Nundah (previously called German Station) is an

inner suburb ''Inner suburb'' is a term used for a variety of suburban communities that are generally located very close to the centre of a large city (the inner city and central business district). Their urban density is usually lower than the inner city ...

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. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the , Nundah had a population of 12,141 people. Prior to European settlement, Nundah was inhabited by Aboriginal people from the

Turrbul 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 ...

tribe. Nundah is primarily a residential suburb, which straddles

Sandgate Road Sandgate Road is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It provides part of the road connection between Redcliffe and the Brisbane CBD. It is designated state route 26 throughout most of its length. The road is divided for the majori ...

, one of the major arterial roads of Brisbane's north. It was first settled by Europeans in the mid-19th century, although the suburb remained primarily a rural area until it was connected to Brisbane via railway in the 1880s. Originally considered a working-class suburb, the area has become gentrified in recent years, and today features a mix of traditional worker's cottages and modern high-density apartment blocks. It is close to the Centro Shopping Centre.

Geography

Nundah is a mixed-density residential suburb, with some light industry and a commercial retail area concentrated on

. It is adjacent to the suburbs of

Clayfield Clayfield is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Clayfield had a population of 10,555 people. Geography Clayfield is by road from the Brisbane GPO. Clayfield is bordered to the north by Nundah, to the east by ...

, Northgate and

Wavell Heights Wavell Heights is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wavell Heights had a population of 9,684 people. Geography Wavell Heights is located north of the Brisbane central business district. The land use is almost ...

, and is dominated by a large ridge that runs from the northwest to the southeast. The "Nundah Village" shopping district and Nundah State School are on this ridge, while the George Bridges Tunnel bisects it along Sandgate Road. The North Coast railway line passes through the suburb entering from Clayfield to the south and exiting to Northgate to the north. The suburb is served by two stations: *

Toombul railway station Toombul railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It is one of two stations serving the Brisbane suburb of Nundah, the other being Nundah station. On 29 November 1999, two extra platforms opened as part of t ...

in the south of the suburb (). *

Nundah railway station Nundah railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It is one of two stations serving the Brisbane suburb of Nundah, the other being Toombul station. Nundah station opened in 1882 as German station, before bei ...

in the north of the suburb (). The suburb includes the locality and formerly distinct suburb of Toombul, which is centred in the south of Nundah, around Sandgate Road. Various facilities in Nundah are named after this locality, including

Toombul Shopping Centre Toombul Shopping Centre was a suburban shopping centre located in the locality of Toombul which is part of Nundah, a suburb of the City of Brisbane in the state of Queensland, Australia. The centre was anchored by Target and Kmart discount depa ...

Toombul bus interchange Toombul bus interchange is a bus interchange located on Sandgate Road, Nundah, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is adjacent to the former Toombul Shopping Centre and Toombul railway station. The interchange is an island, similar to an island ...

and Toombul railway station.

Schulz Canal Schulz Canal is an artificial waterway in Nundah, Queensland that enters Moreton Bay. There are tributaries that enter the short canal, draining the suburbs of Hendra and Wooloowin in Brisbane's north east. It was originally constructed in the ...

runs through Nundah, bisecting the Toombul Shopping Centre Carpark. The low elevation of the carpark makes it particularly susceptible to

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

ing during peak storm seasons – often claiming the cars of unwary shoppers inside the centre and those attempting to cross the Melton Road bridge. The estuary of the canal is a moderately popular recreational fishing spot. Zion Hill is at (). It was named by the German missionaries in 1838, after the biblical place

Zion Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Names ...

(

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

History

Aboriginal history

Like most of Northern Brisbane, the area around Nundah was dominated by the

tribe. Their traditional coastal trade route passed through Nundah, near the modern-day Hedley Avenue. There are also many significant Aboriginal sites near Nundah, such as

Dinah Island In the Book of Genesis, Dinah (; ) was the seventh child and only daughter of Leah and Jacob, and one of the matriarchs of the Israelites. The episode of her violation by Shechem, son of a Canaanite or Hivite prince, and the subsequent vengean ...

, which was reportedly the site of the last traditional Aboriginal burial in the Brisbane area. There were a number of

bora ring Bora is an initiation ceremony of the Aboriginal people of Eastern Australia. The word "bora" also refers to the site on which the initiation is performed. At such a site, boys, having reached puberty, achieve the status of men. The initiation c ...

s in the area, indicating that the Nundah area was densely populated by Aboriginal people before European settlers arrived.

