Greater Brisbane is split into council areas, and the five at its heart are Brisbane City, the City of Moreton Bay, Logan, Ipswich and Redland. Together they hold about 2.75 million people. Your council sends your rates notice, collects your bins, runs your local libraries and publishes the flood map for your street, so it pays to know which one you are moving into.
How Brisbane’s council areas work
Queensland runs on large councils. The Electoral Commission of Queensland counts 77 local government areas across the whole state. In 2007 the state’s Local Government Reform Commission proposed mergers that would cut the number of councils from 156 to 72. One of those proposals joined Caboolture, Pine Rivers and Redcliffe into a single northern council, which is now the City of Moreton Bay.
Brisbane went big much earlier. Brisbane City Council says 20 local authorities and joint boards merged on 1 October 1925 to form one greater Brisbane Council. Today it describes itself as Australia’s largest local government by population. ABS figures agree: Brisbane City’s population of 1,375,301 is about three times that of Blacktown (449,385), the largest council in either Sydney or Melbourne.
Sydney and Melbourne divide their suburbs among many smaller councils. The NSW planning department says the Sydney Region includes 33 local government areas, and the Victorian Government says 31 of Victoria’s 79 local government areas are in metropolitan Melbourne.
The table uses ABS preliminary estimates at 30 June 2025 from Regional population 2024-25, released 31 March 2026. The ABS puts all of Greater Brisbane at 2,833,524 people, so a small share lives outside these five councils.
| Council area | Population (30 June 2025) | Area (km²) | Council website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane City | 1,375,301 | 1,342.7 | brisbane.qld.gov.au |
| City of Moreton Bay | 532,445 | 2,041.5 | moretonbay.qld.gov.au |
| Logan | 403,515 | 958.1 | logan.qld.gov.au |
| Ipswich | 268,272 | 1,093.9 | ipswich.qld.gov.au |
| Redland | 172,831 | 537.2 | redland.qld.gov.au |
If you are not sure which council an address belongs to, the ECQ’s local government boundaries page has an address search.
Which Brisbane council area suits you
Brisbane City is the place to look if you want the river and the inner city. It has a CityCat ferry network running from UQ St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton, and the Brisbane Metro, which launched in 2025.
The City of Moreton Bay runs from Bribie Island beach suburbs such as Woorim to range country such as Mount Glorious and Dayboro. The council plans for growth around several town centres rather than one city centre, and the area grew 2.1% in the year to 30 June 2025.
Logan grew 3.1% in the year to 30 June 2025, yet the council says 70% of the city is rural, semi-rural or conservation land. Yarrabilba, a state Priority Development Area, is planned for up to 50,000 people over 20 to 30 years.
Ipswich calls itself Queensland’s oldest provincial city and has more than 6,000 heritage-listed sites. It also grew fastest of the five, at 3.5%, with new estates around Ripley and Springfield, and two train lines run to Brisbane.
Redland takes in mainland suburbs such as Cleveland, Capalaba and Victoria Point, plus islands including North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), Russell Island and Coochiemudlo. The T4 Cleveland train line runs through its mainland suburbs.
Why your council area matters when you move to Brisbane
Each council runs its own services, and the details differ, starting with rates. Logan and Ipswich send rate notices quarterly, and Redland’s rates notice includes water costs because the council supplies water.
Bins differ too. Brisbane collects green bins every fortnight, alternating with yellow lid recycling bins. In Logan, only the property owner or agent can order a green waste bin, which is charged on rates from $98 a year. Redland’s green bin is optional at $75 a year for 2026-27, while Ipswich includes its garden organics bin in the standard kerbside service.
Library membership is free in all five, though the rules on who can join differ. Brisbane has 33 council libraries, Moreton Bay has 10 branches, Logan has nine, Ipswich lists seven locations and Redland has six.
You report problems with local roads, footpaths, trees and drains to your council, as Brisbane’s report an issue page shows. Major roads are different. Logan City Council lists the Pacific Highway (M1), Logan Motorway and Mount Lindesay Highway as state-controlled roads.
Check the flood map before you buy or rent. Each council has its own tool: the Brisbane Flood Awareness Map, Moreton Bay flood mapping, the Logan Flood Portal, the Ipswich flood map and the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.
Once you have picked an area, our guide to what it costs to move to Brisbane helps with the budget, and our Brisbane trades directory helps when you need a plumber or electrician.
Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Regional population 2024-25 data tables, released 31 March 2026.
- Electoral Commission of Queensland: local government area boundaries.
- Queensland Government: Premier welcomes local government reform report, 27 July 2007.
- Brisbane City Council: council history.
- NSW Department of Planning: The Sydney Plan FAQs.
- Victorian Government: Live in Melbourne, metropolitan Melbourne.
Facts on this page were checked on 16 October 2026.