Brisbane River was named by John Oxley after Thomas Brisbane, the governor of New South Wales, in 1823. In about 1824, the city started life -as a penal colony. At one time it was the largest penal colony on the Australian mainland, with over 1000 convicts. At that time free settlers were not allowed to come within 80 km (50 miles) of the settlement. But slowly the free settlers moved in, and in 1839 the penal settlement closed. Queensland became a separate colony in 1859, with Brisbane as its capital.
Brisbane’s character is molded by the river around which it is built, and though the skyline has changed greatly since the 1960s, when the tallest building was the Town Hall, at 91 m (299 feet) above street level, the central business district has remained mainly within the loop of the river. Seven bridges cross the Brisbane River -the newest and longest is the Gateway; the best known and the prettiest is the Story Bridge, designed by Dr John Bradfield, the man who designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Skyline of the Brisbane CBD including the Story Bridge in Brisbane, Australia
The river is also a busy thoroughfare. Ferries carry passengers from bank to bank while motorised gondolas and large coal ferries go about their business. Paddle-steamers and cruise boats are a great way to see the river, day and night. Visitors have an unrestricted view of the city while they float past the Cultural Centre, the Maritime Museum, the University of Queensland, the Botanic Gardens and Newstead House. This low-set stately house in Newstead Park was built in 1846, and is the oldest surviving homestead in the city. Much of the administration of the growing colony of Queensland was carried out from this house. Walter Hill, the Colonial Botanist, laid the foundations for the gardens and was instrumental in introducing the distinctive and colourful jacaranda and poinciana trees to the city. Buy Australian Calendars here.
Brisbane is an outdoor city -its average minimum and maximum temperatures are 15 degrees C and 25 degrees C. On weekends the city comes alive with people, at the botanic gardens, the riverside markets and at South Bank Parklands on the river overlooking the city. South Bank has restaurants and cafe’s, buskers and wandering performers, a beach and a swimming lagoon, the Wildlife Sanctuary, and barbecue and picnic areas. Next door is the Queensland Cultural Centre, which incorporates the Queensland Museum, Queensland Art Gallery and Queensland Performing Arts Complex. Brisbane also has restaurants offering cuisines from all around the world. The Queen Street Mall has outdoor cafe’s and eating places and a relaxed atmosphere. For late night entertainment, there are plenty of nightclubs and bars.
Brisbane is also fascinating for history lovers with sandstone dominant in many of Brisbane’s more imposing buildings. The National Bank has tall Corinthian columns and pilasters of limestone with an ornate interior bathed in natural light from the leadlight dome, an extravagant example of the Victorian period. The Treasury Building is considered the finest example of Italian Renaissance architecture in the Southern Hemisphere. The building was reopened in 1995 as the Treasury Casino, with the exterior left untouched. The latest addition to Brisbane’s list of impressive sandstone buildings is the University of Queensland, with its central core of sandstone buildings set around a cloistered court.
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