New Farm is an inner northern riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , New Farm had a population of 12,454 people. Geography The suburb is located 2 kilometres east of the Brisbane CBD on a large bend of the Brisbane River. New Farm is partly surrounded by the Brisbane River, with land access from the north-west through Fortitude Valley and from the north through Newstead. Merthyr is a neighbourhood within New Farm; until 1975 it was a separate suburb.The suburb has an eclectic mix of 19th century colonial constructions; 20th century traditional Queenslander and Federation homes; and modern architectural hybrids. New Farm is home to Brisbane's most impressive collection of art deco buildings. As the population density increases and apartment, unit and duplex housing continue to exceed its share beyond 70% of the local dwelling mix, detached housing is increasing in demand and price. At the south-eastern end of the peninsula is the historic New Farm Park. Brunswick Street is the main street running northwest–southeast up the centre of the peninsula. To the south of Brunswick Street the suburb is characterised by large ornate Queenslander-style houses, shady streets lined with large trees and tall apartment buildings, predominantly along the river. More modest Queenslander-style houses dominate the north of Brunswick Street, where there are fewer large trees and apartments. The suburb has one main commercial area close to New Farm Park, called 'Merthyr Village'. A wide variety of businesses also operate along Brunswick Street and in adjacent streets. The former electric tramway power station, located at the eastern corner of New Farm Park, has been converted into a community arts and performance space called 'The Powerhouse'. New Farm is known as Brisbane's "Little Italy" as many immigrants from Italian descent first settled in the suburb. The Brisbane City Council operates a public library at 135 Sydney Street. The library opened in 1975 and offers publicly accessible Wi-Fi. History Though one of Brisbane's oldest suburbs, the peninsula of New Farm was once called Binkinba (place of the land tortoises) by the indigenous Turrbal tribe of Brisbane. The suburb derives its name from the fact that the peninsula was used as a farming area in the early years of Brisbane's history. Commandant Patrick Logan established a new farm in the area in 1827 as part of the Moreton Bay penal colony. The area was also a working site