Bracken Ridge, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Bracken Ridge is a northern suburb of Brisbane
, the capital city of Queensland
, Australia
. Its local government area
is the City of Brisbane
, in which it has its own ward.
. The southern border is formed by Telegraph Road
, one of the oldest roads in the suburb, and a portion of the western border is formed by the Caboolture railway line
. A number of housing estates are located within the suburb, including The Oaks, Enbrook Heights and the most recent development Sungate Estate.
The terrain in the suburb is, as the name suggests, generally hilly. The highest area of the suburb features a park and a reservoir; from this height it is quite easy to see Moreton Bay
to the east and the CBD to the south.
In 1962, Lord Mayor
of Brisbane Clem Jones
arranged with the Barclay Development Corporation to develop a small community behind the suburb of Sandgate
. 1,600 residential allotments were created, and the first homes were completed in 1966. A state high school, a Catholic school
were also established, with second primary school (Norris Road State School) established in the late 1970s, followed by the opening of the TAFE college on Norris Rd in 1982.
The average price for a home in the suburb was $303,900 in 2003 http://www.ourbrisbane.com/living/suburbs/bracken_ridge/reiq/. 76% of these homes are owner-occupied or in the process of being purchased.
Shopping strips are located in Gawain Road and Barrett Street. A more substantial shopping centre is located on the corner of Telegraph Road and Norris Road. There is also now a small shopping centre near the Bracken Ridge Tavern incorporating a Woolworths and a newsagent. There is a pub (The Bracken Ridge Tavern which incorporates the Rum Jungle) on the corner of Barrett and Denham Streets, and a sports centre located on Bracken Ridge Road.
Bracken Ridge is also home to Bracken Ridge District Cricket Club based at McPherson Park.
There is also a large number of parks in the suburb, including Enbrook Parkland and the Bill Brown Sports Reserve on Telegraph Road, Bracken Ridge Reservoir, and Stanley Day Park. There are also a number of churches present, including the Catholic, Baptist
, and Uniting Church
denominations. An Islam
ic community centre lies just across the border in Bald Hills
.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, the capital city of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Its local government area
Local Government Areas of Queensland
This is a list of local government areas in Queensland, sorted by region. For the history and responsibilities of local government in that state, see Local government in Queensland.-LGAs sorted by region:...
is the City of Brisbane
City of Brisbane
The City of Brisbane is the Local Government Area that has jurisdiction over the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
, in which it has its own ward.
Location
The suburb is located about 20 km north of the Brisbane central business districtBrisbane central business district
The Brisbane central business district , sometimes referred to as the city, is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is located on a point on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The triangular shaped area is bounded by the Brisbane River to the east, south and west...
. The southern border is formed by Telegraph Road
Telegraph Road
Telegraph Road may refer to:In streets:* Telegraph Road , partly carrying State Route 126 as well as streets running through Ventura, California and Santa Paula, California...
, one of the oldest roads in the suburb, and a portion of the western border is formed by the Caboolture railway line
Caboolture railway line, Brisbane
The Caboolture railway line is a suburban railway line in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It branches from the Ferny Grove line at Bowen Hills. It runs through Brisbane's northern suburbs to Caboolture, and connects to the Sunshine Coast via the North Coast line, and connects...
. A number of housing estates are located within the suburb, including The Oaks, Enbrook Heights and the most recent development Sungate Estate.
The terrain in the suburb is, as the name suggests, generally hilly. The highest area of the suburb features a park and a reservoir; from this height it is quite easy to see Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
to the east and the CBD to the south.
History
The area now known as Bracken Ridge was originally called "Rose Hill". In the late 19th century, it was predominantly a rural area. Louis Hope was the first European landowner in the area, and he grew sugar cane and other crops. The Brown family and the Ferguson family were also important early landowners in the area. Dairy became an important industry in the area, and continued to be the chief rural industry until the area became more residential. The first school in the area was opened in 1957.In 1962, Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
of Brisbane Clem Jones
Clem Jones
Clem Jones AO a surveyor by profession, was the longest serving Lord Mayor of the city of Brisbane, Australia, representing the Australian Labor Party from 1961 to 1975.-Public life:...
arranged with the Barclay Development Corporation to develop a small community behind the suburb of Sandgate
Sandgate, Queensland
Sandgate is a coastal suburb in Brisbane, Australia, located 16 km north of the Brisbane CBD. The town became a popular escape for the people of Brisbane in the early 20th century.-Geography:Sandgate is situated on the coastline, along Bramble Bay...
