Post Code: 4070     Distance to CBD: 16 km

Bellbowrie a quiet suburb in Brisbane The suburb is largely residential set in a rural setting. It has a shopping centre, the Bellbowrie Shopping Plaza, parks and sports facilities that include the popular Bellbowrie Swimming Centre. Single-detached units make up the majority of the modern residential homes which are constructed from brick and tile. The suburb has a less-stressful and relaxed rural atmosphere. The electric power lines were placed underground.

The suburb name is derived from an Aboriginal word which means ‘the place of flowering gums’. The area had been inhabited by the Aborigines and the presence of bora rings also indicates that it was used as a place of worship. When the European settlers came, the area was used for logging, farming and mining.

The development of the area started in 1849 when of the area around William’s Mine was subdivided into several country lots. There are also subdivisons that were done in the 1970’s where 2000 housing lots were put on sale. The suburb was officially established in 1973 by Brisbane’s Lord Mayor in a ceremony held at the Bellbowrie Shopping Plaza. The suburb development had been hampered by the 1974 flood where much of the area was inundated.

The construction of the Wivenhoe Dam in the 1980’s reduced the flooding in the area. This resulted in the subdivision of large properties and the clearing of the bushlands. Some of the pineapple farms were also converted to residential areas.

Bellbowrie has no major schools. The major schools are in the located in nearby suburbs, the Moggill State Primary School and the Pullenvale State Primary School. However it has facilities for early education and pre-school

Bellbowrie Top Attraction:

o   The Bellbowrie Swimming Centre or simply the Bellbowrie Pool

The swimming center is located at Sugarwood Street. It is a popular leisure and recreation facility. It has a 50-meter outdoor pool that is great during summer and a temperature regulated 25-meter indoor pool that is great during winter.

The swimming centre also has change rooms with hot and cold showers, kiosks that provides refreshment and sells swimming accessories. It has lifeguards to ensure the safety of the swimmers. The place also provide facilities for kids like water slides, splash pool and wading pool.

The facility is also the home of the local swimming clubs. Other activities done at the center includes aqua-aerobics, swim-stroke development, synchronized swimming and swimming lessons. Some of Australia’s Olympic swimmers started there.

Post Code: 4065     Distance to CBD: 6 km

Bardon is a residential suburb in Brisbane situated at the foothills of Mount Coot-tha. The area has high ridges separated by steep gullies. Simpson Road and Mcgregor Terrace are some of the major streets that follow the contour of the ridges. Ithaca Creek flows through the suburb to join the Enoggera Creek.

The suburb has small neighborhood convenience stores and most of the shops and restaurants are found along the Mcgregor Terrace. Housing in the suburb is a mixture of small modern single-detached houses, old workers’ cottages and the stately Queenslander houses.

The schools in the suburb include St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School located on The Drive, Brandon State School on Simpson Rd, Rainworth State School on Boundary Rd. and Ithaca Creek State School on Lugg St.

The name of the suburb is derived from the name of the house which was built by Joshua Jeays in 1863. The name of the house is derived from Bardon Hill in Leicestershire, England, Jeays birthplace. The area used to be a camping site of the indigenous people where they hunted and gathered food. There are also some indications that they used the place for religious purposes.

The area was surveyed in 1862 and was followed by a land sale. There were only three buyers, Joshua Jeays who became the alderman of the Municipality of Brisbane from 1859 to 1864, Francis Lyon and Edward Wyndham Tufnell, who became the first bishop of the Anglican Church in Brisbane.

Another prominent person that lived in Bardon is Sir Charles Lilley, Jeays son-in-law and an editor of Moreton Bay Courier and Premiere of Queensland from 1868 to 1870. He played a significant role for the passage of the Education Act of 1875 which provided free education.

Urbanization came when the large estates where subdivided into residential estates and public transport were introduced, first by horse-drawn coaches in 1879 and electric tramline in 1898. Further subdivisions were done, first in 1887 in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Year, then in 1915 and 1926.

Brandon’s Famous Landmark:

o   Brandon House

The house played an important role in the suburb’s history aside from being the source of the suburb’s name. It also exemplifies the Victorian Gothic architecture. Much of the original features of the house are retained though it underwent series of renovations.
The two-storied stone house was constructed by Joseph Jeays, a builder and architect, who died before the construction of the building was completed.

