St Lucia is a riverside
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 ...
in 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.
The
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...
is the main attraction of St Lucia, with the university and its residential colleges covering a large proportion of the suburb. According to the , St Lucia had a population of 12,220 people.
Geography
St Lucia is located by road southwest of the
Brisbane GPO. The suburb sits on a peninsula, bounded on the north, east and south by the
median
The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
in a bend of 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 ...
. The eastern third of the suburb is occupied by the main campus of the University of Queensland. The flatter area on the northern side is primarily medium to high density residential, including some high-rise apartments on the riverfront. The more hilly area in the centre and south is mainly low-density, family-occupied residential. The south-west is occupied by the St Lucia Golf Links.
Ironside is a neighbourhood within the suburb ().
The Elbow is the name for the easternmost part of the suburb (), where the Brisbane River makes a sharp bend.
There are two reaches of the Brisbane River surrounding the suburb:
* St Lucia Reach (), to the north of the suburb.
* Cemetery Reach (), to the east of the suburb, with the name referring to the
South Brisbane Cemetery on the opposite side of the river in the suburb of
Dutton Park.
Six Mile Rocks are rocks in the Brisbane River to the south of the suburb ().
Three creeks flow through the suburb:
*
Toowong
Toowong ( ) is a riverside Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 12,556 people with a median weekly household income of $1,927.
Geography
Toowong is ...
Creek (), which enters the river in the northwest of the suburb.
*Carmody Creek (), which flows through the University of Queensland campus and enters the river in the east of the suburb.
* Sandy Creek (), which flows easterly from Robertson Park, through the St Lucia Golf Course, and enters the river in the southwest of the suburb.
History
The area was originally part of
Indooroopilly and later became a part of Toowong. Initially known as Indooroopilly Pocket, it was briefly called Toowong South before a portion of the area was separated and named as Lang Farm.
Sugar plantations were established in the area in the 1860s. In 1982, William Alexander Wilson, who was born in
St Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
in the West Indies, purchased the Coldridge Plantation and renamed it St Lucia Sugar Plantation. The plantation was subdivided for housing in 1883, and the name was transferred to the subdivision.
Toowong Mixed State School opened on 10 October 1870. It was renamed Indooroopilly State School in 1879, and then Indooroopilly Pocket State School in 1888. In October 1904, it was renamed
Ironside State School after the neighbouring estate of
John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang (25 August 1799 – 8 August 1878) was a Scottish-born Australian Presbyterian minister, writer, historian, politician and activist. He was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian rep ...
.
Demographics
According to the , St Lucia had a population of 12,220 people, with a gender distribution of 49.3% male and 50.7% female. This gender distribution closely mirrors the national average.
The median age in St Lucia was 25 years, significantly younger than the Australian median of 38 years. Children under 15 years comprised 10.7% of the population, while those aged 65 and over made up 10.9%. Notably, 38.2% of St Lucia’s population was aged between 15 and 24 years, compared to 12.4% nationally.
In terms of birthplace, 54.5% of St Lucia residents were born in Australia, compared to 66.9% nationally. The next most common countries of birth were
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(7.4%),
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
(3.0%),
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
(2.8%),
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
(2.6%), and
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
(1.8%).
Regarding language, 63.1% of people spoke only English at home, compared to 72.0% nationally. Other most commonly spoken languages included
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
(10.1%),
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
(1.7%),
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
(1.5%),
Bengali (1.3%), and
Vietnamese (1.2%).
When it came to religion, the most common response was "
no religion" (47.8%), compared to 38.4% nationally. Other most common religions were
Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
(14.4%),
Anglicanism
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
(7.7%), and
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
(4.7%).
In the , St Lucia had a population of 12,574 people.
In the , St Lucia had a population of 11,195 people.
Heritage listings

St Lucia has a number of
heritage-listed sites, including:
* 12 Upland Road ():
Great Court, the University of Queensland.
* 38 Upland Road ():
Union College
Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...
.
* 99 Sir Fred Schonell Drive ():
Vida and Jayne Lahey's House.
* 378 Swann Road ():
Ironside State School.
* 396 Swann Road ():
Langer House.
Although never heritage-listed, one of St Lucia's most iconic homes was the so-called "The Pink Palace" at 272 Swann Road until it was demolished in 2016.
Education

