Brisbane ( ; ) is the
capital and largest city of the
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
and the
third-most populous city in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, with a population of approximately 2.8 million.
Brisbane lies at the centre of
South East Queensland
South East Queensland (SEQ) is a Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...
, an
urban agglomeration
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
with a population of over 4 million. The
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
is situated within a peninsula of the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
about from its mouth at
Moreton Bay. Brisbane's metropolitan area sprawls over the hilly
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
of the Brisbane River Valley between
Moreton Bay and the
Taylor 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 aris ...
s, encompassing several
local government areas
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory.
The ph ...
, most centrally the
City of Brisbane. The
demonym
A demonym (; ) or 'gentilic' () is a word that identifies a group of people ( inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place ( hamlet, village, town, city, region, ...
of Brisbane is ''Brisbanite''.
The
Moreton Bay penal settlement was founded in 1824 at
Redcliffe as a place for secondary offenders from the
Sydney colony, but in May 1825 moved to
North Quay on the banks of the Brisbane River, so named for the
Governor of New South Wales
The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...
Sir
Thomas Brisbane
Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Sir Thomas MacDougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke ...
.
German Lutherans
Protestantism (), a branch of Christianity, was founded within Germany in the 16th-century Reformation. It was formed as a new direction from some Catholic Church, Roman Catholic principles. It was led initially by Martin Luther and later by John ...
established the first free settlement of
Zion Hill at
Nundah
Nundah (previously called German Station) is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the , Nundah had a population of 13,098 people.
Prior to European settlement, Nundah was ...
in 1838, and in 1859 Brisbane was chosen as Queensland's capital when
the state separated from
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
Allied command in the
South West Pacific was based in the city, along with the
headquarters
Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
for General
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...
of the United States Army. It became Australia's third-most populous city in the
post-war
A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...
era, overtaking
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
in the early 1940s.
Brisbane is a global centre for research and innovation and is a transportation hub, being served by large
rail,
bus and
ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
networks, as well as
Brisbane Airport and the
Port of Brisbane, Australia's third-busiest airport and seaport. A diverse city with over 36% of its metropolitan population being foreign-born, Brisbane is frequently ranked highly in lists of the
most liveable cities. Brisbane has hosted major events including the
1982 Commonwealth Games,
World Expo 88, the
2014 G20 summit, and will host the
2032 Summer Olympics.
Brisbane is one of Australia's most
popular tourist destinations and is Australia's most
biodiverse
Biodiversity is the variability of life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distributed evenly on Earth ...
and
greenest city. Brisbane's attractions include the
Queensland Cultural Centre (which includes the
Queensland Art Gallery, the
Gallery of Modern Art and the
State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
),
South Bank Parklands, the
City Botanic Gardens, the
Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, the
Brisbane Riverwalk,
Moreton Bay and the
D'Aguilar National Park. Brisbane's inner-city neighbourhoods are known for their historic
Queenslander houses.
Toponymy
Brisbane is named after the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
, which in turn was named after
Sir Thomas Brisbane, the
governor of New South Wales
The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...
from 1821 to 1825. The name is derived from the
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
, meaning and the
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), 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 developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
word meaning ''.'' Popular nicknames for Brisbane include ''Brissie'' (pronounced "Brizzie"), ''Brisvegas'', and ''the'' ''River City''.
Part of the Brisbane conurbation is located on
traditional indigenous land known also as , ''Meaanjin, Maganjin'' or ''Magandjin'' amongst other spellings. There is a difference of opinion between local traditional owners over the spelling, provenance and pronunciation of indigenous names for Brisbane.
Tom Petrie in 1901 stated that the name referred to the area that Brisbane CBD now straddles. Some sources state that the name means or 'the spearhead' referencing the shape of the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
along the area of the Brisbane CBD. A contemporary Turrbal organisation has also suggested it means . Local Elder Gaja Kerry Charlton posits that is based on a European understanding of , and that the phonetically similar
Yagara name — after the native
tulipwood trees () at
Gardens Point — is a more accurate and appropriate Aboriginal name for Brisbane.
Aboriginal groups claiming
traditional owners
Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title rig ...
hip of the area include the
Yagara,
Turrbal and
Quandamooka peoples. Brisbane is home to the land of a number of Aboriginal language groups, primarily the Yagara language group which includes the
Turrbal language
Turrbal is an Aboriginal Australian language of the Turrbal, Turrbal people of the Brisbane area of Queensland.
Alternate spellings include Turubul, Turrubal, Turrabul, Toorbal, and Tarabul.
Classification
The four dialects listed in Dixon (2 ...
.
History
Pre-colonisation
Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands.
Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
have 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. Aboriginal groups claiming traditional ownership of the area include the
Yagara,
Turrbal 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 Brisbane 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
prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton
An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the intern ...
s. 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.
