For many thousands of years Aboriginal people have lived in what is now known as Brisbane. In 1823, John Oxley was the first English colonist to explore Brisbane, which was then selected by the colony of New South Wales as the location for a new jail, intended to house dangerous prisoners in a remote location. The original settlement was established in what is now the suburb of Redcliffe but was later moved to a location further down the bay.
In 1837, free settlers moved to the area and pushed to close the jail and to release the land in the area.
In 1859, a gold rush led to the establishment of the colony of Queensland with Brisbane as its capital, named after Sir Thomas MakDougall Brisbane, the sixth Governor of New South Wales.
In 1925, the Queensland State Parliament created the City of Brisbane Act, and set up a single government for the city of Brisbane.
Recent strong migration to Brisbane and the whole of south-east Queensland is taking place due to cheaper house prices, a pleasant climate, and good employment opportunities. The area is currently facing the challenge of providing enough fresh water for its residents. You're not likely to find the tap dry or see any visible signs of the shortage, but keep your showers relatively brief (local water restrictions call for 4 minute showers) and expect the locals to be horrified if you walk away from a running tap.
Brisbane is notorious for having been established on the floodplain of the Brisbane River, which has resulted in major floods in 1893, 1974 and 2011. The flood in January 2011 damaged various infrastructure along the river and surrounding suburbs, but most businesses and services have since recovered from this event.
River view from William Jolly Bridge.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Brisbane
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Brisbane - updated May 2024
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Brisbane Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
