision impaired); Switch 1197 (youth broadcasting); 4ZZZ (community radio); and Vision Christian Radio (Christianity, Christian). Additional channels are also available via Digital audio broadcasting, DAB digital radio


See also

* Climate of Brisbane * Culture of Brisbane * Demographics of Brisbane * Economy of Brisbane * Geography of Brisbane * History of Brisbane * List of Brisbane suburbs * List of museums in Brisbane * List of tallest buildings in Brisbane * List of people from Brisbane * Sport in Brisbane * Transport in Brisbane


Notes


References


External links


City of Brisbane

Official tourism website of Brisbane



Historical footage of Brisbane and Southern Queensland
{{Authority control Brisbane, 1824 establishments in Australia Australian capital cities Cities in Queensland Coastal cities in Australia Populated places established in 1824 Port cities in Queensland