Being a resource-rich area and a natural avenue for seasonal movement, and the surrounding areas acted as 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: ' or York's Hollow camp (today's
Victoria Park) and ' (
Woolloongabba/
South Brisbane), also known as '. 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
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
sailed through South Passage between the main offshore islands leading to the bay, which he named after
James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, misspelled as "Moreton".
Matthew Flinders
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first littoral zone, inshore circumnavigate, circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then ...
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
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 ...
, and an exploration party commanded by
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an English List of explorers, explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps bes ...
further explored Moreton Bay in November 1823.

Oxley explored the Brisbane River as far as
Goodna, upstream from the present-day central business district of Brisbane.
He also named the river after the governor of the time.
Oxley also 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 formally establishing the
Moreton Bay Penal Settlement that would become Brisbane. The party was under the command of Lieutenant
Henry Miller and consisted of 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 was plagued by mosquitoes at the time.
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 founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
gave the new settlement the name of ''Edenglassie'' before it was named ''Brisbane''.
The penal settlement under the control of Captain
Patrick Logan
Captain Patrick Logan (baptised 15 November 1791 – 17 October 1830) was a Scottish army officer who was the commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement from 1826 until his death in 1830 at the hands of Aboriginal Australians. As he had b ...
(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
The cat o' nine tails, commonly shortened to the cat, is a type of multi-tailed whip or flail. It originated as an implement for physical punishment, particularly in the Royal Navy and British Army, and as a judicial punishment in Britain and ...
on convicts. The maximum allowed limit of lashes was 50; however, Logan regularly applied sentences of 150 lashes.
During this period raids on maize fields were conducted by local Aboriginal groups in the
Corn Field Raids of 1827-1828. These groups destroyed and plundered the maize fields in
South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England.
The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...
and
Kangaroo Point, with the possible motive of extracting compensation from the settlers or warning them not to expand beyond their current area.
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. However, 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
A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
settled at Zions Hill,
Nundah
Nundah (previously called German Station) is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the , Nundah had a population of 13,098 people.
Prior to European settlement, Nundah was ...
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, which straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau.
...
region in
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
as well as from other German regions settled in the areas of
Bethania,
Beenleigh 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 generally ...
. These immigrants were selected and assisted through immigration programs established by Rev Dr
John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang (25 August 1799 – 8 August 1878) was a Scottish-born Australian Presbyterian minister, writer, historian, politician and activist. He was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian rep ...
and
Johann Christian Heussler and were offered free passage, good wages, and selections of land.
Scottish immigrants from the ship arrived in Brisbane in 1849, enticed by 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 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
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
erected the
Pugin Chapel in 1850, to the design by the
gothic revivalist Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 1812 – 14 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival architecture ...
.
Letters patent
Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
dated 6 June 1859, proclaimed by Sir
George Ferguson Bowen 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 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, 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 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 1862, the first sugarcane plantation in Queensland was established near Brisbane by Captain Louis Hope and
John Buhôt.
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.
The
City Botanic Gardens were originally established in 1825 as a farm for the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement, 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 Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...
, 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 while cultivated around the world. The generic name is also used as the common name.
The species ' ...
and
poinciana.
Charles Tiffin 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 combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...
and
Renaissance revivalism, with such buildings as
Government House, the
Department of Primary Industries Building in 1866, and the
Queensland Parliament
The Parliament of Queensland is the unicameral legislative body of the Australian state of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Queensland, and the ...
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 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 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 country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, 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
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
, and was the site of
prostitution
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
,
sly grog, and
opium dens. 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 on board there were only 40 survivors.
20th century
When the colonies federated 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, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...
erected 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 Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
George w ...
) laid the
foundation stone
A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...
of
St John's Cathedral, one of the great cathedrals of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
was founded in 1909 and first sited at
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
A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
, 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the
Commonwealth Government conducted a
raid on the Queensland Government Printing Office, with the aim of confiscating copies of
Hansard
''Hansard'' is the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official printe ...
that covered debates in the
Queensland Parliament
The Parliament of Queensland is the unicameral legislative body of the Australian state of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Queensland, and the ...
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 that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
; considerable numbers were Jews escaping state-inspired pogroms. They had fled Russia via
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
and Northern China, most making their way to
Harbin
Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
, in
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
, then taking passage from the port of
Dalian
Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...
to
Townsville
The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
or Brisbane, the first Australian ports of call.
Following the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, conflict arose between returned servicemen of the
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main Expeditionary warfare, expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following United Kingdom of Great Bri ...
and
socialists
Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...
along with 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, 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. A significant year for Brisbane was 1930, with the completion of
Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entran ...
, 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 (state), Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in ...
, in
ANZAC Square, which has become Brisbane's main war memorial.

These historic buildings, along with the
Story Bridge 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.
George was born during the reign of his pa ...
in 1936, Albert square was widened to include the area which had been Albert Street, and renamed
King George Square 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 ...
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 metalloid ...
Lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
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 unicameral legislative body of the Australian state of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Queensland, and the ...
and stormed the building in an attempt to take hostage the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
led by Labor Premier
William Forgan Smith, 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. From July 1942 to September 1944, 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
South West Pacific Area under General MacArthur. 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 separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...
of
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
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 b ...
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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
ballrooms.
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.
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 was the site of a terrorist incident involving shootings and bombs, by the German immigrant
Karl Kast. 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) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as premier of Queensland between 1968 and 1987, for almost 20 years, as state leader of the National Party (earlier known as the C ...
began a major program of change and urban renewal, beginning with the central business district and inner suburbs.
Trams in Brisbane were a popular mode of public transport until the network was closed in 1969, in part the result of the
Paddington tram depot fire.
Between 1968 and 1987, Queensland was governed by Bjelke-Petersen, whose government was characterised by
social conservatism
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on Tradition#In political and religious discourse, traditional social structures over Cultural pluralism, social pluralism. Social conservatives ...
,
police corruption
Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which a law enforcement officer breaks their political contract and abuses their power for personal gain. A corrupt officer may act alone or as part of a group. Corrupt acts include taking ...
, and
the brutal suppression of protest and has been described as a
police state
A police state describes a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the exec ...
. However, during this time Brisbane developed a counterculture focused on the
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
,
street marches and
Brisbane punk rock music.
In 1971, the touring
Springboks were to play against the Australian Rugby team. This was met with plans for protests due to the growing international and local opposition to
apartheid
Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
in South Africa. However, before their arrival Bjelke-Petersen declared a state of emergency for a month, citing the importance of the tour. This did not stop the protest however with violent clashes between protestors and police erupting 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 a statewide ban on protests and street marches. In September 1977 the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
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 end of the Bjelke-Petersen era began with the
Fitzgerald Inquiry of 1987 to 1989, a judicial inquiry presided over by
Tony Fitzgerald investigating
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 that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
. The inquiry resulted in the resignation of
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 govern ...
Bjelke-Petersen, the calling of two by-elections, the jailing of three former ministers and the
Police Commissioner
A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...
Terry Lewis (who also lost his
knighthood). It also contributed to the end of the
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia, commonly known as the Nationals or simply the Nats, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia. Traditionally represe ...
'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 was a major disaster which temporarily crippled the city, and saw a
substantial landslip at
Corinda. 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 in 1982. Major public works included the
Riverside Expressway, the
Gateway Bridge, and later, the redevelopment of
South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England.
The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...
. Starting with the monumental
Robin Gibson-designed
Queensland Cultural Centre, with the first stage the
Queensland Art Gallery completed in 1982, the
Queensland Performing Arts Centre in 1985, and the
Queensland Museum
The Queensland Museum Kurilpa is the state museum of Queensland, funded by the government, and dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museu ...
in 1986.
Brisbane hosted the
1982 Commonwealth Games and
World Expo 88. 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 and New South Wales. In the late 1980s Brisbane's inner-city areas were struggling with economic stagnation,
urban decay
Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to 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.
21st century
Brisbane was impacted by major floods in
January 2011 and
February 2022. 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 was also expanded, with the completion of the
State Library and the
Gallery of Modern Art in 2006, and the
Kurilpa Bridge 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 (physical), compression inside a network of continuous tension (mechanics), tension, and arranged in s ...
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.
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,
Roma Street Parklands,
Queens Wharf, the
Brisbane Riverwalk, the
Queen's Wharf casino and resort precinct, the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, the
Clem Jones
Clem Jones Order of Australia, AO (16 January 191815 December 2007), a surveyor by profession, was the longest serving Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, representing the Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch), Labor Party from 1961 to 1975 ...
,
Airport Link, and
Legacy Way road tunnels, and the
Airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
,
Springfield,
Redcliffe Peninsula and
Cross River Rail railway lines have been completed or are under construction.
Brisbane will host the
2032 Summer Olympics and
2032 Summer Paralympics
The 2032 Summer Paralympics, or the Games of the XIX Paralympiad, and also known as the 19th Summer Paralympic Games, and branded as Brisbane 2032, or the abbreviation Bris2032, are an upcoming international multi-sport event parasports event g ...
.
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. It runs roughl ...
, with the
Taylor 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; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
and
Sunshine coasts, approximately from
Caboolture in the north to
Beenleigh in the south, and across to
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
in the south west.
The Brisbane River is a wide
tidal 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 enviro ...
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. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...
