79-658: The Jack Pesch Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge that crosses the Brisbane River . It is named in honour of Jack Pesch (c. 1917 – 2002), a cycling champion during the 1930s. He subsequently ran a bicycle shop in Petrie Terrace , Brisbane, until the mid-1990s, selling and servicing his own 'Rocket' cycles and cycle parts. The bridge crosses the Indooroopilly Reach of the River, linking Chelmer and Indooroopilly . It
158-489: A "stone wharf presumably used for landing the blocks of stone ferried across the river for the construction of buildings in the settlement". This was in the vicinity of Edward Street ferry terminal. Quarrying this volcanic rock formed part of the hard labour undertaken by the convicts of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement , which not only provided the convicts with the punishment of hard labour but also provided
237-591: A building or structure in Queensland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about Brisbane is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Brisbane River The Brisbane River ( Turrbal : Maiwar ) is the longest river in South East Queensland , Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane , before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea . John Oxley ,
316-685: A few men to scout a route to the north-east. On Evans' return, the expedition crossed the river that Oxley would name the Castlereagh, went towards the Warrumbungle Mountains, which he named at the time 'Arbuthnot's Range' and easterly through the Gooriananwa Gap From here they moved forward to come upon the rich soil of the Liverpool Plains. On 26 August 1818 they climbed a hill and saw before them rich, fertile land (Peel River), near
395-522: A halt on that river at the Macquarie Marshes in a good season for the marshes as the Macquarie was in flood replenishing these vital wetlands. Oxley tried hard to proceed through them but couldn't do so. He returned to the encampment of the rest of his party now convinced that these westward flowing rivers terminated in an inland sea, and he had been on the swampy edge of it. Through Oxley, the theory of
474-459: A lovely infant of four years old, that fell into a well 100 feet deep, close under the Hyde Park Barrack wall, and was drowned before aid could be afforded; to which effect a Verdict was returned. The criminality of suffering a well to be so publicly exposed, calls forth appropriate indignation." In October 1821, Oxley married Emma Norton (1798–1885) at St Philip's Anglican Church . Emma was
553-516: A natural tidal limit of only 16 km (10 mi). The current tidal limit now extends 85 km (53 mi) upstream due to continual channel dredging. The first bridge built across the Brisbane River was the original timber Victoria Bridge , opened in 1865 between Brisbane and South Brisbane. The current concrete Victoria Bridge is the 4th to be built on the site, the original bridge collapsed after marine borers weakened its timber piles, and
632-504: A passenger Governor William Bligh , who had been deposed in the Rum Rebellion . When Bligh was deposed, Oxley denied he supported Macarthur but his letters showed that he was close to him. In 1810, Oxley returned to England. During this period, Oxley sought the positions of Naval Officer and Surveyor-General. He retired from the Navy in 1811 and was briefly in an engagement to Elizabeth Macarthur
711-474: A prospect of success" and that "perhaps a more miserable sterile Country was never traversed by man " . In 1823, Governor Brisbane sent Oxley north by boat in search of a site for an alternative penal settlement for the most difficult convicts. On this journey, he visited the Tweed River and valley and was deeply impressed, recording his impressions as follows: "A deep rich valley clothed with magnificent trees,
790-492: A short distance they then proceeded in a south-westerly direction through Ungarie and past Weethalle, intending to travel overland to the southern Australian coastline. By the end of May, the party found themselves in a dry scrubby country northeast of Yenda where they ascended several peaks in the Cocoparra National Park. Shortage of water and the death of two horses forced Oxley's return, passing near Rankins Springs to
869-531: A small hill and named it Mt Harris in honour of John Harris accompanying him. On the same day the mountains in the distance to the east (now known by their Aboriginal name, the Warrumbungles) were named Arbuthnot's Ranges for the Rt Hon C. Arbuthnot of H.M. Treasury. Mt Harris is 54 km N-NW of present-day Warren. They continued by boat and horses until they reached the Macquarie Marshes where it spread out through
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#1732852479795948-441: A somewhat reluctant guide, entered the river and sailed upstream as far as present-day Goodna . Oxley noted the abundant fish and tall pine trees . Early European explorers marvelled at the sheer natural beauty they witnessed while travelling up the lower reaches. Reports by early European explorers such as Allan Cunningham and Oxley indicate rainforest once fringed the Brisbane River and its major tributaries, especially on
