Kangaroo Point, Queensland

Kangaroo Point is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Kangaroo Point had a population of 9,689 people.

History

thumb|right|The Queensland [[Naval Stores, Kangaroo Point|Navy's main stores below the Kangaroo Point cliffs, with the gunship Paluma moored in the Brisbane River in the 1890s.]]

thumb|Kangaroo Point Ferry Terminal

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. 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 school was on the western side of Main Street and River Terrace (). 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. 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 and opened on 19 March 1870 in Hubert Street in One Mile Swamp (now Woolloongabba) 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 took over the operation of the school, following a dispute between MacKillop and the Catholic Bishop of Brisbane.

In 1887, the Yungaba Immigration Centre was built on Main Street at Kangaroo Point to replace the poor facilities at the existing centre in William Street. A map advertising the auction contained a local sketch by the surveyors, Hamilton & Raff.

In 1911–1912, St John's College of the University of Queensland opened in three Queenslander houses on River Terrace (). At that time, the university was located at Gardens Point just across the Brisbane River. In 1956, the college relocated to the university's St Lucia campus.

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, At the time of the Story Bridge project, both the eastern and western riverfronts of Kangaroo Point were industrial areas and docks; these were gradually replaced by large residential developments and recreation space up to the 1980s.

right|thumb|250x250px|Entrance to Temple grounds

On 20 July 1998, the LDS Church announced that its Brisbane temple would be built in Kangaroo Point. There were delays due to negotiations with the Brisbane City Council 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.

Kangaroo Point was host to the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA), which later moved to the Judith Wright Arts Centre in Fortitude Valley). It was host to the Southbank Institute of TAFE campus until its demolition in 2009, now replaced by the Southbank Institute of Technology in neighbouring South Brisbane.

Demographics

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.

In the , Kangaroo Point had a population of 9,689 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. Kangaroo Point is also home to one of less than 200 Mormon temples in the world {as of August 2015}. 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.

thumb|right|Brisbane's [[Brisbane central business district|CBD from Kangaroo Point cliffs]]

The cliffs are a popular picnic, rock climbing and abseiling site. The steepness of the cliffs was increased by quarrying operations which mined the volcanic rock or rhyolite lava flows which form the cliffs. The lava was deposited in the Triassic 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 (landscape artist).

The 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.

The Kangaroo Point Green Bridge was proposed in 2010 to connect Kangaroo Point to the Brisbane central business district. Construction of the bridge began in 2021. The Cross River Rail tunnel is planned to connect under the Kangaroo Point Cliffs from Woolloongabba railway station to 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) (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 the Southbank Institute of Technology is in neighbouring South Brisbane.

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 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is at 200 River Terrace ().

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 (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 (also known as Cliffiside Flats)
102 Main Street: Yungaba Immigration Centre (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 (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
36 Wharf Street: Federation-era house

Notable people

Frederick Manson Bailey, Australian botanist
Peter Burge, Australian cricketer
James Davis, convict and pioneer, blacksmith at Kangaroo Point
Silvester Diggles, Australian musician and ornithologist
Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer
John Lavarack, former Governor of Queensland, born at Kangaroo Point
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, resident of Kangaroo Point
Christopher Wrench, organist

References

External links

Exploring Kangaroo Point