Newfarm is surrounded by the Brisbane River, with land access from the north west through Fortitude Valley and the east through Newstead. 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. 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 successfully operate along Brunswick Street and in adjacent streets heading back to Fortitude Valley. The former electric tramway power station, located at the eastern end of New Farm Park, has been converted into a community arts and performance space called 'The Powerhouse'.

Like many Brisbane suburbs, New Farm has experienced much 'gentrification' and 'infill development' throughout the 1990s and the years since 2000. However, New Farm maintains its diversity, being known for its long established Italian community and its now home to a large gay community. It is also known for its many restaurants and cafes and for illegal street prostitution after dark along the Valley end of Brunswick Street .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "New Farm".