Kangaroo Point is an inner southern
suburb 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 main ...
,
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 , Kangaroo Point had a population of 8,063 people.
[
The suburb features two prominent attractions, the Story Bridge and Kangaroo Point Cliffs. At the western margins, the Captain Cook Bridge marks the start of the Pacific Motorway.
]
Geography
Kangaroo Point is located directly east across the Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the G ...
from the Brisbane central business district, but being on the south side of the river is normally regarded as a southern suburb.
Kangaroo Point is located on a peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...
formed of harder rhyolite
Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained ( aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals ( phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The min ...
rock which the Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the G ...
flows around. On the northern tip of the peninsula the Story Bridge connects it to the central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...
and the suburb of Fortitude Valley. The suburb of Woolloongabba
Woolloongabba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woolloongabba had a population of 5,631 people.
Geography
Woolloongabba is located south of the CBD. It contains the Brisbane Cricket Ground ('the Gabba') and ...
is located to the south. The six-lane Main Street runs from Story Bridge to Woolloongabba. The landscape of Kangaroo Point is predominantly high-rise apartments towards the tip of the peninsula while the southern end is predominantly low-medium density apartments and Queenslander type houses.
At the northern tip of the peninsula is Captain Burke Park () with the Holman Street ferry wharf (), barbeques, picnic facilities, playground, and outdoor fitness facilities.
History
Before British settlement, Kangaroo Point was settled by the Turrbal people. It is one of the earliest suburbs settled in Brisbane and subsequently, is one of Brisbane's oldest suburbs, rich in history and character. It had a reputation for violent and rowdy street gangs around the 1900s, with a number of street riots.
In 1823, explorer John Oxley described Kangaroo Point as a "jungle, fringed with mangroves with the higher land open forest, covered with grass". During the time of the subsequent convict settlement (1825–1841), Kangaroo Point was cleared and used for cultivation of crops. Subsequently, the area was opened up for free settlement, the first land sales taking place on 13 December 1843. Among the early purchasers was Captain John Clements Wickham, the Police Magistrate and later Government Resident
A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...
. Surveyor James Warner built the first house at Kangaroo Point in 1844.
Kangaroo Point's first school was opened in 1861 by the Church of England. It came under the control of the Board of Education in 1867 and consisted of a boys department and a girls department. A separate Girls and Infants school opened on 2 March 1874. This was replaced by the Kangaroo Point Girls School and the Kangaroo Point Infants School which both opened on 20 January 1890. The Kangaroo Point Boys School, Girls School and Infants School closed on 28 April 1950 and amalgamated to become the Kangaroo Point State School. The Kangaroo Point State School closed on 30 June 1965. The site was subsequently redeveloped as a TAFE college, on the corner of River Terrace and Main Street. In January 2010 this site was redeveloped into parkland extending the Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park ().
In September 1865, 42 allotments of portion 35 of Kangaroo Point were advertised to be auctioned for sale by Arthur Martin & Co. A map advertising the auction contained a diagram of subdivisions 1 to 31 situated between Ipswich Road and the Brisbane River.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was founded by 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 ...
and opened on 19 March 1870 in Hubert Street in One Mile Swamp (now Woolloongabba
Woolloongabba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woolloongabba had a population of 5,631 people.
Geography
Woolloongabba is located south of the CBD. It contains the Brisbane Cricket Ground ('the Gabba') and ...
) with 70 students. In January 1871, the school relocated to Leopold Street (not Leopard Street) at Kangaroo Point into an unlined timber building with a shingle roof on land provided by James Toohey. In 1879 the Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They ...
took over the operation of the school, following a dispute between MacKillop and the Catholic Bishop of Brisbane.
In 1887, the Yungaba Immigration Centre
Yungaba Immigration Centre is a heritage-listed former immigration hostel at 102 Main Street, Kangaroo Point, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, alongside the Brisbane River. It was designed by John James Clark and built by William Pet ...
was built on Main Street at Kangaroo Point to replace the poor facilities at the existing centre in William Street.
In June 1888, six allotments, being subdivisions 1 to 6 of subdivisions 7 to 11 of portions 68 in the Parish of Kangaroo Point, on Walmsley Street between the Garden Point Ferry and Main Street were advertised to be auctioned for sale by Simon Fraser & Son. A map advertising the auction contained a local sketch by the surveyors, Hamilton & Raff.
In September 1928, 19 subdivisions adjacent to the Brisbane River and titled "Town Reach River Sites" were advertised to be auctioned for sale by Isles, Love & Co Limited. A map advertising the auction includes an aerial photograph and a panoramic photograph of the area.