The property stayed with the Jeays and Lilley families up to 1911. It was then sold to Arthur Exley. The estate was subdivided and the area where the Bardon House stood was acquired by James Duhig for the Roman Catholic Church in 1925. The Bardon House was converted into a church with the original mantelpiece and table of the house used as an altar.

In 1938, Bardon House became a school, which is now known as St Joseph Catholic Primary School. The building was renovated to accommodate a classroom. By the end of that year a separate school building was constructed within the site

In 1963, a new church, the St. Magdelene’s Church was constructed within the same area and Bardon House was used as a hall.

Post Code: 4014     Distance to CBD: 11 km

Banyo is a Brisbane suburb which serves as a residential area and an industrial area. The suburb is highly accessible by the Gateway Motorway. Its proximity to Brisbane Airport and the Port of Brisbane makes the suburb a great place for warehouses and logistical structures. Most of the houses are single detached units constructed from bricks and tile. Although there are still a few old houses that were constructed from tin and timber

Banyo is the home of Earnshaw State College which is located at Earnshaw Road and the St. Pius Catholic Primiary School which can be found at Apperley Street. The Earnshaw State College was established in 2003 when the Nudgee State School and Banyo State High School were merged.

The suburb also has one of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) campuses at McAuley which used to be the Banyo Seminary. The ACU McAuley Campus is also the site of St. Paul’s Theological College. Banyo has also a public library located at 284 St. Vincents Road

The name of the suburb is derived from the aboriginal word which means ‘hill’ or ‘ridge’. The area used to be a marsh land with many small streams. It was settled by James Robinson. The Robinson Road is named in honor of his sons that served in the Toombul Shire Council.

Parts of the area are owned by William Purchase and Purchase Street is named in his honour. The hill refered by the name of the suburb does not exist anymore. It was extensively quarried by the US Army for the construction of the Eagle Farm Airport during the World War II.

Banyo’s Famous Landmark

o    The US Army Brisbane General Depot

The depot is a vast logistical complex that supplied the needed materials and ordnance for the war in the Pacific. It was during this period that Banyo was transformed from a farming area to a wartime logistical hub. The US Army constructed 14 warehouses in the suburb and widened the Earnshaw Road.

By the end of World War II, the US Army had build 75 buildings in the US Army Brisbane General Depot complex.

After the war, the US Army handed over the site to the Australian Army. The Brisbane City Council, who owned the site, sold the block to the Committee of Direction on Fruit Marketing. The place contained two vehicle storage areas and the important rail siding.

The Committee of Direction on Fruit Marketing leased these areas to the Australian Army for 5 years. The Golden Circle Cannery now occupies the original Brisbane General Depot.

In 1950, the Australain Army bought 75 acres of the site and renamed the site as Banyo Ordnance Depot. The depot now serves as a support base for the Queensland Logistic Support Group.

Post Code: 4171     Distance to CBD: 4 km

Balmoral is a suburb in Brisbane that lives up to its name as a beautiful residence. The suburb is situated near the Brisbane River on the opposite side of the city proper. Most residences have a great view of the city and the Brisbane River. The suburb houses are mostly large Queenslander homes with a few houses having modern designs.

Balmoral has one high school called the Balmoral State High School.

The name Balmoral came from the Scottish Gaelic words ‘Baile Mhoireil’ which means ‘beautiful residence’ or ‘majestic castle’. It was believed that Mr. John Watson, a builder who became a member of Parliament, named the suburb after his birthplace in Scotland. The original pioneers engaged in farming with cotton and bananas as agricultural products.

Development followed with the construction of the Norman Creek Bridge in 1856 which shortened the route between the suburb and the city. The original Balmoral includes the suburbs Bulimba, Morningside, Cannon Hill, Hemmant, Wynnum West and Norman Park. In the 1920’s Wynnum West was absorbed by the Wynnum Shire and Balmoral was incorporated to Greater Brisbane. Also by the 1920’s the original Balmoral was divided into its current suburbs.

