Brisbane

City Information

Explore city history, fast facts, climate and practical visitor information for Brisbane.

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City Information

Brisbane Today

City Information

Brisbane History

Brisbane was first founded in 1824 at what is now Redcliffe on Moreton Bay, as a penal colony for Sydney’s expanding population of convicts. Due to lack of fresh water and hostility from the Aborigines, the colony was moved to the banks of the Brisbane River, becoming the blueprint for what is now Brisbane. The area suffered at the hands of crooked officials and was abandoned in 1839. It wasn’t until the Moreton Bay area was resettled by free settlers in 1842 that Brisbane began to take shape, much to the consternation of the local Aborigines who suffered at the hands of the white settlers. Queensland formerly separated from New South Wales in 1859, by which time Brisbane was a city of 6000 residents. The gold-rush and pastoral enterprises would see the city prosper but while the city grew, it never found its niche that Sydney and Melbourne enjoyed. It wasn’t until the 1982 Commonwealth Games, the 1988 World Expo and the 2001 Goodwill Games that Brisbane earned international exposure as well as cementing its reputation as a forward and positive-thinking, yet youthful, creatively confident city.

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Best of the city in one day

To enjoy a day in Brisbane it’s best to equip yourself with a map as many of the sights can be explored on foot rather than taking a car. If you begin in the city centre, cross the Victoria Street bridge to take in the Queensland Cultural Centre. You can also visit the Queensland Art Gallery and Museum while here. Then head back over the bridge to the Treasury for lunch and if you’re inclined, the casino. From there its east towards Parliament House then a short stroll to the Botanical Gardens. Brisbane City Hall is close by and the old Windmill and Observatory is no far from there. If you have time, finish up at Eagle St Pier and take a cruise along the river to take in the beautiful water views of the city in the evening.

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Visa Information

All visitors, except New Zealand nationals, to Australia need a visa to enter the country.

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When to go

The official tourist season for Queensland is from April to November – the winter months are usually the busiest time when all the Aussies from the southern states come up to escape the cold. Also to note that during the high season from June to September, and along with the Easter and Christmas periods, everything is booked out. Weather-wise there is no specific climate change between winter and summer because Queensland is a tropical state so you should look at the weather in terms of wet and dry seasons. April to December is considered to be the dry season but the heat can be oppressive. The wet season (usually January and February) is more prevalent in the outback and northern parts of Queensland though they can affect the southern areas, including Brisbane. So the best time to go is from June to October when the extreme heat and humidity of the summer is replaced with warm days and cool nights.

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Fast Facts

-Location: Southeast corner of the Queensland state: -Dialing code: country - +61 : city - 7 -Emergency numbers –Please include the following:; • Police: 000: • Fire: 000 • Ambulance: 000 • Tourist Information Helpdesk: Brisbane International Airport Visitor Information Centre (Level 2 in Hamilton Central) - 07 3406 3190 • Car Breakdown Service: RACQ – 13 11 11 • Highway Patrol: unknown • Telephone Directory Services: unknown • Airport Enquiry: +61 7 3406 3000 • Railway Enquiry: 13 12 30 (this is for the City Network only).; • Population: estimated 2 million: • Languages: English • Time zone: AEST (UTC +10) • Average January temperatures: 29°C highest temp, 21°C lowest temp • Average July temperatures: 21°C highest temp, 9°C lowest temp • Annual rainfall: Most rainfall occurs in January with 170.2mm

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Currency and Exchange Rates

Australian currency is the Australian dollar (AUD) and is broken up into 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollar notes. Coins are broken up into dollars and cents. Dollars are coloured gold and are 1 and 2 while cents are pewter and are in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50.

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Public Holidays

• New Year’s Day: 1st January • Australia Day: 26th January • Labor Day: 1st March • Easter: Good Friday to Easter Monday inclusive – March/April • Anzac Day: 25th April • Queen’s Birthday: 2nd Monday in June • Royal National Show Day: mid-August, Brisbane only • Christmas Day: 25th December • Boxing Day: 26th December

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Annual Temperature

Month Highest Temp Lowest Temp January 29°C 21°C February 29°C 21°C March 28°C 19°C April 26°C 17°C May 23°C 14°C June 21°C 11°C July 21°C 9°C August 22°C 10°C September 24°C 12°C October 26°C 16°C November 27°C 18°C December 28°C 19°C

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Brisbane Residents

Probably out of all the states in Australia, Queenslanders truly embody the Australian lifestyle of sun, sand, surf and smiles. And why wouldn’t they? A year-round warm climate and spectacular scenery lends much to their easy-going personality. In Brisbane you’ll likely find more cultured types but the easy-going Australian personality is still there. If you’re a sports fan even better, though the main game that is followed here is rugby – the 13 a-side working class version of the game. A lot of the residents share the mind of having the ‘Great Australian Dream’ of a house, a car, a dog and children and it shows in Queensland’s booming housing industry. Queenslanders, and to extent Brisbanites, are a conservative lot though attitudes have changed substantially over the years. Queensland has a large multicultural population with African, Chinese, Pacific Islander, European and New Zealand demographics, especially within Brisbane.

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