Debutant pacer James Pattinson ripped through New Zealand's top order in a brilliant morning spell to fire Australia to an emphatic victory by nine wickets on the fourth afternoon of the first Test on Sunday.
Australia, who made 427 in their opening innings in response to New Zealand's 295, needed just 19 runs in their second knock to claim victory after dismissing the tourists for 150 less than an hour after lunch.
They still managed to lose under-fire Phil Hughes for seven before his fellow-opener David Warner (12 not out) rattled off the winning runs but the day belonged to Pattinson, who finished with 5-27.
The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the series with the second and final match in Hobart starting on December 9 and kept intact Australia's unbeaten run in Tests at the Gabba, which stretches back to 1988.
Pattinson had already removed opener Brendon McCullum late on Saturday to leave New Zealand to resume on 10-1 but no-one was prepared for the fireworks he unleashed in his opening over of the morning.
The 21-year-old removed the other opener Martin Guptill for 12 with his second ball and his fourth and fifth accounted for Kane Williamson and Black Caps' skipper Ross Taylor, both for ducks, to leave Pattinson on a hat-trick and New Zealand reeling on 17-4.
Angling to become just the fourth player to take a hat-trick on their test debut, the pace of Pattinson's sixth delivery beat batsman Jesse Ryder but the ball missed the off-stump.
Four overs after that devastating three-wicket maiden, Pattinson grabbed his "five-for" with the wicket of nightwatchman Doug Bracewell for two to reduce the tourists to 28 for five.
All five of his victims were caught behind or at close range and, despite the pace and bounce Pattinson summoned up, the New Zealanders will be disappointed with some sloppy batting.
More was to come when Ryder, who had looked like building a decent partnership with Brownlie, took on Nathan Lyon in the offspinner's first over of the day and succeeded only in slapping the ball to Mike Hussey at mid-off to depart for 36.
Daniel Vettori and Brownlie put on 52 for the seventh wicket before Hussey's occasional bowling accounted for the former New Zealand captain for 17 with Michael Clarke taking the catch in the slips.
Brownlie faced six balls after lunch before Peter Siddle had him caught at point by Warner for 42 and the same fielder gave spinner Nathan Lyon his sixth wicket of the match to send Tim Southee back to the pavilion for eight.
By that stage, New Zealand had at least avoided the innings defeat but it only remained for Lyon to remove Martin before the Australians accumulated the winning runs in 2.2 overs.
Pattinson is the second Australian quick in successive Tests to take five or more wickets on debut after teenager Pat Cummins took 6-79 against South Africa last month.
Scorecard
New Zealand (1st innings): 295 (D Vettori 96, D Brownlie 77 not out; N Lyon 4-69)
Australia (1st innings): 427 (M Clarke 139, R Ponting 78, B Haddin 80)
New Zealand (2nd innings): (overnight 10-1)
M Guptill c Khawaja b Pattinson 12
B McCullum c Ponting b Pattinson 1
D Bracewell c Haddin b Pattinson 2
K Williamson c Ponting b Pattinson 0
R Taylor c Haddin b Pattinson 0
J Ryder c Hussey b Lyon 36
D Brownlie c Warner b Siddle 42
D Vettori c Clarke b Hussey 17
R Young not out 11
T Southee c Warner b Siddle 8
C Martin c Starc b Lyon 0
Extras: (lb-15, nb-4, w-2) 21
Total: (all out, 49.4 overs) 150
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-17, 3-17, 4-17, 5-28, 6-69, 7-121, 8-123, 9-141.
Bowling: Pattinson 11-5-27-5 (nb-1), Siddle 16-3-44-1 (nb-3, w-1), Starc 6-0-33-0 (w-1), Lyon 11.4-2-19-3, Hussey 4-1-7-1, Warner 1-0-5-0.
Australia (2nd innings):
P Hughes c Guptill b Martin 7
D Warner not out 12
U Khawaja not out 0
Extras: 0
Total: (for one wicket, 2.2 overs) 19
Fall of wicket: 1-11
Did not bat: R Ponting, M Clarke, M Hussey, B Haddin, P Siddle, J Pattinson, M Starc, N Lyon.
Bowling: Southee 1-0-11-0, Martin 1-1-0-1, Bracewell 0.2-0-8-0.
Australia lead the two-match series 1-0.