118-502: Download coordinates as: The Brisbane tramway network served the city of Brisbane , Australia, between 1885 and 1969. It ran on standard gauge track. The electric system was originally energised to 500 volts, and subsequently increased to 600 volts. All tramcars built in Brisbane up to 1938 had an open design. This proved so popular, especially on hot summer nights, that the trams were used as fundraisers and often chartered right up until
236-848: A raid on the Queensland Government Printing Office , with the aim of confiscating copies of Hansard that covered debates in the Queensland Parliament where anti-conscription sentiments had been aired. Russian immigration took place in the years 1911–1914. Many were radicals and revolutionaries seeking asylum from tsarist political repression in the final chaotic years of the Russian Empire ; considerable numbers were Jews escaping state-inspired pogroms. They had fled Russia via Siberia and Northern China, most making their way to Harbin , in Manchuria , then taking passage from
354-522: A triumphal arch erected in Queen Street . In May that year, the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V ) laid the foundation stone of St John's Cathedral , one of the great cathedrals of Australia . The University of Queensland was founded in 1909 and first sited at Old Government House , which became vacated as the government planned for a larger residence. Fernberg House , built in 1865, became
472-415: A "New York type tram", tram 301 was intended to be the first of a fleet of inter-urban trams. It was built by J. G. Brill Company in 1912 and imported in 1914. It was unusual for a Brill stepless car in that it was partially made of timber, rather than the normal all-metal construction. It was the first fully enclosed tram in Brisbane. Heavy and troubled by poor road clearance, it usually only saw service on
590-577: A Turrbal culture organisation claims that historical documents suggest that the Turrbal peoples were the only traditional owners of Brisbane when British settlers first arrived. Archaeological evidence suggests frequent habitation around the Brisbane River, and notably at the site now known as Musgrave Park . The rivers were integral to life and supplied an abundance of food included fish, shellfish, crab, and prawns . Good fishing places became campsites and
708-490: A brick was thrown into the motel room and police took action to clear the road and consequently disproportionate violence was used against demonstrators. In the lead up to the 1980s Queensland fell subject to many forms of censorship. In 1977 things had escalated from prosecutions and book burnings, under the introduction of the Literature Board of Review, to a statewide ban on protests and street marches. In September 1977
826-469: A canvas awning suspended from a lightweight frame. It was withdrawn from service around 1935. Tram 104 was converted in 1943 from a Brill 12 bench car that had been badly damaged in an accident. In its converted form this tram had design features derived from the Four Motor, Dropcentre and Baby Dreadnought tram designs. It was withdrawn from service in 1958. Known as "big Lizzie", also sometimes referred to as
944-621: A civic cabinet comprising the lord mayor, the deputy mayor (drawn from the majority on council) and the chairpersons of the seven standing committees drawn from the membership of council. Due to the City of Brisbane's status as the country's largest LGA, the lord mayor is elected by the largest single-member electorate in Australia. Like all mayors in Queensland, the lord mayor is vested with very broad executive power. The Brisbane City Council operates under
1062-578: A counterculture focused on the University of Queensland , street marches and Brisbane punk rock music. In 1971, the touring Springboks were to play against the Australian Rugby team. This was met with plans for protests due to the growing international and local opposition to apartheid in South Africa. However, before their arrival Bjelke-Petersen declared a state of emergency for a month, citing
1180-691: A coupled set was physically demanding on drivers. In later years these workhorses were very dilapidated and had diagonal cross bracing on each bulkhead to reduce body sway. One tram was involved in a bad accident in 1944 and was converted to centre aisle design (see Special Dreadnoughts). They were gradually withdrawn from service between 1937 and 1952. These eight cars were originally built as trailers between 1901 and 1903, but were motorised in 1912. They had 12 fixed back-to-back benches and could carry 66 passengers. They were all withdrawn from service between 1948 and 1951. There were 32 of these sturdy little single truck trams constructed in Brisbane. 28 were built by
1298-603: A cry for "bread or blood", rioted and attempted to ransack the Government store . The City Botanic Gardens were originally established in 1825 as a farm for the Moreton Bay penal settlement , and were planted by convicts in 1825 with food crops to feed the prison colony. In 1855, several acres was declared a Botanic Reserve under the Superintendent Walter Hill , a position he held until 1881. Some trees planted in
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#17328549357521416-631: A destination of interstate migration. Some of Brisbane's popular landmarks were lost to development in controversial circumstances, including the Bellevue Hotel in 1979 and Cloudland in 1982. Major public works included the Riverside Expressway , the Gateway Bridge , and later, the redevelopment of South Bank . Starting with the monumental Robin Gibson -designed Queensland Cultural Centre , with
1534-457: A distinctive colour scheme which included red and white diamonds on their front aprons. In May 1934 one man operation was abandoned and these trams were repainted in normal colours. Two combination trams were also converted to one man operation for use on the Gardens route. The first tram was converted in 1925, the second in 1930. Sometimes called "small centre-aisle" or "single truck saloon" cars,
1652-419: A mobile library service to Aspley , Bellbowrie , Brighton , Ellen Grove , Forest Lake , Manly West , Mount Crosby and The Gap . There is also a pop-up library that attends community events and festivals, as well as visiting various parks around Brisbane for children's storytime sessions (a list of dates and places is published some months in advance). Brisbane's sister cities are: Nice , France
