Wynnum |
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Location: 25km to Brisbane CBD | Postcode: 4178 |
Wynnum is an established suburb in the east of Brisbane, well-positioned near Moreton Bay to catch the cooling breezes. It has a commercial centre currently experiencing significant growth through the development of apartment complexes and population movement towards the bayside. Wynnum is close to quality schools, parks and commuter transport. It is a short drive to Westfield Carindale shopping mall and the Gateway Arterial Motorway provides ready access to the north and south coasts, and to the airport for business travellers and visitors. Although there is a shift to more retired couples in the area, the predominant type of household in Wynnum is couples with children who are likely to be repaying between $1800 - $2400 per month on mortgage repayments. In 2011, 60.3% of the homes in Wynnum were owner-occupied, showing a significant involvement of investors in the area. In 2016 the median sale price of houses at the end of the year was $664,000. This was an increase of 8.3% between January and December. In 2016 there were 384 properties sold in Wynnum.
Welcome to Wynnum
'Wynnum-by-the-sea' is how some
residents refer to their home
suburb. The whole Wynnum area,
including Manly and Lota is focussed
on Moreton Bay, with the more
prestigious streets providing
unbroken views to the islands. See
popular street views.
There's always a cooling breeze and
the Esplanade caters for morning
walkers, joggers and cyclists with
long stretches of waterfront
parkland and bikeways. No matter how
hot it is in the city, the
temperature always seems to drop a
few degrees along the mangrove
boardwalk near Elanora Park, Wynnum
North.
The recently renovated salt water
Wynnum Wading Pool on the Esplanade
is very popular and also of historic
importance as it was originally
constructed during the Depression
years of the 1930s. The Wynnum Pier
is a favourite spot to gaze out into
the bay and breathe in the salt air.
Another popular spot at Wynnum is
the historic Waterloo Bay Hotel
built in 1889 and recently renovated
and there are plenty of parks with
shady trees and great sea views to
enjoy fish and chips or a BBQ.
There is a strong sense of community
in Wynnum and a thriving local
shopping village in Bay Terrace.
Although 16 kilometres from the
city, the suburb is an easy commute
of approximately 40 minutes by
train. The suburb's demographic is
changing from being a suburb of
retires to one of families and there
are plenty of schools, both private
and public.
Statistics
Over 40% of households in this area
are comprised of couples with
children. A further 40% households
are couples without children.
Stand alone houses account for 79%
of all dwellings in this area.
Townhouses accounting for a further
2%.
Wynnum is situated at the mouth of
the Brisbane River, making it
popular with those who love the
water. The housing in this area
comprises mainly of post-war
Queenslanders as well as modern
brick and tile dwellings.
Shopping
The Wynnum / Manly area is well
serviced by commercial and retail
precincts, which continue to thrive
as the area gains in popularity.
Wynnum has access to all the major
supermarket and retail chains; there
is also Manly Harbour Shopping
Village and street shopping
available. Capalaba and Westfield
Carindale shopping centre are in
neighbouring suburbs that are 10 -
15 minutes away.
Schools and hospitals
The Wynnum Hospital is located in
Whites Road. The closest TAFE is at
Alexandra Hills about 10 minutes
away. There are a number of public
and private schools (about six
primary, two secondary, and six
kindergartens).
Wynnum State High School is a
co-educational state high school.
You can also search for other
playgroups, childcare, kindergartens
or schools in Wynnum.
Leisure
There are plenty of bike and walk
ways, a community swimming pool and
a seawater wading pool available to
residents. In the summer there are
many outdoor activities such as
canoeing, rollerblading, and biking.
From yoga to dance classes check out
what leisure activities are
happening in and around Wynnum.
There is also a yacht club in nearby
Manly and this attracts a lot of
interest from people from all over
the region.
Location
19.5km east of Brisbane CBD.
Features
Bayside lifestyle, Wynnum/Manly
Yacht Club, Wynnum Hospital, easy
access to Wynnum, Wynnum Central and
Wynnum North rail stations
Profile
Wynnum is about 20km and 30 minutes
by car from Brisbane's CBD, and,
like the nearby suburb of Lota, has
been rediscovered by residents who
want to live near the ocean. The
area has a yacht club in nearby
Manly which attracts a lot of
interest from people all over the
region. Wynnum is serviced by a
train line and the journey to the
Brisbane CBD takes about 35 minutes.
The Wynnum Hospital is located in
Whites Road. There are a number of
public and private schools (about
six primary, two secondary, and six
kindergartens). The closest TAFE is
at Alexandra Hills about 10 minutes
away. The suburb has access to all
the major supermarket and retail
chains; there is also Manly Harbour
Shopping Village and street shopping
available.
Capalaba Shopping Centre and
Westfield Carindale, in nearby
suburbs are 10 to 15 minutes away.
Plenty of bike and walk ways, a
community swimming pool and a
seawater wading pool are available
to residents. In the summer there
are many of outdoor activities such
as canoeing, rollerblading, and
biking.
There is a School of the Arts and
municipal hall where local
activities are held. Over 50 per
cent of houses accommodate families,
retirees and older residents, who
make up the majority of the
population. There is a wide cross
section of couples and families
attracted by the extensive
redevelopment around the waterfront
precinct and the inspired street
scaping around the Wynnum and Manly
areas.
With very little land left in close
proximity to the waterfront,
homebuyers wanting the bayside
lifestyle are renovating older homes
and cottages. The Wynnum/Manly area
is well serviced by commercial and
retail precincts, which continue to
thrive as the area gains in
popularity.
Aboriginal history
The Wynnum area was occupied by the
Winnam (meaning ‘pandanus') people.
They lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle
with several campsites within their
area and adjacent islands. Elanora
Park was an aboriginal campsite and
was known as ‘Blacks Camp' until
1976.
