Brisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is
the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of
approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in
Australia.
The city is situated on the Brisbane River on a low-lying floodplain between
Moreton Bay and the Great Dividing Range in southeastern Queensland. The
local indigenous people knew the area as Mian-jin, meaning 'place shaped as
a spike'.
Brisbane is named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales
from 1821 to 1825. Brisbane's demonym is a Brisbanite.
The first European settlement in Queensland was a penal colony at Redcliffe,
28 kilometres (17 mi) north of the Brisbane central business district, in
1824. That settlement was soon abandoned and moved to North Quay in 1825.
Free settlers were permitted from 1842. Brisbane was chosen as the capital
when Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales in
1859.
At a municipal level, the city is governed by the Brisbane City Council. In
1925, the City of Brisbane Act was passed by the Queensland Government,
abolishing 20 local government authorities in the city and forming the
largest local authority in Australia.
The city played a central role in the Allied campaign during World War II as
the South West Pacific headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur.
Brisbane is fast becoming a world city renowned for its culture,
architecture and landscape. The metropolitan area is surrounded by many
national parks, and contains many rivers, bays and inlets. The main airport
serving Brisbane is Brisbane International Airport, located 14 km north-east
of the CBD
Brisbane has hosted many large cultural and sporting events including the
1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo '88 and the 2001 Goodwill Games. In 2008
Brisbane was classified as a gamma world city+ in the World Cities Study
Group's inventory by Loughborough University.
History
Brisbane was inhabited before European settlement by the Turrbal people
whose ancestors migrated to the region from across the Torres Strait. They
knew the area as Mian-jin, meaning 'place shaped as a spike'.
The Moreton Bay area was initially explored by Matthew Flinders, landing and
naming "Red Cliff Point" – after the red-coloured cliffs visible from the
bay, known today as Woody Point – on 17 July 1799. In 1823, Governor of New
South Wales, Thomas Brisbane, instructed that a new northern penal
settlement be developed, and an exploration party led by John Oxley further
explored Moreton Bay.
Oxley discovered, named and sailed up the Brisbane River as far as Goodna,
some 20 km upstream from the Brisbane central business district. Oxley
recommended Red Cliff Point for the new colony, reporting that ships could
land at any tide and easily get close to the shore. The party settled in
Redcliffe on 13 September 1824, under the command of Lieutenant Henry Miller
with 14 soldiers, some with wives and children, and 29 convicts.
However, this settlement was abandoned after one year and the colony was
moved to a site on the Brisbane River now known as North Quay, 28 km south,
that offered a more reliable water supply. Chief Justice Forbes gave the new
settlement the name of Edenglassie before it was named Brisbane. Non-convict
European settlement of the Brisbane region commenced in 1838.
German missionaries settled at Zions Hill, Nundah, as early as 1837, five
years before Brisbane was officially declared a free settlement. The band
consisted of two ministers, Christopher Eipper (1813-1894) and Carl Wilhelm
Schmidt, and lay missionaries whose names were 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 German Station. Free settlers entered the area over
the following five years and by the end of 1840 Robert Dixon began work on
the first plan of Brisbane Town in anticipation of future development.
Queensland's first Government House was completed in 1862 and is located
within the grounds of the Queensland University of Technology near the City
Botanic Gardens
Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony on 6 June 1859 with Brisbane
chosen as its capital, although it was not incorporated as a city until 1902
Over twenty small municipalities and shires were amalgamated in 1925, to
form the City of Brisbane which is governed by the Brisbane City Council.
1930 was a significant year for Brisbane as it had gained some landmarks
which would define the identity and character of the city. The Story Bridge
and Brisbane City Hall, the city's tallest buildings were both completed.
Additionally, the Shrine of Remembrance, in ANZAC Square, became Brisbane's
main war memorial.
During World War II, Brisbane became central to the Allied campaign when the
AMP Building (now called MacArthur Central) was used as the South West
Pacific headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur, chief of the Allied
Pacific forces.
MacArthur had previously rejected using the University of Queensland complex
as his HQ, 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.
Approximately 1,000,000 US troops passed through Australia during the war,
as the primary coordination point for the South West Pacific. 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 several injuries. This incident became known colloquially as the
Battle of Brisbane.
