The Town of Brisbane was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia from 1859 to 1903. It was later elevated to city status and was the City of Brisbane from 1903 until it was amalagamated into the City of Greater Brisbane in 1925.

History

The Municipality of Brisbane was gazetted on 25 May 1859 and proclaimed by the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, Governor-General of Australia at the national level, the governor ...

on 7 September 1859. The first local government area in Queensland, Brisbane was the only one incorporated prior to the establishment of

as a separate colony. After the passing of the Municipal Institutions Act 1864 the area could establish a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

to administer the district – with powers relating to by-laws, to rating, to borrowings, to the control or regulation of public infrastructure and utilities, and to the provision of public amenities such as gardens and hospitals. The council was led by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and the role was generally rotated among the aldermen. Thus many mayors served for only one year and some served multiple times some years apart. The council "year" commenced and ended in about February to avoid a change-over during the summer holidays, so the mayor for 1890 would, strictly speaking, be the mayor into early 1891. Most of the early aldermen and mayors of the Municipality of Brisbane were prominent local men rather than representatives of political parties. The foundation stone of Brisbane's first town hall in Queen Street was laid on 28 January 1864 by

Queensland Governor The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

George Bowen Sir George Ferguson Bowen ( zh, 寶雲; 2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899), was an Anglo-Irish author and colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Mauritius and H ...

. It was designed by

William Coote William Coote (1863 – 14 December 1924) was an Irish Unionist politician. He was elected unopposed as Member of Parliament for South Tyrone at the February 1916 by-election caused by the death of the incumbent Andrew Horner. He was re-ele ...

. It cost £25,000 at a time when the income of the Town was less than £60,000 a year. On 7 January 1888, a separate Town of South Brisbane was created out of the South Ward of the Municipality of Brisbane (together with the Woolloongabba Division). On 13 January 1903, the Booroodabin Division was abolished and absorbed into the Town of Brisbane. The ''Local Authorities Act 1902'' consolidated local government and established two classes: Towns and Shires, with the additional provision for Towns to be proclaimed as Cities. Accordingly, Brisbane municipality was proclaimed the City of Brisbane from the date of commencement of the Act, 31 March 1903, and its governing body became the Brisbane City Council. Brisbane's first sewerage treatment plant was officially opened at Luggage Point on 23 November 1923. It was Australia's first full-scale sewerage treatment plant, a key component of Brisbane's sewerage scheme which commended in March 1914. It was serviced by an electric tramway. In 1925, the City of Brisbane was amalgamated with a number of surrounding towns and shires to create the City of Greater Brisbane, now simply known as

City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. The LGAs in the other mainland state capitals ...

. The first Brisbane town hall was used until January 1928, after which the business of the City of Brisbane was conducted from the new (almost completed)

Brisbane City Hall Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entran ...

References

External links

Photo of the mayor and alderman in 1859

Google map of Pre 1925 merger Brisbane Councils
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brisbane Town Former local government areas of Queensland History of Brisbane 1859 establishments in Australia 1903 disestablishments in Australia Pre-Separation Queensland

History

See also

References

External links