Brisbane River

Brisbane River Maiwar
Brisbane River from Kangaroo Point
Location of river mouth in Queensland
Etymology	Thomas Brisbane
Native name	Maiwar[1]
Location
Country	Australia
State	Queensland
Region	South-East Queensland
City	Brisbane
Physical characteristics
Source	Mount Stanley
• location	east of Nanango
• coordinates	26°39′S 152°22′E / 26.650°S 152.367°E / -26.650; 152.367
• elevation	213 m (699 ft)
Mouth	Moreton Bay
• location	east of Brisbane
• coordinates	27°24′S 153°9′E / 27.400°S 153.150°E / -27.400; 153.150
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	344 km (214 mi)
Basin size	13,652.3 km2 (5,271.2 sq mi)[2]
Discharge
• location	Near mouth
• average	51.2 m3/s (1,620 GL/a)[2]
Basin features
River system	Brisbane River
Tributaries
• left	Stanley River, Moggill Creek, Breakfast Creek
• right	Lockyer Creek, Bremer River, Oxley Creek, Norman Creek, Bulimba Creek

The Brisbane River (Turrbal: Maiwar) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane in 1823. The penal colony of Moreton Bay later adopted the same name, eventually becoming the present city of Brisbane. The river is a tidal estuary and the water is brackish from its mouth through the majority of the Brisbane metropolitan area westward to the Mount Crosby Weir. The river is wide and navigable throughout the Brisbane metropolitan area.

The river travels 344 km (214 mi) from Mount Stanley. The river is dammed by the Wivenhoe Dam, forming Lake Wivenhoe, the main water supply for Brisbane. The waterway is a habitat for the rare Queensland lungfish, Brisbane River cod (extinct), and bull sharks.

Early travellers along the waterway admired the natural beauty, abundant fish and rich vegetation along its banks. From 1862 the Brisbane River has been dredged for navigation purposes. The river served as an important carriageway between Brisbane and Ipswich before a railway linking the towns was built in 1875. By the late 1920s, water quality in the river had significantly deteriorated.

Multiple major floods occurred in 1893. In 1974, the most damaging flood on record occurred, causing the 66,000-tonne vessel Robert Miller (largest ship ever built on the river) to break free from its mooring. Other major floods occurred in January 2011 and February 2022.

Extensive port facilities have been constructed on the Fisherman Islands, now known as the Port of Brisbane, located at the mouth of the river on Moreton Bay. There are 16 major bridges that cross the river. The Clem Jones Tunnel, opened in 2010, is the river's first underground crossing for road transport. The CityCat and KittyCat ferry services deliver passengers along the inner-city reaches of the river.