European settlement

German mission

The first permanent European settlement in the area was a mission built in 1838 by German

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

missionaries, under the guidance of Reverend

Carl Wilhelm Schmidt Reverend Carl Wilhelm Schmidt (died 1864), also known as Karl Schmidt, was a German missionary, and an ordained minister of the Prussian United Church. Schmidt's missionary work took him to Queensland and Samoa, where he founded a number of Luth ...

and later Reverend Christoph Eipper with the aim of bringing Christianity to the local Aboriginal people. They first called the area "Zion", and the mission was located in the vicinity of the modern-day street "Walkers Way". It later became "German Station". The explorer Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt visited the area in 1843, and spoke very highly of the mission, but despite this the mission met with limited success and was closed at the behest of the colonial government in 1846. This first settlement is nonetheless commemorated with a monument at the corner of Sandgate Road and Wood Street unveiled in 1938 by the then

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

William Forgan Smith William Forgan Smith (15 April 188725 September 1953) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of the state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in the state during the 1930s, and his populism, firm leadership ...

. The names of these German settlers can be seen in the names of streets in Nundah and surrounding suburbs such as Rode Road and Gerler Road.

Growth of the village of German Station

A prominent local citizen who contributed significantly to the development of the village of German Station was George Bridges (1820–1898). George and his young family immigrated from

Wilstead Wilstead is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, just off the A6 Bedford to Luton road, about five miles south of Bedford town centre, and within the Borough of Bedford. The name of the village has been spelled in many differ ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, England to Queensland in 1852 aboard the "Marie Somes". In 1855, he acquired of land north of Buckland Road and east of Sandgate Road for farming. However, as Sandgate became an increasingly popular holiday destination, the increasing volume of coach traffic along Sandgate Road encouraged him to open a hotel in 1866, which became a popular stop being roughly halfway between

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 ...

and Sandgate. The first hotel was called the Kedron Hotel but the third and longest-running hotel was known as the Kedron Brook Hotel and was located alongside Sandgate Road (now Bage Street, named after

Freda Bage Anna Frederika (Freda) Bage (11 April 1883 – 23 October 1970) was an Australian biologist, university professor and principal and women's activist. Bage was born in 1883 and studied at Oxford High School for girls and Fairlight School. In 19 ...

, first principal of

The Women's College, University of Queensland There are eleven residential colleges of the University of Queensland. Colleges Cromwell College * On the St Lucia campus. Was the first of the Colleges on the St Lucia campus in June 1954, and admitted men only until it became co-ed in 1973. * ...

) on the SW corner of his property. Emboldened by the success of his hotel ventures, George Bridges looked for other commercial opportunities. He observed that Sandgate Road at that time did a dog-leg around the SW corner of his property (along Buckland Road) which forced traffic to travel up and over Donkin's Hill. So he created a short-cut across the SW corner of his property that avoided the hill, which was much appreciated by the travellers, allowing George Bridges to sell off parcels of land along this new unofficial piece of Sandgate Road to commercial enterprises, which serviced both the travellers and the local farming community. This unofficial short-cut grew into the Nundah Village shopping street that exists today and eventually became the official route of Sandgate Road. Around 1872, George and his wife Mary retired to

Burpengary Burpengary is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Burpengary had a population of 14,022 people. It is by road from the Brisbane CBD, Brisbane central bu ...

and began to progressively sell off the land of their German Station property as the village developed.

Creation of the suburb of Nundah

A call for tenders for a non-denominational chapel in German Station was advertised in July 1855 . The chapel was open for Christian services on Thursday 6 December 1855. About February 1859 the chapel was acquired by the Baptists; the Wesleyans had first right of refusal but did not purchase it. The Baptists held their opening services on Sunday 20 February 1859. In 1874 it was relocated to Hendra to become the Baptist Church there, as many Baptists in Nundah had moved to the Hendra area. On Sunday 24 April 1859, the Wesleyan congregation opened their recently-erected chapel. German Station State School opened on 2 October 1865 and was renamed Nundah State School in 1895. German Station remained an agricultural area until the 1880s. In 1881, Queensland State Government purchased a strip of land across George Bridges's property to build a railway link between

and Sandgate. The railway opened in 1882 and resulted in a suburban residential construction boom on Brisbane's northside. This urban sprawl was also encouraged by the ''

Undue Subdivision of Land Prevention Act 1885 The Undue Subdivision of Land Prevention Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of Queensland that was passed to prevent overcrowding and urban degradation in cities and towns in Queensland, and especially in Brisbane. The Act is a noteworthy ...

