Acacia Ridge, Queensland

Acacia Ridge is a southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Acacia Ridge had a population of 7,429 people.
Geography.
Acacia Ridge is south of the central business district. It is within the local government area of City of Brisbane.
Primarily residential, Acacia Ridge is also known for its heavy industrial area in the suburb's east, occupying much of the suburb's area east of Beaudesert Road.
History.
The name "Acacia Ridge" derives from the number of Acacia species growing in the area.
In October 1884, 275 allotments of "Flemington Estate" were advertised for sale by T. Howling & Co. A map advertising the sale states that the estate was close to the Coopers Plains railway station and that coaches passed the estate every day.
Cooper's Plains Provisional School No 25 in 1869 opened on 1 April 1869, later becoming Cooper's Plains State School. On 10 July 1956 it was renamed Acacia Ridge State School.
The suburb was established after World War II to house returning servicemen and their families. Many of the original post-war dwellings still stand today.
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church was established on on land on the corner of Beaudesert and Mortimer Roads in Coopers Plains which was bought in April 1949 from Arthur Harper for by the parish priest of Moorooka, Father Flanagan. He also arranged for an old army hut to be relocated from the Archerfield Airport to the church site and spent converting the building into a church. The church was officially dedicated on Sunday 26 March 1950 by James Duhig, the Archbishop of Brisbane, with about 150 people attending. Two further army huts were relocated to the site. One of them was used to establish Our Lady of Fatima School which opened on 25 January 1954. At its opening the school had 78 pupils taught by two Sisters of St Primary Joseph led by Sister Ibar. On 5 June 1966, Archbishop Patrick Mary O'Donnell opened the new brick church building, with the former church building being used as a hall. On 24 January 1971, the new school was officially opened by Bishop Henry Joseph Kennedy with 8 classrooms, an office, a staff room and a sick room. By that time there were 260 students and 7 staff.
Acacia Ridge Methodist Church was established in 1966. On the creation of the Uniting Church in Australia, it became the Acacia Ridge Uniting Church.
Watson Road State School opened on 23 January 1967.
Acacia Ridge State High School opened on 25 January 1971 and closed on 31 December 1997. It amalgamated with Salisbury State High School to form Nyanda State High School.
The suburb was officially named and bounded on 11 August 1975.
St Alban's Anglican Church closed circa 1980. The church building relocated to the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit in neighbouring Algester to be used as a parish hall.
The Aboriginal and Islander Independent Community School (also known as The Murri School) was opened 1 January 1986 in a disused Catholic primary school in Highgate Hill. In 1995 the school relocated to a disused state school in Milton. In 1997 the school obtained its current site in Acacia Ridge.
In the , Acacia Ridge recorded a population of 6,945 people.
In the , Acacia Ridge had a population of 7,429 people.
Demographics.
In the , Acacia Ridge recorded a population of 7,429 people, 49.8% female and 50.2% male. The median age of the Acacia Ridge population was 34 years, 3 years below the national median of 37. 61.6% of people living in Acacia Ridge were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 3.9%, India 3.1%, Philippines 2.3% and Vietnam 2%.
59.6% spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 2.8% Somali, 2.6% Vietnamese, 2.4% Arabic, 1.8% Spanish, 1.8% Mandarin.
Acacia Ridge has a high percentage of people from English background. In fact a total of 2,000 have reported to have one or two parents of English background. Thereafter, the next most common ancestry reported is Australian, with a total of 1,966 people reporting to have one or two parents from Australian background. Further, the third most common ancestry reported in Acacia Ridge is Irish with a reported number of 593 residents reporting parents from this background.
Income levels in Acacia Ridge are low with the majority of the population earning $1,000-$1,499 per week. 37.63% of people in this suburb earn $1,000-$1,249 per week.
Industry.
From 1966 until the mid-1980s, Acacia Ridge accommodated one of Holden's main vehicle manufacturing plants, which produced both full-sized and smaller models including the Holden Gemini. When local production of the Gemini ceased in October 1984, the manufacturing plant closed down. The manufacturer remained, retaining a small area of the site for its regional headquarters until the early 2000s, when it relocated to Murarrie. Since closure of the plant, Woolworths occupied the area, utilising its space as a regional distribution centre until recently, when an independent retail grocery chain resumed the site for similar purposes.
On the opposite side of Beaudesert Road from the former manufacturing plant, Toyota has based its southern Queensland regional headquarters. This site is primarily used for managerial and distribution related duties, as opposed to vehicle production.
Transport.
Acacia Ridge is home to one of Queensland's largest railway freight yards, dealing with interstate freight and the break-of-gauge from to . In 2008, the Beaudesert Road level crossing was replaced by an overbridge, so that the sidings in the yard could be extended for the shunting of longer 1500 m trains. Because space was not sufficient for all potential users of this yard. In 2009, the line between Acacia Ridge and Bromelton was converted to dual gauge to enable another break-of-gauge freight hub to be established at Bromelton in 2017.
Acacia Ridge also borders one corner of Archerfield Airport; a small, privately owned airport ().
Education.
Acacia Ridge State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at Nyngam Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 302 students with 28 teachers (26 full-time equivalent) and 27 non-teaching staff (16 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.
Watson Road State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 210 Watson Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 122 students with 15 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent).
Lady of Fatima Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 350 Mortimer Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 151 students with 15 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).
The Aboriginal & Islander Independent Community School (also known as The Murri School) is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 1277 Beaudesert Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 245 students with 25 teachers (22 full-time equivalent) and 35 non-teaching staff (29 full-time equivalent).
YMCA Vocational School is a private secondary (7-12) facility of YMCA Vocational School at Kingston at 24 Mannington Road ().
Amenities.
Brisbane City Council provides a community centre at 13 Coley Street, off Charmaine Road (). It was formerly the Coopers Plains Senior Citizens Community Hall.
Iceworld is one of Brisbane's two ice skating rinks and is at 1179 Beaudesert Road ().
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church is at 350 Mortimer Road ().
Acacia Ridge Uniting Church is at 4 Chandler Street ().
Heritage listings.
Acacia Ridge has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: