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Brisbane

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Brisbane is the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The city's name is pronounced "BRIZ-buhn".  The City of Brisbane has around 1,355,000 inhabitants, while the surrounding metropolitan area population is approximately 2.54 million (ABS, 2024).

Geography and climate

Brisbane is situated in the southeast corner of Queensland at latitude 27º28′S, longitude 153º02′E. The city straddles the Brisbane River, and its eastern suburbs line the shores of Moreton Bay. The greater Brisbane region lies on the coastal plain east of the Great Dividing Range.

Some of the major centres in greater Brisbane are:

Ipswich - Home of Queensland Rail, famous for its huge Rail workshop, which lies in the city for a pleasant tourist attraction. The population has nearly doubled since 1994. Population: 129,000.
Logan City - a large growth area. Population: 171,292
Redcliffe - a beautiful mini city outside of Brisbane, famous for its beaches and the historic Hornibrook Bridge, which when opened in 1935 was the longest bridge in the Southern Hemisphere. Population: 51,723.
Caboolture - A large area to the north of Brisbane. Population: 115,386.
Pine Rivers - A shire associated with Brisbane. Population: 133,778

Brisbane has a subtropical climate with warm, mild winters and hot, moist summers. Brisbane is subject to high humidity, mainly from November through to April.

Some of its climatic averages:

• Mean January maximum temperature — 29 ºC (85 ºF)
• Mean January minimum temperature — 21 ºC (69 ºF)
• Mean July maximum temperature — 20 ºC (69 ºF)
• Mean July minimum temperature — 10 ºC (49 ºF)
• Mean annual rainfall — 1146 mm (45.1 inches)
• Wettest month on average — January, 160 mm (6.3 inches)
• Driest month on average — August, 46 mm (1.8 inches)

Some of its historical extremes:

• Hottest maximum temperature — 43.2ºC (109.8ºF), 26 January 1940
• Coldest minimum temperature — 2.3ºC (36.1ºF), 12 July 1894 and 2 July 1896
• Wettest month — 1026 mm (40.4 inches) of rainfall, February 1893
• Wettest day — 465 mm (18.3 inches), 21 January 1887
• Highest wind gust — 145 km/h (90 m/h)

Demographics

The estimated population of the City of Brisbane is approximately 1,355,000 (ABS, 2024). Together with surrounding Local Government Areas, Brisbane has an estimated metropolitan population of approximately 2.54 million. Brisbane City Council is the most populous Local Government Area in Australia and is one of the largest cities in the world in terms of geographic area.

Economy

Brisbane has a diverse and generally vibrant economy with many sectors and industries represented in the city's total production of goods and services. Both white-collar and blue-collar industries are present, with white-collar industries such as information technology, financial services, higher education and public sector administration generally concentrated in and around the Central Business District and recently established office parks in the outer suburbs. Blue-collar industries such as petroleum refining, stevedoring, paper milling, metalworking and QR railway workshops tend to be located on the lower reaches of the Brisbane River and in new industrial zones on the urban fringe.

Government

The Liberal National Party has held the Brisbane mayoralty since Campbell Newman's election in 2004. The current Lord Mayor is Adrian Schrinner, who assumed office in April 2019 following the resignation of Graham Quirk, and was re-elected in 2024. He is the 17th Lord Mayor of Brisbane.

The area of Brisbane city is split into 26 wards, each of which elects a council member as a representative. The Lord Mayor is also elected by a popular vote, in which all residents must participate. Voting occurs every four years.

History

The city is named after Sir Thomas Brisbane (1773–1860), British soldier and colonial administrator born in Ayrshire, Scotland. However, before British colonisation, Brisbane was known as 'Meeaan-jin' by the Turrbul tribe. In 1823, the explorer John Oxley discovered the Brisbane River and in 1824, the first convict colony was established at Redcliffe Point. Only one year later, the colony was moved south from Redcliffe to North Quay on the Brisbane River, which is now part of Brisbane's CBD. In 1842, the area was opened for free settlement, while the convict colony was closed. By 1869, almost all of the Turrbul people had died. The few remaining survivors escaped the region with the help of the settler, Tom Petrie. When Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859 and became a colony by itself, Brisbane was declared the capital, but it was not until 1902 that Brisbane was officially declared a city. In 1924, the City of Brisbane Act was passed, giving Brisbane a local government, which took up its work in 1925. During World War II, many US forces were stationed in the city, and it became the headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander, South West Pacific Area.

Brisbane has been inundated by several severe floods of the Brisbane River — in 1864, 1893, 1974, 2011 and 2022.

Events

• 1982 Commonwealth Games
• 1988 Expo 88
• 1991 International Convention of Lions Clubs International
• 1995 International Physics Olympiad
• 2001 Goodwill Games
• 2003 International Convention of Rotary International
• 2003 Hosted matches during Rugby Union World Cup
• 2004 International Biology Olympiad
• 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (scheduled)

Tourism

Sights to see in the city's centre include Southbank Parklands (the site of Expo 88) and the recently developed Roma Street Parklands. There are a lot of shopping boutiques in Fortitude Valley and Queen Street Mall which has good shopping. The CityCat ferry service runs along the Brisbane River from the University of Queensland's Saint Lucia campus to Brett's Wharf at Hamilton, and is an easy way to get from one side of town to the other. Brisbane is also home to:

