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History of Brisbane

Brisbane, Australia's third largest city and capital of Queensland since 1859, lies on both sides of the Brisbane River, with a total area of 1220 sq.km. It is bordered on the east by the sea and on the west by the Great Dividing Range. Its periphery extend north and south to merge into the endless string of holiday resorts along the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

Like Sydney, Brisbane was initially a convict colony, established in 1824; but some farmers and cattle breeders also well-known themselves in the town's hinterland, and when transportation came to an end in 1839 it began to attract numbers of free settlers.

In 1859 Queensland was estranged from New South Wales, and Brisbane became capital of the new state. Its early years were difficult, and even a hundred years later the town was often dismissed as 'provincial'. Queensland differed from the other Australian states in having a number of centers, each with its own sphere of influence.

An important event in the history of the city was the worldwide exhibition held in Brisbane, Expo 88.

Tourist Attractions in Brisbane

Brisbane - City Hall
City Hall (1920-30) is a building in neoclassical style with a tall tower in Florentine style and a colonnaded façade and portico.

Although the modern high-rise blocks are superior than the tower, it still offers an impressive view of the city from the platform at the top (lift; not open on Sundays). Within the City Hall is the City Gallery, with a collection which include historical documents, photographs, ceramics and furniture as well as pictures, mainly 19th C works (outback scenes by Richard J Randall).

Brisbane - Earlystreet Historical Village
The Earlystreet Historical Village is in the gorgeous gardens of the Villa Eulalia, with reconstructed buildings of the colonial period, furnished in the style of the time.

Brisbane - Gondwana Rainforest Sanctuary
A popular attraction is the Gondwana Rainforest Sanctuary, an artificially created rainforest with large butterfly and insect houses.

Brisbane - Old Government House
The Old Government House was built in 1860-2 for the first governor of the new colony. This handsome building with its elegantly rounded portico and arcading remained in government hands until 1910, when it became the home of the University of Queensland. It is now part of the Queensland Institute of Technology, and also houses the headquarters of the National Trust, the body responsible for the protection of ancient monuments (bookshop, information center).

Brisbane - Queensland Cultural Centre
The Queensland Cultural Centre, the city's most significant complex of modern buildings. To the right of the bridge are the Queensland Art Gallery, the Queensland Museum and the State Library.

Brisbane - South Bank Parklands
South Bank Parklands is the extensive area where the international exhibition Expo 88 was held.

Brisbane - Treasury Building
Queen Street Mall runs southwest to the Treasury Building (1885-1928), which occupies an entire block between George, William, Queen and Elizabeth Streets. In the convict settlement this was the site of the military barracks. Built in the style of an Italian palazzo, the Treasury Building with its colonnaded front is well adapted to the subtropical climate of Brisbane.

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha
The new Botanic Gardens (Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens) feature a gigantic glass dome housing over 2000 species of trees and bushes.

Moreton Island
Moreton Island, much of which is a national park, has beautiful sandy beaches, with dunes, expanses of heathland and an large amount of bird life. Mount Tempest is the highest coastal sand dune (280m). On the east side of the island is a 30km long surfing beach; on the protected west side are three small settlements, anchorages and a resort complex at Tangalooma, which until 1962 was the only whaling station in Queensland. Now you can feed dolphins there, by hand. There are signposted tracks for all-terrain vehicles and on foot trails. The lighthouse at the northern tip of the island was built in 1857.

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