Ironside State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 2 Hawken Drive ().
As of February 2024, the school had an enrolment of 929 students. In 2023, the school had 62 full-time equivalent teaching and 18 full-time equivalent non-teaching staff.
While there are no secondary schools in St Lucia, several high schools are nearby. The nearest secondary schools include
Indooroopilly State High School
Indooroopilly State High School (ISHS), colloquially known as "Indro", is a state high school situated in the south-western suburb of Indooroopilly in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The school was founded in 1954, and offers the Internation ...
and
St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly as well as
Brisbane Boys' College and the
Queensland Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology (QAMST) in Toowong.
St Lucia hosts the main campus of the University of Queensland, a public
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
. The campus spans much of this riverside inner suburb. As of 2024, the University has 7,504 full-time equivalent staff members, and in 2023, the total number of students was 55,424.
Amenities
Several small shopping precincts are located throughout the suburb, but it is primarily residential. The main precinct is a strip of stores along Hawken Drive. This strip includes a local
IGA Supermarket, various international restaurants, a medical centre, dentist office, and a post office/news agency. Friday nights are particularly popular for dining out, as many residents enjoy eating at these restaurants.
St Lucia is home to several places of worship, including
St Lucia Uniting Church (7 Hawken Drive), St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church (87 Central Avenue), St Lucia Evangelical Church, part of the Chinese Christian Church Brisbane (83 Ryans Road), and Christ Church St Lucia, part of the
Anglican Church of Southern Queensland (9 Ninth Avenue). It is a liberal Anglo-Catholic church. The University of Queensland have a multi-faith chaplaincy service. It offers an inclusive space for students, staff, and the wider University of Queensland community from various faiths. The
Schonell Theatre
The Schonell Cinema & Live Theatre is a venue for theatre, special events and cinema screenings in Brisbane, Australia. It consists of Theatre One: a 420-seat, single auditorium theatre capable of hosting musical performances, plays and lecture ...
hosts many performances that the members of the public can attend by purchasing tickets. The theatre, built in 1970 and refurbished in 2005, is owned and managed by the
University of Queensland Union (UQU). In 2019, the theatre was planned for demolition as part of the UQU Complex redevelopment plan. However, in 2022, the demolition plans were abandoned due to a lack of community support.
The Avalon Theatre, built in the 1920s, has served the St Lucia community as a church hall, community hall, and cinema. The University of Queensland acquired the property in February 1963. By 1975, the building was repurposed as a teaching space. Although it was closed in 2004 due to its age, the theatre was restored and reopened in July 2024, now offering space for students, staffs, and eventually clubs, societies, and the wider community.
There are 15 parks in St Lucia, many with seating facilities, playground, and picnic area. Carawa Street Park has a
dog off-leash area. These parks are maintained 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 ...
.
Sports
St Lucia Golf Links is an 18-hole pay-and-play public golf course located at the corner of Indooroopilly Road and Carawa Street. The golf course is one of Brisbane's oldest and has hosted several
Queensland Open
The Queensland Open, originally called the Queensland Championships, and also known as the Queensland Lawn Tennis Championships, Queensland Grass Court Championships and the Queensland State Championships, was a tennis tournament played in Bris ...
and
PGA tournaments. The course layout accommodates golfers of all skill levels.
St Lucia Bowls Club, situated at 9 Carr Street near the University of Queensland, was established in 1947. The club features two bowling greens and offers a variety of men's, women's, and mixed competitions. Additionally, it participates in several inter-club events, including District Pennants.
Toowong Rowing Club, established in 1889, was originally based in Toowong. After multiple relocations due to floods, it finally settled at 37 Keith Street, St Lucia, in 1976. The club boasts a diverse membership, including juniors, high-performance athletes, veterans, honorary life members, recreational rowers, and social members.
The University of Queensland provides public access to its swimming pools, tennis courts, and other amenities, although some facilities require a fee.
Events
Every Saturday morning at 7 a.m., the free St Lucia 5 km
parkrun
Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents.
Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinto ...
takes place near the University of Queensland, opposite the UQ Aquatics Centre on Sir William Macgregor Drive.
Transport

St Lucia can be accessed by bus from the western suburbs and Brisbane CBD, with routes terminating at the
University of Queensland Bus Station. There is also a
NightLink service, a safety initiative that provides buses with security on board all night on Fridays and Saturdays. The
Eleanor Schonell Bridge, a dedicated bus, pedestrian, and bicycle bridge, connects the University with
Dutton Park, and carries buses from the southern suburbs, CBD, and 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
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeaste ...
to the
UQ Lakes Busway Station on the St Lucia campus.
St Lucia can be accessed by ferries from the CBD. The
CityCat stops at two terminals in St Lucia, the
Guyatt Park CityCat Terminal and the
University of Queensland Terminal.
St Lucia has bicycle routes that utilise the residential streets between the University of Queensland and Toowong.
St Lucia has three major thoroughfares, which all lead to the University of Queensland: Swann Road, Sir Fred Schonell Drive, and The Esplanade.
There is no train station in St Lucia. The nearby train stations are the
Toowong
Toowong ( ) is a riverside Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 12,556 people with a median weekly household income of $1,927.
Geography
Toowong is ...
,
Taringa, and
Indooroopilly railway stations.
Politics
St Lucia is within the:
* Brisbane City Council's
Walter Taylor Ward.
*
Queensland Legislative Assembly's electoral district of
Maiwar.
*
Australian Government's division of
Ryan.
References
External links
St Lucia Community AssociationUniversity of Queensland: Queensland Places: St Lucia*
{{Authority control
Suburbs of the City of Brisbane