Balmoral Top Landmark

o    Balmoral Cemetery

The cemetery is also known as the Bulimba Cemetery and the Morningside Cemetery. This due to the incorporation of the different suburb as there was much confusion between Bulimba and Balmoral. Like the Toowong Cemetery, Balmoral Cemetery is a historical relic. Several prominent people are buried there which includes a Lieutenant Governor, several Mayors, several Members of Parlaiment, pioneers, explorers, and inventors.

Among them is Captain John Mackay, a pioneer and a coastal city was named after him. Other prominent persons burined there include John Baille Henderson and James Stone, a hotelier who built the famous Stone Corner. The cemetery was opened in 1874 through the efforts of Frederick Wecker, who loved the area and had his impressive grave placed at the highest point of the cemetery.

The first burial was held in the same year. It was a 6 year old boy named George Wilson Pointon who drowned at the Norman Creek. He was buried with the remains of his brother who was disinterred from the Brisbane Cemetery.  The stone wall perimeter of the cemetery was built during the depression as a part of the work labor program. A well known labor union leader Alex McDonald is said to have been a part of the work gang that built the wall.

Post Code: 4036     Distance to CBD: 20 km

Bald Hills is the northernmost suburb of Brisbane. It is primarily residential with farms and open bushland areas. The suburb provides a scenic view of rounded profile of the D’Aguilar Range. There are local cafes, pubs and restaurants in the area. There are also shopping centres in the area like the Bracken Ridge Shopping Precinct, Brighton Shopping Centre and Deagon Plaza. Most houses are single detached units with modern brick and tile structures and the old timber and tin structures.

There are two schools in the suburb, the Bald Hills State School, a primary school established in 1866 and St. Paul’s Scoll an Aglican private school.

The name of the suburb is derived from the description of the elevated grassy knolls that can be seen along the South Pine River. The area was primarily used as grazing and farming land prior to the 1860’s. It was settled by two families, the Stewarts and the Duncans in 1857.The two families cleared the area and established farms. Another family, the Carseldines opened the first shop in Bald Hills. In 1871, a post office and a coach service, Cobb and Co, were opened. The Gympie Gold Rush brought some development to the area with the establishment of a railway that was completed in 1888. By the 1900’s, a telephone service was installed. However, the development is very slow. Until the 1950’s, the suburb remained a rural area which supplied agricultural produce to the city. A housing boom after World War II brought some changes with the subdivision of the Richmond Heights Estate and the Eatons property in 1954. Among the notable structures constructed in the post-war era is the radio transmission tower situated east of the suburb.  Further subdivision of the large estates like Carseldine, Feuerriegel and Williamson were done in 1974

Bald Hills Top Attraction

o    The Tinchi Tamba Wetland Reserve.

The name Tinchi Tamba is derived from the aboriginal words ‘Tinchi’ which means mangrove and ‘Tamba’ which means ibis. The reserve covers 380 hectares of wetland situated at a bend of the North Pine River near the Bracken Ridge. It is a part of a chain of coastal wetlands of Moreton Bay, which includes the Moreton Bay Marine Park and the mangrove forest. The reserve has a variety of vegetation habitat which includes dry eucalyptus woodlands, casuarina forests, paperback swamps, inter-tidal flats, mangroves, salt marshes, grasslands and swamp pastures. The mangrove estuary provides a breeding area for the bay’s marine animals. The tides which occurred twice a day provide the food nutrients for the fishes, the crustaceans and the molluscs. The reserve is also the home of several species of rare local birds such as jabiru, avocets and magpie geese. It also provides a transit area for the migratory birds that came from places as far as Alaska.
The reserve also houses several species of frogs and insects. The reserve has boarded walkways, rest stations, and observation platforms that run through the reserve. The reserve is great for hiking, bird watching and canoeing.

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.

Post Code: 4034     Distance to CBD: 13 km

Aspley is a residential suburb in Brisbane. Most of the houses are single-detached units with a few townhouses. Houses are modern but there are still old houses made of brick and tile and chamferboards.

