On 6 June 1859, Queen Victoria approved the creation of a new colony to be called Queensland.  On 10 December of the same year, Sir George Ferguson Bowen arrived in Brisbane as the new colony's Governor and officially proclaimed the Colony of Queensland.

Brisbane at this time was a small settlement of fewer than 6000 people. It is now Queensland's capital city. There was one newspaper, the Moreton Bay Courier.  Amenities such as a satisfactory water supply, drainage and sewerage were lacking.  In fact, water supply was sourced from ponds near Roma Street and sanitation was mainly by cesspools. 

Roads were unpaved and street lighting did not exist.  Issues such as drainage,  health, sanitation and building design were recurring topics in the early days of the colony.  It was in this environment that several of Queensland's most prestigious buildings, including Parliament House, were constructed.

From December 1859 to April 1860, Queensland was governed by an interim Executive Council.  Electoral rolls were prepared and the first election was held between April and May 1860 for 26 Members from the 16 electorates established for the first Legislative Assembly.  In addition, eleven men were appointed to the Upper House, the Legislative Council, for terms of five years.  Later appointments were for life.

A look at Parliament House and its Precinct

Parliament House is Queensland's premier heritage building and one of Brisbane's best known landmarks.  Located on the corner of George and Alice Streets, it overlooks the expansive and majestic Botanic Gardens.  It is further bound by the Brisbane River and the Queensland University of Technology.  The buildings contained within the parliamentary precinct date from different stages in the history of Queensland, ranging from 1868 through to 1979.  Major refurbishments of the George and Alice Street buildings occurred in 1982 and of the Annexe in 2000.

The two sandstone wings facing George and Alice Streets contain magnificent staircases, decorative stained glass windows, ornate plaster and chandeliers reminiscent of the Victorian era in which they were built.  The tall and most recently completed Annexe encloses the magnificent Speaker's Green in sympathetic accordance with the architect's original plan.