Beenleigh, Queensland
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| Beenleigh Logan City, Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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| Population | 8,244 (2011)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4207 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 34 km (21 mi) south of Brisbane CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Logan City | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Waterford | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Forde | ||||||||||||||
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Beenleigh is a suburb in the Logan City area of Brisbane Queensland, Australia. Beenleigh and adjoining suburbs are located near the confluence of the Logan and Albert rivers. Whilst it was once a stand-alone town built on sugar and home to Australia's oldest rum distillery built in 1864,[2] increasing development in South East Queensland since the 1980s has seen it enveloped by Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
At the 2011 Australian Census the suburb recorded a population of 8,244.[1]
Demographics
In the 2011 Census the population of Beenleigh is 8,244, 49.5% female and 50.5% male.
The median/average age of the Beenleigh population is 34 years of age, 3 years below the Australian average.
66.9% of people living in Beenleigh were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 8.1%, England 3.4%, Philippines 1.1%, Brazil 0.6%, Germany 0.5%.
81.5% of people speak English as their first language 0.7% Portuguese, 0.6% Tagalog, 0.6% Vietnamese, 0.4% Spanish, 0.3% German.
History
Beenleigh was first colonised in the 1860s, with the first permanment European settlement occurring by John Davy and Frank Gooding who named their sugar cane plantation Beenleigh in memory of their family estate in Devonshire, England.[2] The first sugar cane mill was built in 1867 and by 1885 another 29 were operational.[2]
Historically, Beenleigh's main industries have been sugar cane harvesting and beef production at an abattoir.[3] The abattoir was established in 1952 and is still one of the largest industries in Beenleigh. Commercial dairying in the area began in 1889.[4]
Until the 1990s, Beenleigh was the centre of the Shire of Albert, which also included the suburbs of Eagleby, Alberton, Mt Warren Park, Windaroo, Edens Landing, Holmview, Pimpama, and Jacobs Well. The Albert Shire was dissolved and Beenleigh and the surrounding suburbs were then merged with Gold Coast City Council. A few years ago, these suburbs were unmerged from Gold Coast City Council (despite protests from locals who voted against being part of Logan) and are currently under the jurisdiction of Logan City Council.
Heritage listings
Beenleigh has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Distillery Road: Beenleigh Rum Distillery[5]
- Main Street: St George's Anglican Church[6]
Facilities
Still predominately a self-sufficient town with expanding retail and commercial areas close by, Beenleigh is home to three shopping centres with Coles Supermarkets, Woolworths, BI-LO, Big W, Aldi and a Mitre 10 MEGA.
At the heart of Beenleigh stands the Southern District Court complex, first established in 1871. For many years, the court was constituted solely of three magistrates, this changed with the allocation of a permanent sitting District Court of Queensland Judge in 1998. The first presiding District Court Judge in Beenleigh was Judge O'Brien. Recently, the Southern District Court complex has played an integral role in the development of the progressive Drug Court.
Beenleigh Mitre 10 MEGA opened in 2004 it was the company's first Australian MEGA store, it employs over 200 people.[7]
Day care facilities are available at the Lutheran Beenleigh Family Day Care Scheme.
Transport
Beenleigh is situated on the Pacific Motorway. QR Citytrain provides frequent services to Brisbane and the Gold Coast via the Beenleigh railway line at the centrally located Beenleigh railway station.
Education
There are three major high schools within the immediate area of Beenleigh, including Beenleigh State High School, as well as many primary schools. The town has its own library, community centre and two theatres (Crete Street Theatre and Phoenix Ensemble). Social events of note are the annual Cane Festival and Beenleigh Show.
Sport and recreation
Sporting facilities that are represented in Beenleigh cover baseball, soccer, BMX, football, tennis, swimming, Netball and roller derby. Beenleigh enjoys access to the Logan River via boat ramp located near the northern bridge on the Pacific Motorway.
References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Beenleigh (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ a b c "Beenleigh". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Teys Brothers
- ^ Mary Howells. "A brief history of Logan". Logan City Council. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Beenleigh Rum Distillery". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
- ^ "St George's Anglican Church". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
- ^ Speedy, Blair. "Mitre 10 nails down its mega battle with Bunnings ", The Australian, 17 September 2004. Retrieved on 28 August 2009.
