Calamvale, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Calamvale Brisbane, Queensland
Part of the Golden Pond wetlands at Calamvale
Calamvale Location in Queensland
Postcode(s)	4116
Area	6.6 km2 (2.5 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	19.7 km (12 mi) S of Brisbane GPO
LGA(s)	City of Brisbane (Calamvale Ward)
State electorate(s)	Algester Stretton
Federal Division(s)	Rankin
Suburbs around Calamvale: Algester Sunnybank Hills Runcorn Algester Calamvale Stretton Parkinson Parkinson Drewvale

Calamvale is a busy suburb located in the southern part of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It's a great place to live, with lots of homes, shops, schools, and parks. In 2021, about 17,994 people called Calamvale home.

Where is Calamvale?

Calamvale is surrounded by several main roads. To the north, you'll find Beaudesert Road and Compton Road. Gowan Road is to the east, while Illawena Street and Nottingham Road are to the south. Algester Road forms the western boundary. Most of the land in Calamvale is used for homes, along with all the services people need, like shops, schools, and local parks.

A Look Back: Calamvale's History

Calamvale gets its name from James Calam. He was one of the first settlers and a big landowner in the area. The Calam family built their home on a hill near Calam Road and Beaudesert Road. People called the area Calamvale for a long time before it officially became a suburb in 1972.

In 1984, the Calam family sold their homestead to the McGuire family. They built the Calamvale Hotel on that land. The suburb started to grow and develop quickly in the early 1990s.

Schools Open Their Doors

• Calamvale State School first opened its doors on 11 May 1955.
• In January 2002, a high school section was added to the primary school. This created the Calamvale Community College.
• Calamvale Special School opened on 29 January 1985. It helps students with special learning needs.
• Wisdom College started on 27 April 2011. This private school aims to teach students to think critically and be responsible citizens. It welcomes children of all faiths.

A Church's Journey

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit started in 1977. A small group met at the Algester State School library. In 1979, they bought land on Algester Road and built a rectory (a home for the priest). The first service was held there on 21 October 1979.

In 1980, an old church building from Acacia Ridge was moved to the Algester Road site. It became their parish hall. The new church building's foundation stone was laid on 4 July 1981. The first service in the new church was on 9 August 1981. It was officially dedicated on 18 October. The church was fully paid off and consecrated on 29 May 1993.

Who Lives in Calamvale?

In 2016, Calamvale had 17,124 people. About 51% were female and 49% male. The average age was 32 years, which is younger than the Australian average.

Many people in Calamvale come from different countries. In 2016, about 39% were born in Australia. The next largest groups came from China (14.9%), India (4.7%), Taiwan (4.4%), New Zealand (3.7%), and Hong Kong (3.1%).

While 38.4% of people spoke only English at home, many other languages are also spoken. These include Mandarin (21.8%), Cantonese (7.2%), Korean (3.4%), Punjabi (2.3%), and Vietnamese (1.9%).

The most common jobs in Calamvale include professionals, office workers, technicians, trades workers, managers, and sales workers.

Learning in Calamvale

Calamvale Community College

Calamvale has several schools for students of all ages.

• Calamvale Community College is a government school for students from Prep (the first year of primary school) all the way to Year 12 (the last year of high school). It's located at 11 Hamish Street. The college also has a special education program. In 2022, it had 2,457 students.
• Calamvale Special School is a special school for students from Prep to Year 12. It's at 29 Nottingham Road. In 2022, 183 students attended this school.
• Wisdom College is a private school for students from Prep to Year 9. You can find it at 97 Formby Street. It's a multicultural school that welcomes children from all backgrounds. In 2022, it had 379 students.

Places to Go in Calamvale

Calamvale has many useful places and fun spots.

Shopping Centres

• Calamvale Shopping Centre is at 51 Kameruka Street.
• Calamvale Marketplace is another shopping centre at 16 Nottingham Road.
• Calamvale Central is a shopping centre at 662 Compton Road.

Other Important Places

• The Calamvale Police Station is located at 42 Kameruka Street.
• The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit is at 362 Algester Road.

Parks for Fun and Relaxation

Calamvale has many parks where you can play, relax, or enjoy nature. Some of these include:

• Algester Road Park
• Alpinia Place Park
• Beaudesert Road Park
• Bundabah Drive Park
• Calamvale District Park
• Cyril Sims Park
• Gowan Road Park
• Hamish Street Park
• Highlands Drive Park
• Nottingham Road Park
• Riverina Street Park
• Stevenson Street Park
• Woodlark Crescent Park

Sports in Calamvale

If you like Australian rules football, Calamvale has its own junior team called the Calamvale Leopards.

Getting Around Calamvale

Calamvale doesn't have its own train station. However, the Altandi and Runcorn train stations are only about a five-minute drive away.

• If you drive to the Brisbane CBD (city centre), it takes about 30 minutes when traffic is light.
• Taking the bus can take 40–55 minutes.
• A train ride from Runcorn or Altandi stations to the CBD takes about 30–45 minutes.

Calamvale is served by many bus routes run by Transport for Brisbane and Park Ridge Transit.

Golden Pond Wetlands: Nature's Water Filter

An amazing natural feature in Calamvale is the Golden Pond Wetlands. These wetlands are connected to Calamvale Creek.

A natural creek, also known as Scrubby Creek or locally as Calamvale Creek, flows through Calamvale. In the late 1990s, two special wetlands were built upstream of the creek. They were designed to use stormwater runoff and are called the Golden Pond wetlands.

The wetlands and creek together form the Golden Pond wetland system. They provide a home for wild birds and act like a "treatment train" for stormwater. This means they help clean the stormwater before it flows further down the creek.

How the Treatment Train Works

The treatment train has several parts that clean the water as it moves through. 1. Stormwater flows into a sediment basin. This basin collects the heaviest dirt and mud. 2. Cleaner water then flows into Wetland 1. 3. Next, the water goes through a "gross pollutant trap" (which catches rubbish) into Wetland 2. Wetland 2 used to be a small farm dam. 4. Finally, overflow from Wetland 2 flows into a natural wetland area with many melaleuca trees. This area then leads into the natural creek, which has small lagoons.

Wildlife in the Wetlands

The Calamvale wetlands and creek are home to many different animals. You might see ducks, egrets, cormorants, spoonbills, herons, water dragons, turtles, and eels. It's a peaceful place for these creatures to live.

Studying Water Quality

Scientists from Griffith University in Brisbane have studied the water quality in the creek and wetlands many times. They have shared their findings at international conferences, showing how well the treatment train works to clean the water.

Famous Faces from Calamvale

Actor Russell Dykstra grew up in Calamvale. When he was a schoolboy from 1979 to 1981, he would often entertain other passengers on the local 141 bus with his funny performances while travelling to school.