'', which mandated minimum lot sizes for new urban developments. The village of German Station became known as a location where working-class families could obtain cheap housing on reasonably sized lots not too far from the city. George Bridges sold off his remaining land for residential development in the new suburb. A railway station called ''German'' was created in 1882 (again on land originally owned by George Bridges), because they wanted the station to be called ''German Station'' rather than ''German Station Station''. However, six weeks after the railway station opened, it was renamed ''Nundah.'' The name ''Nundah'' is a corruption of the Yuggera language, Turrbal dialect word ''nanda'' meaning ''chain of water holes.'' This name is probably a reference to the nearby natural water sources at

Kedron Brook The Kedron Brook is a creek that flows through the northern suburbs of Brisbane in the south-east region of Queensland, Australia. Course and features Formed by spring D'Aguilar Range within the southern portion of the D'Aguilar National Park, ...

and the marshy areas formerly to the east of the suburb. In 1888, the name of the Post Office was also changed to ''Nundah'', signalling the renaming of the new suburb. However, the name ''German Station'' persisted for many years. For many years it was common to find references to ''Nundah'' with the annotation "formerly German Station" in newspapers and advertisements, until the name ''Nundah'' was well established. In 1883,

William Alexander Jenyns Boyd William Alexander Jenyns Boyd (18421928) was a journalist and schoolmaster in Australia. He was admired for his "upright bearing and extensive learning". Early life Boyd was born in Paris on 27 November 1842. His father was Colonel Charles Bo ...

relocated his Eton Preparatory School from

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

(where it was established in 1877) to Nundah, where he erected new buildings at a cost of £3,000 on a site. In 1889 Boyd was forced to close the school due to economic hardships preventing families being able to afford to send their sons to boarding school, but he re-opened the school in 1891. However the impacts of the

1893 Brisbane flood The 1893 Brisbane flood, occasionally referred to as the Great Flood of 1893 or the Black February flood, occurred in 1893 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Brisbane River burst its banks on three occasions in February 1893. It was the ...

forced him to close the school permanently. In June 1893 the Sisters of the

Society of the Sacred Advent The Society of the Sacred Advent is an Anglican religious order founded at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in 1892 by Caroline Amy Balguy (1833-1915), and still active in that city. History Known as Sister Caroline Amy and, later, Mother Carolin ...

acquired Eton House to run a boarding school for orphan girls called The Home of the Good Shepherd, which in 1894 also took in paying students as well with Miss Isabelle Caine as headmistress under the management of Sister Emma. In 1897 the orphans were relocated to Ormiston Place, leaving Eton House as a private boarding school known as the Eton High School for Girls. In 1907, the school relocated to

Toorak House Toorak House is a mansion located in Melbourne, Australia built in 1849 by well-known Melbourne merchant James Jackson. It is notable for its use as Melbourne's first Government House and having inspired the name for the suburb of Toorak. J ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

and then in 1910 to Albion Heights (now Ascot) where it is known as St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School. In 1907 the St Francis Anglican Theological College moved into Eton House under Canon Tomlin. In 1936-7 the theological college relocated to

Bishopsbourne Bishopsbourne is a mostly rural and wooded village and civil parish in Kent, England. It has two short developed sections of streets at the foot of the Nailbourne valley south-east of Canterbury and centred from Dover. The settlement of P ...

in Milton. By June 1937, Eton House had been sold for removal and its grounds subdivided, but the site is believed to be bounded by Bishop Street, Buckland Road, Wand Street and Olive Street (). Boyd Road leads to this area and presumably commemorates Boyd who established the site. In 1889, the Baptist church building at Fortescue Street in Spring Hill (built in 1876) was relocated to Nundah (now 19 Chapel Street, ). The Nundah Baptist Church officially opened on Sunday 9 June 1889. The church building is still extant, although modified and no longer owned by the Baptist church; one of its subsequent uses was as the Anglican Church of the Resurrection. From 1890, Nundah was the seat of the

Shire of Toombul The Shire of Toombul was a local government area of Queensland, Australia, located in northern Brisbane from 1883 to 1925. History The Nundah Division was one of the original divisions created on 11 November 1879 under the ''Divisional Boards A ...

