The Gap is a north-western

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

in the

City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainl ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , The Gap had a population of 17,318 people.

Geography

The Gap is by road north-west of the

Brisbane GPO The General Post Office (abbreviated: GPO) in Brisbane, Queensland, in Australia is a heritage-listed post office located at 261 Queen Street in 1872 and extended through to Elizabeth Street in 1908. It is still in use by Australia Post. Op ...

. The Gap was named for its geographical location in the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

between

Mount Coot-tha Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , there were no residents in the suburb. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mou ...

and

Enoggera Hill Enoggera Hill is a small mountain of the Taylor Range in Australia in the Brisbane suburb of Enoggera, in Queensland, with a peak of 273 meters (896 feet) above sea level. Enoggera Hill is close to Mount Coot-tha and like this peak, it is m ...

(i.e. '' 'the gap' between hills'') which both form part of the

Taylor Range The Taylor Range or Herbert Taylor Range is a mountain range on the western edge of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first named The Glenmorrison Range by John Oxley during his exploration of the area in January 1824. In 1828, the colon ...

History

Initially inhabited by the

Turrbal The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the region of present-day Brisbane, Queensland. The name primarily referred to the dialect they spoke, the tribe itself being alternatively called ''Mianjin/Meanjin''. Mianjin was the Turrbal ...

people, The Gap was originally heavily forested. With the arrival of European settlement, timber felling became the first industry in the area, and with the removal of the timber the area was turned over to farming. The first crown lease of land was in 1851, to Darby McGrath who ran a sheep station across the entire valley. The first freehold land sale was made in 1858, to P.B. and J. Paten in the area where Paten road runs today. Access to The Gap in the 1850s was via tracks which became Waterworks and Payne Roads. They also provided access to

Enoggera Dam The Enoggera Dam is a heritage-listed dam, which is located within the outer, western suburb of Enoggera Reservoir, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The Enoggera Dam was constructed in 1866, on the upper reach of Breakfast Creek (w ...

which was built in 1866 to provide a water supply for Brisbane. A timber Primitive Methodist Church opened on Waterworks Road on Sunday 25 May 1873 on land donated by Moses Amos. A foundation stone for a new brick church was laid on 2 October 1960 by the Reverend Dr Robert William Fulcher. Following the amalgamation of the Methodist Church into the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

in 1977, it became present-day The Gap Uniting Church. On 15 September 2001 a new auditorium was dedicated by Reverend Dr Ray Reddicliffe, the Moderator of the

Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia The Synod of Queensland or Queensland Synod is a state council of the Uniting Church in Australia. The word 'synod' also describes the regular meeting (every 18 months) of representatives of the state-wide church. These meetings are known as the S ...

. From 1879 The Gap was part of the local government area called

Ithaca Division The Ithaca Division is a former local government areas of Queensland, local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in north-western Brisbane. History The Ithaca Division was one of the original divisions created on 11 November 1879 un ...

, then part of the

Shire of Enoggera The Shire of Enoggera is a former local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in north-western Brisbane. History Ithaca Division was one of the original divisions created on 11 November 1879 under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879''. ...

from 1887 to 1925. A map advertised the sale of 800 allotments at Royal Park Estate, now The Gap and St. John's Wood Extension Estate, Ashgrove by F. M. Anglim in August 1927. Gap State School opened on 22 January 1912. It was renamed The Gap State School in the early 1960s. Following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the area was broken up into smaller farms for returned servicemen, many of whom farmed poultry and dairy cattle. Many of these farms were too small to be commercially successful, however small pockets of farming remained in The Gap until the 1980s. Mason's jam factory was established about 1939 by Claude Hamilton Mason. It was located to the east of the Ashgrove Golf Course (), but closed circa 1990. The Gap State High School opened on 25 January 1960. Payne Road State School opened on 27 January 1970. St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School opened on 29 August 1972. Hilder Road State School opened on 30 January 1979. The

billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

between The Gap State High School and Payne Road Primary School was a favourite swimming location and over the years has been home to turtles, eels and

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or mono ...

. It was named Shepherd's Pool, supposedly after a shepherd who was killed by aborigines in 1852, although the name may derive from a P.A. Shepherd, who leased the adjacent land in the 1930s. There was a toll gate on

Waterworks Road Waterworks Road is an arterial road in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is currently signed as State Route 31 for its entire length. Waterworks Road transports traffic between the Brisbane central business district and western suburbs such ...

near what is now the entrance to

Brisbane Forest Park Brisbane Forest Park (now officially the southern part of D'Aguilar National Park), is located on parts of the D'Aguilar Range. The large nature reserve lies on the western boundary of City of Brisbane into the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, A ...

The Gap War memorial at Walton Bridge Reserve

The Gap War Memorial is located at Walton Bridge Reserve () and commemorates those who served in

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The Gap was affected by a major storm on the afternoon of 16 November 2008. A microburst hit The Gap with extremely high winds, causing many trees to fall onto homes and major roads, as well as causing many houses to lose their roofs. In the , The Gap had a population of 17,318 people.