1770-453: A new depot on Mount Coot-tha Road, Toowong , however following the destruction of Paddington tram depot in 1962 with the loss of 65 trams, these plans were shelved and a bus depot was developed on the site instead. Prior to World War II tram drivers (or motormen) and conductors wore a dark blue uniform including a serge jacket, which was subsequently replaced with a lighter cotton blouson. Until 1961 crews wore foreign legion caps . In 1967
1888-638: A peninsula of the Brisbane River about 15 km (9 mi) from its mouth at Moreton Bay . Brisbane is located in the hilly floodplain of the Brisbane River Valley between Moreton Island and the Taylor and D'Aguilar mountain ranges . It sprawls across several local government areas , most centrally the City of Brisbane . The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite . The Moreton Bay penal settlement
2006-464: A permit. You won't get one. That's government policy now." In response to this, protesters came up with the idea of Phantom Civil Liberties Marches where protesters would gather and march until the police and media arrived. They would then disperse, and gather together again until the media and police returned, repeating the process over and over again. The end of the Bjelke-Petersen era began with
2124-461: A popular mode of public transport until the network was closed in 1969, in part the result of the Paddington tram depot fire . Between 1968 and 1987, Queensland was governed by Bjelke-Petersen, whose government was characterised by social conservatism , police corruption , and the brutal suppression of protest and has been described as a police state . However, during this time Brisbane developed
2242-619: A standard design tram built by JG Brill Company of Philadelphia , although two were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company, presumably under licence from the Brill Company. They each had 4 fixed back-to-back benches and 8 tip-over benches. The first 8 had clerestory roofs, the remainder had plain roofs. The first 8 were also fitted with couplings for trailers, but the trailers were eventually motorised (see "light twelve bench cars" below.) As these trams only had hand brakes, operating
2360-447: A substantial settlement of brick and stone buildings, complete with school and hospital. He formed additional outstations and made several important journeys of exploration. Logan became infamous for his extreme use of the cat o' nine tails on convicts. The maximum allowed limit of lashes was 50; however, Logan regularly applied sentences of 150 lashes. During this period raids on maize fields were conducted by local Aboriginal groups in
2478-537: A tent and often landed ashore, thus bestowing upon the future Brisbane City the distinction of being the only Australian capital city visited by its namesake. Chief Justice Forbes gave the new settlement the name of Edenglassie before it was named Brisbane . The penal settlement under the control of Captain Patrick Logan (Commandant from 1826 to 1830) flourished, with the numbers of convicts increasing dramatically from around 200 to over 1,000 men. He developed
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#17328549357522596-529: Is Meliora sequimur , Latin for We aim for better things . The council's corporate slogan is Dedicated to a better Brisbane . The city's colours are blue and gold. Its corporate logo was introduced in 1982 in preparation for the Commonwealth Games hosted in Brisbane that year. It features a stylised version of Brisbane's City Hall which opened in 1930. The city's floral emblems are the ( exotic ) poinsettia and Brisbane wattle , and its faunal emblems are
2714-598: Is a more accurate and appropriate Aboriginal name for Brisbane. Aboriginal groups claiming traditional ownership of the area include the Yagara , Turrbal and Quandamooka peoples. Brisbane is home to the land of a number of Aboriginal language groups, primarily the Yagara language group which includes the Turrbal language . The city is also known as Meanjin , a Turrbal word that originally referred to land on which parts of
2832-593: Is one of Australia's most popular tourist destinations and is Australia's most biodiverse and greenest city . South Bank and its extensive parklands is the most visited tourist landmark in Australia, with over 14 million visitors every year. Other major landmarks and precincts of the city include the Queensland Cultural Centre (including the Queensland Art Gallery , the Gallery of Modern Art ,
2950-538: Is roughly equivalent to the populations of Tasmania , the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory combined. In 2016–2017, the council administered a budget of over $ 3 billion, by far the largest budget compared to those of the City of Sydney and City of Melbourne LGAs. The City derives from cities, towns and shires that merged in 1925. The main offices and central library of
3068-458: Is the capital and largest city of the state of Queensland and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania , with a population over 2.7 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of South East Queensland , an urban agglomeration with a population of approximately 4 million which includes several other regional centres and cities. The central business district is situated within
3186-488: The 2032 Summer Olympics and 2032 Summer Paralympics . City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane , the capital of Queensland , Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council . The LGAs in the other mainland state capitals ( Sydney , Melbourne , Perth and Adelaide ) are generally responsible only for
3304-571: The Brisbane City Council . A significant year for Brisbane was 1930, with the completion of Brisbane City Hall , then the city's tallest building and the Shrine of Remembrance , in ANZAC Square , which has become Brisbane's main war memorial. These historic buildings, along with the Story Bridge which opened in 1940, are key landmarks that help define the architectural character of the city. Following
3422-737: The Brisbane Tramways Trust . The Brisbane City Council maintains the Brisbane Local Heritage Register , a list of nominated sites that satisfy the council's heritage criteria. The City of Brisbane is governed by the Brisbane City Council, the largest local council in Australia. The Brisbane City Council has its power divided between a lord mayor , a parliamentary-style council of twenty-six councillors representing single-member wards of approximately 30,000 voters (roughly equivalent in size to state electorates), and
