Brisbane is the third largest City in Australia. It is situated in the South East corner of a State called Queensland. It is flanked by the Sunshine Coast to the North, the Gold Coast to the South and beautiful countryside (The Scenic Rim and The Darling Downs) to the West.

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland. This is possibly the most desirable place to live in Australia due to it's climate, it's people and it's green and healthy way of life. Queenslanders are nortoriously more laid back than it's Southern counterparts.

Positive Attitude, rapid development, and a warm and laid-back environment is what Brisbane is all about. The capital of Queensland, Brisbane has much more to offer in terms of entertainment, cultural fanfare and it certainly lives up to its expectations of being a tourist hotspot due to it's beautiful beaches, theme parks and parks and gardens. Brisbane has a range of diverse suburbs, where you can find the perfect location for you to live according to your needs, taste and style. Everything seems to be happening in Brisbane from the live music scene to world class exhibitions and from trendy fine dining restaurants to a hot nightlife. Check out the News and Events page to find out what is happening now and in the near future in Brisbane.

There is so much to do in Brisbane these days with a huge array of shopping centres, markets, dining, parks, theatres, or the beaches of Southbank, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.

Queen Street Mall is in easy walking distance and is interesting to do your shopping in. Check out the small Chinatown as well. More great inner suburban shopping strips include Paddington, Fortitude Valley, New Farm and West End.

The large urban parks of Brisbane are a great place to visit - The City Botanic Gardens is a good place for a quiet lunch near the river. So is the Roma Street Parklands. Mt Cootha has a tour that you can use to see more of the city and its surrounding islands. Kangaroo Point Lookout is a place that you will be climbing or abseiling to see its views. South Banks Parklands is very attractive to many backpackers, because there is an artificial beach that you can swim and relax in.

Brisbane is casually emerging as one of the most forward thinking and infrastructure-clad cities to live in Australia with an estimated 1000 people packing their bags and moving here every week. In fact if you take a look around the city, it is currently in a state of construction - apartments, roads, tunnels and bridges being built everywhere. Will it end? Sometimes it feels like it wont but I always hold out hope that there may be an end to this mess someday. Maybe not for a few years yet. :)

Besides the chaos, Brisbane is a green, clean, safe and vibrant city that I and many others are proud to call home. If you want to get out of the city on the weekend, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or a country drive is easily do-able in one day or an extended stay overnight that will really recharge your batteries.

The Brisbane River winds its way from the mountains surrounding Brisbane to Moreton Bay where you will find 305 islands. The bigger islands such as North and South Stradbroke, Moreton Island, Fraser Island that create Moreton Bay.

A number of other little islands within the bay relax in the bigger island's shelter. People live on these islands and commute to the mainland via water taxi or car ferry. Moreton Bay is reknown for its amazing fishing and watersport activities.

You can bush walk, off-road and sunbathe all on the same day. North Stadbroke and Moreton Island let you easily catch ferries, take tours or dive to see marine life like sea birds (right), whales and dolphins.

Moreton and North Stradbroke Island have various accommodation options including options for those wanting to take their pet with them. See our dog friendly holiday section that includes a section on camping with dogs.

Brisbane was inhabited before European settlement by Aboriginal people called the Turrbal people. Brisbane was originally settled in Redcliffe on 13 September 1824, under the command of Lieutenant Henry Miller with 14 soldiers, some with wives and children, and 29 convicts. However, this settlement was abandoned after struggling with inadequate water supplies and hostile Aboriginal groups, the colony was relocated to safer territory on the banks of the Brisbane River, before the whole colony idea was abandoned in 1839.

The colony was moved to a site on the Brisbane River which is now the City where the street North Quay is. North Quay runs along the river at the South end of Brisbane City. Settlement of the Brisbane region commenced in 1838.

Moreton Bay was thrown open to free settlers in 1842, an action that marked the beginning of Brisbane’s rise to prominence and unfortunately it was also the beginning of the end for the region’s Aboriginal peoples.

The historic image on the right is a view of Queen Street Mall.