. 1,600 residential allotments were created, and the first homes were completed in 1966. A state high school, a Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
were also established, with second primary school (Norris Road State School) established in the late 1970s, followed by the opening of the TAFE college on Norris Rd in 1982.
Demographics
Bracken Ridge is home to a wide variety of persons on the socio-economic scale. A large amount of housing commission homes exist, mostly to the north of Gawain Road, and the east of Norris Road. Other areas, such as the estates south of Barbour Road, and the areas on top of the hills, Enbrook Heights Estate and the most recent development "Sungate" Estate are much more affluent. The population of the suburb as a whole was 13,943 on the 2001 census.The average price for a home in the suburb was $303,900 in 2003 http://www.ourbrisbane.com/living/suburbs/bracken_ridge/reiq/. 76% of these homes are owner-occupied or in the process of being purchased.
Politics
- In the Brisbane City Council, Bracken Ridge is represented by Cr Amanda Cooper (LiberalLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
), who has served since 2007. - In the Queensland Legislative AssemblyQueensland Legislative AssemblyThe Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
, the Electoral district of SandgateElectoral district of SandgateThe district of Sandgate is an electoral division in the state of Queensland, Australia.It is located in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, covering Sandgate, Shorncliffe, Deagon, Brighton, Bracken Ridge, Fitzgibbon, and Taigum...
is represented by Vicky Darling (LaborAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
), who succeeded Gordon NuttallGordon NuttallGordon Richard Nuttall is a former Australian politician who represented Sandgate in the Queensland Parliament from 1992 to 2006....
, the former Health Minister and member since 1992. Labor received 57% of Bracken Ridge booth votes in 2006, and 55% in 2004. - In the Australian House of RepresentativesAustralian House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
, the Division of PetrieDivision of PetrieThe Division of Petrie is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and named after Andrew Petrie , a noted civil engineer, pioneer and explorer, and the first free settler in Brisbane ....
is represented by Yvette D'AthYvette D'AthYvette Maree D'Ath is an Australian politician. She is an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2007, representing the Division of Petrie....
(LaborAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
), who has served since 2007 after defeating sitting LiberalLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
MP Teresa Gambaro who was defeated with a 9.5% swing to Labor.
Landmarks
There are a number of schools and educational institutions in the suburb:- St John Fisher College
- Bracken Ridge State School
- Norris Road State School
- Bracken Ridge State High School (formally known as Nashville State High School)
- St Josephs Catholic Primary School
- Brisbane North Institute of TAFEBrisbane North Institute of TAFEBrisbane North Institute of TAFE is a TAFE provider in Queensland, Australia..BNIT has campuses located at Bracken Ridge, Caboolture, Grovely, Ithaca , Redcliffe, and South Brisbane....
, Bracken Ridge campus.
Shopping strips are located in Gawain Road and Barrett Street. A more substantial shopping centre is located on the corner of Telegraph Road and Norris Road. There is also now a small shopping centre near the Bracken Ridge Tavern incorporating a Woolworths and a newsagent. There is a pub (The Bracken Ridge Tavern which incorporates the Rum Jungle) on the corner of Barrett and Denham Streets, and a sports centre located on Bracken Ridge Road.
Bracken Ridge is also home to Bracken Ridge District Cricket Club based at McPherson Park.
There is also a large number of parks in the suburb, including Enbrook Parkland and the Bill Brown Sports Reserve on Telegraph Road, Bracken Ridge Reservoir, and Stanley Day Park. There are also a number of churches present, including the Catholic, Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, and Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
denominations. An Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic community centre lies just across the border in Bald Hills
Bald Hills, Queensland
Bald Hills is the northernmost suburb of the Brisbane City Council in Queensland, Australia.Bald Hills is a largely residential suburb. It is mostly surrounded by bushland, but in the last few years some of the bush areas have been cleared to make way for new residential areas...
.