. 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 and
South Pine rivers in the northern suburbs, which converge to form the
Pine River estuary at
Bramble Bay, the
Caboolture River further north, the
Logan and
Albert rivers in the south-eastern suburbs, and
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' 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 into which the ...
of the Brisbane River including the
Bremer River in the south-western suburbs,
Breakfast Creek in the inner-north,
Norman Creek in the inner-south,
Oxley Creek in the south,
Bulimba Creek in the inner south-east and
Moggill Creek 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. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
, 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,
Stradbroke 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,
Stradbroke and
Bribie islands and on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast to the south and north respectively. The southern part of Moreton Bay also contains smaller islands such as
St Helena Island,
Peel Island,
Coochiemudlo Island,
Russell Island,
Lamb Island and
Macleay Island.
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, reaching up to and
Enoggera Hill. The
D'Aguilar National Park, encompassing the
D'Aguilar Range, bounds the north-west of Brisbane's built-up area, and contains the taller peaks of
Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo (; ) is an elevated ridge located in Jordan, approximately Height above sea level, above sea level. Part of the Abarim mountain range, Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised L ...
,
Camp Mountain,
Mount Pleasant,
Mount Glorious,
Mount Samson and
Mount Mee. Other prominent rises in Brisbane are
Mount Gravatt,
Toohey Mountain,
Mount Petrie,
Highgate Hill,
Mount Ommaney,
Stephens Mountain, and
Whites Hill, which are dotted across the city.
Much of the rock upon which Brisbane is located is the characteristic
Brisbane tuff, 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 at
Kangaroo Point and the New Farm Cliffs on the
Petrie Bight reach of the Brisbane River. The stone was used in the construction of historical buildings such as the
Commissariat Store
A commissariat is a department or organization commanded by a commissary or by a corps of commissaries.
In many countries, commissary is a police rank. In those countries, a commissariat is a police station commanded by a commissary.
In some a ...
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 Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...
biogeographic region, and is home to numerous
Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...
varieties. Common trees in Brisbane include the
Moreton Bay fig, an evergreen
banyan
A banyan, also spelled banian ( ), is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as ...
with large
buttress roots 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 while cultivated around the world. The generic name is also used as the common name.
The species ' ...
, 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 considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
which line many avenues and parks and bloom with purpl
flowersduring October. Other trees common to the metropolitan area include Moreton Bay chestnut, broad-leaved paperbark,
poinciana, weeping lilli pilli and Bangalow palm. Some of the banks of the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
and
Moreton Bay are home to Australian mangroves, mangrove wetlands. The Poinsettia, red poinsettia is the original official floral emblem of Brisbane, however it is native to Central America.
An additional floral emblem, the Acacia fimbriata, Brisbane wattle, which is native to the Brisbane area, was added in 2023.
Brisbane is home to numerous bird species, with common species including rainbow lorikeets, kookaburras, galahs, Australian white ibises, Australian brushturkeys, Torresian crows, Australian magpies and noisy miners. Common reptiles include common garden skinks, Australian water dragons, bearded dragons and Blue-tongued skink, blue-tongued lizards. Common ringtail possums and flying foxes are common in parks and yards throughout the city, as are Euploea core, common crow butterflies, Graphium sarpedon, blue triangle butterflies, Nephila, golden orb-weaver spiders and Argiope keyserlingi, St Andrew's Cross spiders. The
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
is home to many fish species including Acanthopagrus australis, yellowfin bream, Flathead (fish), flathead, Australasian snapper, and bull sharks. The waters of
Moreton Bay are home to dugongs, humpback whales, dolphins, Scylla serrata, mud crabs, Mictyris longicarpus, soldier crabs, Moreton Bay bugs and numerous shellfish species. The koala and the graceful tree frog are the official faunal emblems of Brisbane, however both are increasingly less common due to the effects of increased development and climate-change.
Climate

Brisbane has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: ''Cfa'') with hot, wet summers and moderately drier, mild winters. Brisbane experiences an annual mean minimum of and mean maximum of , making it Australia's second-hottest capital city after Darwin, Northern Territory, 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 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 status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
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.
Sleet or snow is exceptionally rare in Brisbane. The Bureau of Meteorology has only three official records of snow in Brisbane: June 1927, June 1932 (witnessed by seven people), and September 1958 (light flakes were seen by four people at 5:15pm in Moorooka, Wooloowin, Bowen Hills and Taringa).
Unofficial eports exist of earlier snowfalls, such as follows from July 1882:
"The snow was most noticeable in Woolloongabba, but in Stanley Street, South Brisbane it was sufficiently heavy to allow of people wiping it from their clothing.
"In the vicinity of the museum the fall was, though very slight, plainly noticeable.
"It is said that snow fell in this city 35 years ago, and the summer following the period of the fall was remarkable for its excessive heat."
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, with overcast skies more common in the warmer months. Dewpoints in the summer average at around ; the apparent temperature 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 1893 Brisbane flood, February 1893, 1974 Brisbane Flood, January 1974 (partially a result of Cyclone Wanda),
January 2011 (partially a result of Cyclone Tasha) and
February 2022.
