This article explores the relationship between the Brisbane River and its river-plain dwelling citizens between 1824 and 1900 through four distinctive narratives. The first is praise for the river for its economic and utilitarian potential until severe flooding in 1893 prompts a second response of incredulity, followed by a third viewpoint demanding engineering solutions to tame nature to prevent future floods. A fourth subordinate voice appeared as an undercurrent to the demands to control nature, reflecting a burgeoning realisation that human action had created the flood hazard. Settlers had created a problem for both the river and the city. I argue that despite the accumulation of flood experience and climatic knowledge, prospective actions have evolved little since the initial British settlement in 1824.

中文翻译：

---

“有城市问题的河流，而不是有河流问题的城市”：布里斯班及其易发洪水的河流

本文通过四个不同的叙述，探讨了 1824 年至 1900 年间布里斯班河与其河流平原居民之间的关系。首先是对这条河流的经济和实用潜力的称赞，直到 1893 年的严重洪水引发了第二次怀疑，其次是第三种观点，要求工程解决方案来驯服自然以防止未来的洪水。第四个从属声音似乎是控制自然需求的暗流，反映了人们逐渐意识到人类行为造成了洪水灾害。定居者给河流和城市都带来了问题。我认为，尽管积累了洪水经验和气候知识，但自 1824 年英国最初定居以来，预期的行动几乎没有变化。