Attractions

The district was later subdivided into blocks of land for housing estates. The recreational activities of inhabitants of the suburb are well catered for, with many facilities including many sporting clubs (

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

etc.). The Gap also contains over 45 lush green parks, many of which include sporting/recreation areas, playgrounds, pathways, barbeques (wood & electric), toilets and dog off-leash areas. Some of these parks are home to scout clubs, community gardens and other clubhouses. Adjacent to The Gap is Enoggera Reservoir and Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre. The Reservoir is open for some water-based recreation, while it is not currently being used as a drinking water source, including fishing, canoeing/kayaking and stand-up paddling. Facilities include a paddle craft launch point and designated swimming area. Fishing is permitted from the shoreline or from paddle craft. Bushwalking and mountain biking are accessible from the site, with links in to the D’Aguilar Park trail network. The Gap is also where the main entrance to Walkabout Creek, in what was previously known as

, (now officially the southern part of

D'Aguilar National Park D'Aguilar National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia. It contains the D'Aguilar Range and is located along the northwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The park is traversed by the winding scenic Mount Nebo Road and Mount Glor ...

), is located. A major bushland area in Brisbane's west, there is an information and wildlife education centre, with many Australian wildlife species, including marsupials,

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

and

reptiles Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...

. For a number of years, now, there has been a resident

named Burrun at Walkabout Creek and, more recently, a second platypus named Willum (Burrun's half-brother). Bred at

Healesville Sanctuary Healesville Sanctuary, formally known as the Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary, is a zoo specialising in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville in rural Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is one ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, they are the sons of Barak, the platypus at

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is an koala sanctuary in the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket in Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1927, it is the oldest and largest koala sanctuary of its kind in the world. History The name originates from a l ...

. Ashgrove Golf Club is located in the Brisbane suburb of The Gap, at 863 Waterworks Road. Ashgrove Golf Club was formed in April 1939 as a nine-hole format. Over time the club expanded to eighteen holes utilising freehold and leased land. The land was originally a dairy farm and market garden. Mark Winston was the original owner who leased the land to the club until the club bought the land in 1950 for £12,000. The club celebrated the 75th anniversary of the formation of the club with a week-long celebration of golf and social events in April 2014.

Facilities

The suburb has a small shopping village (which extends from Walton Bridge Reserve to The Gap State High School and Payne Road State School). There is a local

Police Station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...

in the suburb, at 965 Waterworks Rd. A Queensland Fire & Rescue Station (515 Waterworks Rd, Ashgrove) and a

Queensland Ambulance Service The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) is the state emergency ambulance and patient transport provider in Queensland, Australia. QAS is part of the Queensland Government under the Queensland Health portfolio and is one of the largest ambulan ...

station (84 Baileys Rd, Ashgrove), are in close proximity to The Gap.

Amenities

The Gap is served by a fortnightly visit of the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

's mobile library service at the car park in the sports ground at the end of Glenaffric Street. There are also Christian churches of many denominations, including: * The Gap Uniting Church, 1050 Waterworks Road () * St Mark's Anglican Church, 1073 Waterworks Road * The Gap Baptist Church, 1125 Waterworks Road * St Peter Chanel Church, 41 Chaprowe Road

Education

The Gap State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at the corner of Waterworks and Settlement Roads (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 593 students with 44 teachers (36 full-time equivalent) and 31 non-teaching staff (18 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

program. Payne Road State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 171 Payne Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 283 students with 24 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 18 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. Hilder Road State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Kaloma Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 465 students with 42 teachers (35 full-time equivalent) and 20 non-teaching staff (13 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. St Peter Chanel Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 41 Chaprowe Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 404 students with 32 teachers (26 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent). The Gap State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at 1020 Waterworks Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1456 students with 117 teachers (109 full-time equivalent) and 50 non-teaching staff (42 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Transport

Travel to, and within, The Gap is by road. As well as private vehicles, The Gap has a good public bus service. The main arterial road through The Gap is ''

'', which heads east through the suburbs

St Johns Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west f ...

, Ashgrove and Red Hill and then, as ''Musgrave Road'', it continues to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

city. Waterworks Road was widened, from two lanes to four lanes, along the stretch of road between The Gap and Red Hill between July 1999 and December 2003. Total cost was .

Popular culture

In 2009, scenes for the feature film '' Jucy'' (2010) were shot in the suburb.

Robert Forster (musician) Robert Derwent Garth Forster (born 29 June 1957) is an Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and music critic. In December 1977 he co-founded an indie rock group, The Go-Betweens, with fellow musician Grant McLennan. In 1980, Lindy Morrison j ...

, one of the founding members of the musical group,

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout ...

, grew up in The Gap and wrote about the suburb in his 2016 memoir, Grant & I.Forster, Robert (2016). Grant & I: Inside and outside the Go-Betweens. Penguin Books Australia. ., David Malouf's novel ''Johnno'' references The Gap on two occasions, as does the debut novel of journalist

Trent Dalton Trent Dalton is an Australian journalist and literary fiction author. Early life Trent Dalton grew up in a Housing Commission house in Bracken Ridge, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Brisbane. Journalism Dalton worked as a journalist ...

, ''Boy Swallows Universe''. Many of the scenes in the ABC children's show Bluey are inspired by the creator's experiences living in The Gap.

Photos of The Gap

File:A-street-in-The-Gap-Brisbane.jpg File:The-Gap-Enoggera-Hill.jpg, Enoggera Hill at The Gap File:The-Gap-2.jpg, Walton Bridge Reserve at The Gap File:Walton Bridge Reserve at The Gap.jpg, Walton Bridge Reserve at The Gap File:Mount-Coot-tha-and-TV-Towers QLD.jpg,

and the Television Towers, and Walton Bridge Reserve

References

External links

* ] {{DEFAULTSORT:Gap The Gap, Queensland, Suburbs of the City of Brisbane