Brisbane is within the southern reaches of the tropical cyclone 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 (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.
Queen Street (named in honour of Queen Victoria) is Brisbane's traditional main street and contains its largest pedestrian mall, the Queen Street Mall. Streets named after female members (Adelaide Street, Brisbane, Adelaide, Alice Street, Brisbane, Alice, Ann Street, Brisbane, Ann, Charlotte Street, Brisbane, Charlotte, Elizabeth Street, Brisbane, Elizabeth, Margaret Street, Brisbane, Margaret, 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, Post Office Square, Brisbane, Post Office Square and
ANZAC Square (home to the city's central war memorial).
At the broadest level, Brisbane's metropolitan area is informally divided into the northside and the southside, with the dividing line being the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
, 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. Due to the river's winding trajectory, this results in many areas which are south of the CBD being classified as located in the northside, and vice versa. At a more specific level, the metropolitan area contains informal regions including the northern, southern, eastern and western suburbs, the bayside suburbs along the Moreton Bay coastline, and the Moreton Bay, Redland, Logan and Ipswich regions in the outer north, east, south and west respectively.
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 mid-rise and high rise buildings, which has quickened in the 21st century. At the 2021 census, 73.4% of residents lived in 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 at
Gardens Point, Roma Street Parkland, the 27-hectare
Victoria Park at Spring Hill, Queensland, Spring Hill and
Herston,
South Bank Parklands along the river at
South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England.
The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...
, the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane Botanic Gardens at
Mount Coot-tha and the riverside New Farm Park at New Farm.
There are many national parks surrounding the Brisbane metropolitan area. The
D'Aguilar National Park is a major national park along the northwest of the metropolitan area in the
D'Aguilar Range. 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. Significant areas of
Moreton, 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 include 1,100 hectares of wetlands which are home to Australian mangroves, mangroves and 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
A commissariat is a department or organization commanded by a commissary or by a corps of commissaries.
In many countries, commissary is a police rank. In those countries, a commissariat is a police station commanded by a commissary.
In some a ...
on William Street, Brisbane, William Street, built by convict labour in 1828, which was originally used as a grain house, 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, Brisbane City Hall, City Hall,
Customs House, Land Administration Building, MacArthur Chambers, The Mansions, Brisbane, The Mansions, National Australia Bank (308 Queen Street), National Australia Bank Building, the
Old Museum Building and the Federation architecture, Federation-style People's Palace, Brisbane, People's Palace, a former temperance hotel on Edward Street, Brisbane, Edward Street.
One of the oldest synagogues in the Queensland area is the Brisbane Synagogue located on Margaret Street in Brisbane city. This historic synagogue can be attributed as the "centerpiece of the Jewish community's presence in the state" It was established in 1866 and designed by architect Arthur Morry. Another architect by the name of Andrea Stombuco has also been credited as a designer of the synagogue by previous members of the community. The architectural design of this historic synagogue is in the style of Neo-Moorish also known as Byzantine style.
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 ) are located within the CBD, but the inner suburbs are also home to a number of high-density buildings, Torbreck, Brisbane, Torbreck being the first high-rise and mix-use residential development in
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
. 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 . Architecturally prominent skyscrapers include the Harry Seidler-designed Riparian Plaza, One One One Eagle Street, which incorporates LED lamp, LED lighting resembling the buttress roots of the
Moreton Bay fig, and 1 William Street, Brisbane, 1 William Street, the headquarters of the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
.
File:People's Palace with 288 Edward Street, Brisbane in the background, April 2020, 01.jpg, Former Temperance movement, temperance hotel, the People's Palace, Brisbane, People's Palace, built in the Federation architecture, Federation Filigree style between 1910 and 1911
File:The Manor Apartment Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, 2020.jpg, Manor Apartment Hotel, completed in 1931
File:Shrine of Remembrance square view, Brisbane (cropped).jpg, Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as The Shrine) is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in ...
at ANZAC Square, a major memorial in Brisbane
File:Skylines of Brisbane from Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park, 2020, 03.jpg, Brisbane Skytower, Brisbane's tallest building
Demographics
Brisbane's Greater Capital City Statistical Area includes the Local Government Areas of
City of Brisbane, City of Ipswich, City of Moreton Bay, 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 2,780,063 as of June 2024,
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 20.7% of Brisbane's inhabitants were Immigration to Australia, born overseas and 25.2% 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, Stretton, Queensland, Stretton, Robertson, Queensland, Robertson, Calamvale, MacGregor, Queensland, Macgregor, 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, Richlands, Queensland, Richlands, and 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, which includes
Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands.
Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
and Torres Strait Islanders.
File:Chinatown Mall, Brisbane.jpg, Chinatown, Brisbane, Brisbane's Chinatown. Chinese Australians are Brisbane's largest non-European ancestry.
