North Quay is the riverfront stretch between Milton and the City Botanic Gardens. Once boasting a forested ridge, this was the site of Brisbane’s earliest European settlement.
North Quay is now recognisable by the Riverside Expressway that runs its length, completed in 1975. In the preceding century, it looked very different. Its major landmarks were the Old Supreme Court of Queensland, which Lloyd Rees sketched for Law Courts North Quay (1915), and the O’Connor Boathouse which sat on stilts in the river. Both buildings were damaged in a 1968 arson attack and no longer stand.
North Quay is set for another major transformation with the current development of Queen’s Wharf. The wharf has been located on the site since 1827, although it was originally King’s Wharf before its name was changed when Victoria took the throne in 1837. A $3.6 billion redevelopment of the Queen’s Wharf precinct is set to open in 2023, including a resort and hotel complex, entertainment and dining precinct and a pedestrian bridge and bikeways.
