Sir Thomas Brisbane, the namesake for the city and river, was governor of the New South Wales colony from 1821 to 1825. At the time, New South Wales included Queensland. When the colonies were separated in 1859, Brisbane, the former penal colony of Moreton Bay, was chosen as the capital of the new territory. Despite suffering a destructive fire in 1864 and a flood in 1893, Brisbane survived and prospered.
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Of Australia’s 10 largest cities only Adelaide and Perth are not located on the country’s east coast. Perth is located along the banks of the Swan River on Australia’s west coast and encompasses a metropolitan area of about 7 square kilometers. The city was founded in 1829 and began to experience rapid growth as a result of 5 significant gold rushes taking place in Western Australia during the late 19th century.