1027-572: A substantial town house in Sydney. Oxley was briefly a director of the Bank of New South Wales . He was one of five members of the original 1824 New South Wales Legislative Council , but was not reappointed when the council was reconstituted in 1825. Oxley had three daughters out of wedlock with two women, before he married a third woman. Two of these daughters were with Charlotte Thorpe and born before his inland expeditions: Jeanette b. 1813 who died in 1875 and
1106-474: A suitable new site for a convict settlement to be established. An entry in Oxley's diary on 19 November 1823 describes his surprise meeting with one of the shipwrecked men: By that time Pamphlett and Finnegan were living with natives near Bribie Island . Parsons, who had continued to travel north in search of Sydney, was picked up by Oxley on 11 September 1824. On 2 December 1823, Oxley and Stirling, with Finnegan as
1185-534: A timber getting mission to Illawarra, Thomas Pamphlett , John Finnegan , Richard Parsons and John Thompson were blown north by a storm. They went 21 days without water, continuing north in the belief they had been blown south, during which time Thompson died. They landed on Moreton Island on 16 April and made it to the mainland on the south of the Brisbane River. They immediately began trekking north in order to return to Sydney, still believing themselves to be somewhere south of Jervis Bay. Subsequently, they became
1264-527: Is buried in the historic cemetery at South Head, and Frances b. 1815 who married William Waugh and is buried in Tenterfield . He had another daughter, Louisa b. 1821, with Elizabeth Marmon. This child drowned (aged 3) in early December 1824 in a well opposite Oxley's house in Macquarie Street, Sydney. The newspaper report was as follows: "An Inquest was held on Saturday last, on the body of Louisa Oxley,
1343-617: Is immediately adjacent to the Albert and Walter Taylor Bridges. It was opened on 2 October 1998 by the Queensland Minister for Transport, Steve Bredhauer , and the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Jim Soorley . The bridge is for the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists. This article about a bridge in Australia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about
1422-784: Is south of Avoca Vale , and the river then makes its way south past townships including Linville , Moore and Toogoolawah before being joined by the Stanley River , just south of Somerset Dam . The river runs from there into Lake Wivenhoe , created by the Wivenhoe Dam. Beyond the dam, the river meanders eastward, meeting the Bremer River near Ipswich , then making its way through Brisbane's western suburbs, including Jindalee , Indooroopilly and Toowong . The Brisbane River then flows past wharves including Pinkenba Wharf and Portside Wharf , past Bulwer Island and Luggage Point through
1501-754: Is the name now used by the Queensland Government. Maiwar is the name of the river in the Turrbal language (the language of an Aboriginal group native to the Brisbane area). The name is also used for the inner-western state electorate of Maiwar . According to Archibald Meston and Tom Petrie in 1901, the Aboriginal people of the Brisbane area did not have a single name for the river, but rather they named individual reaches and bends. The Brisbane River East and West branches traditionally have their headwaters in
1580-412: Is the river's first underground crossing for road transport. The Moggill Ferry continues to provide a crossing for vehicles northeast of Ipswich . The Albert Bridge was the first railway crossing of the Brisbane River, opened in 1876. It was destroyed in the 1893 flood and replaced by a 2 span design that is flood tolerant. A second bridge was built adjacent to it, opened in 1957 in conjunction with
1659-530: Is wide and navigable throughout the Brisbane metropolitan area. The river travels 344 km (214 mi) from Mount Stanley. The river is dammed by the Wivenhoe Dam , forming Lake Wivenhoe , the main water supply for Brisbane. The waterway is a habitat for the rare Queensland lungfish , Brisbane River cod (extinct), and bull sharks . Early travellers along the waterway admired the natural beauty, abundant fish and rich vegetation along its banks. From 1862
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#17328524797951738-607: The Bogan River and then across to the Wellington Valley on the upper waters of the Macquarie River , which they followed back to Bathurst (arriving on 29 August 1817). The Wellington Valley would later be made the site of a convict settlement mostly for convict 'specials'. Although disappointed by his Lachlan expedition, in not following the river all the way to its end, John Oxley took up Macquarie's next directive to explore
1817-641: The Broad Gauge Act which encouraged the use of wagons with broad wheels instead of narrow-tired drays in order to cause less wear on public roads; this measure made him unpopular with the farmers and carriers in his electorate and he lost his seat. The younger son, Henry Oxley , also became a Member of the Legislative Assembly, representing the Electoral district of Camden between 1859 and 1860. Oxley suffered with illness throughout his service, caused by
