Woolloongabba

Woolloongabba is a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located south-east of the CBD, and contains the Brisbane Cricket Ground ('the Gabba') and the Princess Alexandra Hospital. It is crossed by several major roads including the Pacific Motorway, Logan Road and Ipswich Road. The suburb was once home to a large tram depot.
Toponymy.
Experts are divided regarding the Aboriginal meaning of the name, preferring either 'whirling waters' ("woolloon" and "capemm") or 'fight talk place' ("woolloon" and "gabba").
Because the area was low-lying and swampy, it was known as the One Mile Swamp. Although this name appears to be unofficial, it was in common use until the early 1890s.
History.
The suburb has a significant link to the history of transport in Brisbane. Between 1884 and 1969, the main railway locomotive depot for lines south of the Brisbane River was beside Stanley St. It was reached via a line that ran beside Stanley St, then crossing it, Logan Road and Ipswich Road to the main line at Dutton Park. By the 1960s, services from the depot were causing significant delays to traffic as they crossed these three major roads.
The suburb was served by horse-drawn trams from 1885 to 1897, which were replaced by electric trams, which in turn ceased operation on 13 April 1969. All but one of Brisbane's trolleybus routes traversed the suburb, from 1953 to 1969. The Woolloongabba Fiveways (the intersection of Stanley Street, Main Street, Logan Road and Ipswich Road) was a complex junction with tram and railway lines, and tram and trolleybus overhead. Trams were controlled by a signalman, who operated the points (or switches) from a signal cabin near the eastern side of the junction. Trains were escorted across the junction by a flagman. Curiously, Queensland Railways always referred to the branch line as the Wooloongabba Branch, spelled with only one 'l'.
In September 1885 the balance of the third and last section of the "Thompson Estate" was advertised for auction by L. J. Markwell. It consisted of approximately 300 allotments, subdivisions of Portion 85, which was bordered by Ipswich Road, Victoria Terrace and Juliette Street. A map advertising the auction provided a local sketch of the area. It also places the estate in Woolloongabba, now considered part of Annerley.
From 1927 until 1969, the largest of the Brisbane City Council's tram depots was on Ipswich Road between Cornwall Street and Tottenham Street (), opposite the Princess Alexandra Hospital, now the site of the Buranda Village shopping centre. This tram depot was also used by the council's buses.
On Sunday 20 December 1936 Archbishop James Duhig laid the foundation stone for St Luke the Evangelist's Catholic Church on the site of the Barco Villa at Buranda (as that area was then known). On Sunday 11 April 1937 the Apostolic Delegate in Australia, Giovanni Panico, officially opened the new church in the presence of thousands of people. The church was built in the Spanish Mission style at a cost of about £3500. Although the church had a bell tower, the builder warned against installing the bell, fearing it would cause problems with the structural integrity of the church. The church was severely damaged in a hail storm in November 2014 and was officially closed on 28 December 2014. A 30-month project was then undertaken to refurbish the church, finally install the bell, and build a retirement village, St Luke's Green, on land surrounding the church. On Sunday 10 September 2017 St Luke’s was officially re-dedicated by Archbishop Mark Coleridge and the retirement village blessed and officially opened.
On 9 April 1938 the foundation stone of the Brisbane Spiritual Alliance Church was laid at 208 Logan Road (). It was dedicated to the memory of George Coxon and his wife Mary who bequeathed two blocks of land and £2000 to the Church which they had established in 1924 following a split with another spiritualist church, after which they met in a building made of galvanised iron in Buranda. The architect was E. P. Trewern. The church was opened on Sunday 10 July 1938. A window in the western wall memorialised George Coxon. The church was still operating in 1990, but, as at 2020, is used as commercial premises.
In early 1942, the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Australia was built in Woolloongabba at 36-39 Balaclava Street. It was originally designed to supply the demands of the newly arrived US military personnel, but later expanded production to the local Australian market.
On Sunday 20 June 1948 Archibishop James Duhig laid the foundation stone for St Luke's Catholic Primary School. On Sunday 23 January 1949 Duhig officially opened and blessed the new school designed for 200 students. The school was located on the O'Keefe Street side of the church and was operated by the Presentation Sisters. The school closed in 1977.
In early 2013 the congregation known over time as the Vulture Street Baptist Church, South Brisbane Baptist Church and South Bank Baptist Church relocated from their church at 128 Vulture Street (corner of Christie Street), South Brisbane, to a new site at 859 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba (), renaming itself as Church@TheGabba.
Heritage listings.
Woolloongabba has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Attractions.
The suburb is home to the Brisbane Cricket Ground known as "the Gabba", and the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Woolloongabba has many apartment buildings due to river views, and the suburb's proximity to the Brisbane central business district and South Bank Parklands. The Norman Hotel is a local landmark that has served customers since 1890. The head office of the Queensland Justices Association is located in Woolloongabba.
Places of worship.
Woolloongabba is home to a number of places of worship, including:
Sport and recreation.
See Brisbane Cricket Ground.
Demographics.
In the , the population of Woolloongabba was 5,631. 51.3% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were China 3.8%, New Zealand 3.5%, England 2.7%, South Korea 2.7% and India 2.5%. 59.2% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 5.9%, Vietnamese 2.7%, Korean 2.4% and Spanish 2.3%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 42.2% and Catholic 15.2%.
Transport.
The Pacific Motorway cuts through the suburb with an exit south into Vulture Street and a Stanley Street exit for vehicles heading north. Additionally, there is an entrance to the Clem Jones Tunnel in the suburb on Ipswich road.
Public transport.
Trains service the suburb with stops at Park Road railway station and Buranda railway station. The South-East Busway also runs through Woolloongabba, with stops at Woolloongabba Busway Station and Buranda Busway station. The high-frequency Maroon CityGlider bus service also stops here.
Taxis.
There is a major taxi depot in Woolloongabba.