Postwar Brisbane had developed a "big country town" stigma, an image which
the city's politicians and marketers were very keen to shake. Despite
growing steadily, Brisbane was punctuated by infrastructure problems.
The State government under Joh Bjelke-Petersen began a major program of
change and urban renewal beginning with the CBD and inner suburbs. Trams in
Brisbane were a popular mode of public transport and Brisbane and the city
became the last Australian city to completely close its tram network in 1969
The 1974 Brisbane flood was a major disaster which temporarily crippled the
city.
During this era Brisbane grew and modernised rapidly becoming a destination
of interstate migration. Some of Brisbane's much loved landmarks were lost
including the Bellevue Hotel in 1977 and Cloudland in 1982, demolished in
controversial circumstances by the infamous Deen Brothers demolition crew.
Major public works included the Riverside Expressway, the Gateway Bridge and
later the redevelopment of South Bank starting with the Queensland Art
Gallery.
Brisbane staged the successful 1982 Commonwealth Games and the 1988 World
Exposition (known locally as World Expo '88) during 1988. 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 has exceeded the national average every year
since 1990 at an average rate of around 2.2% per year.
Geography
Brisbane is in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. The city is
centred along the Brisbane River, and its eastern suburbs line the shores of
Moreton Bay. The greater Brisbane region is on the coastal plain east of the
Great Dividing Range.
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 300 metres (980
ft) and the smaller Enoggera Hill. Other prominent rises in Brisbane are
Mount Gravatt and nearby Toohey Mountain. Mount Petrie at 170 metres (560
ft) and the lower rises of Highgate Hill, Mount Ommaney, Stephens Mountain
and Whites Hill are dotted across the city.
The city is on a low-lying floodplain. Many suburban creeks criss-cross the
city, increasing the risk of flooding. The city has suffered two major
floods since colonisation, in 1893 and 1974. The 1974 Brisbane flood
occurred partly as a result of "Cyclone Wanda". Heavy rain had fallen
continuously for three weeks before the Australia Day weekend flood (26 – 27
January 1974).The flood damaged many parts of the city, especially the
suburbs of Oxley, Bulimba, Rocklea, Coorparoo, Toowong and New Farm. The
City Botanic gardens were inundated, leading to a new colony of mangroves
forming in the City Reach of the Brisbane River.
Urban Structure
The Brisbane central business district (CBD) lies in a curve of the Brisbane
river. The CBD covers only 2.2 km2 (0.8 sq mi) and is walkable.
Central streets are named after members of the royal family. Streets named
after female members (Adelaide, Alice, Ann, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Margaret,
Mary) run parallel to Queen Street and Queen Street Mall (named in honour of
Queen Victoria) and perpendicular to streets named after male members
(Albert, Edward, George, William).
The city has retained some heritage buildings dating back to 1820s, The
Windmill in Wickham Park and the Old Commissariat Store on William Street
are considered to be the oldest surviving buildings in Brisbane. Both were
built by convict labour in 1828. The Windmill was originally used for the
grinding of grain and a punishment for the convicts that manually operated
the grinding mill. The Windmill tower's other significant claim to fame,
largely ignored, is that the first television signals in the southern
hemisphere were transmitted from it by experimenters in April 1934—long
before TV commenced in most places. These experimental TV broadcasts
continued until World War II.
The Old Commissariat Store, originally used partly as a grainhouse, has also
been a hostel for immigrants and used for the storage of records. Built with
Brisbane tuff from the nearby Kangaroo Point Cliffs and sandstone from a
quarry near today's Albion Park Racecourse, it is now the home of the Royal
Historical Society of Brisbane. It contains a museum and can also be hired
for small functions.
The city has a density of 379.4 people per square kilometre, which is high
for an Australian city and comparable to that of Sydney. However like many
western cities, Brisbane sprawls into the greater metropolitan area. The
lower population density reflects the fact that most of Brisbane's housing
stock consists of detached houses.
Early legislation decreed a minimum size for residential blocks resulting in
few terrace houses being constructed in Brisbane. Recently the density of
the city and inner city neighbourhoods has increased with the construction
of apartments, with the result that the population of the central business
district has doubled over the last 5 years and closing the gap on Sydney and
Melbourne.
