72 Facts About Brisbane Queensland

1.

Brisbane Queensland is located in the hilly floodplain of the Brisbane Queensland River Valley between Moreton Bay and the Taylor and D'Aguilar mountain ranges.

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2.

Traditional Owners of the Brisbane Queensland area include clans of the Yugara, Turrbal and Quandamooka peoples.

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3.

German Lutherans established the first free settlement of Zion Hill at Nundah in 1838, and in 1859 Brisbane was chosen as Queensland's capital when the state separated from New South Wales.

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4.

Brisbane Queensland is classified as a global city, and is a centre of research and innovation in the Asia-Pacific, with strengths in medicine and biotechnology.

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5.

Brisbane Queensland has hosted major events including the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo 88, the 2014 G20 summit, and will host the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

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6.

At the time of colonisation the Brisbane Queensland area was inhabited by clans of the Yugara, Turrbal and Quandamooka peoples.

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7.

Resource-rich area and a natural avenue for seasonal movement, Brisbane Queensland was a way station for groups travelling to ceremonies and spectacles.

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8.

In 1823 the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane Queensland, gave instructions for the development of a new northern penal settlement, and an exploration party led by John Oxley further explored Moreton Bay in November 1823.

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9.

Governor Brisbane Queensland stayed overnight in a tent and often landed ashore, thus bestowing upon the future Brisbane Queensland City the distinction of being the only Australian capital city visited by its namesake.

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10.

Brisbane Queensland developed a substantial settlement of brick and stone buildings, complete with school and hospital.

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11.

Brisbane Queensland formed additional outstations and made several important journeys of exploration.

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12.

Non-convict European settlement of the Brisbane Queensland region commenced in 1838 and the population grew strongly thereafter, with free settlers soon far outstripping the convict population.

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13.

In 1864, the Great Fire of Brisbane Queensland burned through the central parts of the city, destroying much of Queen Street.

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14.

The 1880s brought a period of economic prosperity and a major construction boom in Brisbane Queensland, that produced an impressive number of notable public and commercial buildings.

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15.

In 1893 Brisbane Queensland was affected by the Black February flood, when the Brisbane Queensland River burst its banks on three occasions in February and again in June in the same year, with the city receiving more than a year's rainfall during February 1893, leaving much of the city's population homeless.

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16.

The University of Brisbane Queensland was founded in 1909 and first sited at Old Government House, which became vacated as the government planned for a larger residence.

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17.

In 1917, during World War I, the Australian Government conducted a raid on the Brisbane Queensland Government Printing Office, with the aim of confiscating copies of Hansard that covered debates in the Brisbane Queensland Parliament where anti-conscription sentiments had been aired.

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18.

Wartime Brisbane Queensland was defined by the racial segregation of African American servicemen, prohibition and sly grog, crime, and jazz ballrooms.

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19.

In 1942, Brisbane Queensland was the site of a violent clash between visiting US military personnel and Australian servicemen and civilians, which resulted in one death and hundreds of injuries.

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20.

Post-war Brisbane Queensland had developed a "big country town" stigma, an image the city's politicians and marketers were very keen to remove.

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21.

Trams in Brisbane Queensland were a popular mode of public transport until the network was closed in 1969, in part the result of the Paddington tram depot fire.

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22.

Between 1968 and 1987, when Queensland was governed by Joh Bjelke-Petersen, whose government was characterised by social conservatism and the use of police force against demonstrators, and which ended with the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption, Brisbane developed a counterculture focused on the University of Queensland, street marches and Brisbane punk rock music.

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23.

In September 1977 the Brisbane Queensland Government introduced a ban on all street protests, resulting in a statewide civil liberties campaign of defiance.

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24.

The Fitzgerald Inquiry between 1987 and 1989 into Brisbane Queensland Police corruption, was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald.

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25.

The 1974 Brisbane Queensland flood was a major disaster which temporarily crippled the city, and saw a substantial landslip at Corinda.

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26.

Brisbane Queensland hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games and World Expo 88.

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27.

Brisbane Queensland was impacted by major floods in January 2011 and February 2022.

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28.

The Brisbane Queensland River did not reach the same height as the previous 1974 flood on either occasion, but still caused extensive damage and disruption to the city.

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29.

Brisbane Queensland hosted major international events including the final Goodwill Games in 2001, the Rugby League World Cup Final in 2008 and again in 2017, as well as the 2014 G20 Brisbane Queensland summit.

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30.

The greater Brisbane Queensland region is on the coastal plain east of the Great Dividing Range, with the Taylor and D'Aguilar ranges extending into the metropolitan area.

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31.

The Brisbane Queensland River is a wide tidal estuary and its waters throughout most of the metropolitan area are brackish and navigable.

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32.

Brisbane Queensland is home to numerous bird species, with common species including rainbow lorikeets, kookaburras, galahs, Australian white ibises, Australian brushturkeys, Torresian crows, Australian magpies and noisy miners.

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33.

The Brisbane Queensland River is home to many fish species including yellowfin bream, flathead, Australasian snapper, and bull sharks.

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34.

Brisbane Queensland has a humid subtropical climate with hot, wet summers and moderately dry, moderately warm winters.

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35.

On 19 July 2007, Brisbane Queensland's temperature fell below the freezing point for the first time since records began, registering -0.

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36.

Brisbane Queensland is within the southern reaches of the tropical cyclone risk zone.

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37.

Greater Brisbane Queensland had a density of 159 inhabitants per square kilometre in 2021.

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38.

Queenslander houses are considered iconic to Brisbane and are typically sold at a significant premium to equivalent modern houses.