File:St John's Cathedral, Brisbane facade in spring 2017.jpg, St John's Cathedral, an Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican cathedral
File:Albert Street Uniting Church, Brisbane, October 2021.jpg, Albert Street Uniting Church
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'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%), 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 is located at the Brisbane River's mouth on
Moreton Bay 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,
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 and in new industrial zones on the urban fringe.
Tourism in Brisbane, 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 local government area alone in 2018.
Retail
Retail in the Brisbane central business district, CBD is centred around the Queen Street Mall, which is Queensland's largest pedestrian mall. Shopping mall, Shopping centres in the CBD include The Myer Centre, Brisbane, Uptown (formerly the 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 (particularly Fortitude Valley, Queensland#Commercial area, James Street),
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 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 Rocklea#Fruit and vegetable market, Brisbane Markets at Rocklea are Brisbane's largest wholesale markets, whilst smaller markets operate at numerous locations throughout the city including
South Bank Parklands, 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 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.
GOMA houses the Australian Cinémathèque, a dedicated film facility offering a diverse program of screenings, including international cinema, influential filmmakers, rare prints, restorations and silent films with a live musical accompaniment. Screenings take place Wednesday and Friday nights, as well as matinees on weekends. Most screenings are free admission.

Dramatic and musical theatre performances are held at the multiple large theatres located at
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). The Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm and the Judith Wright Arts Centre in
Fortitude Valley also feature diverse programs 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, the La Boite Theatre Company which performs at the Roundhouse Theatre at Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Kelvin Grove, the Twelfth Night Theatre at 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 (QPAC) at
South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England.
The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...
, 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, a musical conservatorium in which professional music companies and conservatorium students also stage performances, is located within the
South Bank Parklands. Numerous choirs present performances across the city annually. These choirs include the Brisbane Chorale, Queensland Choir, Brisbane Chamber Choir, Canticum Chamber Choir, ChoirWorks, Imogen Children's Chorale, and Brisbane Birralee Voices.

Brisbane's live music scene is diverse and its 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''. Popular live music venues, including pubs and clubs, can be found within both the CBD and
Fortitude Valley. The Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall 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), The Saints (Australian band), the Saints (based in Brisbane since 1974, one of the first punk rock bands), 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), Savage Garden, Powderfinger (who met at Brisbane Grammar School and the
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
), and the Veronicas (born and raised in Albany Creek). The city is featured in music including 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) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as premier of Queensland between 1968 and 1987, for almost 20 years, as state leader of the National Party (earlier known as the C ...
; 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
), 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 2018 novel by Russian writer Eugene Vodolazkin. In the novel, the city serves as a metaphor of the promised land for the protagonist. The
State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
, the state's largest library, is located at the
Queensland Cultural Centre.
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 (TV series), Bluey'' is produced and set in Brisbane.
Brisbane is home to over 6,000 restaurants and dining establishments, with outdoor dining featuring prominently. The most popular cuisines by number of dining establishments are Japanese cuisine, Japanese, Chinese cuisine, Chinese, Modern Australian, Italian cuisine, Italian, American cuisine, American, Indian cuisine, Indian, and Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese. Moreton Bay bugs, 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 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, 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 Brisbane central business district, CBD and surrounding areas. It includes Riverfire, one of the nation's largest annual fireworks displays, 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 Brisbane Portrait Prize is an annual arts event held formerly at the Brisbane Powerhouse and from 2024, at the
State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
. Sitters for the portrait must have a connection to Brisbane city.
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 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in
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 Sydney Olympics, 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2008 Rugby League World Cup, 2015 Asian Cup, 2017 Rugby League World Cup, 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, 2023 Women's World Cup.
It will host the
2032 Summer Olympics and
2032 Summer Paralympics
The 2032 Summer Paralympics, or the Games of the XIX Paralympiad, and also known as the 19th Summer Paralympic Games, and branded as Brisbane 2032, or the abbreviation Bris2032, are an upcoming international multi-sport event parasports event g ...
.
The city also bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics but lost to Barcelona. It holds the Brisbane International tennis competition every year.
Brisbane is represented by the rugby league teams the Brisbane Broncos and Dolphins (NRL), Dolphins, who play in the National Rugby League, and is also home to 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. Brisbane also hosts a professional Australian rules football team, the Brisbane Lions, who play in the Australian Football League; as well as an A-League soccer team, the Brisbane Roar FC.
