Brisbane Climate

      Brisbane has a hot, subtropical climate which encourages an outdoor 
	  lifestyle. With parklands and public spaces, top  class sporting 
	  facilities, cosmopolitan restaurants and the river through the center 
	  of the city, Brisbane is a city that is meant to be enjoyed outdoors.

      The average annual rainfall of 1090mm falls between December and March 
	  - there is on average seven hours of sunshine each day -  the temperature 
	  ranges from 10°C in winter to 30°C in summer - the humidity is around 50% 
	  much of the time, but can get higher during the rainy season from November 
	  to April. In that period storms are common with occasional severe 
	  thunderstorms with hail and strong winds.

      Brisbane has experienced three severe floods - in 1864, 1893 and 1974.  
	  The last one was the result of cyclone Wanda and caused  14,000 homes to 
	  be evacuated and most communication by air, road and rail was cut. 

      Brisbane has a population of 1.75 million people making it Australia's 
	  third largest city after Sydney and Melbourne. The average age of the 
	  population is 34 years and 20% of the population is under the age of 14. 
	  Over 25% of the  population was born in another country and 20% speak a 
	  language other than English at home with Cantonese, Italian, Vietnamese, 
	  Mandarin, Greek, Spanish and German being some of the most commonly spoken. 

      The Brisbane City Council area has the highest population Australia and in 
	  terms of area covered is one of the largest cities in the world. The city 
	  has Australia's highest rate of capital city population growth - reported 
	  between 1998 and 2003 as growing by 10.5%.