Steeped in history, South Bank was originally a meeting place for the traditional landowners, the Turrbal and Yuggera people.
The early 1840s saw it become the central focus point of early European settlement.
From 1850, the South Bank Precinct quickly established itself as the business heart of Brisbane, the fledgling city. The 1893 floods saw the central business district to move to higher ground on the north side of the river.
What followed for the precinct was a near-century of ebb and flow, which saw it establish itself as a bustling port and industrial zone that by the 1930s buzzed with markets, wharves, dance halls and theatres.
The years following World War II saw the decline of South Bank. Even the decision in 1977 by the Queensland Government to build the world class, architecturally impressive Performing Arts Centre, on the riverfront alongside Victoria Bridge, made little impact on the area's decline.
When it was selected as the site for World Expo 88 in 1984, South Bank had been reduced to a near-derelict port with a couple of old hotels and a handful of industrial buildings.
The Queensland Performing Arts Complex stood as the lone optimistic sentinel.
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