m its mouth; though in a direct line it
would be but half that distance to where it empties into Moreton Bay,
one of the largest on the coast of Australia. It was discovered by
Captain Cook in 1770, and is formed by two long sandy islands running
north and south, named respectively Standbroke and Moreton Islands,
enclosing between them and the mainland a spacious sheet of water more
than thirty miles long and six or eight wide, beautified by fertile
islands.

On approaching Brisbane by sea one is puzzled at first to find where the
mouth of the river can be, so completely is it hidden by the mangrove
swamps which skirt the coast. A pleasant little watering-place is
situated close at hand, named Sandgate, which is connected by hourly
stages with the city. Several small rivers, all of which, however, are
more or less navigable, empty into Moreton Bay, showing that the
district inland hereabouts must be well watered. It is less than fifty
years since Brisbane was opened to free settlers, having been
previously only a penal station for English criminals; but of this taint
resting upon the locality, the same may be said as of Sydney, or Hobart,
in Tasmania,--scarcely a trace remains.

Queen Street is the principal thoroughfare, and is lined with handsome
stores and fine edifices, there being no lack of architectural
excellence in either public or private buildings. Like its sister
cities, it has a botanical garden, the climate here favoring even a more
extensive out-door display of tropical and delicate vegetation than at
Melbourne or Sydney. An intelligent spirit of enterprise is evinced by
the citizens of Brisbane, and everything goes to show that it is
destined to become a populous and prosperous business centre. Its
climate, especially, is considered almost perfect. Queensland is very
rich in gold-producing mines, but it has also almost endless rolling
plains covered with herbage suitable for the support of great herds and
flocks, where some fourteen millions of sheep are now yielding meat and
wool for export, and where some three millions of cattle are herded. The
real greatness of the country is to be found in its agricultural
capacity, which is yet to be developed. A very pleasant trip may be
enjoyed up the Brisbane River and Bremer Creek, on which latter stream
Ipswich is situated. It is twice as far by water as by land, but the
sail is delightful, often affording charming views of the city from the
river, while at