3540-715: The City Botanic Gardens , Victoria Park , Roma Street Parkland , New Farm Park , the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens , the Brisbane Riverwalk , Moreton Bay , Moreton Island and D'Aguilar National Park . Brisbane is named after the Brisbane River , which in turn was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane , the governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic bris , meaning ' to break or smash ' and
3658-492: The City of Brisbane Act 2010 , while other local governments in Queensland are governed by the Local Government Act 2009 . Council meetings are held at Level 2, City Hall, 64 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City every Tuesday at 2pm except during recess and holiday periods. This temporary venue is in use due to the restoration work being performed on the traditional venue Brisbane City Hall . Council Meetings generally open to
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3776-617: The Corn Field Raids of 1827-1828 . These groups destroyed and plundered the maize fields in South Bank and Kangaroo Point , with the possible motive of extracting compensation from the settlers or warning them not to expand beyond their current area. Between 1824 and 1842, almost 2,400 men and 145 women were detained at the Moreton Bay convict settlement under the control of military commandants. However, non-convict European settlement of
3894-636: The Fitzgerald Inquiry of 1987 to 1989, a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald investigating Queensland Police corruption . The inquiry resulted in the resignation of Premier Bjelke-Petersen, the calling of two by-elections, the jailing of three former ministers and the Police Commissioner Terry Lewis (who also lost his knighthood ). It also contributed to the end of the National Party of Australia 's 32-year run as
4012-584: The Gallery of Modern Art in 2006, and the Kurilpa Bridge in 2009, the world's largest hybrid tensegrity bridge. Brisbane also 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 summit . Population growth has continued to be among the highest of the Australian capital cities in
4130-503: The Old English word ban meaning ' bone ' . Popular nicknames for Brisbane Brissie , Brisvegas , "Brizzie" and the River City . Brisbane sits on indigenous land known also as Meanjin , the name used in the Turrbal language of one group of traditional owners . Meanjin means ' place shaped as a spike ' , referencing the shape of the Brisbane River along
4248-490: The Port of Brisbane , Australia's third-busiest airport and seaport. A diverse city with over 36% of its metropolitan population being foreign-born, Brisbane is frequently ranked highly in lists of the most liveable cities . Brisbane has hosted major events including the 1982 Commonwealth Games , World Expo 88 , the 2001 Goodwill Games , the 2014 G20 summit , and will host the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics . Brisbane
4366-551: The Queensland Government introduced a ban on all street protests, resulting in a statewide civil liberties campaign of defiance. This saw two thousand people arrested and fined, with another hundred being imprisoned, at a cost of almost five million dollars to the State Government. Bjelke-Petersen publicly announced on 4 September 1977 that "the day of the political street march is over ... Don't bother to apply for
4484-623: The Queensland Museum , the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre ), Brisbane City Hall , the Story Bridge , Howard Smith Wharves , Queen's Wharf , St John's cathedral , and Mount Coot-tha Lookout . Much of Brisbane's inner-city neighbourhoods are also characterised by its historic Queenslander architecture . Brisbane is also known for its extensive parks and outdoor attractions including
4602-656: The Queensland Parliament built in 1867. The 1880s brought a period of economic prosperity and a major construction boom in Brisbane, that produced an impressive number of notable public and commercial buildings. John James Clark was appointed Queensland Government Architect in 1883, and continuing in Tiffin's design for public buildings, asserted the propriety of the Italian Renaissance, drawing upon typological elements and details from conservative High Renaissance sources. Building in this trace of intellectualism, Clark designed
4720-642: The Red Flag riots , were waged throughout Brisbane. The most notable incident occurred on 24 March 1919, when a crowd of about 8,000 ex-servicemen clashed violently with police who were preventing them from attacking the Russian Hall in Merivale Street, South Brisbane , which was known as the Battle of Merivale Street. Over 20 small municipalities and shires were amalgamated in 1925 to form the City of Brisbane, governed by
4838-695: The Treasury Building in 1886, and the Yungaba Immigration Centre in 1885. Other major works of the era include Customs House in 1889, and the Old Museum Building completed in 1891. Fort Lytton was constructed in 1882 at the mouth of the Brisbane river, to protect the city against foreign colonial powers such as Russia and France , and was the only moated fort ever built in Australia. The city's slum district of Frog's Hollow , named so for its location being low-lying and swampy,
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4956-586: The University of Queensland Fryer Library collection. The tramway closure was notable for the speed with which it was carried out. Over 300 replacement Leyland Panther buses were purchased, at the time the largest single bus purchase in the world. Most older, wooden trams were stripped of metal parts and then burnt at the City Council's yard at Cribb Street, Milton (adjacent to the tramway workshops). The bodies of later, all-metal cars were sold as sheds and playground equipment. The Brisbane Tramway Museum Society
5074-540: The West End – Ascot line and was withdrawn from service in 1935. Between 1929 and 1930, 9 Dreadnoughts were converted to "one-man" operation, as a cost-saving measure. These trams were operated with drivers only and without conductors. They were only used on the Rainworth and Red Hill routes. Passengers were required to enter the tram from the front entrance and pay the driver as they entered. For this reason these trams had
5192-697: The graceful tree frog and the koala . Brisbane City Council operate libraries in Annerley , Ashgrove , Banyo , Bracken Ridge , Brisbane CBD ( Brisbane Square ), Bulimba , Carina , Carindale ( Westfield Carindale ), Chermside , Coopers Plains , Corinda , Everton Park , Fairfield , Upper Mount Gravatt ( Garden City ), Grange , Hamilton , Holland Park , Inala , Indooroopilly , Kenmore , Mitchelton , Mount Coot-tha ( Botanic Gardens ), Mount Gravatt , Mount Ommaney , New Farm , Nundah , Sandgate , Stones Corner , Sunnybank Hills , Toowong , West End , Wynnum , and Zillmere . In addition, it operates
