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Brisbane was established when Sydney and the colony of New South Wales needed a
better place to store its more recalcitrant 'cons'. The tropical country further
north seemed a good place to put them and in 1824 a penal settlement was
established at Redcliffe Point on Moreton Bay. This location was soon abandoned
in favour of the riverside site to the south where Brisbane's business district
now stands. The penal settlement was abandoned in 1839 and the area was thrown
open to free settlers in 1842. As Queensland's huge agricultural and mineral
resources were developed, Brisbane grew into a prosperous city, and in 1859 the
state of Queensland separated from the colony of NSW, and Brisbane was declared
its capital.
Queensland's early white settlers indulged in one of the greatest land grabs of
all time and encountered fierce Aboriginal opposition. At the time of white
settlement, Queensland was the most densely populated area of Australia,
supporting over 100,000 Aboriginal people in around 200 tribal groups - it is
probable that Aboriginal people had been in the country for at least 50,000
years before the arrival of Europeans. For much of the 19th century, what
amounted to a guerrilla war took place along the frontiers of the white advance.
By the turn of the century, the Aboriginal people of Queensland had been
comprehensively run off their lands, and the white authorities had set up
reserves for the survivors. In the 1980s control of the reserves was handed over
to the residents, subject to rights of access for prospecting, exploration or
mining.
By the 1860s Brisbane had shed its convict background and developed into a
handsome provincial centre, although it wasn't until the 1880s that the central
business district was transformed by the construction of many fine public and
commercial buildings. Despite a country-wide climate of jingoism and giving it
all for the motherland, WWI saw Queensland vote in an anti-conscription Labor
government. Labor hung on to government until 1957, introducing a series of
social and industrial reforms including compulsory voting and workers'
compensation.
During WWII, large areas of the state were transformed into military camps, with
thousands of Americans being garrisoned throughout Queensland as Australia and
the USA fought against Japan throughout the Pacific. The war resulted in
Australia shifting its allegiance from the UK to the USA, as the north of the
country, in particular, realised how vulnerable it was to invasion. In the
post-war years Queensland shifted from a rural to an industrial economy and
Labor was replaced by a conservative Liberal-Country Party coalition.
Brisbane's more recent history is dominated by the right-wing Joh
Bjelke-Peterson regime which lasted from the early 1970s to the late 1980s,
thanks to a bit of sleight-of-hand with electoral boundaries. Queensland (and
Brisbane in particular) suffered a government which was at odds with the rest of
the country in matters such as human rights, rainforest conservation, Aboriginal
land rights and even the availability of condoms (although it must be said in
its favour that economically, Bjelke-Peterson's policies were a huge success).
Corruption was rife and since the defeat of the National Party in 1989, it seems
everyone from the former Commissioner of Police to Joh himself has appeared in
court on charges relating to some sort of shady deal.
Brisbane's rapid economic growth, its favourable climate and Joh's 1977 decision
to abolish death duties have all attracted a massive wave of internal migration.
Since 1980 over half a million Australians from other states have packed up and
moved to Queensland. Queensland most recently hit the headlines as the state
where the controversial far-right One Nation party gained more than 25% of the
vote, a trend which didn't continue into the later Federal election.
Aboriginal culture before 1824
Brisbane was home to the Jagera and Turrbal Aboriginal clans. Before European
settlement, the land, the river and its tributaries were the source and support
of life in all its dimensions. The river's abundant supply of food included
fish, shellfish, crabs and shrimps. The good fishing places became campsites and
the focus of group activities.
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Moreton Bay Penal Settlement from 1824 until 1842
The selection of Brisbane as a gaol site was actually an afterthought.
Redcliffe, north of the city, was the original preference when Surveyor General
John Oxley, aboard the cutter 'Mermaid', first surveyed the region late in 1823.
The boat was anchored off Bribie Island when the crew saw a group of Aborigines
and "one who appeared larger than the rest" on the shore. This was an ex-convict
called Thomas Pamphlett, one of four men who had left Sydney earlier that year
on an ill-fated journey to sail south to buy cedar.
Pamphlett and a fellow survivor of the journey, Finnegan, had been living with
the Aborigines for several months when Oxley spotted Pamphlett on a beach in
Moreton Bay. Pamphlett and Finnegan told Oxley of a large river they had seen in
the area. Intrigued, Oxley set off in a whaleboat with a small crew and Finnegan
as their guide.
Oxley found the river the next day and named it in honour of the then Governor
of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane. It was the red cliffs north of the
river that impressed him as the most suitable site for the new penal settlement.
In 1825, less than a year after the convicts arrived, the Redcliffe site was
abandoned mainly because Brisbane had a more reliable water supply. It was also
surrounded by a bend in the river, which meant that escape was more difficult.
With a government decree forbidding unauthorised people coming within fifty
miles, the walled gaol operated for the next seventeen years, taking only the
toughest prisoners from Sydney. However, mounting pressure on decision makers in
England to stop sending convicts to Australia finally led to Moreton Bay
district being opened to free settlers in 1842.
Free settlement 1842-1900
Brisbane was free to grow as a city. Grand homes like Palma Rosa at Hamilton and
Brisbane's oldest surviving residence, Newstead House, sprang up among the slab
huts and shanties.
The population grew from 829 in 1846 to almost 6,000 by 1859 when Brisbane
became capital of the self-governing colony of Queensland. By 1888, most
evidence of convict occupation in the central business district was gone. In its
place stood imposing buildings like Old Government House and Customs House. The
grandeur of these buildings highlighted the strength of Brisbane's growing
economy.
A new century 1901-2000
By the time of Federation in 1901, Queensland was the fastest growing state in
the new nation and Brisbane was its economic hub. Despite the drought, floods
and depression of the 1890s, trade and industry were booming. The Brisbane River
was a hive of maritime activity.
Post World War I and the Great Depression
After World War I, Brisbane became the largest local authority in Australia. The
1924 City of Brisbane Act abolished two cities, six towns and ten shires to
create a single council governing 1,220 square kilometres.
Ironically, landmark buildings like City Hall and the Masonic Temple were built
in 1930 just as the Great Depression took hold. For Brisbane, as well as for
other cities, the early thirties brought high unemployment and desperate
poverty. Construction of the Story Bridge was the city's biggest Depression-time
project. 'Tent cities' sprang up around Brisbane to house the homeless.
Brisbane in World War II
World War II and the threat of Japanese attack transformed many parts of
Brisbane into military camps. In 1942, the AMP building became headquarters for
the United States General Douglas MacArthur, the Commander in Chief of the
South-West Pacific Campaign.
Thousands of United States servicemen were stationed in Brisbane, boosting the
population to over 750,000. As city services strained to meet the needs of the
extra population, tensions mounted between American and Australian servicemen. On
26 and 27 November 1942, those tensions erupted into the infamous streetfight
that is now remembered as the 'Battle of Brisbane'.
The boom years in Brissy
After World War II came the boom years, a period marked by increased industrial
activity and population levels boosted by immigration. In Brisbane, suburbs
began to flourish. There was a major focus on sealing roads and providing the
city with sewerage services.
Floods and fame
In 1974 floods devastated Brisbane. Sixteen people lost their lives and an
estimated $300 million damage was caused. Brisbane soon recovered to host two
major world events - the 1982 Commonwealth Games and World Expo 1988. These
events brought new sports and cultural facilities to Brisbane, as well as a
renewed identity. The media coverage of the Games was the biggest broadcasting
operation ever undertaken in Australia at that time and in 1988 World Expo was
hailed as another major international success for Australia.
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