, which was absorbed into the City of Greater Brisbane in 1925. The Toombul Shire Hall still exists as a community centre. In 1900, Laura Tufnell, the widow of Edward Tufnell (a former

Anglican Bishop of Brisbane Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

), donated money to establish an orphanage in her husband's name. The funds were used to purchase of land at 230 Buckland Road (). Tufnell Home was established by the

Anglican Diocese of Brisbane The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, also known as Anglican Church Southern Queensland, is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The diocese stretches from the south-eastern coastl ...

and operated by the Sisters of the Sacred Advent. It opened on 6 February 1901 and closed in 1993. In 1909, Surrey Street in Nundah became the site of the first public housing dwelling in Queensland. In the early twentieth century, Nundah became a major suburban centre, due to its location on Sandgate Road, one of Brisbane's busiest arterial roads, and the adjacent

. Sandgate Road and nearby streets were lined with shops, pubs, cinemas and other commercial premises. St Joseph's Convent and School was dedicated and opened on Sunday 16 January 1916 by

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-ser ...

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

. The site consisting of Marston House and of land was donated by Harry Donkin. The

Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites or Brown Joeys, are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop (1842–1909). Members of the congregation use the postnominal initials RSJ (Religious Sist ...

came from

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

the previous week to operate the school. It heralded the welcome return of the order to Brisbane after an absence of 36 years after Archbishop

James O'Quinn James Quinn, also known as James O'Quinn (17 March 1819 – 18 August 1881 ), was an Irish-Australian prelate of the Catholic Church and the first bishop of the Diocese of Brisbane. Early life Quinn was born at Rathbane (or Athy), Coun ...

directed the order to leave his diocese in 1879 following disputes with

Mary MacKillop Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909) was an Australian religious sister who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church, as St Mary of the Cross. Of Scottish descent, she was born in Melbourne but is best known fo ...

over control of the schools operated by the Sisters. The Shire of Toombul War Memorial was dedicated by the

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor Governors of the Australian states, performs c ...

Matthew Nathan Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan (3 January 1862 – 18 April 1939) was a British soldier and colonial administrator, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queen ...

, on 12 November 1921. The memorial commemorates who served in World War I. It is located in Nundah Memorial Park (then known as Buckland Park, ). Nundah Memorial Baptist Church opened in 1923. Construction commenced in April 1923 with a

stump-capping ceremony Queenslander architecture is a modern term for a type of residential housing, widespread in Queensland, Australia. It is also found in the northern parts of the adjacent state of New South Wales, and shares many traits with architecture in othe ...

on Saturday 14 April 1923. It was officially opened on Saturday 4 August 1923. It has five memorial windows commemorating soldiers who died in

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 ...

. It was built to the west of the 1889 church. In November and December 1923, '10 Choice Allotments', were advertised as "Wheeler Estate", to be auctioned by Isles, Love & Co. Limited Auctioneers on 1 December 1923. This estate was bounded by Sandgate Road to the west, by London Street to the east, and Northgate Road to the north. In 1926, George Walker suggested a monument be built to mark the beginnings of Nundah, which was unveiled by the Queensland Governor Sir

Leslie Orme Wilson Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, (1 August 1876 – 29 September 1955) was a Royal Marines officer, Conservative politician, and colonial governor. He served as Governor of Bombay from 1923 to 1926 and as Governor of Queensland from 1932 to 1946. Per ...

on 23 April 1938 as part of the First Free Settlers' Centenary Celebrations. This First Free Settlers Monument is listed in the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

. On Saturday 5 June 1937, College Estate residential subdivision was advertised for public auction by Cameron Brothers auctioneers. It was described as "54 splendid residential sites occupying one of the finest positions in Nundah". Mount St Joseph's Boarding & Day School for girls opened in 1953. It was operated by

. In 1964 it was renamed Corpus Christi College. In 2009, it was renamed Mary McKillop College to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her death and her

canonisation Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of s ...

. St. George's Anglican Mission Hall in Toombul was dedicated on 11 April 1953 by

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Reginald Halse Sir Reginald Charles Halse KBE CMG (16 June 1881 – 9 August 1962) was the Bishop of Riverina from 1925 to 1943 and then Archbishop of Brisbane until his death in 1962. Halse was educated at St Paul's School, London and Brasenose College, O ...

