The Shire of Pine Rivers was a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Moreton Bay region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1888 until 2008, when it amalgamated with councils further north and east to form the Moreton Bay Region. The suburbs formerly within Pine Rivers are generally regarded as part of Greater Brisbane, both in a planning context and for statistical purposes. Geography The Shire is named for three rivers contained within it: the Pine River, which empties into Bramble Bay, and its tributaries, the North Pine River and South Pine River. Two large artificial reservoirs, Lake Samsonvale and Lake Kurwongbah, formed its centre. The western half of the shire consisted of the sparsely populated foothills of the D'Aguilar Range, the land being mostly forested or used for grazing cattle and horses. Hays Inlet and Saltwater Creek formed the eastern boundary of the Shire, beyond which lay the City of Redcliffe. The main population concentration was in the east and southeast of the shire—the western part, which covered 76% of the shire's land area, contained only 18,309 residents in 2006. The key centres of population were Strathpine, which formed a mini-CBD for the area; Petrie and Kallangur further to the north, and Albany Creek and the Hills District closer to Brisbane's boundary. A new area based around North Lakes in the shire's northeast had also become reasonably established. History Area history The area was settled by homestead farmers in the mid 19th century. Many suburbs – Lawnton, Petrie, Griffin and Joyner, for example – are named after early European settlers. The first township in the area was established at what is now Petrie in 1868, to service mail coaches between Brisbane and Gympie. The Caboolture railway line reached the shire in 1888. Another railway line to Dayboro, in the western, mountainous areas of the shire was opened in 1920, but due to lack of traffic was closed and lifted in 1955. During the Second World War, large areas of flat land around Brendale and Strathpine were used by Allied forces as airfields and staging areas. It is estimated that around 50,000 Allied servicemen passed through the area, at a time when the civilian population was less than 5000. Local government history Caboolture Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of