Wilston is a northern
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 , Wilston had a population of 3,937 people.
[
]
Geography
Wilston is located by road north 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 ...
. It has a mixture of old and new styles of architecture, from workers' cottages to modern architect-designed homes on Wilston Hill.
Wilston is home to many professionals, including many medical professionals, due to its inner city location, proximity to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is a tertiary public hospital located in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Metro North Health, part of the Queensland Health network. The hospital has 929 bed ...
and views of the city that are available from more elevated streets.
In recent years, the area has been transformed by the revamping of Kedron Brook Road, an early precursor to the City Council's urban renewal process that was to roll out across much of inner Brisbane. This has seen a vibrant hub of al-fresco dining evolve, which in turn has increased the popularity of the area and led to a significant increase in the cost of housing in recent years.
Residents are also well serviced by public transport (Wilston train station and regular bus routes) and leisure parks and walkways running alongside Enoggera Creek
Enoggera Creek is a creek which flows through the City of Brisbane in South-East Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Enoggera Creek rises in the suburb of Enoggera Reservoir on the D'Aguilar Range and flows into the Brisbane River (becoming B ...
. The area is also close to local sporting grounds such as Downey Park and Ballymore Stadium
Ballymore is a rugby union stadium situated in Herston, Queensland, Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is the headquarters of Queensland Rugby Union and was the home ground of the Brisbane City (rugby team), Brisbane City team in the ...
.
History
The Turrbal clan occupied what is today known as Wilston.
The area became known as Wilston after the home of the same name built there by the Honourable William Wilson MLC, who settled in the district in 1868. The home, which was constructed circa 1876, was named Wilston House
Wilston House is a heritage-listed villa at 47 Watson Street, Newmarket, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect James Cowlishaw and built from to . It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October ...
after Wilson's birthplace home at Derrykeeghan Mills, Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , 'Cethlenn, Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of ...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...
, Ireland. The family believes it is short for Wilson Town.
In 1884, the land passed to businessman John Stevenson MLA, who subdivided the property.
On Sunday 10 August 1913, 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 ...
was held for the new Wilston Methodist Church. The official opening was held on Sunday 26 October 1913.
Oakleigh House, at 17 Murray Street, Wilston, has been a landmark for over fifty years. It was occupied, from 1902, by George Murray, a Brisbane police magistrate and postmaster. It is a colonial timber house which still stands proudly preserved today.
In 1905, 29 Murray Street was built for the Zoeller family. The house became a reception centre in June 1948, and was the venue for over 25,000 wedding and other receptions until in 1990, 'Oakleigh' was also converted to a function venue, and both houses operated as such until 1995.
Between 1924 and 1931, estates were created to provide more land for housing development.
In the , the population of Wilston was 3,872, 50.1% female and 49.9% male. The median age of the Wilston population was 35 years, 2 years below the Australian median. 76% of people living in Wilston were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were England 4.5%, New Zealand 3.2%, Italy 1.3%, India 1.1%, South Africa 0.7%. 87.4% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 1.9% Italian, 0.6% German, 0.6% Cantonese, 0.6% Mandarin, 0.5% Punjabi.
In the , Wilston had a population of 3,937 people.
Heritage listings
Heritage-listed sites in Wilston include:
* Uanda (house), 27 Clifton Street
* Wilston Methodist Memorial Church, 181 Kedron Brook Road ()
* Wilston State School
Wilston State School is a heritage-listed state school at Primrose Street, Grange, Queensland, Grange, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1920. Architects who designed the school's buildings include Arthur Gordon Femiste ...
, Primrose Street (now in Grange)
Education
St Columba's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Kedron Brook Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 593 students with 43 teachers (34 full-time equivalent) and 35 non-teaching staff (20 full-time equivalent).
There are no government schools in Wilston. The nearest government primary school is Wilston State School
Wilston State School is a heritage-listed state school at Primrose Street, Grange, Queensland, Grange, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1920. Architects who designed the school's buildings include Arthur Gordon Femiste ...
, which, despite its name, is within the neighbouring suburb of Grange
Grange may refer to:
Buildings
* Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906
* Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682
* Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to a monastery
Geography Australia
* Grange, South Austral ...
to the north. The nearest government secondary school is Kelvin Grove State College
Kelvin Grove State College is a government primary secondary school in Kelvin Grove, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, three kilometres from Brisbane’s central business district and adjacent the Kelvin Grove campus of Queensland Univ ...
in neighbouring Kelvin Grove to the south-west and Kedron State High School
Kedron State High School is a Queensland public secondary school which is located in the inner-northern suburb of Kedron in Brisbane, Australia. The school was opened in 1956, to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding North Brisbane population w ...
in Kedron to the north-east.
Sporting clubs
Sporting clubs in the area include the 100+ year old Grange Thistle Football Club (GTFC, which also incorporates the Grange Bowls Club), Wilston Norths Junior Cricket Club, Wilston Grange Australian Football Club, Fortitude Valley Rugby League Football Club and St Andrews Ladies Hockey Club.
Other clubs include DAT Racing (triathlon), Wilston Crocs (swimming club), and Lococo Tennis.
The nearby Grange Club (Grange Bowls and Community Club Inc.) has represented the suburb in lawn bowls for 70 years.
Retail business
Wilston Village in Kedron Brook Road is the main retail area. Local stores in the area are supplemented by larger centres at HomeZone at Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
,
Lutwyche
Lutwyche is a northern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Lutwyche had a population of 3,454 people.
Lutwyche is north of the city's central business district.
Geography
Lutwyche Road, a busy thoroughfare that ...
Shopping Centre and slightly further away at Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...
and Brookside.
Transport
Wilston railway station
Wilston railway station is located on the Ferny Grove line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the Brisbane suburb of Wilston.
Services
Wilston station is served by all stops Ferny Grove line services from Ferny Grove to Roma Street, Park ...
provides access to regular Queensland Rail City network
The Queensland Rail Citytrain network, provides urban, suburban and interurban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia.
History
The first railway in Queensland did not run to Brisbane, but ran from Ipswich to ...
services to Ferny Grove, Brisbane and Beenleigh
Beenleigh is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Beenleigh had a population of 8,252 people.
A government survey for the new town was conducted in 1866. The town is the terminus for the Beenl ...
.
Parks
There are a number of parks in the suburb, including:
* Eildon Hill Reserve ()
* Finsbury Park ()
* Hinkler Park ()
* Langley Avenue Park ()
* Ruby Robinson Reserve ()
* Wilston Place Park ()
* Wilston Recreation Reserve ()
Notable residents
James Tolson, a short-term resident of Wilston House, conducted important experiments in chilling mutton for export from Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to Great Britain.
Major General William Cahill William Cahill may refer to:
*William T. Cahill
William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46th governor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. A Republican, Cahill previously ...
, a commissioner of police in 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_ ...
, also lived at Wilston House for a period. During his residence he further developed the grounds, which became known as a sanctuary for birds and native fauna.
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952) is an Australian former politician who served as the 36th Premier of Queensland, in office from 1998 to 2007. He was the state leader of the Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch), Labor Party ...
, the former Premier of Queensland, previously resided in this suburb.
References
External links
University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Wilston
*
*
{{Suburbs of Brisbane City Council
Suburbs of the City of Brisbane