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Brisbane's recorded history dates from 1799,
when Matthew Flinders explored Moreton Bay
on an expedition from Port Jackson, although
the region had long been occupied by the
Jagera and Turrbal aboriginal tribes. The
town was conceived initially as a penal
colony for British convicts sent from
Sydney. Its suitability for fishing,
farming, timbering, and other occupations,
however, caused it to be opened to free
settlement in 1838. The town became a
municipality in 1859 and a consolidated
metropolitan area in 1924.
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Brisbane
is the capital and most populous city in
Queensland, and the third most populous city
in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area
has a population of 2.3 million, and the
South East Queensland urban conurbation,
centred on Brisbane, encompasses a
population of more than 3 million. The
Brisbane central business district stands on
the original European settlement and is
situated inside a bend of the Brisbane
River, about 15 kilometres from its mouth at
Moreton Bay. The metropolitan area extends
in all directions along the floodplain of
the Brisbane River valley between Moreton
Bay and the Great Dividing Range.