1896-736: The Buffalo and traveled to Van Diemen's Land the following year in charge of the Estramina . He returned to England in 1807 and from there he was appointed first lieutenant of HMS Porpoise , a British sloop of war that was stationed at NSW. To take up this appointment he sailed out again to NSW on the Speke as part of the Transport Board . He arrived in November 1808 with £800 of freight transport . In 1809 Porpoise visited Van Diemen's Land, carrying as
1975-715: The Lachlan River in May 1815. Now Macquarie wanted the Lachlan and Macquarie River explored thoroughly. Opening up of the new lands over the mountains had created enthusiasm for further discoveries about them and the Macquarie River. Mysteriously, the Macquarie and the Lachlan flowed westwards to the interior of the country and not easterly towards the coastline. Successively, in 1817 and 1818 Governor Macquarie appointed John Oxley in charge of two expeditions to investigate these rivers. On
2054-538: The Port of Brisbane and into southern Bramble Bay an embayment of Moreton Bay . On the southern side of the river, opposite Gardens Point , are the Kangaroo Point Cliffs ; made from Triassic aged volcanic rock of rhyolite composition called Brisbane tuff . The Kangaroo Point Cliffs were created by a quarrying operation that, according to Allan Cunninghams' Field Book, was underway prior to 1829 when he observed
2133-500: The Seventeen Mile Rocks were completely removed in 1965 after numerous partially successful attempts in the past. The northern river bank at the mouth of the river has undergone reclamation projects over the years, especially in the suburbs of Hamilton and Pinkenba . More recently, extensive facilities for the Port of Brisbane have been constructed on Fisherman's Island which has also seen significant land reclamation into
2212-540: The University of Queensland St Lucia campus), and the Jack Pesch Bridge between Indooroopilly and Chelmer . The Brisbane City Council has announced plans for a pedestrian and cycle only bridge between Kangaroo Point and the city. The Brisbane City Council has developed a network of riverwalk pavements along the banks of the Brisbane River. The Riverwalk runs along much of the Brisbane River foreshore throughout
2291-404: The capsize of the ferry Pearl (which struck the anchor chain of the government yacht Lucinda ) with the loss of around 40 lives. By 1928, due to the early settlement of Brisbane, the water quality had deteriorated to the point where several public baths had to cease sourcing water from the river. Yet even up to the 1930s, the water was said to be very clear, with reports of people seeing
2370-484: The 1817 Lachlan expedition, Oxley was to come across marshy country and conclude this inland area was uninhabitable. If he had pressed on for two more days he would have reached the Murrumbidgee River . Oxley reported that, in his opinion, the Lachlan flowed into an extensive series of swamps, "which were, perhaps, the margin of a great inland sea." Similarly, the Macquarie expedition the following year in 1818 came to
2449-683: The Australian inland sea was fed and perpetuated, In March 1817 John Oxley was instructed to take charge of an expedition to explore and survey the course of the Lachlan River . He left Sydney on 6 April 1817 with George Evans as second-in-command, and Allan Cunningham as a botanist. The previous year, Evans had accompanied Macquarie over the Blue Mountains to Bathurst on the celebratory completion of Cox's road, where Macquarie had directed him on an exploratory journey which resulted in Evans reaching and naming
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2528-523: The Brisbane River and, travelling further up, then located the Bremer River . Oxley was a Protestant and subscribed to both the Anglican Church and Presbyterian Church where he was one of the congregation. Governor Lachlan Macquarie granted Oxley 600 acres (240 ha) near Camden in 1810, which he increased to 1,000 acres (400 ha) in 1815. Oxley named this property Kirkham after his birthplace and raised and bred sheep there. He also kept
2607-405: The Brisbane River has been dredged for navigation purposes. Throughout much of the 20th century large quantities of sand and gravel were extracted from the estuary of the river. Since the rate of materials being deposited is not as high as that which was removed, the river has acted as a subaqueous mine . In 1865, water police were stationed on board Proserpine , a hulk moored at the mouth of
2686-439: The Brisbane River has been dredged for navigation purposes. The river served as an important carriageway between Brisbane and Ipswich before a railway linking the towns was built in 1875. By the late 1920s, water quality in the river had significantly deteriorated. Multiple major floods occurred in 1893. In 1974, the most damaging flood on record occurred, causing the 66,000-tonne vessel Robert Miller (largest ship ever built on