5310-523: The railway line to Ipswich opened up some areas in western and southern districts, however fares were expensive, as was owning a horse. By 1885 an omnibus service reached almost every part of Brisbane. Omnibuses consisted of a strongly constructed wooden wagon with seating for males on the roof and a back-door entrance to the interior. On 10 August 1885 the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company began official horse-drawn tramway services for
5428-448: The 28 years during which they were built, many innovations were introduced, such as fluorescent lighting, helical gears, resilient wheels, remote controlled controllers and streamlined construction techniques. Early versions had canvas blinds in the doorways, while later versions had sliding doors. The last 8 trams were built from components salvaged from the Paddington tram depot fire and were painted light blue with phoenix emblems below
5546-457: The 6 trams in this class were built primarily for the hilly Spring Hill route. They were built in two batches: the first four in 1936 were converted from 10 bench trams, the last two were built in 1943 using the underframes from 10 bench trams, making the last two trams in this class the non-bogie cars built in Australia. These trams were fitted with special sanders allowing sand to be dropped not only in front, but also behind, their wheels, in case
5664-405: The Australian capital cities which closed their networks between the 1950s and 1970s (only Melbourne and Adelaide retained trams, although Adelaide only had one line in operation), Brisbane was the last capital city to close its tram network. Despite the decision to shut down the network, Brisbane's trams were held with great affection by locals, and one commentator described their removal "one of
5782-566: The Brisbane General Post Office and suburban post office branches, and also acted as mobile postboxes Through the 1940s and 1950s the tram system enjoyed strong political support within the council, which continued to expand the tram network and upgrade its fleet with some of the most advanced trams in Australia. Trolleybuses were introduced in 1951. The last tramway to open was in March 1961. Clem Jones became Lord Mayor of Brisbane
5900-402: The Brisbane City Council and state government to return a tram or light rail system to Brisbane since the 1990s. The most prominent of these include the ambitious 1997 Brisbane Light Rail Transit proposal. The plans escalated to a Queensland government tender for four company consortia to purchase new trams, construct and operate the system in 1 the project was projected to cost A$ 235 million but
6018-809: The Brisbane Tramways Company between 1907 and 1921 and a further 4 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1923 and 1925. They had fixed, back-to-back bench seating carrying 50 seated passengers (plus standees). They were commonly called "toastracks" or "jumping jacks". In 1936 4 of these cars were converted to Baby Dreadnoughts (see below); another two were converted to this class in 1944. Apart from one car converted to an advertising car and another retained for historical purposes, they were all withdrawn from service between 1952 and 1955. Officially referred to as standard centre-aisle trams, 65 trams in this class built between 1908 and 1925. These trams could carry 90 passengers. The last 21, which were built for
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#17328549357526136-421: The Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1924 and 1925, had 12 windows, remainder built with 6 windows. Originally they were built with open end platforms, but these were enclosed in the 1930s. Some received "streamlining" with oval windows and skirting around their bogies. The attached picture illustrates the differences between various members of this class. The tram in the foreground is a 12 window Dreadnought (built by
6254-563: The Brisbane region commenced in 1838 and the population grew strongly thereafter, with free settlers soon far outstripping the convict population. German missionaries settled at Zions Hill, Nundah as early as 1837, five years before Brisbane was officially declared a free settlement. The band consisted of ministers Christopher Eipper (1813–1894), Carl Wilhelm Schmidt , and lay missionaries Haussmann, Johann Gottried Wagner, Niquet, Hartenstein, Zillman, Franz, Rode, Doege and Schneider. They were allocated 260 hectares and set about establishing
6372-484: The City of Brisbane with a view to uniting the Brisbane metropolitan area under a single planning and governance structure. The City of Brisbane Act 1924 received assent from the Governor on 30 October 1924. On 1 October 1925, twenty local government areas of various sizes were abolished and merged into the new city, namely: The council also assumed responsibility for several quasi-autonomous government authorities, such as
6490-551: The Duke of York's clan in Victoria Park in 1846 and 1849 by British soldiers of the 11th Regiment , however the clan had been wrongfully targeted as the attacks on Brisbane had not been committed by the Turrbal themselves but other tribes farther north. In 1855, Dundalli , a prominent leader during the conflict, was captured and executed by hanging at the present site of the GPO . In 1862,
6608-556: The Gardens shuttle route (see below). These 4 trams were constructed in 1897 and 1898 by the Brisbane Tramways Company. They were cross bench cars with no centre aisle. Two of the benches (those attached to the end bulkheads) were fixed and the other seven benches were tip-over. They could carry 45 seated passengers, plus standees. Two were withdrawn from service in 1938, the other two were probably withdrawn in 1943. These 20 cars were officially "bogie open tip-over cross-bench cars". They were
6726-477: The Gardens were among the first of their species to be planted in Australia, including the jacaranda and poinciana . Charles Tiffin was appointed as Queensland Government Architect in 1859, and pursued an intellectual policy in the design of public buildings based on Italianate and Renaissance revivalism , with such buildings as Government House , the Department of Primary Industries Building in 1866, and
