Brisbane and its river

Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland. With a population of 2.2 million (2013) Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city, behind Sydney and Melbourne. It lies on the east coast of Australia, about 700 kilometres (455 miles) north of Sydney. It is build upon the floodplains of the Brisbane River – the city has flooded nine times from 1870 to 2011, with the largest floods occurring in 1893, 1974, and again in January 2011.

The Brisbane River winds around the city and is 15 kilometres (9 miles) long – although the full length is 344 kilometres (214 miles) from the Great Dividing Range near Mount Stanley to Moreton Bay. The city, established in 1825, was named after the river, which was named by its explorer, John Oxley, after Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane from Scotland.

The river also serves as a transport lane through the city. Ferry services supplement the urban transport system of rail, buses, and vehicles. Along the river banks is an extensive network of pathways for cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians, and around 10 inner city bridges.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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