2765-408: The Brisbane River has the potential to be devastating, as documented in 1974, 2011 and 2022. For much of the river's length its banks are relatively high, but topped by a broad plain. The river's meandering course means that flood waters from upstream cannot be quickly discharged into Moreton Bay. Thus higher than normal flows cause river levels to rise rapidly and once the top of the banks are breached
2844-476: The Brisbane River was spiritually important and a vital food source for the Aboriginal people of the Turrbal people, primarily through fishing in the tidal sections downstream. Additionally, fishing and fire-stick farming took place in the upper reaches of the river where there was freshwater, in some seasons. Four European navigators , namely James Cook , Matthew Flinders , John Bingle and William Edwardson , all visited Moreton Bay but failed to discover
2923-452: The Brisbane River. In 1866, there was a breakwater built at the junction of the Bremer and Brisbane rivers that was designed to stop shingle from blocking the access to the Bremer's boat channel. The first pile light using kerosene was built in 1882. The steel framed light also served as an early port signal station . In February 1896, one of the river's worst disasters occurred with
3002-588: The Lachlan River west of Bathurst in May 1815. The party also included William Parr as a mineralogist and draftsman . Oxley's party reached Bathurst after a week, where they were briefly detained by bad weather. On 25 April 1817, they reached the Lachlan River Depot which had been prepared for them (with provisions and supplies) in advance by a separate party under the direction of William Cox. From here, they commenced following its course, with part of
3081-455: The Lachlan River. On 23 June the Lachlan River near Merrigal Bridge was reached: "we suddenly came upon the banks of the river… which we had quitted nearly five weeks before". They followed the course of the Lachlan River through Hillston and Booligal for a fortnight. The party encountered much-flooded country and reached a point five kilometres south-west of Booligal which was their last campsite. On 7 July Oxley proceeded another 16 km along
3160-598: The Macquarie River. He departed from Bathurst on 28 May 1818 with an exploration party that comprised Deputy Surveyor General George Evans, Oxley's friend Dr John Harris, a botanist named Charles Frazer, and twelve convict men. The names of the twelve convict men were later recorded by Governor Macquarie in his diary, upon the party's eventual return to Sydney. "The following are their Names: William Warner, Patrick Byrne, James Blake, George Simpson, James Williams, John Williams, Francis Lloyd, Barnard Butler, Thomas Ellis, John Dwyer, Richard Watts, Henry Shippey." He also noted that
3239-482: The NSW coast and the site of present-day Port Macquarie. These European sightings delivered a real boost to the NSW colony. On 12 June 1818 Oxley was near the site that would become Dubbo. He wrote that he had passed that day 'over a very beautiful country, thinly wooded and apparently safe from the highest floods...'. they continued to follow the Macquarie River through land that became increasingly flat. On 27 June they spotted
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3318-407: The River. Past floods have resulted in both deepening and reduction in river depth, creation of new sand banks and shoals as well as increased transport of suspended sediment from upstream. Before the invention of modern dredging techniques the sediment deposited by flooding created hazards to ships navigating the river. Even medium-sized vessels no longer travel up the Brisbane River beyond
3397-431: The bay. Early rivers crossings were made using small oared boat ferries , beginning in 1843, followed by steam ferries. In 1865 the first Victoria Bridge , later destroyed in a flood, was built across the river. Professor Hawken of the University of Queensland undertook a study in 1914 to identify the future crossing points for the river. Historically, the Brisbane River contained upstream bars and shallows and had
3476-445: The beautiful uniformity of which was only interrupted by the turns and windings of the river, which here and there appeared like small lakes. The background was Mt. Warning. The view was altogether beautiful beyond description. The scenery here exceeded anything I have previously seen in Australia." As Surveyor General, Oxley made a close examination of the Tweed River and Port Curtis , and sources connected that investigation, principally
3555-413: The broader floodplains such as St Lucia and Seventeen Mile Rocks . The coastal lowlands were extensively vegetated with Melaleuca woodlands in low lying, poorly drained coastal areas. When first described by Europeans, the lower reaches of the Brisbane River were fringed by a mosaic of open forest, closed forest and rainforest. In the same year of 1823, the river was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane ,
