Stafford, Queensland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stafford Brisbane, Queensland
Stafford State School, 2015
Stafford Location in Queensland
Population	6,978 (2021 census)
• Density	2,052/km2 (5,310/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4053
Area	3.4 km2 (1.3 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	9.1 km (6 mi) N of Brisbane CBD
LGA(s)	City of Brisbane (Marchant Ward and McDowall Ward)
State electorate(s)	Stafford
Federal Division(s)	Brisbane Lilley
Suburbs around Stafford: Everton Park Stafford Heights Kedron Everton Park Stafford Gordon Park Enoggera Alderley Grange

Stafford is a suburb located north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It's a place where many people live, with homes and parks. In 2021, about 6,978 people called Stafford home.

What is Stafford Like?

Stafford is mostly a residential area, meaning it's full of houses where families live. You can find older homes, like the special Queenslander style. There are also many houses built in the 1940s and 1950s by the Queensland Housing Commission. These homes often sit on good-sized blocks of land.

The suburb is located west of Lutwyche Road and sits along the banks of Kedron Brook. While many older residents have lived here for a long time, more and more young families are choosing to move to Stafford.

Sparkes Hill: A Watery Secret

In the south-west part of Stafford, there's a hill called Sparkes Hill. It's about 96 meters high. On top of this hill, there's a large water reservoir. This reservoir can hold 94 million liters of water! That's a huge amount, providing about 16% of Brisbane's entire water supply.

A Look Back: Stafford's History

Stafford has an interesting past. It was first known as Happy Valley. The name "Stafford" might come from Sir Thomas Brisbane, who the city of Brisbane is named after. He was an officer in the Staffordshire Regiment. The city's coat-of-arms even features a Stafford knot. In 1885 and 1886, people wanted to rename the area after the English county of Staffordshire, which led to its current name.

Schools and Learning

A Queensland Housing Commission house in Stafford, 1949.

Stafford State School first opened its doors on May 25, 1886. For a while, younger children went to a separate school called Stafford Infants State School, which opened in 1955. However, this infant school closed in 1977, and all the younger students returned to the main Stafford State School.

Queen of Apostles Catholic Primary School began teaching students on January 30, 1962. Later, in 1969, it opened a second campus for its youngest students in the nearby area of Stafford Heights.

Transport and Shopping

From 1940 to 1968, electric trams served Stafford, making it easy for people to travel around. This was the last completely new tram line built in Brisbane.

A big change happened in 1982 when Gibson's Tannery, a large local employer, closed down. In its place, the Stafford City Shopping Centre was built, opening in March 1984. This shopping center was made even bigger in 1997. It added a new food court and the first 10-screen cinema in Brisbane at that time, run by Australian Multiplex Cinemas. Before this, the main shopping area was along Stafford Road, near where the trams used to stop.

Who Lives in Stafford?

In 2021, Stafford had a population of 6,978 people. Slightly more than half (51%) were female, and 49% were male. The average age of people in Stafford was 35 years old, which is a bit younger than the average for all of Australia.

Most people (75.2%) living in Stafford were born in Australia. Other countries where people were born include England (2.9%), New Zealand (2.7%), India (1.4%), and the Philippines (1.1%). English is the main language spoken at home by 82% of residents. Other languages spoken include Mandarin, Italian, Hindi, Spanish, and Cantonese.

Important Places: Heritage Listings

Children dressed up for a patriotic concert at Stafford State School, 1915.

Stafford has some special places that are listed as heritage-listed sites. This means they are important parts of history and are protected. One such site is:

• 314 Stafford Road: Stafford State School

Learning in Stafford

Stafford has two primary schools for younger students:

• Stafford State School is a government primary school for students from Prep to Year 6. It's located at 314 Stafford Road. In 2018, the school had 264 students and also offers a special education program.
• Queen of Apostles Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary school for students from Prep to Year 6. It has two campuses: the upper campus (Years 3-6) is at 10 Thuruna Street, and the lower campus (Prep-2) is at 46 Chuter Street in Stafford Heights. In 2018, this school had 486 students.

There isn't a secondary school (high school) directly in Stafford. Students usually go to nearby schools like Everton Park State High School in Everton Park or Kedron State High School in Kedron.

Parks and Fun Places

Stafford has many parks where you can play and relax:

• Bilston Street Park
• Boles Street Park
• Father Jack Madden Place Park
• Gibson Park
• Hickey Park
• Keith Payne Park
• Keong Park
• Longland Street Park
• Roy Harvey Park
• Shand Street Park
• Sheehy Street Park

Sports Clubs

Stafford is home to a couple of sports clubs:

• The Wilston Grange Australian Football Club plays Australian rules football at Hickey Park. They've been playing there since 1964.
• The Past Brothers club competes in junior rugby league competitions, playing out of Gibson Park.