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. Other Brisbane sports teams include 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 37,000 seat round stadium at
Woolloongabba), 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 Spa Resort, Brookwater Golf and Country Club at Brookwater, Nudgee Golf Club at Nudgee, Queensland, Nudgee, the Keperra Country Golf Club at Keperra, and the Royal Queensland Golf Club at 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 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 near inner city Brisbane include the
South Bank Parklands (including the Wheel of Brisbane), the
City Botanic Gardens, Roma Street Parkland, New Farm Park, the
Howard Smith Wharves, Queen's Wharf, Brisbane, Queens Wharf & Casino, the Teneriffe, Queensland, Teneriffe woolstores precinct,
Fortitude Valley (including Fortitude Valley, Queensland#Commercial area, James Street and Chinatown, Brisbane, Chinatown), West End, Queensland, West End, Brisbane City Hall, City Hall (including the Museum of Brisbane), the Parliament of Queensland, the
Story Bridge and bridge climb;
St John's Cathedral,
ANZAC Square and the
Queensland Cultural Centre (including the
Queensland Museum
The Queensland Museum Kurilpa is the state museum of Queensland, funded by the government, and dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museu ...
,
Queensland Performing Arts Centre,
Queensland Art Gallery, the
Gallery of Modern Art and the
State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
), the
Kangaroo Point Cliffs and park, and the Queensland Maritime Museum.
Away from the inner city, Brisbane has a number of tourist attractions and destinations such as the,
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
in St Lucia, Sirromet Winery at Mount Cotton, Tangalooma on Moreton Island, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket, Eat Street (food night markets) at Northshore Hamilton,
Fort Lytton, and
Mount Coot-tha (including the Mount Coot-tha Forest, Mount Coot-tha Reserve, 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.
Brisbane is notable for its
Brisbane Riverwalk network, which runs along much of the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
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 between
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
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
and city centre. Other popular recreation activities include the
Story Bridge adventure climb and rock climbing at the
Kangaroo Point Cliffs.
Moreton Bay 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, Manly, Queensland, Manly and Wellington Point are also popular attractions for their bayside beaches, piers, and infrastructure for boating, sailing, fishing and kitesurfing.
There are many national parks surrounding the Brisbane metropolitan area which are popular recreational attractions for hiking and bushwalking. The
D'Aguilar National Park runs along the northwest of the metropolitan area in the
D'Aguilar Range, and contains popular bushwalking and hiking peaks at
Mount Nebo
Mount Nebo (; ) is an elevated ridge located in Jordan, approximately Height above sea level, above sea level. Part of the Abarim mountain range, Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised L ...
,
Camp Mountain,
Mount Pleasant,
Mount Glorious,
Mount Samson 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, 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 are protected Australian mangroves, mangrove 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, 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, City of Moreton Bay 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
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entran ...
is the seat of the
Brisbane City Council, 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
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Brisbane is home to the Parliament of Queensland at Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament House at
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 located 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 now hosts a military museum. The Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Moreton base is located at 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, while the city's main historical prison, the Boggo Road Gaol, is now a museum.
Politics
Greater Brisbane is represented by five Local government areas of Queensland, local government areas (LGAs): the
City of Brisbane, the City of Ipswich, Logan City, the City of Moreton Bay and Redland City. The City of Brisbane is by far the largest and the most populated of the four, and
Brisbane City Council has 27 members: 26 councillors elected from single-member Ward (electoral subdivision), wards and one directly elected Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Lord Mayor.
In the Queensland Legislative Assembly, Brisbane is represented by 41 single-member Electoral districts of Queensland, electoral districts. In the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives, Brisbane is represented by 17 single-member Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, electoral divisions.
Brisbane has a diverse political climate. On the federal level, the centre-right Liberal National Party of Queensland, Liberal National Party (LNP) holds six Brisbane-based seats, the centre-left Australian Labor Party, Labor Party holds four and the left-wing Australian Greens, Greens hold three. On the state level, Labor holds the vast majority of Brisbane-based seats, while the LNP holds just five and the Greens hold two. On the local level, LNP hold the Lord Mayoralty of Brisbane (with Adrian Schrinner as Lord Mayor) and 20 of the 26 wards of the City of Brisbane, while Labor holds five and the Greens and an independent hold one each.
Education

Three major universities are headquartered in Brisbane, namely:
* The
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
(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) and Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Kelvin Grove
* Griffith University (GU), with campuses in Nathan, Queensland, Nathan,
Mount Gravatt,
South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England.
The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...
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 status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
and the central business district
* The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), with campuses in Petrie, Queensland, Petrie and
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
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
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 department of the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
. Independent (private),
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
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 coordinated 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 Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...
. The region is divided into seven Fare, fare zones radiating outwards from the Brisbane central business district (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
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. 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. The Inner City Bypass, Brisbane, Inner City Bypass and
Riverside Expressway 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, eighteen 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 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 the 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 five pedestrian only bridges: the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, Kangaroo Point Bridge, the Goodwill Bridge, the Neville Bonner Bridge, the
Kurilpa Bridge and the Jack Pesch Bridge.
