Geography of Brisbane
The city resides within the Moreton Bay Floodplain, stretching from Caboolture to the north, Beenleigh to the south and as far as Ipswich to the west whilst being bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east.
[1] Over millions of years, layers of sediment have been deposited into the Brisbane region, which was originally a large marine area below sea level.
Due to this continued sediment deposition and gradual metamorphosis, the area rose above sea level with the aid of continental shift.
Moreover, the areas of higher elevation to the north west of the Brisbane region are built on resistant basement rocks consisting of greywacke, phyllite, schist, quartzite, chert, shale and sandstone.
[1] Its headwaters originate 140 kilometres north-east of central Brisbane with numerous tributaries, primarily the Stanley River, Cooyar Creek and a host of smaller streams running off the Blackbutt Range.
However, the river frontages have become gentrified in the last 30 years, with wharf facilities and industrial buildings replaced by parklands, residential apartments and the arts precinct.
The river takes a winding course through the metropolitan area with many steep curves from the southwest to its mouth at Moreton Bay in the east.
[6] This is primarily a result of the strong floral presence of the city, particularly in urban areas, contributing to the subtropical landscape and biodiversity.
[7] Specifically, the area is home to the Australian magpie, the masked lapwing, torresian crow and noisy miner, all of whom have swooping tendencies and are irritants to residents of the city.
[8] Moreover, the Australian bush turkey is a feature of the city's fauna, preying on insects and grubs in woodland habitats and suburban gardens and spreading native flora vegetation through their faeces.
Often mistaken as bats, they are a nocturnal native species to Australia who are integral to the reproduction, regeneration and dispersal of plant seeds in the Brisbane catchment area.
The city contains several iconic tree species, such as the Moreton Bay fig, a very large evergreen banyan with imposing buttress roots.
The Brisbane River is home to many fish species including yellowfin bream, flathead, Australasian snapper, and bull sharks.
Although Brisbane is dominated by low-lying flood plains throughout Moreton Bay, a number of the city's suburbs are situated on large hills.
Mount Coot-tha in particular is 300 metres above sea-level and is a dominant landmark for the area, providing a clear view of most of the city and floodplain.
[13] The urban area, including the central business district, are partially elevated by spurs of the Herbert Taylor Range, such as the summit of Mount Coot-tha and the smaller Enoggera Hill.
Kangaroo Point and Woolloongabba Districts encompass more residential suburbs, with people friendly parks and green areas as well as the Brisbane Cricket Club.
They are popular regions for scuba diving with stunning beaches and lakes, large amounts of wildlife and impressive ecological systems on the coral reeves that surround them[15] Moreton Bay is one of Queensland's most important natural resources that stretches 125 kilometres from Caloundra in the north to Surfers Paradise in the south.
[17] In terms of precipitation, thunderstorms are extremely common with severe weather such as hail storms, torrential rain and destructive winds occurring annually.
