Brisbane - City Center

The city center, in a sharp bend on the Brisbane River, is laid out on a rectangular plan which makes it easy for visitors to find their way about. Streets running southeast/northwest are named after British kings and princes (William, George, Albert, Edward), the cross streets after queens and princesses (Ann, Adelaide, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Mary, Margaret, Alice). While in the 19th C most of the private houses in central Brisbane were built on stilts to adapt to the subtropical climate (though this is often concealed by later façades), the public buildings of the period were designed to impress, reflecting the increasing self-confidence of their Victorian builders. The surviving 19th C buildings are in sharp contrast to the high-rise buildings of reinforced concrete and reflective glass which tower heavenwards in the center of Brisbane as in the other Australian capitals.

The distances in central Brisbane are not great, and it is perfectly possible to see the principal sights on foot. A convenient starting point for a sightseeing tour is Central Station (built 1900; suburban services) in Ann Street, opposite Anzac Square.