Greater Springfield, Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Greater SpringfieldQueensland |
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 Greater Springfield
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 47,000 (2021) |
| Postcode(s) | 4300 |
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| LGA(s) | City of Ipswich |
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| Federal Division(s) | |
Greater Springfield is a special place in Queensland, Australia. It's near Ipswich and Brisbane. What makes it unique? It's the first city in Australia that was built entirely by a private company!
This huge project was started by the Springfield City Group. It's one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia. Greater Springfield is a "master planned community." This means everything, like homes, schools, and shops, was carefully planned before being built. It covers a massive area of 2,860 hectares (about 7,067 acres).
In 2021, about 47,000 people lived here. Experts think this number will grow to 105,000 by 2030. That's like having a city the size of Darwin! In 2019, the Springfield City Group was honored for their amazing work. They were recognized for building this new city and helping Australia grow.
Contents
History of Greater Springfield
Greater Springfield started in 1993. Two people, Maha Sinnathamby and Bob Sharpless, bought the land in 1991. They paid about A$7.9 million for it.
They had a big idea to build a city. They wanted it to focus on three main things: health, education, and technology. They put together a team to plan everything out. This careful planning helped make Greater Springfield what it is today.
Suburbs of Greater Springfield
Greater Springfield is made up of several suburbs. These include Springfield Central, Springfield Lakes, Brookwater, Augustine Heights, Spring Mountain, and Springfield itself.
A cool fact about Greater Springfield is that 30% of the area is kept as "green space." This means lots of parks, trees, and natural areas for everyone to enjoy.
Facilities and Fun Places
Greater Springfield has many modern facilities for its residents.
Shopping and Entertainment
The main shopping centre is called Orion Springfield Central. It first opened in 2007. You can find big stores like Woolworths, Big W, Coles, and Target there. It also has Event Cinemas for watching movies. In 2016, the shopping centre got even bigger. It now has over 165 different shops and businesses.
Hospitals and Health Care
The Mater Private Hospital in Greater Springfield is a large hospital. It cost $85 million to build and has 80 beds. It offers many medical and surgical services. This hospital has four operating rooms and areas for day surgery. In 2017, about 40 private doctors worked there. There were also 260 other employees.
Good news for the community: a new Mater public hospital is being built! It will be an expansion of the current private hospital. This new hospital will have 174 beds. It will include an emergency room, an intensive care unit, and maternity services. It is expected to be finished by 2024.
Business and Technology
Greater Springfield has a special area for businesses called the Parkside business precinct. This area has a 10-story office building. It also hosts the GE HQ and Polaris Data Centre. A datacentre is a building that stores a lot of computer data. The Polaris data centre opened in 2009. It stores data for big companies like Dell and Suncorp. It cost $220 million to build.
Parks and Recreation
Right next to the Orion Springfield Central shopping centre is Robelle Domain. This is a huge 24-hectare public park. It has walking paths, sports areas, and playgrounds. It even has water parks!
Inside Robelle Domain, you'll find Orion Lagoon. This is a fun inland water park. It has pools of different depths, from very shallow to 1.5 metres deep. It's a great place for families to cool off and play.
Sports Stadium
A brand new sports stadium is being built in Greater Springfield. It's called the Brighton Homes Arena. Construction started in 2021 and it should be ready by September 2022. This $70 million stadium will be the home of the Brisbane Lions AFLW team. It's the first stadium ever built just for a women's sports team!
Schools and Education
Greater Springfield is a great place for learning. It has 11 different schools. These schools offer education from primary (elementary) to secondary (high school) levels. Both public and private schools are available. Spring Mountain State School is one of the newest, opening in 2019.
The Springfield Anglican College has two campuses. One is for younger students, and another for middle and high school students. St. Peters Lutheran College Springfield also opened a campus here in 2008.
For older students, the University of Southern Queensland has a campus in Springfield. Classes started there in 2006. A new four-story building for the university opened in 2015. TAFE Queensland South West also has a campus in Springfield. TAFE colleges offer practical training for jobs.
Springfield Central State High School is growing. In 2019, a new $9.89 million Sport and Community Hall was built. The school is also building a second campus for senior students. This new campus will double the school's capacity. It will have several new buildings and a performing arts centre. It is expected to be ready by 2024.
Transport Connections
Getting around and to Greater Springfield is easy. It is connected to Brisbane CBD by the Centenary Motorway.
There's also a train line called the Springfield railway line. This line connects to the main Ipswich railway line at Darra station. It makes it simple to travel by train to other parts of Queensland.
Gallery
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Orion lagoon, 2019
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Orion playground
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Robelle Domain parklands
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"The Circle"
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Robelle Domain stage and amphitheatre
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University of Southern Queensland, Springfield campus