For many years the suburb was dominated by the factories of heavy engineering businesses, particularly those involved in the maritime industry, such as Evans Deakin, Buzzacott & Co and Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co. Evans Deakin built the largest ship ever constructed on the Brisbane River, the 66,000 tonne oil tanker ''Robert Miller'', which became adrift in the river during the 1974 Brisbane flood. The last vessel to be built by Evans Deakin was an oil rig called ''Southern Cross''. The company vacated the site in 1976, with it later being redeveloped for high-rise accommodation.
Stone was quarried from the cliffs and used as building material. Until the 1930s, Evans Anderson & Phelan built steam locomotives at their Kangaroo Point works for Queensland Rail
Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...
ways, however their works were not located near a railway, so the completed locomotives were delivered along Main Street on temporary track.
Until the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901, the Queensland Navy's main storage facility was located in the suburb. The first ship-based radio transmission in Australia was made between HMAS ''Gayundah'' and the buildings in 1903. The naval stores buildings were occupied by the Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
until 1959, and then by the Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
until 1984. The heritage-listed buildings are now used by an adventure company focussing on river activities and rock climbing.
The opening of the Story Bridge () in July 1940 was a significant development in the suburb. Trolleybuses operated by 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 jurisdic ...
linked the suburb with Fortitude Valley via the Story Bridge from 1953 to 1969, running along Main Street from Woolloongabba and other eastern suburbs.
On 20 July 1998, the LDS Church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...
announced that its Brisbane temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called church (building), churches), Hindui ...
would be built in Kangaroo Point. There were delays due to negotiations with 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 jurisdic ...
over concerns about the temple's height, floodlighting and parking arrangements. On 26 May 2001, Kenneth Johnson presided at the
groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication. Construction of the temple began in November 2001 and took 18 months. A public open house was held from 10 May through 7 June 2003 allowing local residents to view the temple prior to its dedication (after which it was open only to church members). The temple was dedicated on 15 June 2003 by LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley. The temple features two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms.
In 2004 2% of sex workers in Queensland were street prostitutes operating in inner Brisbane suburbs such as Kangaroo Point.
The median house price in Kangaroo Point for the calendar year 2010 was $658,500.
In the , the population of Kangaroo Point was 7,000 people, in an area of 1.3 square kilometres. The population was 48.3% females and 51.7% males. The median age of the Kangaroo Point population was 35 years of age, 2 years below the Australian median. 53.1% of people living in Kangaroo Point were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 5.2%, England 4.4%, India 1.6%, Ireland 1.6%, Taiwan 1.2%. 69.6% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 1.9% Mandarin, 1.8% Spanish, 0.9% Cantonese, 0.9% Nepali, 0.9% Italian. It has one of the city's highest proportion of residents living in flats, units or apartments (78.8%). Residents in stand-alone houses make up only 16.6% of the population. 59.9% of residents are renters while 18.7% fully own their dwelling
In the , Kangaroo Point had a population of 8,063 people.
Attractions
Kangaroo Point is a popular recreation spot, conveniently close to the city and the South Bank Parklands. The Kangaroo Point Cliffs, situated on the east bank of the city bend of the Brisbane River north of the Maritime Museum, opposite Riverstage and the Queensland University of Technology at Gardens Point
Gardens Point is a peninsula in central Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located south of Alice Street and bounded by the Brisbane River on its other three sides.
The Brisbane CBD lies immediately to the north of the point. Gardens Poi ...
. The Look-out at Kangaroo Point is also included as one of the stops of Brisbane Transport
Transport for Brisbane, previously called Brisbane Transport'','' is an organisational division of the Brisbane City Council, responsible through its related Council Committee for providing policy and advice to Brisbane City Council, and for d ...
's City Sights bus service. Kangaroo Point is also home to one of less than 200 Mormon temples in the world . Kangaroo Point is also home to Ellis Street, one of the 20 steepest hills in Brisbane according to Brisbane City Council. Kangaroo Point is also home to the more-than-160-year-old St Mary's Anglican Church.
The cliffs are a popular picnic, rock climbing and abseiling
Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...
site. The steepness of the cliffs was increased by quarrying operations which mined the volcanic rock
Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcan ...
or rhyolite
Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained ( aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals ( phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The min ...
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock ( magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or ...
flows which form the cliffs. The lava was deposited in the Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...
Period about 230 million years ago and filled up an ancient river valley. They currently form the banks of the Brisbane River.
