Brisbane River

From Freepedia

The Brisbane River is situated in south east Queensland and flows through the state capital Brisbane. It empties into Moreton Bay. The river is dammed by the Wivenhoe Dam, forming Lake Wivenhoe, the main water supply for Brisbane. The river was named after the Governor of New South Wales Sir Thomas Brisbane by the explorer John Oxley in 1823.

Environmentally speaking the river is in a poor condition and has been so for many years. The major cause of the high pollution level is nutrients which become concentrated in the river after flowing off surrounding lands. This river is also considered too murky and it is not recommended to swim in it.

Contents 1 Bridges 2 Tributaries 3 Floods 4 External links

Bridges

Travelling from the mouth of the river upstream, the Brisbane River is crossed by 12 major bridges:

1. Gateway (veh)
2. Story (veh,ped)
3. Captain Cook (veh)
4. Goodwill (ped)
5. Victoria (veh,ped)
6. William Jolly (veh,ped)
7. Merivale (rail)
8. Jack Pesch (ped)
9. Albert (rail)
10. Unnamed railway bridge
11. Walter Taylor (veh,ped)
12. Centenary (veh,ped)

Under construction between Dutton Park and St Lucia is the Green Bridge. This bridge will be the first of its kind in Australia. It is designed only for buses, pedestrians and cyclists.

Tributaries

The following tributaries flow into the Brisbane River:

• Breakfast Creek
• Bremer River
• Bulimba Creek
• Lockyer Creek
• Oxley Creek
• Norman Creek
• Stanley River

Floods

Significant floods have occurred several times since the European colonization of Brisbane. Highlights include:

• 14th January 1841 (Highest flood level to date)

• February 1893, a sequence of flood peeks over some three weeks see the highest recorded flood level in Brisbane CBD. 7 lives are lost in the Eclipse Colliery at North Ipswich as a direct result of the flooding. Several other lives are lost to drownings.

• 27th January 1974 (Largest flood to affect Brisbane City in the 20th Century).

The most significant of these was the 1974 Brisbane Flood.

External links

• Historical Brisbane River Map - includes photos and information about Brisbane, the Brisbane River, Brisbane bridges and Brisbane suburbs
• History of Brisbane flooding at BOM