Highgate Hill is a riverside inner southern
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of the
City of Brisbane
The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council.
The LGAs in the other mainland state capitals ...
,
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia.
In the , Highgate Hill had a population of 6,229 people.
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Geography
The topography of the suburb is undulating hills, the highest being the hill () also called Highgate Hill at above sea level. Together with West End and South Brisbane
South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people.
Geography
South Brisbane is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the nor ...
, it occupies a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Brisbane River
The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...
with the river forming the southern boundary of Highgate Hill. From the central ridge occupied by Dornoch Terrace, land slopes steeply down towards the river to the south and north towards low-lying land of the two adjacent suburbs. To the east, further hilly land extends past Gladstone Road.
Highgate Hill is a high-density residential suburb with many apartment buildings, some more than 10 storeys. These apartment block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. ...
s are centred along the main road of Dornoch Terrace, a trend that was started in 1960 by the landmark Torbreck building.
History
Before British settlement, the Highgate Hill area was a hunting ground for indigenous people from nearby camping grounds, such as the one at the base of Highgate Hill''.'' Up until the late 1850s this camp, near Dorchester Street and Somerville House School, continued to be used. A corroboree ground was located at "the pineapple paddock" in Baynes Street. The name of the Highgate Hill area in the Turrbal
The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the area now known as Brisbane. The boundaries of their traditional territory are unclear and linguists are divided over whether they spoke a separate language or a dialect of the Yuggera la ...
or Jagara language was ''Beenung-urrung'' which meant frilled lizard
The frilled lizard (''Chlamydosaurus kingii)'', also known commonly as the frilled agama, the frillneck lizard, the frill-necked lizard, and the frilled dragon, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to northern ...
.
The banks of the Brisbane River were described as a tropic wall of tall figs, emergent hoop pine, vines, flowering creepers, staghorns, elkhorns, towering scrub palms, giant ferns, and hundreds of other varieties of ferns, beautiful and rare orchids, and wild passion flower. Remnants of this vegetation exist in a number gullies in Highgate Hill leading to the river.
In convict times, saw pits existed in the area along the river between Dauphin Terrace and Boundary Street. Convicts felled timber on Highgate Hill for use in the fledgling town of Brisbane.
Among the first European residents was George Wilson and his wife and family of 8 who built a homestead in Bellevue Street in the 1860s. He is thought to have named the locality Highgate Hill (possibly after Highgate Hill in London), however the name first appears in an advertisement for a land sale in 1864 by Nehemiah Bartley
Nemehiah Bartley (10 May 1830 – 10 July 1894) was an Australian merchant primarily active in the Colony of Queensland. He arrived in Australia from England at the age of 19, and also lived for periods in Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victori ...
of the "Highgate Hill Estate" located at the peak of the hill. The large portions of land from early land sales were slowly subdivided into residential blocks, and advertisements mentioned the notable residents of the area to emphasise its attractiveness. However the lack of water proved to be an obstacle to significant take up. Water had to be collected in rain water tanks when possible or fetched from springs in the West End area. This problem was solved by the completion in 1889 of the Highgate Hill Service Reservoir near the corner of Dornoch Terrace and Gladstone Road. The reservoir is still in use today.
In 1902, the electric tram was extended up Gladstone Road, stimulating suburban growth. By 1929 the area was considered one of Brisbane's dress circles.
The density of the suburb began to increase with redevelopment and the building of flats during the interwar years. Westbourne Street provides a good example of the redevelopment of large properties in this period.
On 10 December 1949, the foundation stone of the Park Presbyterian Church was laid at 21 Hampstead Road (). The congregation had previously had their church at 31 Glenelg Street on the corner of Cordelia Street in South Brisbane
South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people.
Geography
South Brisbane is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the nor ...
but the changing demographic of South Brisbane into an industrial area saw families move away to more residential suburbs and so the decision was made to build a new church in the more residential suburb of Highgate Hill. The name "Park" was carried over from the previous church which had been located opposite Musgrave Park. When the Presbyterian church entered into the union that created the Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...
in the 1970s, this resulted in an oversupply of church buildings in many communities. In September 1976 the Park Presbyterian church became the Park Uniting Church for the Brisbane Tongan congregation.
Development continued after the Second World War with the notable construction of the 22-floor Torbreck, Brisbane's first apartment tower, on Dornoch Terrace in 1962.
Continued development has led to community protest at times. In 2002, there was an extended protest over the development of two hectares of bushland, known as the Gully, when a developer obtained a permit for nearly 30 dwellings to be built on it. In 2016, there was community protest over the demolition of three heritage houses in Jones Street which had not been given heritage listing by the Brisbane City Council
Brisbane City Council (BCC, also known as Council) is the local government of the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. The largest local government in Australia by population, BCC's jurisdiction includes 2 ...
