"Keeweechic's Brisbane" a Brisbane Travel Page by keeweechic

Brisbane started its life as a penal colony although Aboriginal tribes (the Ngundanbi and Yagara) Aborigines were already living along banks of the river before Europeans settled the area. In 1822 the Governor of the New South Wales colony was instructed by the British government to discharge several exploration parties to Ports Bowen, Curtis and Moreton Bay, to try and find a suitable location for a new colony. A freshwater source was pointed out by the local Aborigines and was named the Brisbane River after the Governor. A new settlement sprung up from there.

Brisbane is now the capital of Queensland, a vast state which takes up the entire north eastern corner of Australia and is built on lush hills rising above Moreton Bay. During the last decade Brisbane has changed from a sleepy, laid back city to a mature and unique blend of historic buildings and modern architecture. It is also the gateway to Australia’s popular tourist coastal areas, tropical rainforest hinterland and agricultural areas. The climate is sub-tropical with hot humid summers with mild dry winters.

Brisbane is a lazy town with its sleeves rolled up, casually sprawling across its thirty-seven hills. The hills are patterned with paling fences, mango trees, high-stepping weather-board houses, and a tangle of overhead wires like the web of a demented spider.' Bill Scott (A passionate Queenslander)