6844-572: The Kelvin Grove tramway extended along Enoggera Road to the Newmarket Hotel in Newmarket . However, a new bridge over Enoggera Creek would be required. Also there were concerns that the close proximity of the proposed tramway would take revenue away from the railway line. However these concerns were resolved and the tramway extension to the Newmarket Hotel was opened on Monday 27 July 1903. Up until
6962-465: The New Farm link) and instead giving consideration of diverting the funds to enhancing the bus and CityCat ferry systems. Unlike many other systems, Brisbane never adopted an alphabetical or numerical system for classifying its trams (cf Melbourne trams ), preferring instead to use official descriptions, such as "standard centre aisle car", or "drop-centre saloon car". Delivery of early combination cars
7080-438: The Pineapple rebellion. During World War II, Brisbane became central to the Allied campaign, since it was the northernmost city with adequate communications facilities. From July 1942 to September 1944, AMP Building (now called MacArthur Central ) was used as the headquarters for South West Pacific Area under General MacArthur. MacArthur had previously rejected use of the University of Queensland complex as his headquarters, as
7198-435: The Tramway Company Manager's personal "Palace" car, fitted with carpets, plush seat covers and further interior decorations. Converted to regular passenger use in 1918 and was withdrawn from service in 1958. Tram 110 was built in 1906 as the prototype for the Dreadnoughts, but it had different trucks, which resulted in high steps. It was withdrawn from service in 1952. Tram 101 was built in 1899 originally with no solid roof, just
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#17328549357527316-403: The Tramways Trust), still with seats on its end platforms and no streamlining. The tram ahead of it is an older, 6 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Company), but with its end seats removed and streamlining around its windows and skirting below the body of the tram. Each of these four cars was unique in their own way. Two were outwardly like the Dreadnoughts. Tram 100 was built in 1903 as
7434-418: The Woolstore precinct as well as the development of South Bank Parklands . Brisbane was impacted by major floods in January 2011 and February 2022 . The Brisbane River did not reach the same height as the previous 1974 flood on either occasion, but caused extensive disruption and damage to infrastructure. The Queensland Cultural Centre was also expanded, with the completion of the State Library and
7552-399: The area that Brisbane CBD now straddles. A contemporary Turrbal organisation has also suggested it means ' the place of the blue water lilies ' . Local Elder Gaja Kerry Charlton posits that Meanjin is based on a European understanding of ' spike ' , and that the phonetically similar Yagara name Magandjin — after the native tulipwood trees ( magan ) at Gardens Point —
7670-427: The bay, which he named after James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton , misspelled as "Moreton". Matthew Flinders initially explored the Moreton Bay area on behalf of the British authorities. On 17 July 1799, Flinders landed at present-day Woody Point , which he named Red Cliff Point after the red-coloured cliffs visible from the bay. In 1823 the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane, gave instructions for
7788-518: The blue uniform was replaced with a green one. Inspectors wore a black uniform, with a grey shirt and black cap. Horse Trams ran to the following suburbs: Trams did not terminate in the Brisbane central business district , but ran from suburbs on one side of the city to suburbs on the other. Today, many all-stops bus routes (shown in italics ) roughly correspond with the former tram lines. Brisbane Brisbane ( / ˈ b r ɪ z b ən / BRIZ -bən , Turrbal : Meanjin )
7906-459: The capital. Old Government House was constructed in 1862 to house Sir George Bowen's family, including his wife, the noblewoman Diamantina, Lady Bowen di Roma . During the tenure of Lord Lamington , Old Government House was the likely site of the origin of Lamingtons . During the War of Southern Queensland , Indigenous attacks occurred across the city, committing robberies and terrorising unarmed residents. Reprisal raids took place against
8024-448: The central business districts and inner neighbourhoods of those cities. However, the City of Brisbane administers a significant portion of the Brisbane Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA), accounting for just under half its population. As such, it has a larger population than any other local government area in Australia. The City of Brisbane was the first Australian LGA to reach a population of more than one million. Its population
8142-454: The city are built, or as Magandjin , a Yagara word referring to the tulipwood tree . Aboriginal Australians have lived in coastal South East Queensland for at least 22,000 years, with an estimated population between 6,000 and 10,000 individuals before European settlement in the 1820s. Aboriginal groups claiming traditional ownership of the area include the Yagara , Turrbal and Quandamooka peoples. A website representing
8260-452: The city which helped shake this stigma. In 1955, Wickham Terrace was the site of a terrorist incident involving shootings and bombs, by the German immigrant Karl Kast . Despite steady growth, Brisbane's development was punctuated by infrastructure problems. The state government under Joh Bjelke-Petersen began a major program of change and urban renewal, beginning with the central business district and inner suburbs. Trams in Brisbane were
8378-496: The council are at 266 George Street , also known as Brisbane Square . Brisbane City Hall houses the Council Chamber, the offices of the Lord Mayor and Deputy Mayor, meeting and reception rooms and the Museum of Brisbane . In the 2021 census , the City of Brisbane had a population of 1,242,825 people. The City of Brisbane includes the following settlements: Total: 19 Total: 50 Total: 54 Total: 27 Total: 43 Total: 5 The Government of Queensland created
8496-433: The current city heart: Barambin or York's Hollow camp (today's Victoria Park ) and Woolloon-cappem ( Woolloongabba / South Brisbane ), also known as Kurilpa . These camping grounds continued to function well into colonial times, and were the basis of European settlement in parts of Brisbane. In 1770, British navigator James Cook sailed through South Passage between the main offshore islands leading to
