The central business district is situated within a peninsula of the Brisbane River about 15 km 9 mi from its mouth at Moreton Bay. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite. German Lutherans established the first free settlement of Zion Hill at Nundah in , and in Brisbane was chosen as Queensland's capital when the state separated from New South Wales. By the late 19th century, the city had grown into a major port and centre of immigration. Brisbane is a global centre for research and innovation [ 18 ] [ 19 ] and is a transportation hub, being served by large rail , bus and ferry networks, as well as Brisbane Airport and the Port of Brisbane , Australia's third-busiest airport and seaport.
Brisbane is one of Australia's most popular tourist destinations and is Australia's most biodiverse and greenest city. Much of Brisbane's inner-city neighbourhoods are also characterised by its historic Queenslander architecture. Part of the Brisbane conurbation is located on traditional indigenous land known also as Meanjin , Meaanjin, Maganjin or Magandjin amongst other spellings.
Some sources state that the name means ' place shaped as a spike ' or 'the spearhead' referencing the shape of the Brisbane River along the area of the Brisbane CBD. Aboriginal groups claiming traditional ownership of the area include the Yagara , Turrbal and Quandamooka peoples.
Aboriginal Australians have lived in coastal South East Queensland for at least 22, years, with an estimated population between 6, and 10, individuals before European settlement in the s.
Archaeological evidence suggests frequent habitation around the Brisbane River, and notably at the site now known as Musgrave Park. Good fishing places became campsites and the focus of group activities. The district was defined by open woodlands with rainforest in some pockets or bends of the Brisbane River.