The Story Bridge is a prominent landmark. It is able to be climbed with authorised tourist groups and provides the main means of access to the north of Brisbane. Directly under the bridge is the Story Bridge Hotel, and Yungaba, one of Brisbane's most unusual and iconic landmarks.
The ''Kangaroo Point Natural History Project'' was implemented by the council in 2013 to recognise the contribution by some of Queensland's pioneering scientists and researchers from the area. Along a heritage trail through the CT White and James Warner parks are a series of signs and sculptures to commemorate their lives and work: Cyril Tenison White (government botanist), Frederick Manson Bailey (colonial botanist), Silvester Diggles (naturalist), Oscar Werner Tiegs (entomologist and zoologist), James Warner (surveyor), and Harry Oakman
Henry Octave Cyril Vereecke (4 April 1906 – 16 June 2002), better known as Harry Oakman, was one of Australia's foremost gardening authorities and a pioneer of Australian architectural landscaping. An immigrant from Belgium, Oakman wrote ...
(landscape artist).
Transport
By bus the suburb is serviced by the South East Busway transit line and buses along Main Street and Shafstons Avenue. By road Kangaroo Point residents rely on the Story Bridge and Captain Cook Bridge for access to the north, and the Southeast Freeway for access to the south. Main Street connects the Story Bridge through the suburb to the South East Freeway. Bicycle paths run along the Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the G ...
from South Bank to and over the Story Bridge. The bicycle paths are heavily used by cyclists, roller skaters and pedestrians.
Cross River and CityHopper ferry services operate from the Riverside wharf
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural mu ...
in the CBD to Holman Street ferry wharf near the peak of Kangaroo Point. CityCat services do not directly service Kangaroo Point.
The M7 Clem Jones Tunnel, a toll tunnel, which opened in March 2010, has a connection on Shafston Avenue. It diverts some traffic travelling through the suburb while providing an additional transport route for residents.
A green bridge was proposed in 2010 to the west to connect Kangaroo Point to Brisibane City and to the east to connect Kangaroo Point to Merthyr Road New Farm, but at March 2020 these projects have not been progressed. The Cross River Rail tunnel is planned to connect under Kangaroo Point Cliffs from Woolloongabba to an Albert Street railway station.
Education
St Joseph's Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 26-36 Leopard Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 318 students with 24 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent).
There are no government schools in Kangaroo Point. The nearest government primary school is East Brisbane State School in East Brisbane. The nearest government secondary school is Coorparoo Secondary College in Coorparoo.
For tertiary studies, Kangaroo Point is host to Shafston International College and the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA)
The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) is a national Australian institution for the culturally sensitive training of Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people in the performing arts. Founded in 1997, it has been locat ...
(which has now moved to the Judith Wright Arts Centre in Fortitude Valley) and was host to a Southbank Institute of TAFE campus until its demolition in 2009. Directly across the river from the cliffs is the Queensland University of Technology (Gardens Point campus) and in an adjacent suburb, the main campus for TAFE Queensland Brisbane (South Bank).
Amenities
St Mary's Anglican Church is at 455 Main Street ().
St Joseph's Catholic Church is at 26-36 Leopard Street ().
Wesley Uniting Church is at 48 Linton Street ().
St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral is at 344 Vulture Street ().
The Brisbane temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called church (building), churches), Hindui ...
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...
(LDS Church) is at 200 River Terrace (). The gold statue of the Angel Moroni
The Angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill Cumorah near Smith' ...
at the top of the spire of the temple is highly visible and illuminated at night.
Heritage listings
Kangaroo Point 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 i ...
sites, including:
* 34 Amesbury Street: former Naval Stores
Naval stores are all liquid products derived from conifers. These materials include rosin, tall oil, pine oil, and terpentine. The term ''naval stores'' originally applied to the organic compounds used in building and maintaining wooden sail ...
* 94 Baines Street: Raymond Park (West) Air Raid Shelter
*28 Bromley Street: Victorian-era house
*29 Cairns Street: Victorian-era house
* 31 Cairns Street: Victorian-era cottage
* 33 Cairns Street: Victorian-era cottage
* 35 Cairns Street: Victorian-era cottage
* 37 Cairns Street: Dunholme (house, also known as Woniora)
* 72A Cairns Street: former Substation 211
* 78 Cairns Street: former Evans Deakin Dry Dock (also known as Moar's Slip)
* 23 Castlebar Street: Shafston House
Shafston House is a heritage-listed villa at 23 Castlebar Street, Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Robin Dods and built from 1851 to 1930s. It is also known as Anzac Hostel, Ravenscott, and S ...