8614-537: The death of King George V in 1936, Albert square was widened to include the area which had been Albert Street, and renamed King George Square in honour of the King. An equestrian statue of the king and two Bronze Lion sculptures were unveiled in 1938. In 1939, armed farmers marched on the Queensland Parliament and stormed the building in an attempt to take hostage the Queensland Government led by Labor Premier William Forgan Smith , in an event that became known as
8732-453: The development of a new northern penal settlement , and an exploration party commanded by John Oxley further explored Moreton Bay in November 1823. Oxley explored the Brisbane River as far as Goodna , 20 km (12 mi) upstream from the present-day central business district of Brisbane. He also named the river after the governor of the time. Oxley also recommended Red Cliff Point for
8850-599: The distinctive bends in the river at St Lucia could have aided enemy bombers. Also used as a headquarters by the American troops during World War II was the T & G Building . About one million US troops passed through Australia during the war, as the primary co-ordination point for the South West Pacific. Wartime Brisbane was defined by the racial segregation of African American servicemen, prohibition and sly grog , crime, and jazz ballrooms . In 1942, Brisbane
8968-454: The drivers were unprotected from the elements) but later cars were built with enclosed ends (or "vestibules"). The ends of all the earlier cars of this class were enclosed by 1934. These trams were last used in regular service in December 1968. Officially referred to as "drop centre saloon cars", or "four motor cars", they were popularly referred to as "400s", "FM's" or "silver bullets". They were
9086-449: The end of World War I , Brisbane's trams were the primary method used for travelling within the city. Between 1923 and 1934 tram services in Brisbane were greatly expanded. Brisbane's tramway system came under the control of the newly merged Brisbane City Council (BCC) in 1925. After seven years of agitation, Brisbane's tram service was extended to Grange in July 1928. The opening ceremony
9204-520: The end of 1840, Robert Dixon had begun work on the first plan of Brisbane Town, in anticipation of future development. The Roman Catholic church erected the Pugin Chapel in 1850, to the design by the gothic revivalist Augustus Pugin . Letters patent dated 6 June 1859, proclaimed by Sir George Ferguson Bowen on 10 December 1859, separated Queensland from New South Wales, whereupon Bowen became Queensland's first governor, with Brisbane chosen as
9322-402: The first class of trams built in Brisbane with airbrakes. 155 were constructed by the Brisbane City Council between 1938 and 1964, with a maximum carrying capacity of 110 passengers. Trams 400–472 were built with wide centre doors, 407 was altered to narrow centre doors and renumbered 473 (and the tram to be numbered 473 entered service as 407), trams 474–554 built with narrow centre doors. Through
9440-405: The first stage the Queensland Art Gallery completed in 1982, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in 1985, and the Queensland Museum in 1986. Brisbane hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games and World Expo 88 . These events were accompanied by a scale of public expenditure, construction, and development not previously seen in the state of Queensland. Brisbane's population growth far exceeded
9558-576: The first sugarcane plantation in Queensland was established near Brisbane by Captain Louis Hope and John Buhôt . In 1864, the Great Fire of Brisbane burned through the central parts of the city, destroying much of Queen Street. The 1860s were a period of economic and political turmoil leading to high unemployment, in 1866 hundreds of impoverished workers convened a meeting at the Treasury Hotel , with
9676-781: The first two decades of the 21st century, and major infrastructure including the Howard Smith Wharves , Roma Street Parklands , Queens Wharf , the Brisbane Riverwalk , the Queen's Wharf casino and resort precinct, the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, the Clem Jones , Airport Link , and Legacy Way road tunnels, and the Airport , Springfield , Redcliffe Peninsula and Cross River Rail railway lines have been completed or are under construction. Brisbane will host
9794-461: The focus of group activities. The district was defined by open woodlands with rainforest in some pockets or bends of the Brisbane River. Being a resource-rich area and a natural avenue for seasonal movement, Meanjin and the surrounding areas acted as a way station for groups travelling to ceremonies and spectacles. The region had several large (200–600 person) seasonal camps, the biggest and most important located along waterways north and south of
9912-479: The governing political party in Queensland. In 1973, the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub in the city's entertainment district , was firebombed that resulted in 15 deaths, in what is one of Australia's worst mass killings . The 1974 Brisbane flood was a major disaster which temporarily crippled the city, and saw a substantial landslip at Corinda . During this era, Brisbane grew and modernised, rapidly becoming
10030-516: The importance of the tour. This did not stop the protest however with violent clashes between protestors and police erupting when several hundred demonstrators assembled outside a Brisbane motel on Thursday, 22 July 1971, where the Springbok team was staying. A second protest saw a large number of demonstrators assembled once more outside the Tower Mill Motel and after 15 minutes of peaceful protest,
10148-406: The last service by social groups. Most trams operated with a two-person crew – a driver (or motorman ) and a conductor, who moved about the tram collecting fares and issuing tickets. The exceptions to this arrangement were on the Gardens line (Lower Edward Street) where the short duration of the trip meant it was more effective for passengers to simply drop their fare into a fare box as they entered
10266-703: The mission, which became known as the German Station. Later in the 1860s many German immigrants from the Uckermark region in Prussia as well as from other German regions settled in the areas of Bethania , Beenleigh and the Darling Downs . These immigrants were selected and assisted through immigration programs established by Rev Dr John Dunmore Lang and Johann Christian Heussler and were offered free passage, good wages, and selections of land. Scottish immigrants from
10384-412: The most appalling urban planning mistakes in the city’s history". There have been ongoing proposals since the early 1990s to reinstate a functional tram network. Brisbane expanded to become one of the most dispersed cities in the world by the 1870s. In the early years of Brisbane's settlement walking was the most convenient way to get around as most people choose to live close to their workplace. In 1875,
