tl;dr Southbank
Whenever the Brisbane River ran low in the early 1900s it was often accompanied with the overpowering stench of human waste, dead fish and industrial gas.
In 1899 the Brisbane Courier reported that the stink was so overwhelming that bathers would “violently” vomit into the water.
Human, horse and cow waste was poured directly into the Brisbane River, which often turned black during low flows.
…
“If Brisbane wants to spend an odd million or so on a beautification scheme, the ideal one would be to raze to the ground every building in Grey and Stanley Streets between the railway and the river, and transform the area into a huge city playground and aquatic sports arena,” they wrote.
“That would be something worthwhile, as the area as it is now is nothing but an industrial slum.”
…
Urban designer Deb Robbins has a family connection to that Southbank of old — her father leased a warehouse there, back when it was still a noisy industrial zone.
The landscape architect said the real turning point for the area was World Expo 88, which forever changed Southbank and Brisbane in general.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Whenever the Brisbane River ran low in the early 1900s it was often accompanied with the overpowering stench of human waste, dead fish and industrial gas.
In a 1921 Brisbane Courier letter to the editor, one reader describes the experience of rowing down Norman Creek in the hopes of catching fish for dinner.
In the 1930s fishermen lobbied the Queensland treasurer to stop Davies Park factories from dumping ammonia into the river and killing the prawns.
“If Brisbane wants to spend an odd million or so on a beautification scheme, the ideal one would be to raze to the ground every building in Grey and Stanley Streets between the railway and the river, and transform the area into a huge city playground and aquatic sports arena,” they wrote.
Urban designer Deb Robbins has a family connection to that Southbank of old — her father leased a warehouse there, back when it was still a noisy industrial zone.
The landscape architect said the real turning point for the area was World Expo 88, which forever changed Southbank and Brisbane in general.
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