.
Demographics
In the , Highgate Hill recorded a population of 5,824 people, 48.7% female and 51.3% male. The median age of the Highgate Hill population was 34 years of age, 3 years below the Australian median. 59.2% of people living in Highgate Hill were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were England 3.9%, Greece 3.8%, New Zealand 3%, China 1.8%, India 1.7%. 66.3% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 7.9% Greek, 2.5% Mandarin, 1.7% Vietnamese, 1.6% Spanish, 1% French.
In the , Highgate Hill had a population of 6,194 people.
In the , Highgate Hill had a population of 6,229 people.
Transport
Highgate Hill is regularly serviced by a number of bus routes operated by the Brisbane City Council. All residents live within walking distance to public transport, with 4.4% using public transport to commute to work or school.
Bus routes include:
* Number 192 UQ Lakes – Highgate Hill – City
* Number 196 New Farm – Fairfield Gardens
* Number 198 Highgate Hill Hail and Ride local bus
The nearest train stations to Highgate Hill are at South Bank railway station and Dutton Park railway station. On the eastern side of the suburb Gloucester Street railway station once provided better rail access. The station was removed in 1978, with little indication of its existence remaining.
Education
There are no schools in Highgate Hill.
The nearest government primary schools are West End State School
West End State School is a heritage-listed state school at 24 Vulture Street, West End, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1891 to 1960. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 April 2018.
History
Wes ...
in neighbouring West End to the west and Dutton Park State School in neighbouring Dutton Park to the south-east.
The nearest government secondary schools are Brisbane State High School (to Year 12) in neighbouring South Brisbane to the north and Brisbane South State Secondary College (to Year 10) in neighbouring Dutton Park
Dutton Park is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Dutton Park had a population of 2,134 people.
Geography
Dutton Park is located about south of the Brisbane ...
. As Brisbane South State Secondary College opened in 2021, as at 2024, it offers only Years 7 to 10, expanding to Year 11 in 2025 and Year 12 in 2026.
There are also a number of private schools in surrounding suburbs.
Amenities
Park Church Tongan Congregation is at 21-23 Hampstead Road (). It is part of the Moreton Rivers Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...
.
Parks
At the highest point of Highgate Hill is a small park which boasts excellent views of the city and surrounding hills. It's particularly popular during summer due to the cool breezes.
Lyons Playground Park, also known as Paradise Park, is a well equipped small park that also has a community garden.
The Brydon Street park leads into a gully down to the river and is what remains of the bushland that was subject to protest in 2002.
Highgate Hill in literature and art
The 1994 novel for children, ''The Highgate Hill Mob'' relates the escapades of four kids who live in the suburb of Highgate Hill.
The artist Stephen Nothling lived in Louise Street, Highgate Hill and painted a series of pictures depicting houses in the street.
The poet Robert Hughes lived in Jones Street. He wrote his book "Highgate Hill" based on this experience.
Heritage listings
Highgate Hill has a number of heritage-listed
This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...
sites, including:
Notable people
The following notable people have an association with Highgate Hill:
* James Allan (politician and retailer) – residence Wairuna
* Ron Archer (cricketer) – birth
* Benjamin Harris Babbidge
Benjamin (Ben) Harris Babbidge (2 October 1836 – 19 February 1905) was an alderman and mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Personal life
Benjamin Harris Babbidge was born on 2 October 1836 in Newport, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, England, ...
(alderman and mayor) – residence
* William Theophilus Blakeney (registrar-general) – residence
* Bill Hayden
William George Hayden (23 January 1933 – 21 October 2023) was an Australian politician who served as the 21st governor-general of Australia from 1989 to 1996. He was Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 198 ...
(former Governor-General of Australia, politician) – birth and early years
* Daphne Mayo (artist, sculptor) – residence
* John McLaren (cricketer) – death
* Edmund Sheppard (judge) – residence
* Alfred Jeffris Turner (pediatrician and entomologist) – residence
* Andrew Joseph Thynne
Andrew Joseph Thynne (30 October 1847 – 27 February 1927) was a lawyer and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council and Attorney-General of Queensland.
Early life
Thynne son of Edward Thynn ...
(lawyer and politician) – residence
*Alexander Brown Wilson
Alexander Brown Wilson (5 June 1857, in Glasgow, Scotland – 5 May 1938, in Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia) was an architect in Queensland, Australia. A number of his works are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Life
Alexande ...
(architect) – early residence
See also
* List of Brisbane suburbs
This is a list of the almost 450 suburbs in the Brisbane metropolis, Queensland, Australia.
Local government areas
The Greater Brisbane, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, consists of the following local government areas (LGA ...
References
External links
*
{{Suburbs of Brisbane City Council
Suburbs of the City of Brisbane