Brisbane to Sydney

The Wheel of Brisbane was surrounded by water as the South Bank Parklands were completely submerged by the January 2011 floods.

Aerial image of Brisbane River, the yellow shows the flooded areas along the river. Large areas of Brisbane, to the north-east, were badly affected.

A spectacular sunrise over North Stradbroke Island in Moreton Bay, at the mouth of the Brisbane River.

Fraser Island, north of Brisbane, is the last point in the Great Sandy Region that stretches 300kms along the coast.

Floodwaters rose to 4.46 metres in January 2011, just under a metre lower than the peak reached in 1974.

Debris was swept along in the fast-flowing currents of the floodwater.

Shipwrecks in the shallow sandy waters of Moreton Island.

The meanders in the Brisbane River cause the water to flow slowly, increasing the risk of flooding in the city.

The floodwaters of January 2011 completely engulfed buildings near the riverbank.

1959 - The William Jolly Bridge crossing the Brisbane River.

Brisbane's central business district was evacuated to protect people from the approaching floodwater.

The sand hills of Moreton Island in the shallow water of Moreton Bay.

The shallow waters of Moreton Bay near Brisbane make it a difficult place for ships to enter. Many ships have been wrecked in the sands.

1845 - A map of Moreton Bay, the insert showing the shape of the city growing around the river's meanders.

The sharp meanders of Brisbane River defines the shape of the city.

1893 - The first major flood in Brisbane covered the city in a deluge of water, killing 14 people.

Moorings and pontoons were drowned by the rising water of the January 2011 flood, causing months of disruptions to the city's riverboat transport system.

1809 - Voyages to the New World were highly dangerous. Thomas Tegg's painting of the HMS Guardian, part of the Second Fleet, shows it hitting an iceburg.

1835 - The Moreton Bay settlement, one of the oldest colonial parts of Brisbane.

1900 - The Old Windmill on Wickham Terrace is the oldest surviving building in Brisbane.

1928 - The former Commissariat Store is the only other surviving convict-built building in Brisbane.

1832 - Sketch of convict barracks near Moreton Bay, one of the first buildings in Brisbane.

1859 - Old convict barracks on Queen Street, now one of the major streets of Brisbane.

The Old Windmill in Brisbane was built in 1829 by convict labour and used as a form of punishment.

1826 - A convict hospital in Brisbane, which later became Brisbane's General Hospital.

Old farm machinery built by convict labout in the mid 19th century.

1916 - The first ANZAC Day procession through the streets of Brisbane.

1943 - Hollywood actor John Wayne, left, on a visit to the US troops in Brisbane.

1941 - Australian-made tanks driving to Brisbane military camps.

1942 - Brisbanites all worked together to support the war effort in Australia.

1941 - The USS Salt Lake City, an American war ship, docked at Brisbane during World War II.

1944 - General MacArthur, chief of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific area discussing strategy with the Commander in Chief at his headquarters in Brisbane.

c. 1920 - ANZAC Square in Brisbane contains monuments to the Boer War and World War I as well as World War II.

The Eternal Flame at ANZAC Square has been burning since 1930, commemorating those lost at war.

1942 - US soldiers posing outside the Central Hotel in Brisbane. Thousands of American troops were stationed in Brisbane during World War II.