. Its closure on 28 June 1987 was approved by Assistant Bishop George Browning. Nundah Infants State School opened on 24 January 1955, but closed on 3 May 1974, when it was re-integrated into Nundah State School. Northgate State School opened on 27 January 1959. On 11 October 1967,

Toombul shopping centre Toombul Shopping Centre was a suburban shopping centre located in the locality of Toombul which is part of Nundah, a suburb of the City of Brisbane in the state of Queensland, Australia. The centre was anchored by Target and Kmart discount depa ...

was opened at 1015 Sandgate Road by Westfield. As there were concerns that the site was floodprone, the site was filled and raised to make it higher. The centre has been modified and extended over the years. It was the largest shopping centre of the north side of Brisbane until 1999-2000 when it was overtaken by Westfield Chermside's redevelopment. In July 2003,

Centro Properties Group Vicinity Centres , previously known as Federation Centres and Centro Properties Group, is an Australian Real Estate Investment Trust specialising in ownership and management of Australian shopping centres. As at December 2021, it had stakes i ...

bought the centre. In May 2016,

Mirvac Mirvac is an Australian property group with operations across property investment, development, and retail services. This entity now broadens their clientele and shareholder return on investment by venturing across multiple development sectors, ...

bought the centre. Nundah's commercial precinct suffered a precipitous decline from the 1970s with the construction of

Toombul Nundah (previously called German Station) is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the , Nundah had a population of 12,141 people. Prior to European settlement, Nundah was i ...

shopping centre. Increasing motor traffic along Sandgate Road also reduced Nundah's appeal as a shopping precinct as it was difficult to park. Gradually many shops closed, and those that opened in their place were often "low-class" establishments such as pawn brokers, charity stores etc. that were unappealing to most shoppers, driving them increasingly to shop at Toombul.

Renewal of Nundah

However, in 2001 the Nundah Bypass Tunnell was constructed under nearby Bage Street, diverting through traffic away from the suburban centre. There was considerable popular support to name the road tunnel after George Bridges in recognition of his contribution to the development of the district and the fact that the tunnel was located on his original land holding. In 2009 as part of Queensland's 150th Birthday Celebrations, the Nundah Bypass Tunnel was renamed "George Bridges Tunnel". In 1999, the construction of the tunnel required the demolition of the 1923 Baptist Church on the corner of Bage and Chapel Streets. In 2005 the North-East Baptist Church was built "more or less" on the site of the 1923 Nundah Memorial Baptist Church, adjacent to the 1889 former Baptist Church. The naming of the 2005 church as "North-East" reflects the amalgamation of the Nundah and Wavell Heights Baptist congregations. In 2008 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 ...

suburban renewal programme has seen new art installations, cafés and commercial enterprises open in Nundah, creating a village-like atmosphere along the now-quiet Sandgate Road. The suburb has now become popular among

white collar workers The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...

seeking relatively inexpensive housing and apartments only a moderate distance from the Brisbane CBD. Since then, along with the rest of the city, housing prices in the area have skyrocketed, pricing most of the traditional working class out of the suburb. In the , the population of Nundah was 12,141, 50.5% female and 49.5% male. The median age of the Nundah population was 33 years of age, 5 years below the Australian median. 63.1% of people living in Nundah were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 66.7%; the next most common countries of birth were India 5.9%, New Zealand 4.5%, England 3.2%, Philippines 1.4% and Nepal 1.3%. 72.7% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were Punjabi 2.2%, Hindi 1.6%, Nepali 1.3%, Mandarin 1.3% and Spanish 1.0%. Toombul Shopping Centre was damaged in the

2022 Brisbane flood The 2022 eastern Australia floods were one of the nation's worst recorded flood disasters with a series of floods that occurred from February to April in South East Queensland, the Wide Bay–Burnett and parts of coastal New South Wales. Brisb ...

. In May 2022, it was announced that the centre would not be reopening.

Heritage listings

Nundah has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

sites, including: * 41 Bage Street:

Nundah State School Nundah State School is a heritage-listed state school at 41 Bage Street, Nundah, Queensland, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1892 to 1955. It was formerly known as German State National School and German Stati ...