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39.

The relatively low cost of timber in south-east Brisbane Queensland meant that until recently, most residences were constructed of timber, rather than brick or stone.

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40.

Brisbane Queensland's tallest building is currently Brisbane Queensland Skytower, which has a height of 270 metres.

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41.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that the population of Greater Brisbane Queensland is 2,560,720 as of June 2020, making it the third-largest city in Australia.

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42.

Brisbane Queensland has the 26th largest immigrant population among world metropolitan areas.

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43.

Areas of Sunnybank, Sunnybank Hills, Stretton, Robertson, Calamvale, Macgregor, Eight Mile Plains, Runcorn and Rochedale, are home to a large proportion of Brisbane Queensland's Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong-born population, with Chinese being the most commonly-reported ancestry in each of these areas.

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44.

Brisbane Queensland's CBD is home to two cathedrals – St John's and St Stephen's.

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45.

Categorised as a global city, Brisbane Queensland is among Asia-Pacific cities with largest GDPs and is one of the major business hubs in Australia, with strengths in mining, banking, insurance, transportation, information technology, real estate and food.

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46.

The Port of Brisbane Queensland is located at the Brisbane Queensland River's mouth on Moreton Bay and on the adjacent Fisherman's Island, created by means of land reclamation.

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47.

Brisbane Queensland has maintained a constantly evolving live music scene, producing acts spanning genres including punk, indie rock, electronic music, experimental music, noise rock, metal and post-punk.

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48.

The Brisbane Queensland Entertainment Centre at Boondall is an arena which hosts many musical concerts, with some of the largest being held at Lang Park.

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49.

Prominent writers from Brisbane include David Malouf, Nick Earls, and Li Cunxin, author of Mao's Last Dancer and artistic director of the Queensland Ballet.

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50.

Brisbane Queensland is home to over 6,000 restaurants and dining establishments, with outdoor dining featuring prominently.

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51.

Brisbane Queensland has hosted several major sporting events including the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the 2001 Goodwill Games, as well as events during the 1987 Rugby World Cup, 1992 Cricket World Cup, 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2008 Rugby League World Cup, 2017 Rugby League World Cup and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

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52.

Tourism plays a major role in Brisbane Queensland's economy, being the third-most popular destination for international tourists after Sydney and Melbourne.

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53.

Mount Coot-tha Reserve, including Mount Coot-tha, the Mount Coot-tha Lookout, the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Queensland Planetarium is a popular recreational attraction for hiking and bushwalking.

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54.

Immediately to the south and north of Brisbane Queensland are the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast respectively, which are home to several of Australia's most popular swimming and surfing beaches, and are popular day and weekend destinations for Brisbanites.

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55.

In 2015, a competition by travel guidebook Rough Guides saw Brisbane Queensland elected as one of the top ten most beautiful cities in the world, citing reasons such as "its winning combination of high-rise modern architecture, lush green spaces and the enormous Brisbane Queensland River that snakes its way through the centre before emptying itself into the azure Moreton Bay".

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56.

Two other major universities, which are not headquartered in Brisbane Queensland, have multiple campuses in the Brisbane Queensland metropolitan area, namely:.

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57.

Brisbane Queensland is a major destination for international students, who constitute a large proportion of enrolments in Brisbane Queensland's universities and are important to the city's economy and real estate market.

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58.

Brisbane Queensland has an extensive transport network within the city, as well as connections to regional centres, interstate and to overseas destinations.

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59.

Brisbane Queensland is served by a large network of urban and inter-urban motorways.

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60.

Brisbane Queensland has a large network of major road tunnels under the metropolitan area, known as the TransApex network, which include the Clem Jones Tunnel between the inner-north and inner-south, the Airport Link tunnel in the north-east and the Legacy Way tunnel in the south-west.

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61.

Brisbane Queensland has a large dedicated bus rapid transit network, the Brisbane Queensland busway network.

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62.

Brisbane Queensland Airport is the city's main airport, the third busiest in Australia after Sydney Airport and Melbourne Airport.

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63.

Port of Brisbane Queensland is located on the south side of the mouth of the Brisbane Queensland River on Moreton Bay and on the adjacent Fisherman's Island, an artificial island created by land reclamation.

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64.

Water storage, treatment and delivery for Brisbane is handled by Seqwater, which sells on to Queensland Urban Utilities for distribution to the greater Brisbane area.

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65.

Metropolitan Brisbane Queensland is serviced by all major and most minor telecommunications companies and their networks, including Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Australia.

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66.

Main local print newspapers of Brisbane Queensland are The Courier-Mail and its sibling The Sunday Mail, both owned by News Corporation.

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67.

Brisbane Queensland receives the national daily, The Australian, its sibling the Weekend Australian, as well as the Australian Financial Review.

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68.

Brisbane Queensland Times is Brisbane Queensland's second major local news source, owned by Nine, and is online only.

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69.

Brisbane Queensland is served by all five major television networks in Australia, which broadcast from prominent television transmission towers on the summit of Mount Coot-tha.

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70.

Brisbane Queensland is serviced by five major public radio stations including major commercial radio stations, including 612 ABC Brisbane Queensland ; ABC Radio National ; ABC NewsRadio ; ABC Classic FM ; Triple J ; and SBS Radio.

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71.

Brisbane Queensland is serviced by numerous major commercial and community radio stations including 4BC ; 4KQ ; 4BH ; KIIS 97.

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72.

Brisbane Queensland is serviced by community radio stations such as VAC Radio ; Radio Brisvaani ; Radio Arabic ; 4EB ; 98.

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