3634-483: The city reach, and dredging of the upper reaches has ceased, allowing the river to recover substantially from the fine silt dislodged by gravel and sand extraction. Significant floods have occurred several times since the European settlement of Brisbane. There have been 12 Major flood peaks (over 3.5m) recorded at the Brisbane gauge since records began in 1841, including: Post construction of Wivenhoe Dam Flooding along
3713-468: The cliffs was deposited in the Triassic period about 220 million years ago. They currently form the banks of the Brisbane River. A number of the reaches of the Brisbane River are named, including the following listed below (from upstream to downstream), together with their location relative to tributaries of the river and river crossings : The following major tributaries flow into the Brisbane River from
3792-578: The coast by sea to the Shoalhaven . Meehan went overland, starting from the Minnamurra River and meeting Oxley at the Shoalhaven. Oxley's report of good soils in the area increased interest in agricultural settlement around Gerringong and the Shoalhaven. Oxley's report of the western shore of Jervis Bay , was far less favourable. He stated, " We saw no place on which even a Cabbage might be planted with
3871-410: The convict settlement, which became Moreton Bay, and later the city of Brisbane . A monument was built at North Quay in 1924 to commemorate the site of his landing in Brisbane. He then travelled further north to explore Port Curtis (the site of Gladstone ) and continued to explore the region, which is now known as South East Queensland . In 1824 Oxley, accompanied by Allan Cunningham returned to
3950-601: The early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two expeditions into the interior of New South Wales and his exploration of the Tweed River and the Brisbane River in what is now the state of Queensland . John Oxley was born in 1784 at Kirkham Abbey near Westow in Yorkshire , England, and baptised at Bulmer in St Martin's Church on 6 July 1784. He
4029-521: The first European to explore the river, named it after the Governor of New South Wales , Sir Thomas Brisbane in 1823. The penal colony of Moreton Bay later adopted the same name, eventually becoming the present city of Brisbane. The river is a tidal estuary and the water is brackish from its mouth through the majority of the Brisbane metropolitan area westward to the Mount Crosby Weir . The river
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#17328524797954108-639: The first five men listed had also been with Oxley on the previous year's 1817 exploratory journey to the Lachlan. They also took boats with them and nearly two dozen horses. The party would get upriver to the Macquarie Marshes, turn north-east to the Warrumbungle mountains crossing the Castlereagh River in the process, view the rich Liverpool Plains, come across the Peel River and the Hastings River to reach
4187-472: The first known Europeans to discover the river, stumbling across it somewhere near the entrance. They walked upstream along its banks for nearly a month before making their first crossing at Canoe Reach, the junction of Oxley Creek. It was here they stole a small canoe left by the Turrbal people of the region. John Oxley was Surveyor General of New South Wales when, in the same year and under orders from Governor Brisbane, he sailed into Moreton Bay looking for
4266-474: The first pilots were commissioned to guide ships entering from Moreton Bay and another service for those travelling upstream. Flying boats used the waters of the river in Pinkenba , to take-off for domestic and international destinations in the 1930s. The river depth was progressively increased and narrow points widened to allow larger vessels into the river and further upstream. For navigation and safety reasons
4345-407: The flooded river and recorded that "it was with infinite regret and pain that I was forced to conclude, that the interior of this vast country is a marsh and uninhabitable". Oxley resolved to turn back and after resting for two days the exploring party began to retrace their steps along the Lachlan River. They left the Lachlan at Kiacatoo up-stream of the present site of Lake Cargelligo and crossed to
4424-489: The floodwaters can spread over wide areas of the city. There has been much dredging and widening work done over the years to allow ships to transport cargo to and from Brisbane the river is no longer dredged. The river served as an important carriageway between Brisbane and Ipswich before a railway linking the towns was built in 1875. By early 1825 buoys were being laid along the South Passage and shortly after that
4503-649: The following year. In 1812, Oxley travelled to Sydney as Surveyor-General of the Minstrel . Oxley's appointment was at the time of Lachlan Macquarie 's Governorship. Macquarie encouraged exploration – he had sent George Evans to confirm the exploratory work of Wentworth, Blaxland and Lawson over the Blue Mountains, instigated the building of the road over the Blue Mountains in 1814–1815, and had travelled to Bathurst immediately William Cox had completed it. From there he had sent George Evans on an expedition of exploration up