* 11 Boyd Road: Nundah Memorial Hall * 11 Boyd Street: former Salvation Army Hall * 12 Boyd Street: Victoria-era cottage * 99 Buckland Road: former PMG Telephone Exchange * 133 Buckland Road: Nundah Memorial Park (includes Nundah War Memorial) * 136 Buckland Road: Corpus Christi Catholic Church * 230 Buckland Road: former Tufnell Home Orphanage Chapel * 10 Chapel Street: Nundah Baby Clinic * 33 Eton Street: Spanish Mission-style house * 88 Hedley Avenue:

Nundah Cemetery Nundah Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at 88 Hedley Avenue, Nundah, Queensland, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1840s to 1963. It is also known as German Station Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland ...

, contains the graves of many of the original settlers and their families * 95 Hows Road (): Wagner Farmhouse * 39 Imbros Street: Church of the Holy Spirit * 134 Melton Road: Oxenham Park * 32 Robinson Road: Nundah Substation No. 237 * 1141 Sandgate Road:

Toombul Shire Hall Toombul Shire Hall is a heritage-listed town hall at 1141 Sandgate Road, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John Hall & Son and built from 1891 to 1891. It is also known as Toombul Divisional Board Offices. I ...

* 1192 Sandgate Road: former Henry Thomas Chemist Building * 1252 Sandgate Road: Masonry shops and flats * 1259 Sandgate Road: Royal Hotel * Opposite 1270 Sandgate Road ():

First Free Settlers Monument First Free Settlers Monument is a heritage-listed memorial at Sandgate Road, Nundah, Queensland, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1938. It is also known as First Free Settlers of Queensland Memorial Cairn. It was ...

* 1279 Sandgate Road: former Imperial Cafe (also known as St Vincent de Paul Centre) * Opposite 1341 Sandgate Road (): Nundah Air Raid Shelter * 1359 Sandgate Road: Spanish Mission-style house * 1382 Sandgate Road: Cadogan House (also known as Nundah Private Hospital) * 35 Surrey Street: Workers' Dwelling No.1 * 9 Union Street:

Nundah Fire Station Nundah Fire Station is a heritage-listed former fire station at 7 Union Street, Nundah, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Atkinson & Conrad and built in 1936 by T F Woollam. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Reg ...

* 78 York Street: Primrosa (Federation-era house)

Education

Nundah State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 41 Bage Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 714 students with 48 teachers (42 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. Northgate State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 128 Amelia Street () in eastern Nundah. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 291 students with 26 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). St Joseph's School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 16 Leslie Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 190 students with 20 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 13 non-teaching staff (6 full-time equivalent). Mary MacKillop College is a Catholic secondary (7-12) school for girls at 60 Bage Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 524 students with 40 teachers (39 full-time equivalent) and 18 non-teaching staff (15 full-time equivalent). It was formerly known as Corpus Christi College. There is no government secondary school in Nundah. The nearest government secondary schools are Aviation High in Hendra and

Wavell State High School Wavell State High School is a coeducational independent public secondary school based in Wavell Heights, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The school has a total enrolment of more than 1500 students from years 7–12, with an official cou ...

. Help Employment & Training at 1176 Sandgate Road provides training for people with disabilities and assists with finding jobs.

Amenities

Shopping

Nundah retails a traditional "shopping strip" commercial district, centred mainly along the section of Sandgate Road that has been bypassed by the Nundah Bypass. There are plenty of cafes and speciality shops, as well as some medical facilities. Nundah Village is a shopping mall on the north-east corner of Sandgate Road and Buckland Road is anchored by a

Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...

supermarket, which was opened in mid-2007, containing over 200 parking spots, a Subway store, a

Coffee Club Uniting for Consensus (UfC), nicknamed the Coffee Club, is a movement that developed in the 1990s in opposition to the possible expansion of permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council. Under the leadership of Italy, it aims to counter ...

, and numerous other small shops. NundahRoyalEnglishHotel

There are two hotels: the Prince of Wales Hotel and the Royal English Hotel.

Churches

Since the earliest days of the Zion's Hill mission, there have been a number of churches in the area. The Lutheran church continues to maintain a presence in the suburb, with a number of facilities, including St Paul's church, a childcare centre, and the Zion Retirement home clustered around the area near the corner of Buckland Road and Atthow Parade. Other denominations also have a presence in the area, including the Catholic Church which has a combined church and girls' school on Bage Street. The

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

, Uniting and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

churches also have places of worship located within the suburb. Jehovah's Witnesses have a Kingdom Hall in the suburb, which is attended by both the Nundah and Clayfield congregations. Historically, the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church and the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

also maintained churches in the area, although these are no longer active.