10502-432: The motorman's windows, to symbolise that the trams had risen from the ashes of the fire. Tram Depots were located at the following places: Logan Road, Countess Street and Lang Street depots closed in 1927 with the opening of Ipswich Road depot. Ipswich Road and Light Street depots continued to be used as bus depots after the closure of the tram system. The Brisbane City Council had planned to replace Paddington depot with
10620-418: The national average in the last two decades of the 20th century, with a high level of interstate migration from Victoria and New South Wales. In the late 1980s Brisbane's inner-city areas were struggling with economic stagnation, urban decay and crime which resulted in an exodus of residents and business to the suburban fringe, in the early 1990s the city undertook an extensive and successful urban renewal of
10738-521: The new colony, reporting that ships could land at any tide and easily get close to the shore. The convict settlement party landed in Redcliffe on 13 September 1824 formally establishing the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement that would become Brisbane. The party was under the command of Lieutenant Henry Miller and consisted of 14 soldiers (some with wives and children) and 29 convicts. However,
10856-438: The new-built Combination cars, with one fixed and one tip-over seat on each end platform. These three trams were built in 1904 from three single deck horse trams, similar to the new-built California Combination trams but with 6 saloon windows as opposed to 4 on the new trams, and a single fixed cross-bench seat on each end platform instead of 2 tip-over seats each end. Withdrawn from service 1925 to 1930s. Each tram in this class
10974-477: The newly created South Eastern and Inner Northern Busways, bridges and pedestrian spines. In the March 2008 Brisbane city elections, the Queensland Greens campaigned on a more comprehensive plan. However, by June 2008 progress had stalled, without an official project announcement, the Brisbane City Council once again distancing itself from the plan due to cost of the investment (estimated at $ 600 million for
11092-543: The port of Dalian to Townsville or Brisbane, the first Australian ports of call. Following the First World War , conflict arose between returned servicemen of the First Australian Imperial Force and socialists along with other elements of society that the ex-servicemen considered to be disloyal toward Australia. Over the course of 1918–1919, a series of violent demonstrations and attacks known as
11210-419: The private motor car and patronage slowly declined from a post war peak of 148 million passenger journeys in 1946, to approximately 64 million passenger journeys in 1968. Political support for the tram system waned in the 1960s, particularly so after the Paddington tram depot fire on 28 September 1962. 67 trams were destroyed, which represented 20% of the entire fleet. Brisbane's Lord Mayor Alderman Clem Jones
11328-458: The public, excluding the Civic Cabinet. The city of Brisbane is divided by 26 wards, each of which is represented by a councillor. Elections for these positions are held every four years. The results of the March 2024 elections delivered a Liberal National Party majority, with the wards of the City of Brisbane represented by the following councillors: The motto of the City of Brisbane
11446-682: The public. The 18 tramcars were built from highly polished cedar and mahogany in the United States by JG Brill Company and John Stephenson Company . Fares were expensive, with the typical patron belonging to the middle class. Some even used the services to go home for lunch. In 1893, an economic crisis and significant floods reduced the system's patronage steeply. The first electric tramway ran along Stanley Street , in South Brisbane on 16 June 1897. Horse-drawn carriages were still being used in 1899. In 1900 local residents were agitating to have
11564-415: The recommendations of the Brisbane City Council's 2006 CBD masterplan, Premier Peter Beattie announced $ 250 million of state government funding for an extensive light rail system to rival Melbourne's and significantly larger than those of Sydney or Adelaide. The plan, at the centre of the government's "Smart City" plan, was to link South Brisbane to New Farm and Bowen Hills with future extensions down
11682-423: The same year, and all new route construction was cancelled. By 1948 Brisbane's trams failed to return a profit as they could not compete with the more efficient bus services. Urban development, often well away from public transport, the rise of suburban shopping centres and the relative decline in the cost of motorcars meant that as elsewhere, Brisbane's public street transport system increasingly had to compete with
11800-399: The same year, with the city receiving more than a year's rainfall during February 1893, leaving much of the city's population homeless. In 1896, the Brisbane river saw its worst maritime disaster with the capsize of the ferry Pearl , between the 80–100 people on board there were only 40 survivors. When the colonies federated in 1901, celebrations were held in Brisbane to mark the event, with
11918-445: The settlers abandoned this site after a year and moved to an area on the Brisbane River now known as North Quay, 28 km (17 mi) south, which offered a more reliable water-supply. The newly selected Brisbane region was plagued by mosquitoes at the time. After visiting the Redcliffe settlement, Sir Thomas Brisbane then travelled 45 km (28 mi) up the Brisbane River in December 1824. Governor Brisbane stayed overnight in
12036-466: The ship Fortitude arrived in Brisbane in 1849, enticed by Lang on the promise of free land grants. Denied land, the immigrants set up camp in York's Hollow waterholes in the vicinity of today's Victoria Park , Herston , Queensland. A number of the immigrants moved in and settled the suburb, naming it Fortitude Valley after the ship on which they arrived. Free settlers entered the area from 1835, and by
12154-671: The state separated from New South Wales . By the late 19th century, the city had grown into a major port and centre of immigration. During World War II , the Allied command in the South West Pacific was based in the city, along with the headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur of the United States Army. Brisbane is a global centre for research and innovation and is a transportation hub, being served by large rail , bus and ferry networks, as well as Brisbane Airport and
