Chelmer, Queensland

Chelmer is a middle suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, west of the Brisbane CBD on the Brisbane River. Chelmer is zoned as a residential area, and consists of low-density housing. It has many fine Queenslanders, characterised by wooden verandahs, wide stairways and roofing of galvanized iron, but in recent years solid brick homes have been built also. It suffered badly from the 2011 Queensland floods, with many homes submerged by the rising river.
Geography.
Chelmer is located on a bend of the Brisbane River, between the Chelmer and Indooroopilly reaches, with all sides except south bounded by the median of the river.
History.
In 1879, the local government area of Yeerongpilly Division was created. In 1891, parts of Yeerongpilly Division were excised to create Sherwood Division becoming a Shire in 1903 which contained the suburb of Chelmer. In 1925, the Shire of Sherwood was amalgamated into the City of Brisbane.
The suburb takes its name from the Chelmer railway station, which was named in 1881 probably after the Chelmer River in Essex, England. The station was previously known as Oxley Point and Riverton.
In July 1884, 226 subdivided allotments of "Township of Riverton on the Brisbane River" Estate were auctioned by E. Hooker & Son. A map advertising the auction shows the area to be on the Regatta Reach of the Brisbane River.
In November 1901, 168 subdivided allotments of "Chelmer Estate" were auctioned by John W. Todd Auctioneer. A map advertising the auction shows the estate to be near the Brisbane River, Chelmer Railway Station and the golf club.
On Tuesday 15 May 1923 the Chelmer School of Arts was officially opened by Cecil Elphinstone, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Oxley. In 1968 it became Chemer Public Hall and is now known as Chelmer Community Centre.
In August 1923, 82 subdivided allotments of "Chelmer Park Estate" were auctioned by Isles, Love & Co. Auctioneers. A map advertising the auction states the Estate was close to the Chelmer Railway Station and the Brisbane River.
On Sunday 17 December 1939 Archibishop William Wand laid the foundation stone for St David's Anglican Church with over 300 people attending. It was dedicated in 1939 and consecrated in 1971. In 2019 St David's entered in a partnership with the Anglican parish of Crows Nest (which includes the churches in Crows Nest and Goombungee) to share their ministry through a combination of services at the various churches combined with online services broadcast from St David's. It is an experiment in how the Anglican Church may operate in the future.
Demographics.
In the , Chelmer recorded a population of 2,594 people, 50.5% female and 49.5% male. The median age of the Chelmer population was 38 years of age, 1 year above the Australian median. 77% of people living in Chelmer were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were England 5.3%, New Zealand 2.4%, United States of America 1.2%, Scotland 1%, Malaysia 0.7%. 89.6% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 0.6% Hindi, 0.5% Korean, 0.4% Spanish, 0.3% Dutch, 0.3% Persian (excluding Dari).
Amenities.
St David's Anglican Church at 69 Chelmer Street East () holds regular services on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Attractions.
Laurel Avenue is considered one of the most prestigious addresses in Brisbane by some, for the reason that large portions of the avenue are overhung by large camphor laurel ("Cinnamomum camphora") trees (some over a hundred years old). The Camphor Laurel trees have been declared a noxious weed by the Brisbane City Council, as their roots actively seek underground sewage pipes.
Heritage listings.
Chelmer has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Sport.
The Western Magpies Australian Football Club and the Kenmore Australian Football Club are Australian rules football clubs that compete in Division One of the AFLQ State League and Division One of the AFLQ State Association respectively, both of which are based in the suburb of Chelmer.
Transport.
Chelmer is divided into east and west by Queensland Rail City network's Ipswich and Rosewood railway line and the Chelmer railway station. The Albert Bridge and the Indooroopilly Railway Bridge join the railway to Indooroopilly. A pedestrian/bicycle bridge, alongside the road and rail bridges, also links Chelmer (on the Southern bank of the Brisbane River) to Indooroopilly.