Post Code: 4066 Distance to CBD: 2 km
Auchenflower is one of the most vibrant suburbs of Brisbane by the river. Tree-shaded walkways and cycling tracks run through the suburb and along the riverside. Local shops can be found on the Baroona Road and along the riverside. The main residential area is situated north of Milton Road where most of the suburb residents are professionals. The houses were mostly constructed in the 1930’s with the iconic Queenslander style.
The suburb is the home of the Brisbane Girls’ Grammar School which can be found at Gregory Street. There are also other schools in the nearby suburbs which are accessible in Auchenflower, like Milton State School. Other facilities in the suburb include the Wesley Hospital and the Dunmore Park Basketball Stadium.
One of the interesting landmarks of the suburb is a granite slab in Moorland Park that marks one of the landing sites of the explorers John Oxley and the botanist Alan Cunningham who first explored the area in the 1820’s. It was in the 1850’s when the state started selling the land to the settlers. And John Markwell, a Queensland pioneer bought the area of the current suburb. The property was sold and bought many times. In 1876, the area became the property of John Ward, a blacksmith, who build a house there. In 1880, the land was owned by Sir Thomas Mcllwraith, Premier of Queensland, who renovated the house and called it Auchenflower House, after the birthplace of Mcllwraith in Carrickshire, Scotland. Auchenwald means ‘every flower’ or ‘field of flowers’. When Sir Thomas Mcclwraith died in 1888, his widow Lady Harriette sold the property to her brother Sir Arthur Palmer. Between 1880 and 1890, the estate was subdivided into smaller lots that made up the current Auchenflower suburb. In 1910, Thomas Joseph Ryan, the Labour Premier, bought the property and the property became his residence. The property was acquired by the Carmelites in1926 when Thomas Joseph Ryan died. The colonial house was converted into a Carmelite Monastery in honor of St. Therese, the ‘little flower’. In 1959, the Toowong Parish bought the property when the Carmelites planned to move to Ormiston. However, it was only in the 1965 when the Carmelites transferred to Ormiston. The Toowong Parish decided to build a church on the house site. With the efforts of Hancock Family, some of the original parts of the house were saved from demolition. The original ballroom which became a chapel and the billiard room which was the nuns’ choir were preserved and moved to the Social Centre of Early Street.
Auchenflower’s Heritage Landmarks:
o Drysllwyn or the Raymont Lodge
Drysllwyn is a residential mansion at 45 Cadell Street. The mansion exhibits the aesthetic characteristics in terms of its interior design, craftsmanship and exterior landscape. The mansion was built by William Davies, a mining entrepreneur, in 1904. The house was designed by Architect Claude Chambers. The building is characterized by its spacious and highly ornamented rooms. The mansion was leased to the Presbyterian and Methodist schools and served as a day school. In 1944 the property was bought by the Methodist Church and converted the mansion into a student hostel for girls. The building was renamed Raymont Lodge after Mrs. Raymont, one of the Methodist Church’s main benefactor. In the 1980’s a three storey office building and a residential building were added in the site when conservation work was being undertaken on Drysllwyn. The mansion is currently being used as offices and meeting rooms for the Trinity Theological College.
o Moorlands
‘Moorlands’ is a residential house at Coronation Drive. The house displays the characteristics of an 1809’s brick residence. The impressive house exhibits the aesthetic qualities that exemplify design and craftsmanship. The house was constructed in 1892 for the Mayne family that replaced a timber house which was known as Moorlands Villa. It was designed by Architect Richard Gailey and erected by the contractor Arthur Smith. In 1940, the Mayne Family donated the residence to the University of Queensland. In 1947 it was sold to the Brisbane Legacy War Widows and Orphans Fund which housed war-orphaned children and widows. In 1971, The Methodist Church bought the property and the Wesley Hospital was built behind the house. It was converted as the office of the Blue Nursing Service and then became the head office of Uniting Church’s Division of the Aged Care and Domiciliary Services.