12272-503: The temporary residence in 1910, and later made the permanent government house. In 1912, Tramway employees were stood down for wearing union badges which sparked Australia's first general strike , the 1912 Brisbane General Strike , which became known as Black Friday, for the savagery of the police baton charges on crowds of trade unionists and their supporters. In 1917, during World War I , the Commonwealth Government conducted
12390-484: The track were protected by signalling which operated off the trolley wire. By 1959 more than 140 kilometres (87 mi) of track were laid in concrete, a method of track construction pioneered in Brisbane. The last track opened was in O'Keefe Street Woolloongabba , in May 1961. However, this track was not used in normal passenger service and was merely used to reduce dead running from Logan Road back to Ipswich Road Depot. Of
12508-414: The tram; and the "one man cars" which operated in the early 1930s (see below ). The peak year for patronage was in 1944–45 when almost 160 million passengers were carried. The system route length reached its maximum extent of 109 kilometres (68 mi) in 1952. The total track length was 199 kilometres (124 mi), owing to many routes ending in single, rather than double, track. Single track segments of
12626-456: The trams slipped backwards on the steep section of the Spring Hill line. They were withdrawn from service in 1958–1959, one car was preserved. The most numerous of Brisbane's trams, there were 191 trams of this class built between 1925 and 1938. Officially called "bogie drop centre combination cars", (usually shortened to "dropcentre" or "droppie") these trams' distinctive drop centre compartment
12744-543: Was attended by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane , William Jolly , and two Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly , James Stevingstone Kerr and Charles Taylor . The mayor had threatened not to attend any ceremony for the opening of the tram service because two rival groups were organising separate celebrations; he would only attend if there was a single ceremony. Until 1934, the trams carried mail between
12862-578: Was both the red light district of colonial Brisbane and its Chinatown , and was the site of prostitution , sly grog , and opium dens . In 1888, Frog's Hollow was the site of anti-Chinese riots, where more than 2000 people attacked Chinese homes and businesses. In 1893 Brisbane was affected by the Black February flood , when the Brisbane River burst its banks on three occasions in February and again in June in
12980-430: Was constructed by joining two single deck saloon horse trams together on a single motorised chassis. Their long, enclosed bodies gave rise to their nickname of "coffin cars". They were built in 1897, when delivery of new electric trams was delayed. 6 cars in this class. They were all withdrawn from service by 1930. The 6 bench horse trams were motorised and later most were lengthened to accommodate 10 cross benches. One car
13098-468: Was delayed and as a result the tramway company decided to convert many of the horse tram to electric operation, as a temporary expedient. Despite this, many of these converted cars remained in passenger service well into the 1930s. The prototype Brisbane electric tram (No 1) was built at the Melbourne cable tram workshops from the body of a horse tram, and had 5 saloon windows instead of the usual 4 windows on
13216-456: Was formed in 1968 to preserve some of Brisbane's trams. At present the museum has 24 Brisbane trams in its collection, with 6 operational; California type tram 47, Ten Bench tram 65, Baby Dreadnought tram 99, Dropcentre tram 341, Four Motor tram 429, and the last tram built and officially operated in Brisbane, Four Motor Phoenix tram 554. Tramway operations commenced at the museum at Ferny Grove in 1980. There have been several proposals from both
13334-463: Was founded in 1824 at Redcliffe as a place for secondary offenders from the Sydney colony , and soon moved to North Quay in 1825 on the banks of the Brisbane River, so named for British army general and Governor of New South Wales Sir Thomas Brisbane . 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
13452-489: Was open to the elements, with only canvas blinds to provide protection for passengers in cold or wet weather. Although designed to be operated using airbrakes, most cars in this class were instead built with rheostatic brakes and hand brakes. However, the last 17 cars (Nos 370–386) were built with airbrakes. Subsequently, many of the older cars in this class were retrofitted with airbrakes and had their rheostatic braking systems removed. Early cars were built with open ends (meaning
13570-432: Was pro-freeway and private car. The Kalinga , Toowong , Rainworth and Bulimba ferry routes closed in December 1962. In common with many other cities, Brisbane converted its remaining tram lines between 1968 and 1969 to all bus operation. The last trolley buses ran on 13 March 1969 and the final trams ran on 13 April 1969. Photographs of this last tram ride, organised by Grahame Garner and other tramways workers are in
13688-442: Was subsequently vetoed in favour of expanding the existing bus network. These various proposed options included a line from Roma Street station to Queensland University of Technology ’s CBD campus along George Street , CBD to West End and University of Queensland via Victoria Bridge and Melbourne Street and CBD to Fortitude Valley via Wickham Terrace . In 2007, following several failed road and tunnel projects and based on
13806-509: 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. This incident became known colloquially as the Battle of Brisbane . Post-war Brisbane had developed a big country town stigma, an image the city's politicians and marketers were very keen to remove. In the late 1950s, an anonymous poet known as The Brisbane Bard generated much attention to
13924-547: Was to remain in service until 1958 as an advertising car. Officially referred to as "Standard Combination" trams, but more popularly referred to as "matchboxes". They had a central 4 window saloon with 2 tip-over cross-bench seats on each end platform. There were 62 trams in this class, built between 1897 and 1904, with the last one withdrawn from passenger service in 1952. Two, (nos 14 and 15), were converted into "scrubber" cars (track maintenance cars). Several were used as advertising cars, with 47 and 53 being used as one man cars on
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