[4] It adjoins the suburbs of Woolloongabba to the east, Highgate Hill to the south, and West End to the southwest.

[citation needed] South Brisbane, together with West End and Highgate Hill, is known as Kurilpa (meaning water rat) by the local Indigenous people, and the area remains important in Aboriginal life.

The Ngundari (possibly a Turrbal group[7]) and Jagara peoples were drawn to the river at South Brisbane for fishing and gunyah building.

[3] European settlement commenced with the first land sales in 1843, followed by the development of wharves along the bank of the Brisbane River.

After the congregation relocated to the Park Presbyterian Church in 1885, the Grey Street building was sold and used for storage.

Later the site was resumed and the church building demolished for the construction of the present South Brisbane railway station.

[23][24][25] In October 1863 Bishop James Quinn called for tenders to erect a Roman Catholic church in South Brisbane.

The congregation was originally established at the Mechanics Institute in Stanley Street on 9 July 1865 and this was their first church building.

It was badly damaged in the 1893 Brisbane floods and subsequently demolished as the congregation decided to abandon this low-lying site.

[47] The foundation stone for the new St Andrew's Anglican Church was laid on Saturday 30 November 1878 by Queensland Governor Arthur Kennedy.

[48] After delays in construction due to insufficient money, the new church was officially opened and dedicated on Wednesday 6 June 1883 by Bishop Matthew Hale assisted by Archdeacon Benjamin Glennie with over 500 people present.

From 1884 to 1889 the Catholic Church had acquired more land adjoining St Mary's Catholic, eventually owning all of the northern end of the block bounded by Cordelia, Peel and Merivale Streets, enabling it to raise funds for a new St Mary's church in 1890.

Architects George Simkin and John Ibler prepared designs for a cruciform church with Italianate and Romanesque Revival features able to seat 800 people.

[57] In October 1917 architect George Addison called for tenders to construct a new brick church on the site.

[33][65][66]St Laurence's College for boys was officially opened and blessed on Sunday 11 July 1915 by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane James Duhig.

The new church was opened on Saturday 9 September 1933 by Reverend S. Roberts, the President of the Queensland Congregational Union.

In 1929 the community had purchased land at 72 Ernest Street (27°28′49″S 153°01′13″E / 27.4802°S 153.0203°E / -27.4802; 153.0203 (St Clement's Melkite Catholic Church)) and a foundation stone was laid by Roman Catholic Archbishop James Duhig and Lebanese Bishop Clement Malouf on Sunday 24 March 1929.

[77] The ceremony was to be performed on previous Sunday 17 March 1929 but rain forced it to be postponed, but the foundation stone was already inscribed with the earlier date.

[81][82][83] South Brisbane gained a seedy reputation with many pubs, brothels and boarding houses among warehouses with few homes.

During World War II when there was a large American military presence in Brisbane, the desire to separate the white and black American troops (segregation being the norm in some parts of the United States at that time) saw South Brisbane unofficially declared the city's 'black' area, leaving the white troops to enjoy the better parts of the city.

In May 1921 it established a community centre in Charlotte Street in the Brisbane CBD, followed by St George's Greek Orthodox Church on the same site in 1929.

[84][85] However, the growth in Brisbane's Greek population, particularly after World War II, resulted in a need for a larger church.

[95] On 20 April 1985, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre was opened in South Brisbane by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

[96] South Brisbane's regeneration began when it was selected as the location of World Expo '88, which was built on former wharves along the riverside and the adjacent industrial land.

South Brisbane has emerged as fashionable, high density, modern residential area, given its proximity to the city centre and good public transport links.

[98] The other top responses for country of birth were England 3.8%, New Zealand 3.7%, China 3.3%, Korea, Republic of 3%, India 2%.

57.2% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 5.5% Mandarin, 2.8% Korean, 2.7% Cantonese, 2.1% Greek, 1.9% Arabic.

The parklands are home to many restaurants and café's as well as landmarks such as the Queensland Conservatorium (27°28′35″S 153°01′14″E / 27.4765°S 153.0206°E / -27.4765; 153.0206 (Queensland Conservatorium)), the Wheel of Brisbane (27°28′31″S 153°01′15″E / 27.4752°S 153.0208°E / -27.4752; 153.0208 (Wheel of Brisbane)), the Nepalese Peace Pagoda (27°28′31″S 153°01′17″E / 27.4754°S 153.0213°E / -27.4754; 153.0213 (Nepalese Peace Pagoda)), Streets Beach (27°28′42″S 153°01′24″E / 27.4782°S 153.0233°E / -27.4782; 153.0233 (South Bank Beach)), and the Grand Arbour.

It houses a two level exhibition building, a library, a dry dock, a lighthouse and several retired vessels.

[citation needed] The Southbank Institute of Technology spreads over several blocks between the railway line and Merivale Street.