Brisbane has a lower inner city population density than Australia's two
largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, although constant population growth
The high density housing that existed came in the form of miniature
Queenslander-style houses which resemble the much larger traditional styles
but are sometimes only one quarter the size. These miniature Queenslanders
are becoming scarce but can still be seen in the inner city suburbs.
Multi residence accommodations (such as apartment blocks) are relatively new
to Brisbane, with few such blocks built before 1970, other than in inner
suburbs such as New Farm. Pre-1950 housing was often built in a distinctive
architectural style known as a Queenslander, featuring timber construction
with large verandahs and high ceilings. 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. Many of these houses are
elevated on stumps (also called "stilts"), that were originally timber, but
are now frequently replaced by steel or concrete.
Currently, Brisbane has only two buildings greater than 200 metres in height
The tallest is a residential tower, Aurora Tower and the second is a mixed
use tower Riparian Plaza. There is also a further three buildings over 200m
metres which are either under construction or have had construction put on
hold.
Climate
Brisbane has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen climate classification Cfa)
with hot, humid summers and dry, mild winters. From late Spring through to
early Autumn, thunderstorms are common over Brisbane, with the more severe
events accompanied by large damaging hail stones, torrential rain and
destructive winds.
The city's highest recorded temperature was 43.2 °C (110 °F) on 26 January
1940. On 19 July 2007, Brisbane's temperature fell below the freezing point
for the first time since records began, registering −0.1 °C (31.8 °F) at the
airport.
Brisbane's wettest day was 21 January 1887, when 465 millimetres (18.3 in)
of rain fell on the city, the highest maximum daily rainfall of Australia's
capital cities.
From 2006, Brisbane and surrounding temperate areas have experienced the
most severe drought in over a century, with dam levels dropping below one
quarter of their capacity. Residents have been mandated by local laws to
observe level 6 water restrictions on gardening and other outdoor water
usage. Per capita water usage is below 140 litres per day, giving Brisbane
one of the lowest per capita usages of water of any Western city in the
world.
Dust storms in Brisbane are extremely rare however on 23 September 2009, a
severe dust storm blanketed Brisbane, as well as other parts of eastern
Australia.
Governance
Brisbane City Hall houses the Museum of Brisbane and offices of the Brisbane
City Council.
Main articles: Brisbane City Council and Government of Queensland
Unlike other Australian capital cities, a large portion of the greater
metropolitan area of Brisbane is controlled by a single local government
entity, the Brisbane City Council. Since the creation of the Brisbane City
Council in 1925 the urban areas of Brisbane have expanded considerably past
the City Council boundaries. Prior to that, a far smaller area (comprising
the inner suburbs of Brisbane today) was controlled by the Brisbane
Municipal Council.
The City of Brisbane is divided into 26 wards, with each ward electing a
Councillor as their community representative. The Lord Mayor of Brisbane and
Councillors are elected every four years by popular vote, in which all
residents must participate. The current Lord Mayor of Brisbane is Campbell
Newman, who was elected to the position in March 2004 and re-elected in 2008
Brisbane City Council is the largest local government body (in terms of
population and budget) in Australia. The Council, formed by the merger of
twenty smaller councils in 1925, has jurisdiction over an area of 1,367 km2
(528 sq mi). The Council's annual budget is approximately $1.6 billion, and
it has an asset base of $13 billion.
Economy
Brisbane's economy has white-collar and blue-collar industries. White-collar
industries include information technology, financial services, higher
education and public sector administration generally concentrated in and
around the central business district and recently established office areas
in the inner suburbs.
Blue-collar industries, including 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. Tourism is an important part of the Brisbane economy, both in its
own right and as a gateway to other areas of Queensland.
Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Queensland State Government has
been developing technology and science industries in Queensland as a whole,
and Brisbane in particular, as part of its "Smart State" initiative. The
government has invested in several biotechnology and research facilities at
several universities in Brisbane. The Institute for Molecular Bioscience at
the University of Queensland (UQ) Saint Lucia Campus is a large CSIRO and
Queensland state government initiative for research and innovation that is
currently being emulated at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Campus at Kelvin Grove with the establishment of the Institute of Health and
Biomedical Innovation (IHBI).