(also known as Ravenscott , Anzac Hostel, Shafston International College)
* 116 Holman Street: Holman Street Ferry Terminal
*127 Lambert Street: Alpha Cottage
* 162 Lambert Street: Thornclyffe (house, also known as Neerradah)
* 9 Leopard Street: Lamb House
*19 Leopard Street: Rockfield (house)
* 36 Leopard Street: St Joseph's Catholic Church, School & Presbytery
* 37 Leopard Street: Ningwood (terrace house)
* 40 Linton Street: Kangaroo Point Uniting Church (formerly Wesley Methodist Church and Parsonage)
* 54 Linton Street: Victorian-era cottage
* 56 Llewellyn Street: Rineston (house, also written as Rinston)
* 88 Lockerbie Street: former St Joseph's Catholic Convent
* Lower River Terrace: Kangaroo Point Cliffs
* 76 Lower River Terrace: Cliffside Apartments
Cliffside Apartments is a heritage-listed apartment block at 76 Lower River Terrace, Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Kangaroo Point, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1936 to 1937. It is also known as Cliffiside Flats. It ...
(also known as Cliffiside Flats)
* 102 Main Street: Yungaba Immigration Centre
Yungaba Immigration Centre is a heritage-listed former immigration hostel at 102 Main Street, Kangaroo Point, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, alongside the Brisbane River. It was designed by John James Clark and built by William Pet ...
(also known as No. 6 Australian General Hospital)
*184 Main Street: Carroll House
*200 Main Street: Story Bridge Hotel
*255 Main Street: Sunnyside (also known as Dr Wright's House)
* 261 - 267 Main Street: Silverwells
* 301 Main Street: former Police lock-up
* 355 Main Street (): former Brisbane Travelodge (also known as Olims Apartments)
* 433, 447 & 449 Main Street: St Mary's Anglican Church
*Opposite 450 Main Street (): former Bus Shelter
*634 Main Street: Capsellig (house)
* 706 Main Street: Pineapple Hotel (also known as Palmer's Hotel)
* 38 Mark Lane: Federation-era duplex
* 15 Quinton Street: Gowarra (house)
* 17 Quinton Street: Woodooma (house)
* 2 Scott Street: Scott Street Flats
Scott Street Flats is a heritage-listed apartment block at 2 Scott Street, Kangaroo Point, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Elina Mottram and built to by W B Johnstone. It is also known as Scott House. It was added ...
(also known as Scott House)
* 69 Shafston Avenue: Leckhampton
*64 Thorn Street (): boat shed
* 11 Thornton Street: former Water Police Residence
* 64 Toohey Street: Victorian-era cottage
* 330-334B Vulture Street: St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
*23 Walmsley Street: Doonholm (house)
* 184 Wellington Road: Raymond Park (East) Air Raid Shelter
Raymond Park (East) Air Raid Shelter is a heritage-listed former air raid shelter in Raymond Park at 184 Wellington Road, Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Frank Gibson Costello and built by Brisbane City Council. It ...
* 36 Wharf Street: Federation-era house
Notable people
* Frederick Manson Bailey, Australian botanist
* Peter Burge, Australian cricketer
* James Davis, convict and pioneer
* Silvester Diggles, Australian musician and ornithologist
* Alec Hurwood
Alexander Hurwood (17 June 1902 – 26 September 1982), was an Australian cricketer who played in two Tests in the 1930-31 season.
Hurwood was born in Brisbane and educated at Brisbane Grammar School. Renowned for his odd bowling style � ...
, Australian cricketer
* John Lavarack
Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack, (19 December 1885 – 4 December 1957) was an Australian Army officer who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state.
Early l ...
, A Former 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 performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...
* Frances Mallalieu Payne (1885-1976) artist and illustrator
* Alfred John Raymond, alderman for Kangaroo Point and mayor of Brisbane in 1912
* Charles Jackson Stewart, (1876-1954) hotel keeper at the Criterion Hotel, George Street
* Oscar Werner Tiegs, Australian zoologist
* Cyril Tenison White, Australian botanist
* Christopher Wrench
Christopher Wrench (born 14 October 1958 in Brisbane, Australia) is an organist and lecturer.[Re ...](_blank)
, organist
References
External links
*
Exploring Kangaroo Point
{{Suburbs of Brisbane City Council
Suburbs of the City of Brisbane
Populated places established in 1843
1843 establishments in Australia
Pre-Separation Queensland
Red-light districts in Australia