4582-457: The inner-city area, with the longest span running between Newstead and Toowong . Another popular stretch runs beneath the Kangaroo Point Cliffs between South Brisbane and Kangaroo Point . Several spans of the Riverwalk are built out over the Brisbane River. John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an English explorer and surveyor of Australia in
4661-482: The inner-city reaches of the river. There are only 20 bullsharks documented to be seen in the Brisbane river to date. These were seen by Liel Daniel. In 1823 John Oxley named the river after the Governor Thomas Brisbane while surveying the area to locate a new penal settlement. The name is of Scottish origin, dating from at least 1643, from their family lands at Rothiebrisbane, Aberdeenshire . This
4740-500: The manuscript journal kept by Oxley, and the published Narrative of John Uniack, who accompanied Oxley. Oxley sailed northwards from the Tweed Area in the Mermaid . Rounding Moreton Island, he came across two escaped convicts who had been living with the Aboriginal people there. With their assistance, he was shown, and named, the Brisbane River . He recommend this place for the site of
4819-457: The north; Breakfast Creek , Moggill Creek and the Stanley River . On the southside Bulimba Creek , Norman Creek , Oxley Creek , Bremer River and Lockyer Creek waterways enter the Brisbane River. The following smaller creeks also flow into the river; Cressbrook Creek, Cooyar Creek, Cubberla Creek, Black Snake Creek, Wolston Creek, Woogaroo Creek, Goodna Creek, Six Mile Creek, Pullen Pullen Creek and Kholo Creek. Before European settlement,
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#17328524797954898-718: The present site of Tamworth . Continuing further east they crossed the Great Dividing Range passing by the Apsley Falls on 13 September 1818 which Oxley named the Bathurst Falls. He described it as "one of the most magnificent waterfalls we have seen". Upon reaching the Hastings River the exploring party followed it to its mouth, discovering that it flowed into the sea at a spot which Oxley named Port Macquarie . In his diary of 27 November 1818, Governor Macquarie listed
4977-472: The proposed Queensland Cultural Centre . The jets pushed the floodlit river water up to 75 m (246 ft) in the air. The floating fountain sank late on the 31 December 1984. 1987 was proclaimed the "Year of the River" by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane at the time, Sallyanne Atkinson . Over the 20th century, enough obstacles, sand and gravel had been removed from the river that its channel depth increased
5056-490: The purpose by Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane. Gray also transferred the soldiers and convicts from the First Settlement at Redcliffe at this time. The first small private wharves were built on the river in about 1848. and the once popular, shark-proof river baths were first built in 1857 at Kangaroo Point. By 1850, nearly all the prime alluvial lands in the Brisbane River valley had been taken up by settlers. From 1862
5135-637: The quadruplication of the railway between Roma Street and Corinda . The Merivale Bridge , opened in 1978, connects the South Brisbane railway system to the City. Four bridges have been built that cater for pedestrians and bicycles, being the Goodwill Bridge and Kurilpa Bridge in the City area, the Eleanor Schonell Bridge between Dutton Park and St Lucia (which also caters for public buses to
5214-448: The ranges east of Kingaroy . The two branches merge into a single watercourse south of Mount Stanley. Using an alternative modern definition, the source is located at the top of Fig Tree Gully in the Bunya Mountains , which are the headwaters of the river's longest tributary Cooyar Creek. Water from the highest point in the catchment has fallen on the Bunya Mountains, 992m above sea level. The junction of Cooyar Creek and Brisbane River
5293-540: The reeds and Oxley was unable to locate the course of the river any further downstream. He wrote: "But if an opinion may be permitted to be hazarded from actual appearances, mine is decidedly in favour of our being in the immediate vicinity of an inland sea, or lake, most probably a shoal one, and gradually filling up by numerous depositions from the high lands, left by waters which flow into it." From here he retraced steps to Mt Harris, NW of present-day Warren, and camped from early July while he sent George Evans forward with
5372-448: The river bed 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft) below the surface. Swimming was once popular at Oxley Point under the Walter Taylor Bridge . In the middle tidal reaches in more recent times, visibility has been about 0.2 m (8 in). As Brisbane grew, the condition of the river worsened until at its worst it was no more than an open sewer and waste dump. The banks were cleared of timber and introduced animals and plants rapidly changed
