Brisbane Australia Temple
The Brisbane Australia Temple is the 115th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On July 20, 1998, the Church announced that a temple would be built in Brisbane, Australia. The Brisbane temple is the fifth temple in Australia. The membership of the Church in Australia is strong and has grown rapidly. In 1995 there were only 3,000 members in Australia; now there are 309 congregations throughout Australia and more than 155,000 members. The Brisbane temple will serve 20,000 Latter-day Saints in the area. Of the five temples in Australia, four were opened in three years. This remarkable number in such a short time reflects how quickly the Church is growing in Australia.
The Church has an interesting history in Australia. The first missionary sent to Australia was seventeen-year-old William James Barratt from England. He arrived in Australia in 1840 and stayed until his death in 1890, the whole time teaching the gospel. In 1841, Andrew Anderson from Scotland became the second Latter-day Saint missionary in Australia. On October 31, 1851, the first Latter-day Saint missionaries from the United States arrived in Australia. The Church did not take a firm hold in Brisbane until after 1890, but it grew quickly and soon became the site of the first Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Australia.
A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication for the temple were held on May 26, 2001. Construction began in November of 2001, and it took eighteen months and $11 million to complete its construction. Despite the high price, the temple was built without any debt and was completely funded by members of the Church. A public open house was held May 10, 2003, through June 7, 2003. Those who toured the temple were able to see the beautifully furnished rooms. The temple carpet is thick and white; there are painted designs on the walls and ornate light fixtures in every room.
The Brisbane Australia Temple was dedicated on June 15, 2003. President of the Church, Gordon B. Hinckley, gave the dedicatory prayer. In his prayer he not only asked for blessings to be on the temple and those who use it, but also on the nation of Australia, that the people would always be free and that they would safeguard their right to worship as they see fit.
The Brisbane Australia Temple has a total of 10,700 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.