• Rock-climbing cliffs, parklands and riverside bikeways (suburb: Kangaroo Point)
• The Story Bridge - A Brisbane Landmark bridge which connects the two sides of the city
• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, which displays many native Australian animals, and where you can have your photo taken with a koala (suburb: Fig Tree Pocket).
• The brewery of XXXX, one of Australia's most famous beers (suburb: Milton).
• The Brisbane City Botanical Gardens near the Queensland University of Technology(QUT) at Gardens Point.
• Mount Coot-tha lookout with adjacent Brisbane botanical gardens.
• Other lookouts are situated on the tops of (suburb: Mount Gravatt) and Mount Petrie.
• The koala parklands in the southeast outskirts, where these marsupials can be seen in a natural setting. (suburb: Burbank)
• The recently-refurbished (2004) Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium in the Mt Coot-tha botanical gardens.
• Rocks Riverside Parklands, the region's largest park. (suburb: Oxley)
• several large sporting venues such as The Gabba and Lang Park stadium.
• a network of bikeways and many public swimming pools.
• Brisbane is blessed with many other tourist attractions within a short travelling distance.

Landmarks

Brisbane is home to many traditional and modern landmarks, some of which are Queensland icons and others that have a great significance to specific heritage, sport or even residential standards. Here are some of Brisbane's finest buildings and landmarks.

• Story Bridge - One of Australia's finest bridges and a true Queensland and Brisbane landmark. The bridge is the home of the River Festival and is beautifully lit up at night. Bridge climbs are a popular tourist attraction.
• Brisbane Skytower - Brisbane's tallest building at 274m, completed in 2019. A striking addition to the city skyline, it is also the largest residential tower in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Central Plaza 1 & 2 - Central Plaza 1 sits at 174m (571ft) and was constructed in 1988. It was Brisbane's tallest office building for many years and remains a landmark feature in the city skyline.
• Waterfront Place - A prominent tower in the Brisbane skyline at 162m, housing restaurants, cafes and bars at ground level.
• State Law Building - With its unique design, the State Law Building is known locally as 'Gotham City' because of its similarities to buildings in the Batman series.
• Brisbane City Hall - The Brisbane City Hall was the most expensive building in Australia until the creation of the Sydney Opera House. At night, the Brisbane City Hall is lit up for a spectacular view.
• Suncorp Stadium - Known previously as Lang Park, the stadium is the home of Queensland Rugby League and has been for many years. Reconstructed in 2003, the stadium is recognised as one of the great sporting venues in Australia.
• Treasury Casino - Housed, as the name suggests, in the old Treasury building, the casino has a very attractive facade which is lit up at night.
• Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) - The main venue for the 1982 Commonwealth Games, located in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. Also known at various times as QEII Stadium and ANZ Stadium, it is now operated by the Queensland Government.
• The Gabba - Sporting venue for the Queensland Bulls (Cricket) and the Brisbane Lions (Aussie Rules), and was also home of Soccer matches of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
• Brisbane Exhibition Ground - Operated by the RNA (Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland), the showgrounds are home to the annual RNA Show, better known as the Ekka, which attracts more than 600,000 visitors every year.
• Queensland Museum - Brisbane is home to the Queensland Museum, which is located at the South Bank Parklands.
• Riverside Centre - A modern, heritage-listed building which hosts weekend markets and is also the location of several well-known restaurants.

Entertainment

Brisbane has a thriving performing arts culture, housed in theatres such as La Boite's Roundhouse Theatre in Kelvin Grove, the QPAC Playhouse and Lyric Theatre at South Bank, the Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm, and the Judith Wright Centre in Fortitude Valley.

Brisbane's CBD, in particular the fashionable Queen Street Mall, has a wide range of restaurants, thousands of award-winning shopping centres, nightclubs, music and souvenirs.

South Bank Parklands is built on the former World Expo site and is famous for the firework displays it hosts at various times of the year. It is also a tourist attraction, featuring the beautiful Riverside Walkway and musical and arts festivals.

Close to Brisbane

• The Gold Coast has approximately 40 km of beach, as well as theme parks, canals and mountain hinterland. It is a major tourist zone.
• The Sunshine Coast is a collection of beachside cities surrounded by subtropical hinterland.
• Toowoomba is a garden city located 700m above sea level on the Great Dividing Range.
• Ipswich, Queensland City is a metro city located approximately 40 km South-West of Brisbane and is well known for it's Queensland Rail Workshop in the North of the town. Ipswich, Queensland is also well known in Australia for it's home of some of the worlds finest Rugby League players, some of these include - Allan Langer, Kevin, Kerrod & Steve Walters brothers'.

Media

Brisbane is served by six broadcast television stations: ABC, Seven, Nine, Ten, SBS, and community television station Briz 31.

In addition to the community radio station 4ZZZ, there are nine commercial radio stations in Brisbane: 4BC, 4BH, 4TAB, 4KQ, B105 FM, Triple M, NEW 97.3, River 94.9 and NovaFM.

The ABC transmits all five of its radio networks to Brisbane: 612 ABC, Radio National, Triple J, Newsradio and ABC Classic FM. SBS also broadcasts its national radio network to Brisbane.

Sport

Brisbane's local sporting teams are:

• Basketball — Brisbane Bullets
• Cricket — Queensland Bulls
• Rugby Union — Queensland Reds
• Rugby League — Brisbane Broncos
• Australian Rules Football (AFL) — Brisbane Lions
• Soccer — Brisbane Roar
• Netball — Queensland Firebirds

Colleges and universities

A number of tertiary education institutions have campuses in Brisbane, or in the surrounding areas:

• Australian Catholic University
• Central Queensland University
• Griffith University
• Queensland University of Technology
• University of Southern Queensland
• University of Queensland

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