The Houghton Highway (northbound) and Ted Smout Memorial Bridge (southbound) bridges, over
Bramble Bay 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 154 train stations along 13 suburban and interurban rail lines and across the metropolitan area, namely: the Airport railway line, Brisbane, Airport, Beenleigh railway line, Beenleigh, Caboolture railway line, Caboolture, Cleveland railway line, Cleveland, Doomben railway line, Doomben, Ferny Grove railway line, Ferny Grove, Ipswich and Rosewood railway line, Ipswich/Rosewood,
Redcliffe Peninsula, Shorncliffe railway line, Shorncliffe, and
Springfield lines, as well as the Exhibition railway line, Exhibition line which is used only for events at the Brisbane Showgrounds, as well as an inner-city bypass for freight and a turnback for long-distance services. The network extends to the
Gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
and
Sunshine coasts, which are fully integrated into the network on the 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 Queensland Rail and Airtrain Citylink.
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 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

Busways in Brisbane, Brisbane's busway network is a large dedicated bus rapid transit 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 (maroon) respectively.
Brisbane Metro is a bus rapid transit (BRT) project which will initially consist of two routes (Metro 1 and 2) running between Eight Mile Plains busway station, Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street busway station, Roma Street, and UQ Lakes busway station, UQ St Lucia (UQ Lakes) and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital respectively. It is set to open in 2024.
Ferry
RiverCity Ferries operates three ferry services along the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
, 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
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
between the
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
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 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 ferry wharf, South Bank, Maritime Museum ferry wharf, Maritime Museum, Riverside ferry wharf, Riverside and Holman Street ferry wharf, Holman Street.
There are tourist passenger ferries that depart the Brisbane River at Pinkenba to Tangalooma on Moreton Island four times daily, and Micat 4WD car ferries that depart from the
Port of Brisbane daily.
Pedestrian
An extensive network of pedestrian and cyclist pathways span the banks of the
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
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 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](_blank)
– Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2017 The airport is the main airline hub, hub for Virgin Australia as well as a number of minor and freight airlines, and a focus city for Qantas and Jetstar. 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 Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...
, including Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta, Sunshine Coast Airport at Marcoola, and Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport at Wellcamp.
Seaport

The
Port of Brisbane is located on the south side of the mouth of the Brisbane River on
Moreton Bay 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 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 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, Queensland Health's Hospital and Health Services (divided in Metro North, Metro South and Children's Health Queensland). 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 in Brisbane is managed by two Statutory authority, statutory authorities: Seqwater and Queensland Urban Utilities, Urban Utilities. Bulk water storage, treatment and transportation for South East Queensland is managed by Seqwater, with Queensland Urban Utilities, Urban Utilities (previously Brisbane Water) responsible 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.
The provision of electricity in Brisbane is managed by government and private bodies. Generators (some private and some owned by the Queensland government) sell energy into the wholesale market for eastern Australia known as the National Electricity Market. Transmission and distribution of electricity is managed by the Queensland government owned corporations Energex and Powerlink Queensland respectively. Electricity retailing, Private retailers then purchase electricity from the wholesale Electricity market, market and sell it to consumers, which have the ability to choose between different retailers in a partially de-regulated market.
The supply of Natural gas, gas to users is more heavily privatised, with the private APA Group (Australia), APA Group distributing gas in Brisbane, which is then bought and sold by retailers (mainly Origin Energy and AGL Energy) in a partially de-regulated market.
Metropolitan Brisbane is serviced by all major and most minor telecommunications companies and their networks, including Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone Australia.
Brisbane is home to numerous 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, 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. Brisbane also receives the national daily, ''The Australian'' and its sibling the ''Weekend Australian.''
The ''Brisbane Times'' is Brisbane's second major local news source, owned by Nine Entertainment Co., Nine, and is online only. Its sibling papers, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' and Melbourne's ''The Age'' are sometimes sold in print in Brisbane in small numbers. The national broadsheet ''Australian Financial Review'', also owned by Nine, is sold in print in Brisbane.
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. 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, 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 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 ABC Radio 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, SENQ (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.
Sister cities
Sister cities of Brisbane include:
* Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
* Auckland, New Zealand
* Chongqing, China
* Daejeon, South Korea
* Hyderabad, India
* Kaohsiung, Taiwan
* Kobe, Japan
* Sapporo, Japan
* Seattle, United States
* Semarang, Indonesia
* Shenzhen, China
See also
* List of Brisbane suburbs
* List of museums in Brisbane
* List of people from Brisbane
Explanatory notes
References
External links
City of BrisbaneOfficial tourism website of BrisbaneHistorical footage of Brisbane and Southern Queensland
Peter Fischmann photographs of Brisbane and South-East Queensland State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
{{Authority control
Brisbane,
1825 establishments in Australia
Australian capital cities
Cities in Queensland
Coastal cities in Australia
Populated places established in 1825
Port cities in Queensland