Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane is named after the Brisbane River and its eastern suburbs line the shores of Moreton Bay. The greater Brisbane region is on the coastal plain east of the Great Dividing Range. Brisbane's metropolitan area sprawls along the Moreton Bay floodplain from Caboolture in the north to Beenleigh in the south, and across to Ipswich in the south west. Brisbane was named after Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.
Central streets are named after members of the royal family. Queen Street is Brisbane's traditional main street. Streets named after female members (Adelaide, Alice, Ann, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary) run parallel to Queen Street and Queen Street Mall (named in honour of Queen Victoria) and perpendicular to streets named after male members (Albert, Edward, George, William).
Climate
Brisbane has a humid subtropical climate with warm to hot and humid summers and dry moderately warm winters. From November to March, thunderstorms are common over Brisbane, with the more severe events accompanied by large damaging hail stones, torrential rain and destructive winds. Brisbane also lies in the Tropical Cyclone risk area, although cyclones are rare.