The suburb has a shopping center, the ‘Pick and Pay’ Hypermart and a variety of small retail shops and restaurants along Gympie Road. In 2008,

Aspley is situated on a plain south of Cabbage Tree Creek and crossed by Little Cabbage Tree Creek which was the name of the area before 1897. In 1842, Brisbane became a free settlement and the people started exploring the area north of Brisbane. They followed the aboriginal tracks leading north which was called the ‘Old North Road’. Another aboriginal trail leading eastward is the ‘Chinaman Creek Road’. From 1857 to 1866, the State of New South Wales started selling the land. The suburb finally got its name from the name of the property of James Morris who bought the area near the Aspley State High School in 1865.

The area remained predominantly a farming community until the 1950’s with a few industries like John Smith Booth’s saw mill and bone mill which supplied fertilizer to the farms, Hutton’s bacon factory, Griffiths’ Sweets which was a confectionary factory. A public hall was opened during the 1910’s and the need for a dedicated open space was realized. George Marchant, a soft drink manufacturer, donated an open space which was later named Marchant Park. In the 1950’s, residential subdivisions were developed and was followed with the establishment of a shopping centre. However, Aspley was still promoted as a garden suburb. Most of the houses in the subdivisions are single level detached units bearing the style and design of the houses in the southern states.

The development that followed erased most of Aspley’s landmarks. The entrance of large ‘Pick and Pay’ Hypermart swallowed up the old public hall. The old bone mill which was closed in 1932 was the site of Aspley Acres Caravan Park

Aspley’s Top Attractions:

o    Aspley Caravan Parks

There are two caravan parks in Aspley, the Alpha Caravan Park and the Aspley Acres Caravan Parks. Both are privately-owned parks and are located on Gympie Road. The parks have a variety of services and facilities for campers and motor campers such as kids’ playground, swimming pools, campers’ kitchen, electricity, barbecue areas, games and recreation areas, cabins, van sites, hot showers, and even washing machines and dryers.

Post Code: 4007         Distance to CBD: 7 km

Ascot is one of the most prestigious suburbs of Brisbane. The suburb is primarily residential with the large iconic Queenslander houses.

The suburb used to be a forest area settled by the indigenous people. It was explored by Oxley and Cunningham in 1824. In 1855, James Sutherland, a European settler acquired the place. In 1863, horse racing was introduced to Brisbane and the suburb was named after Ascot, a town in Berkshire, England which is famous for its horse racing. During World War II, the racecourse was commandeered to house the American Troops and for a while it was renamed as Camp Ascot.

The suburb has street shops and cafes that add flavor to the regal atmosphere of the place. The suburb still carries its prestigious tradition and has not lost its charm. Ascot is the home to the annual Racecourse Road Festival.

Ascot’s ‘Top Secret’ Landmark:

• Nyarambla

Nyarambala is a large house in 21 Henry Street which was commandeered by the military during World War II and it served as the headquaters of the Central Bureau when Gen. Douglas MacArthur moved the Allied Headquarters from Melbourne to Brisbane. The Central Bureau is the one of the two Sigint (Signals Intelligence) organizations operating in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. The other unit is FRUMEL (Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne) which is based in Melbourne. The Central Bureau is assigned to research and decrypt intercepted IJA (Imperial Japanese Army) radio messages.

The garage of the house used to house the IBM machines of the Central Bureau which was later moved to a Fire Station at Ascot Park. The garage was then occupied by AWAS (Australian Women’s Army Service) personnel who operated the Typex machines. The greatest contribution of the Central Bureau operating in Nyarambala is the decryption of a Japanese radio message that was intercepted by 51 Wireless Section operating in Darwin. The intercepted radio message detailed the iterinary flight to Rabaul of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Admiral Yamamoto is the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Japanese Fleet and the architect of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The message was later processed and verified by several intelligence units. It was Admiral Chester Nimitz of the US Navy who authorized the shootdown of Yamamoto’s plane.

Nyarambla displays a plaque that bears the words:

“Central Bureau, an organization comprising service personnel of Australia, USA, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, both men and women, functioned in this house from 1942 till 1945. From intercepted enemy radio messages, the organization provided intelligence which made a decisive contribution to the allied victory in the Pacific War”

Post Code: 4108     Distance to CBD: 11 km

Archerfield is a Brisbane suburb. It is one of the least populated suburbs in Brisbane as the Archerfield Airport and the industrial establishments that support the airport occupies much of the area. Housing in the suburb consists mainly of single-detached units. The residential housing is very scarce.