5451-436: The river's ecology to its detriment. On 25 March 1941, a USA goodwill flotilla arrived in the city docking at wharves along the River and built Naval Base Brisbane . The largest ship built on the river was the Robert Miller . Construction was near complete when the 66,000 tonne vessel became un-moored in the 1974 Brisbane flood . In 1977, Queen Elizabeth II switched on the Jubilee Fountain positioned in front of
5530-493: The river) to break free from its mooring. Other major floods occurred in January 2011 and February 2022 . Extensive port facilities have been constructed on the Fisherman Islands, now known as the Port of Brisbane , located at the mouth of the river on Moreton Bay . There are 16 major bridges that cross the river. The Clem Jones Tunnel , opened in 2010, is the river's first underground crossing for road transport. The CityCat and KittyCat ferry services deliver passengers along
5609-571: The river. The exploration by Flinders took place during his expedition from Port Jackson north to Hervey Bay in 1799. He spent a total of 15 days in the area, touching down at Woody Point and several other spots, but failed to discover the mouth of the river although there were suspicions of its existence. This is consistent with accounts of many other rivers along the east coast of Australia, which could not be found by seaward exploration but were discovered by inland travellers. On 21 March 1823, four ticket-of-leave convicts sailing south from Sydney on
5688-492: The second was destroyed in the 1893 flood . As of 2012 the Brisbane River is crossed by 16 major bridges (counting the new second Gateway, now Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge), including the historic 1940 Story Bridge and the tolled Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges . There are two other major bridges upstream (west) of Brisbane, on the D'Aguilar Highway and the Brisbane Valley Highway . The Clem Jones Tunnel , opened in 2010,
5767-565: The settlement with a useful building material. Many of the early buildings including the Commissariat Store, Brisbane were built by convicts using tuff from this quarry. After the penal settlement was closed, the Petrie family leased the cliffs and quarried the tuff for use in their construction projects, but ultimately quarrying this material became uneconomic without the free labour of the convicts. The volcanic rock Ignimbrite which formed
5846-418: The stores being conveyed in boats. As the exploring party travelled westward the country surrounding the rising river was found to be increasingly inundated. On 12 May, west of the present township of Forbes, they found their progress impeded by an extensive marsh. They travelled down a northern branch of the river to Mount Mulguthery where they were forced to return up the river. After retracing their route for
5925-531: The then Governor of New South Wales . Upon the establishment of a local settlement in 1824, other explorers such as Allan Cunningham, Patrick Logan and Major Edmund Lockyer made expeditions and surveys further upstream, and, in May 1825, the Moreton Bay penal colony at Redcliffe under the command of Heny Miller relocated to North Quay . The entrance to the Brisbane River was surveyed and marked with buoys in May 1825 by Pilot John M Gray sent from Sydney for
6004-414: The tidal flow and tidal range upstream. On 9 August 2020, it was discovered that Google Maps accidentally changed the Brisbane River name to Ithaca Creek after a complaint that Ithaca Creek was incorrectly named Brisbane River. The Brisbane River floods frequently, although the occurrence and magnitude of flooding has diminished following the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam on the upper reaches of
6083-585: The twelve men who accompanied Oxley and Evans on this expedition (see above). He wrote: "I inspected and spoke to the 12 Men who Accompanied Mr. Oxley on his last Expedition – and in his own presence returned them my thanks for their steady good and obedient Conduct on the Expedition; and being all Convicts I have promised to give them Conditional Pardons as a reward for their good behaviour." Oxley and Assistant Surveyor-General James Meehan led two separate but concurrent expeditions, in late 1819. Oxley proceeded down
6162-499: The youngest sister of the solicitor James Norton and had followed him out to New South Wales from Sussex after he had established himself as an attorney in the colony. Oxley and Emma Norton had a daughter and two sons. The elder, John Norton Oxley became a Member of the Legislative Assembly, representing the Western Division of Camden , in the first Parliament after the establishment of responsible government in 1856. He sponsored
6241-665: Was the eldest of eight children of John and Arabella Oxley and was a Protestant . In 1799 (aged 15), he entered the Royal Navy as a midshipman on the Venerable (1784) . He travelled to Australia in October 1802 as master's mate of the naval vessel Buffalo , which carried out coastal surveying (including the survey of Western Port ), and this first stay in the Colonies would last for five years. In 1805, Oxley became acting lieutenant of
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