Brisbane is one of the major business hubs in Australia. Most major
Australian companies, as well as numerous international companies, have
contact offices in Brisbane, while numerous electronics businesses have
distribution hubs in and around the city. DHL Global's Oceanic distribution
warehouse is located in Brisbane, as is Asia Pacific Aerospace's
headquarters. Home grown major companies include Suncorp-Metway Limited,
Flight Centre, Sunsuper, Orrcon, Credit Union Australia, Boeing Australia,
Donut King, Wotif.com, WebCentral, PIPE Networks, Krome Studios, NetBox Blue
Mincom Limited and Virgin Blue.
Brisbane has the fourth highest median household income of the Australian
capital cities at $40,973.
Port of Brisbane
The Port of Brisbane is on the lower reaches of the Brisbane River and on
Fisherman's Island at the rivers mouth, and is the 3rd most important port
in Australia for value of goods. 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, the country's
fastest-growing economic development area. Geographically, Australia
TradeCoast occupies a large swathe of land around the airport and port.
Commercially, the area has attracted a mix of companies from throughout the
Asia Pacific region.
Retail
Brisbane has a range of retail precincts, both in the Central Business
District and in surrounding suburbs. The Queen Street Mall has a vast array
of cafes, restaurants, cinemas, gift shops and shopping centres including:
Wintergarden, Broadway on the Mall, QueensPlaza, Brisbane Arcade, Queen
Adelaide Building, Tattersails Arcade and The Myer Centre.
The majority of retail business is done within the suburbs of Brisbane in
shopping centres which include major department store chains. There are 3
major Westfield shopping centres in Brisbane located in the suburbs of
Chermside (Westfield Chermside), Mt Gravatt (Westfield Garden City) and
Carindale (Westfield Carindale).
Other large shopping centres exist at Indooroopilly (Indooroopilly Shopping
Centre), Toombul (Centro Toombul) and Mitchelton (Brookside Shopping Centre)
Other major shopping centres through-out the metropolitan area include
North Lakes (Westfield North Lakes), Strathpine (Westfield Strathpine) and
Loganholme (Logan Hyperdome).
The 2006 census reported 1,763,131 residents within the Brisbane Statistical
Division, making it the third largest city in Australia. Brisbane recorded
the largest growth rate of all capital cities in the last Census, with an
annual growth rate of 2.2%. The median age across the city was 35 years.
The 2006 census showed that 1.7% of Brisbane's population were of indigenous
origin and 21.7% were born overseas. Of those born outside of Australia, the
three main countries of birth were New Zealand, South Africa, and the United
Kingdom.
Approximately 16.1% of households spoke a language other than English, with
the most common languages being Mandarin 1.1%, Vietnamese 0.9%, Cantonese 0
9%, Italian 0.6% and Samoan 0.5%. Areas of significant overseas populations
were in the southern region of Moorooka where those of African descent
reside. Most of the Vietnamese population reside in the suburb of Inala
while those from Mainland China are often found not in one particular area
but all around Brisbane. Sunnybank is where most of the majority of the
Chinese population reside, comprising mainly of people from Taiwan and Hong
Kong. Brisbane has the highest population of Republic of China (Taiwan)
citizens in Australia. It has been estimated that the population has grown
to an estimated 35 000+, making them the highest Asian population in
Brisbane. Consequently, Sunnybank and its surrounding suburbs have often
been dubbed as the 'Real Chinatown' and 'Taiwan Town'.
The inner southern suburbs were considered the most densely populated areas
of Southern European descent, primarily Greek and Italian. There are also a
major number of Bosnians, Croatians, Indians, Pakistanis, South Africans and
Fijians in the city.
Sister Cities
Brisbane has sister city relations with the following cities
* Japan Kobe, Japan (1985)
* New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand (1988)
* People's Republic of China Shenzhen, China (1992)
* Indonesia Semarang, Indonesia (1993)
* Republic of China Kaohsiung, Taiwan (1997)
* South Korea Daejon, Republic of Korea (2002)
* People's Republic of China Chongqing, China (2005)
* United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi, UAE (2009)
* United States Brisbane, California, USA
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