From the 1850’s to the 1870’s much of the suburban area were sold as country lots and some of the families that bought the land were the Boyland, Freney, Grenier, Grimes, Moody, Mortimer and Whitfield. By 1862, Thomas Grenier established his settlement here with fences, a cottage with detached structures and stables. In 1927, Captain Lester Brain, a flying instructor for Qantas Airways, flew over to Brisbane looking for a suitable site for an airfield. He landed his DH-61 aircraft in the area. The place was surveyed and the Government acquired 300 acres of the area in 1929. Two light gravel airstrips were built in the area and the airfield started operations. Additional land were later purchased in the 1932, 1936, 1942 and 1946 which resulted in a total area of 825 acres

In the 1930’s Qantas erected its first hangars in the airfield. The Control Tower and the other buildings were erected in 1941. During the Second World War, the airfield became a military base for the Royal Australian Air Force, the United States Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In 1955, the Royal Australian Air Force moved to Amberley and the main civilian airport was established in Eagle Farm. Archerfield Airport became a thriving centre for light aircraft services. There are also several flight training schools in the area.

Archerfield Top Attractions

o    Brisbane International Speedway

The speedway was formerly known as the Archerfield International Speedway and it was established in 1978. It is the venue of several national racing events for the race categories like motorcycles, midget cars, grand sedans, super sedans, compact speedcars and sprintcars. The speedway is a 400 meter oval-shape race track made up of dirt. The place is very popular and well-patronized. It is also a place for go-karting

Another notable landmark of the suburb is the Archerfield airfield itself, with its historical significance. You can also visit a peculiar cemetery at the entrance of the airfield called God’s Acre. The cemetery was established by the original land owners, the Greniers. One of the descendants died there when he fell from a horse. He was buried on the spot.

Post Code: 4070     Distance to CBD: 21 km

Anstead is a Brisbane suburb that was established in 1975. It is named after John Anstead, one of the settlers in the 1860’s. John Anstead was born in Devon, England. He migrated to Brisbane in 1858 and settled in the area of Mt Crosby Road. His son continued farming in the area and later managed the Sugar Basalt Quarry.

The houses are mostly single detached units that are sparsely distributed in the natural bushland area of the quiet suburb. The neighboring suburbs, Bellbowrie, Brookfield and Moggill provide the shopping centres for Anstead residents.

Anstead Top Attraction:

o    Anstead Bushland Reserve

The reserve area covers more than 80 hectares. It is the largest bushland owned by the Brisbane City Council. The reserve was used in many ways in the past. The presence of bora rings in the area indicates that the area was used by the indigenous people as a religious place. When the European settlers came, the area is used for farming and quarrying. Parts of the quarry, like the boiler structure, can still be seen there this day. Over the years, the area was also used as a grazing land for cattle and horses. Unfortunately, it also became a waste dump and a storgae area for Brisbane’s water pipes. However, the major portions are still bushland. The Brisbane City Council acquired the area in 1950 and 1957 and started restoring the place.

The restoration was started in 2004 with the formation of the Anstead Bushcare Group. The group with the support of the City Council was largely responsible for increasing the biodiversity of the reserve and the preservation of its cultural heritage. It also provided the added recreational areas for the residents and visitors of Brisbane. The restoration project includes the construction of the walking tracks, horse trails, bird-watching stations and a look-out platform with a scenic view of the Brisbane River. It also has places for recreational activities like camp outs, picnics, barbecues, hiking, and horse riding. Bird-watching is the most popular of these activities with several bird-watching clubs noting and monitoring the sightings of rare and endangered birds.

The reserve is the home of more than 130 species of wildlife which notably includes the yellow-footed anthechinus, a shrew-like marsupial and the fawn-footed melomys, a species of mouse that lived on trees. It also has four vegetation communities, the spotted gum forest, the red gum forest, the gum topped box forest and the riparian forest.

The Anstead Bushland Reserve was officially opened in 2006