The JageraIndigenous people were the first to inhabit the area well over 20,000 years ago.[7]
Early settlers noticed that the Sunnybank district had good rainfall and a beautiful loamy soil, somewhat sandy in character, that produced beautiful displays of natural wild flowers. From the mid-19th century it developed into a farming area with prosperous fruit and poultry farms and gardens of every kind.[citation needed]
In 1885, the railway line was extended from Yeerongpilly, and names had to be given to the railway stations along the line.[8] The name came from a property called Sunny Brae Estate owned by the Gillespie family,[9] Sunnybank got its when 2 acres (8,100 m2) of land were taken over for the railway. Brae is Scottish for the English word bank, so the area was named Sunnybank. The Town of Sunnybank was surveyed in 1886,[9] with 50 town and suburban land parcels offered for sale in 1887.[10] It was within the local government area of Yeerongpilly Division (later the Shire of Yeerongpilly), then outside the City of Brisbane, until parts of the Shire (including Sunnybank) were amalgamated into the present City of Brisbane in 1925.[11]
Rolling hills and the headwaters for both Stable Swamp Creek and Bulimba Creek have drawn people and wildlife to the Sunnybank area.[citation needed]
Development
By the first part of the 20th century, farmland increasingly gave way to suburbia. General Motors Holden established a car manufacturing plant on Bradman Street at Acacia Ridge, creating a major source of employment for the entire city of Brisbane.[citation needed]
On 21 June 1914 a group of adherents of the Church of Christ began holding services in private homes. The group purchased a block of land and cleared it. The congregation was formally established in April 1915 with 18 foundation members. The first church was erected in 1918 and moved to a more central location in 1922. By 1975 the church relocated to its present chapel and hall at 105 Station Road (27°34′32″S153°03′19″E / 27.5756°S 153.0552°E / -27.5756; 153.0552 (Sunnybank Church of Christ)).[12][13]
Oasis gardens and pools
Opening in 1938, The Oasis, with lush gardens, swimming pools and a mini zoo became Brisbane's most popular tourist attraction. The tropical gardens themselves attracted national and international attention. The Oasis's popularity really took off in 1942 when, during the Second World War, thousands of American military personnel stationed in Brisbane used the Oasis as a rest and recreation venue. It closed in 1989 due to declining patronage.[14] The Oasis was located at 141 Station Road (27°34′25″S153°03′23″E / 27.5736°S 153.0563°E / -27.5736; 153.0563 (The Oasis (former))).[15]
With the 1982 Commonwealth Games being held at the Queen Elizabeth II sporting complex (QE II), now known as the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), and Expo 88 years later, Brisbane and its suburbs like Sunnybank were shown to the world. With new land releases rare in the region, developers have turned to building higher density residential and commercial projects.[citation needed]
Asian influence on culture
In the late 1980s, an increasing number of Asian immigrants began to settle in Sunnybank and neighbouring suburbs.[citation needed] The influx of Asian immigrants caused the look of the area to change, especially in the primary business district of Sunnybank at the intersection of Mains Road and McCullough Street, where Asian restaurants and businesses are numerous.[citation needed]
Sunnybank is today a thriving multicultural suburb, with strong Asian influences in design, food and culture.[16][4][5][6] Many of the suburb's shops and businesses are owned and run by people of Asian descent who call Australia home, with many bilingual business signs written in Chinese and English.[citation needed]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,091 people, 50.3% female and 49.7% male. The median age of the Sunnybank population was 34 years, 3 years below the Australian median. 44.1% of people living in Sunnybank were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were China 15.1%, Taiwan 7.1%, India 3.5%, New Zealand 2.8%, Vietnam 2.3%. 48% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 20.4% Mandarin, 7.4% Cantonese, 2% Vietnamese, 1.7% Korean, 1.6% Punjabi.[17]
In the 2016 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,697 people, with 31.0% (the largest group) describing their ancestry as Chinese, with 19.0% of Sunnybank's people being born in China, 9.3% in Taiwan, and 2.6% in Hong Kong.[18]
In the 2021 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,892 people.[1]
Despite its name, Runcorn State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 646 Beenleigh Road in Sunnybank (27°35′17″S153°03′44″E / 27.5881°S 153.0621°E / -27.5881; 153.0621 (Runcorn State School)).[19][22] It includes a Special Education Program and a Special Education Unit.[19] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 437 students with 33 teachers (27 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent).[21]
Boorman Street entrance, Sunnybank State High School, 2012
Carinity Education is a private secondary (7-12) school for girls at 153 Lister Street (27°34′40″S153°03′17″E / 27.5778°S 153.0547°E / -27.5778; 153.0547 (Carinity Education - Southside)).[19] The school provides a supportive individual learning environment for girls who have difficulties with mainstream schooling.[27] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 114 students with 10 teachers (8 full-time equivalent) and 18 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent).[21]
Near the main shopping precincts, the Sunnybank Private Hospital is a modern for-profit hospital, and accompanying annexes with specialist consultants.[citation needed]
Retail areas
Sunnybank includes shopping centres along Mains Road, such as Sunnybank Plaza. Market Square, located across from this centre, is a community-based centre that is Asian-focused, featuring numerous Asian shops and restaurants. Other shopping centres that are nearby to Sunnybank include Centro Pinelands, Oasis Shopping Village, Westfield Garden City, Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown and Calamvale Central.[citation needed]
Places of worship
Sunnybank neighbourhood has many spiritual sites, including Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Chinese Methodists, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Churches of Christ, Lutheran, Mormon/The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Presbyterian, Runcorn Christian, Southside International Church, The Great Commission and Uniting churches, Chung Tian Temple, Masjid Al Farooq (Kuraby Mosque), and The Brisbane Synagogue.[citation needed]
Sunnybank is a busy area, and there have been ever-growing traffic problems in the area. Mains Road can become gridlocked around peak-hour, packed with cars and buses, as commuters make the slow ride home, although construction has widened and improved the Mains Road bridge which crosses the train line at Altandi. Sunnybank plaza has a small bus stop, which serves as one of the major stops on most bus routes in the area.[citation needed]
^"Map of Indigenous Australia". The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Commonwealth of Australia (The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies). 1996. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
^Roberts, Beryl (1991). Stories of the Southside. Archerfield, Queensland: Aussie Books. p. 16. ISBN0-947336-01-X.
^Haigh, George; Churches of Christ in Queensland (1983), Churches of Christ in Queensland : 100 years venturing in faith, Historical Committee, Conference of Churches of Christ in Queensland, pp. 119–122, ISBN978-0-909116-38-5
^"Index to Churches". Gregory's Street Directory of Brisbane and Suburbs and Metropolitan Road Guide (11 ed.). 1975. pp. 105–112.
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