It was the opening of the river, called the Brisbane River in honor of then Governor Thomas MacDougall Brisbane, was the beginning of the colonization of the area. Brisbane, a modern administrative center Kvinsleda, located 25 km from the sea on the eponymous river, which flows into the ocean in the Bay Moreton (Moreton Bay). In 1829 this bay was the largest penal colony, which contained about a thousand convicts. Free settlers were allowed to settle for at least 80 km from the bay. In 1842 the colony was closed, the convicts transported to another location, the area was declared a free zone for the settlements and the land sold. Pastoralists have come here with their flocks and grew roots in the land.

 

From ancient times, preserved the church of St. John and All Saints. In the Brisbane Valley retained their old possessions and Bellevue Caboonbah. Ipswich, a small river port on the Brisbane River connected the rich farm valley from Darling to Brisbane. Prosperity of the past and today still shows the colonial architecture of many buildings. Maryborough, port north of Brisbane, has become a major center for the export of wool, sugar and timber.

 

In general, the colonization of the area was carried out slowly until 1867, when the Gympie gold was discovered. Brisbane gradually became the center of the area. Bridges were built, connected the northern and southern parts of the city, separated by a bend in a river. Along its banks stretched warehouses, and soon came the customs building. A characteristic feature of the Brisbane 1880 were Victorian churches and colonial banks.

 

Today, Brisbane is a curious mix of modern city with a colonial city. In the city's architecture combines Victorian church steeples and palm trees planted in front of the facades of skyscrapers of bluish glass, around which lie the vast gardens. The special atmosphere of a super modern metropolis and a pleasant climate, allowing most of the time outdoors, help calm and regular life, typical tropical city. In Brisbane the average summer temperature is 20-27 degrees Celsius, and winter 20-21 degrees Celsius.

 

A business center is not as great as in Sydney or Melbourne, and is located in the block north of the bend of a river. The towers worthy of New York's Wall Street, the working people dressed in business suits despite the tropical humidity.

 

Stores and shopping malls are concentrated in the streets of Adelaide, Albert, Edward and around the pedestrian center – Queen St. Mall. A multinational crowd, consisting of three Australians, Greeks, Vietnamese, Koreans and Cambodians, all the time somewhere in a hurry. Here Aborigines different kind of skin tone – ocher – playing at a local musical instrument, the didgeridoo, attracting Japanese tourists, who think that this annoying monotone sound is heard from the depths of the past.

 

Restaurants and nightlife are concentrated in the City on Queen St. Mall and on the first floor business skyscrapers, warm nights open a restaurant terrace and dance floors in the Brisbane River. When the city falls velvet night, he lit on the part of Kangaroo Point, on the other riverbank. To the north of the City area is Fortitude Valley c small Chinatown (Chinatown). In all directions from the center at a distance of an hour's drive lie the suburbs to beaches.

 

Brisbane supposedly designed for lovers of flora and fauna. You can get a lot of fun visiting the Botanical Garden – Founded in 1855, is located in the bend formed by the bend of the Brisbane River in the heart of the city, there seemed to be transported to another reality, in the midst of old engravings – from here through the hedge formed bearded date palms, views of the towers with their facades of bluish glass – if you the city of the future.

 

Also worth a visit to the Zoo – contains more than one hundred representatives of local fauna in the tropical mini-forests under the grid can be seen tree frogs with suction cups on their paws, black cockatoos endangered species, frogs with snout instead of a nose, seven foot lizards, snakes taypanov nicknamed the "killer" lizard with a blue glowing language, carnivorous bats and a whole room sleepy koalas, adjacent to the eucalyptus grove that he was more comfortable to sleep my 18 hours a day.

 

It will be interesting to visit the Butterfly House – a large collection of Australian giant insects, among which is stinging and aquatic species. On the screen showing the many spiders, the bite of some of them deadly. In noktariume can see scorpions and giant spiders, the world's largest cockroach and Hercules mites.

 

And finally, travel zoo Lone Pine – here the animals are in large pens, and tourists come here to pat the koalas and take photos with these fascinating animals in their arms. Here you can feed kangaroos wide variety of sizes, which are readily eaten with the hands. The rest of the Australian fauna is represented wombat, dingoes, possums and a large number of local multi-colored birds.