Cultural facilities

The current Nundah Public Library opened in 1968 and had a major refurbishment in 2016. Nundah public library is at 1 Bage Street (accessed via Primrose Lane). It is operated by the

. Sir William Knox Archives & Resource Centre is behind the Nundah Public Library.

Sport

The

Toombul District Cricket Club Toombul District Cricket Club is an Australian cricket club based in Nundah, Queensland, in the city of Brisbane. Overview The Toombul District Cricket Club (Toombul DCC or simply TDCC) is a Queensland Cricket Association cricket club which com ...

is directly across Duke Street from Nundah railway station. It covers 3.5 hectares, and is bordered by York Street, Duke Street, Melton Road and Jenner Street. The club was founded in 1882, and has been based at Oxenham Park in the heart of Nundah since 1906. Famous players that have played for Toombul at Oxenham Park over the years include three of Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles;

Bill Brown (cricketer) William Alfred Brown, (31 July 1912 – 16 March 2008) was an Australian cricketer who played 22 Test matches between 1934 and 1948, captaining his country in one Test. A right-handed opening batsman, his partnership with Jack Fingleton in ...

Don Tallon Donald Tallon (17 February 1916 – 7 September 1984) was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953. He was widely regarded by his contemporaries as Australia's finest ever wicket-keeper and ...

, and

Colin McCool Colin Leslie McCool (9 December 1916 – 5 April 1986) was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Test matches between 1946 and 1950. McCool, born in Paddington, New South Wales, was an all-rounder who bowled leg spin and googlies with ...

. Others include

Jeff Thomson Jeffrey Robert Thomson (born 16 August 1950) is a former Australian cricketer. Known as "Thommo", he is one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket; he bowled a delivery with a speed of 160.6 km/h against the West Indies in Perth ...

Ken Mackay Kenneth Donald Mackay (24 October 1925 – 13 June 1982) was an Australian cricketer who played in 37 Test matches between 1956 and 1963. Biography He was universally known as "Slasher", an ironic reference to his often back-to-the-wall battin ...

, Ron Oxenham, Ryan Harris,

Matt Renshaw Matthew Thomas Renshaw (born 28 March 1996) is an Australian international cricketer. He played eleven Tests for Australia between 2016 and 2018 as an opening batsman, and was recalled to the Test team in 2023. In domestic first-class cricket ...

Chris Lynn Christopher Austin Lynn (born 10 April 1990) is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman who plays for Queensland in Australian domestic cricket. Lynn was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and attended St Joseph's Nudgee College and th ...

and

Wally Grout Arthur Theodore Wallace Grout (30 March 1927 – 9 November 1968), known as Wally Grout, was a Test cricketer who kept wicket for Australia and Queensland. Grout played in 51 Test matches between 1957 and 1966. He made his Test debut against S ...

. Bishop Park is the home ground of the

Norths Devils The Northern Suburbs Devils, or North Brisbane Devils, or often simply referred to as Norths for short, are a rugby league club representing the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The team colours are sky blue, navy blue and gold. They pl ...

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

team in the

Queensland Cup The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by four ...

competition. Oxenham Park is the home of the

in the

Queensland Cricket Association Queensland Cricket, formerly known as the Queensland Cricket Association, is the governing body of Cricket in Queensland, Australia. Formed in 1876, it is directly responsible for the Queensland Bulls, Queensland Fire, Allan Border Field and Qu ...

Grade competition, and contains the Ken MacKay and LaFrantz Ovals. Nundah Criterium Bicycle Track is in Hedley Avenue and Walkers Way , next to Albert Bishop Park and the Schultz Canal bikeway. Ross Park has BMX and skateboard facilities.

Community groups

* Nundah Combined

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

Division * Nundah-Northgate Scout Group (

Scouts Australia Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, with an estimated 55,038 youth participants in 2021, and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movemen ...