The coast and river provided
abundant seafood. Pandanus, bangwall
(fern root) and other plants were
eaten and small mammals and birds
were hunted, particularly the flying
foxes on St Helena Island, where
inter-tribal feasts and corroborees
appear to have taken place.
As settlement grew the aborigines
were confined to the coastal
fringes. While agriculture was not
possible, the good fishing and
hunting meant they could survive. By
the 1870s closer settlement around
Brisbane was making this outskirts
living impossible.
The main destroyers of the Moreton
Bay Aborigines were new diseases
brought about though contact with
the white population. Diseases such
as smallpox and tuberculous
decimated the indigenous population.
Urban development
Three cedar cutters were blown off
course from Sydney in 1823. They
were wrecked on Moreton Island and,
with the help of local aborigines,
explored the coast and inland until
they met up with John Oxley’s party.
It appears likely that they crossed
to the mainland at Emu Point and
travelled north along a native path,
much of which is now Tingal Road, to
the top of Lytton Hill where they
became the first white people to see
the Brisbane River.
From 1824 to 1839, Moreton Bay was a
penal colony and no free settlement
was allowed, but in 1842 this
restriction was lifted. The area was
surveyed by James Warner in 1859 and
the first land auction took place in
1860. Among the earliest purchasers
were Shepherd Smith, general Manager
of the Bank of New South Wales, and
John Balfour, who selected four
blocks, comprising 87 acres in all,
which stretched from Wynnum creek to
Wynnum North State School and down
to the bay. Most of the initial
settlement was concentrated in the
Wynnum North region. Grazing,
viticulture, farming and fishing
were the primary occupations for
these early settlers.
In 1882, the first subdivision in
the area took place, at Manly Beach
Estate, but the first subdivision in
Wynnum was the East Wynnum estate in
1884. In 1888, the estimated
population of the Lytton to Lota
district was 200 with 50 households.
The arrival of the railway in 1889
ensured that the area continued to
boom. It was a popular holiday spot,
with many guesthouses and camping
sites, and at one stage around half
the houses in the area were solely
used as holiday homes. Farming and
fishing were the primary occupation,
with it being for a time the second
largest fishing catch in Queensland.
In 1902, the Wynnum Shire Council
was created and in 1913 it became
the Town of Wynnum, before being
amalgamated into Greater Brisbane in
1925.
Notable residents
The Green family had a timber yard
where G and B Motors now stands.
John Greene was a builder and
sawmiller. His sons were building
contractors in Wynnum and built most
of the early buildings, including
the Misses Greene School for Girls
in Bay Terrace (later Moreton Bay
Girls College), established by their
five sisters. They also built and
operated the Star Theatre, which
burned down in 1959, and Sam Greene
published the Waterloo Bay Leader.
Sam Greene was elected Alderman in
1913 and his son John was the last
mayor of Wynnum and the second Lord
Mayor of Brisbane.
Englishman Edward Kelk and his
brothers bought land near Hemmant
and named their property Lindum-mere
after the Roman name for Lincoln
(after their home Lincolnshire). In
1869, Edward built a house not far
from Pleasantville. The Kelks built
Kianawah sugar mill in the 1860s and
pioneered the growing of sugar in
the area.
Joe Sands came to Wynnum as the
Shire Clerk in 1907. He and his
family lived in the Shire Clerk’s
Cottage, where they kept milking
cows, poultry and a vegetable
garden. In 1913, when Wynnum Shire
became a township, Joe Sands became
the Town Clerk. His duties were
varied, including overseeing town
works, processing rates and fines,
and, temporarily, administering the
town. In 1917, the Court of
Queensland dismissed the current
Town Council (following great
disagreements and even violence
amongst the councillors) and Mr
Sands was the town’s highest
official until an election four
months later.
Landmarks
The Shire Clerk’s Cottage on Tingal
Road was built in 1890 as a
residence for the clerk of the
Kianawah Divisional Board. The State
Government donated two and a half
acres of land along the creek and
tenders were called for the
construction of a hall, offices and
residence. Mr J.G. Gross tendered
820 pounds, of which 255 were for
the cottage. This was accepted and
he started building immediately.
Sixteen weeks later a ball was held
to celebrate the completion of the
building work. It later became the
Shire Clerk’s cottage and, was for
many years the home of Joe Sands,
the Shire Clerk. In 1984 the
building was extensively renovated
and restored.
St Helena Island was used as
Queensland’s state prison from
1867-1932. For many years it
operated as a prison farm, with its
own cane fields and mill, dairy
cattle, farmyards, workshops, and
tram. After the prison closed,
various families leased it, but it
is now a National Park and a popular
tourist spot.
Wynnum Central State School was
opened in 1894 with an enrolment of
eighty. By 1901, another room was
required and a third was built six
years later. Further annexes were
built in 1917 and 1919, which for
three years catered for a secondary
school.
Wynnum Wading pool was a depression
era project and opened in 1933. The
parkland was reclaimed from the sea,
a revetment wall was built and
backfilled, with an area left empty
to create the tidal pool. The pool
is around 200 m by 65 m with
automatic valves to maintain the
water depth from the tide.
The Waterloo Bay Hotel was built by
George Gibb and opened in 1889. He
was born in Cornwall and migrated
with his wife and child, but they
returned to Cornwall after the
baby’s death. In 1875, he returned
to Australia with his second wife
and four children. They settled in
Kelvin Grove, but after the
Cleveland rail line was opened, he
was granted a hotel licence and
built the Waterloo Bay Hotel. Due to
ill health he sold the hotel and
moved to Gibbs Street, where he died
in 1906. He was a well-known stone
mason in the district.
Reference: K. Harbison, BRISbites,
2000