Redland Bay, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Redland Bay Redland City, Queensland
Redland Bay Passage featuring vehicular ferries servicing the Bay Islands
Redland Bay Location in Queensland
Population	14,958 (2016 census)
• Density	285.46/km2 (739.3/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4165
Area	52.4 km2 (20.2 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	Redland City
State electorate(s)	Redlands
Federal Division(s)	Bowman
Suburbs around Redland Bay: Mount Cotton Victoria Point Southern Moreton Bay Islands Carbrook Redland Bay Southern Moreton Bay Islands Alberton Woongoolba Woongoolba

Redland Bay is a coastal semi-rural locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Redland Bay had a population of 14,958 people.

Since the first European settlers arrived in the mid-19th century, Redland Bay has remained a farming and fishing-based area until the mid-20th century when some of the farms were subdivided and improved transport infrastructure made it possible for residents to commute the 35 kilometers into Brisbane.

Demographics

Redland Bay Passage at Sunrise

In the 2011 census, Redland Bay recorded a population of 13,624 people, 50.3% female and 49.7% male.

The median age of the Redland Bay population was 37 years, the same as the national median.

75.2% of people living in Redland Bay were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 7.6%, New Zealand 5.2%, South Africa 1.7%, Scotland 0.9%, Germany 0.6%.

92.7% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.6% Afrikaans, 0.3% German, 0.2% Dutch, 0.2% Italian, 0.2% Spanish.

History

Redland Bay Passage at Sunrise

In the 1860s, settlers from England, Germany and Scandinavia began filtering into and along the Logan River and surrounding districts. They found dense forests growing from generally good soil. Particularly rich was the soil of the Redland Bay District which is said to have had lush rainforest complete with prized red cedar.

The labour of clearing the forest was long and arduous. One man with an axe might labour for years to clear an area of land that could support a viable farm. The felled timber would then milled to provide building material for the first houses. Locally milled cedar was used for doors, architraves and other feature work on the early houses, such as the original farmhouse on what was to become Mt Carmel Orchard. The character of the red soil was such that over time, it infiltrated itself into and on farm buildings, giving them a characteristic red tinge.

One early settler was Arnold Friedrich Muller who took up 50 acres (200,000 m²) of coastal forest north of what is now Point Talburpin. Muller's farmhouse was removed in the 1990s to make way for a stage of the Orchard Beach estate, but its site is still marked by a pair of mature fig trees, planted around 1905, at the top of School of Arts road where it meets Collins Street. While these trees were likely to have been planted for the practical purposes of shading the house from the intense afternoon sun and cold winter westerly winds, they also stand as a symbol of the enduring husband and wife farming partnerships that helped to define the character of Redland Bay.

Arnold's eldest son William was born around 1879, the first white man to be born in the district. He died in 1978 at the age of 99.

The early farms produced sugar cane, pineapples and citrus. The produce was taken to market by horse-drawn wagon at first, then by the steamboats Pearl, Eucalypta, Louisa and Porpoise, operated by one Captain John Burke.

The viability of these crops was reduced as larger farms to the north at Thorneside, Cleveland and Ormiston gained a competitive advantage over Redland Bay, possibly due to access to rail transport. Redland Bay farmers moved towards producing tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and passionfruit. These crops continued until farming finally gave way to suburban development around the year 2000.

From 2000, Redland Bay has been increasingly populated. Most farms have been replaced by housing, and has its own set of shops. It is relatively close to Victoria Point, and is only a ferry ride away from the bay islands, such as Russell and Macleay.

Heritage listings

Redland Bay has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Gordon Road: Redland Bay State School Residence
• 398-408 Serpentine Creek Road: Serpentine Creek Road Cemetery

Redland Bay Flying Boat Base

From 1953 to 1971, Qantas Empire Flying Boats operated from Redland Bay. These were mainly Sunderland flying boats traveling from Sydney to the United Kingdom. Ansett, formerly known as Barrier Reef Airways also operated flying boats from Redland Bay, taking tourists to Hayman Island in North Queensland.

Redland Bay was the closest suitable site to Brisbane for a water airport. Since it operated international flights, Brisbane Water Airport at Redland Bay became Brisbane's International Airport for a time.

Pre-1946, flying boats used the Hamilton Reach of the Brisbane River. The State and Federal Governments argued for several years over the continued use of the Hamilton Reach, which was congested with shipping and unusable after dark.

Activity at Redland Bay reached its peak in the 1950s with 105 commercial flying boat movements in July 1953. There was a steady decline after that until the base was finally closed in 1971. After 1971, Qantas began operating the new Boeing 747 long-haul aircraft that made the Flying Boats obsolete.

The terminal for the Flying Boat Base was at Banana Street, Redland Bay, near the present location of the Bay Island ferry service. Flying boat passengers waiting to embark, and those in transit could wait and be refreshed at the Redland Bay Hotel while the Flying Boats were serviced for the onward journey.

The flying boat would leave Rose Bay in Sydney at 7:30pm and arrive at Redland Bay at around 11:00pm. Two hours later, she was back in the air, en route to Nouméa in New Caledonia, where passengers would go ashore for breakfast. Several days, and many stops later, the flying boat would arrive in London. By contrast, in 2009, travelling on a long-haul 747, passengers can fly direct from Brisbane to London via Singapore in less than 24 hours for a mere fraction of the cost.

The arrival of the flying boat in Redland Bay near midnight did not go unnoticed by the local residents. A powerful searchlight swept the watery runway to guide the pilot. Launches carrying passengers, luggage, fuel, freight, refreshments and mail made their way to and from the moored flying boat. Voices carried clearly across the calm water.

The Qantas service to Nouméa flying boat came to and end in the mid-fifties, to be replaced by direct flights between Sydney and la Tontouta airport by DC4, DC6b, Lockheed Electra, Boeing 707 and Boeing 747 successively.

Education

Redland Bay State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Gordon Road (27°37′07″S 153°17′35″E / 27.6185°S 153.2930°E / -27.6185; 153.2930 (Redland Bay State School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 876 students with 65 teachers (56 full-time equivalent) and 42 non-teaching staff (27 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

There are no secondary schools in Redland Bay. The nearest government secondary school is Victoria Point State High School in neighbouring Victoria Point to the north.

Images for kids

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  Redland bay, circa 1905

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  1972 map of Redland Bay showing the Brisbane Water Airport and two of its "alighting channels", also the jetty used as the terminal and the Redland Bay Hotel (the transit area)