) celebrating centenary in 2009

Parks

There are a number of parks in the suburb: * Albert Bishop Park – Amelia Street, Hedley Avenue and Nudgee Road, adjoining Schulz Canal * Boyd Park – Bage Street and Boyd, Park and Sandgate Roads * Carew Street – Brook and Carew Streets * Kalinga Park – Jackson and Kalinga Streets, Park Avenue and Sandgate Road, adjoining Schulz Canal * Nundah Memorial Park (formerly Buckland Park) – Buckland Road and Bage Street * Oxenham Park – Duke, Jenner and York Streets and Melton Road * Plaisted Place – Cavendish, Flower and Maynard Streets * Ross Park – Parkland Street and Sandgate Road, adjoining Schulz Canal * Toombul Terrace – Bage, Gardner and Glenhill Streets, Hamson and Toombul Terraces and Royal Avenue () * Upton Street – Upton Street, off London Street * Wood Street (Road Reserve) – Bage and Wood Streets and Sandgate Road

Transport

Due to its inner-northern location, there are a variety of options for transport within the suburb. Both

and

are located within the suburb. Both of these railway stations are on both the North Coast line and are served by

Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 26,433 people. It is located on the north side of the Caboolture River, which separates the town from Morayfi ...

and Shorncliffe line services, giving both stations 15-minute frequencies throughout the day seven days a week. There are many council bus services that run through the area, including the Great Circle Line. The Nundah Bypass is a

road tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

, open to general traffic, that runs underneath the Nundah Village commercial area. Completed in 2001, it provides an alternative route to traffic travelling along Sandgate Road, allowing motorists to avoid the narrow streets of the village area, and reducing traffic congestion for local residents.

Governance

Nundah is in the federal electorate of Lilley. The seat has been held by

Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954), often colloquially referred to as Swanny, is an Australian politician who is National President of the Labor Party. He was previously the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Deputy Leader of the Labor ...

of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

since the 1998 federal election. The suburb lies on the border between the state electorates of

(held by

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Tim Nicholls Timothy James Nicholls (born 6 April 1965) is an Australian politician and a former leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He served as the Treasurer of Queensland and the Minister for Trade of that state between March/April 2012 ...

), and Nudgee (held by Labor's

Leanne Linard Leanne Maree Linard (born 29 October 1980) is an Australian politician. She has been the Labor Party member for Nudgee in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2015. On 12 November 2020, Linard was sworn in as a cabinet minister in the thi ...

Locally In mathematics, a mathematical object is said to satisfy a property locally, if the property is satisfied on some limited, immediate portions of the object (e.g., on some ''sufficiently small'' or ''arbitrarily small'' neighborhoods of points). Pr ...

, the suburb is part of the Northgate Ward, held by LNP's Adam Allan. In earlier times, it was part of the Nundah electorate, one of the historical

Electoral districts of Queensland This is a list of current and former electoral divisions for the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state legislature for Queensland, Australia. Current Districts by region Districts in Far North Queensland * Barron River *Cairns *Cook ...

Notable residents

* George Bridges, (1820–1898) pioneer farmer and developer after whom the tunnel was named * Thomas Bridges (1853–1939) son of George Bridges, Member of the Legislative Assembly *

Bob Bax Bob Bax (1925-2000) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. During the 1940s he played in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership as a half back for the Brothers club and also played for the Brisbane rugby league team in the Bulimba ...

, legendary coach of The Norths

first grade

team which is based out of Bishop Park, Nundah and formerly Oxenham Park, Nundah. Bax coached the club to five of their historical six successive premiership victories between 1959 and 1964. * Elizabeth Grace OAM (born 27 May 1940).OAM Citation: For service to the community of Nundah. * Bill Knox (1927–2001) Member of the Legislative Assembly, Treasurer of Queensland *

Errold La Frantz Errold Campbell La Frantz MBE (25 May 1919 – 20 February 2015) was an Australian cricketer, administrator, and commentator. He played a single first-class match for Queensland during the 1941–42 season. From Brisbane, La Frantz's sole matc ...

MBE (25 May 1919 – 20 February 2015). Oval 2 at Oxenahm Park is named La Frantz Oval in honour of Errold. * Ken 'Slasher' Mackay Australian test cricketer * Irene Sweeney (Local Identity), Fanatical supporter of both Nundah-based sports clubs; Toombul District Cricket Club, and Norths Devils Rugby League Club. * Meta Truscott Australian diarist

References

External links

* * *
Nundah Virtual VillageNundah suburb informationStatistical Portrait of Nundah
* ttp://nundahnorthgate.scoutsqld.com.au/ Nundah-Northgate Scout Group* {{Suburbs of Brisbane City Council Suburbs of the City of Brisbane Pre-Separation Queensland