| Type: | suburb |
| St Lucia | |
| City: | Brisbane |
| State: | qld |
| Coordinates: | -27.4983°N 153.0094°W |
| Pop: | 12220 |
| Postcode: | 4067 |
| Area: | 4.6 |
| Timezone: | AEST |
| Utc: | +10:00 |
| Dist1: | 7.3 |
| Dir1: | SW |
| Location1: | Brisbane CBD |
| Lga: | City of Brisbane (Walter Taylor Ward)[1] |
| Stategov: | Maiwar |
| Fedgov: | Ryan |
| Near-N: | West End |
| Near-Ne: | Highgate Hill |
| Near-E: | Dutton Park |
| Near-Se: | Fairfield |
| Near-S: | Yeronga |
| Near-Sw: | Indooroopilly |
| Near-W: | Taringa |
| Near-Nw: | Toowong |
St Lucia is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.[2] The University of Queensland is the main attraction of St Lucia, with the university and its residential colleges covering a large proportion of the suburb. According to the, St Lucia had a population of 12,220 people.
St Lucia is located by road southwest of the Brisbane GPO. The suburb sits on a peninsula, bounded on the north, east and south by the median in a bend of the Brisbane River.[3] The eastern third of the suburb is occupied by the main campus of the University of Queensland. The flatter area on the northern side is primarily medium to high density residential, including some high-rise apartments on the riverfront. The more hilly area in the centre and south is mainly low-density, family-occupied residential. The south-west is occupied by the St Lucia Golf Links.
Ironside is a neighbourhood within the suburb (-27.5°N 153°W).[4]
The Elbow is the name for the easternmost part of the suburb (-27.5011°N 153.02°W), where the Brisbane River makes a sharp bend.[5]
There are two reaches of the Brisbane River surrounding the suburb:
Six Mile Rocks are rocks in the Brisbane River to the south of the suburb (-27.5041°N 153.0094°W).[8]
Three creeks flow through the suburb:
The area was originally part of Indooroopilly and later became a part of Toowong. Initially known as Indooroopilly Pocket, it was briefly called Toowong South before a portion of the area was separated and named as Lang Farm.
Sugar plantations were established in the area in the 1860s. In 1982, William Alexander Wilson, who was born in St Lucia in the West Indies, purchased the Coldridge Plantation and renamed it St Lucia Sugar Plantation. The plantation was subdivided for housing in 1883, and the name was transferred to the subdivision.[12]
Toowong Mixed State School opened on 10 October 1870. It was renamed Indooroopilly State School in 1879, and then Indooroopilly Pocket State School in 1888. In October 1904, it was renamed Ironside State School after the neighbouring estate of John Dunmore Lang.[13]
According to the, St Lucia had a population of 12,220 people, with a gender distribution of 49.3% male and 50.7% female. This gender distribution closely mirrors the national average.
The median age in St Lucia was 25 years, significantly younger than the Australian median of 38 years. Children under 15 years comprised 10.7% of the population, while those aged 65 and over made up 10.9%. Notably, 38.2% of St Lucia’s population was aged between 15 and 24 years, compared to 12.4% nationally.
In terms of birthplace, 54.5% of St Lucia residents were born in Australia, compared to 66.9% nationally. The next most common countries of birth were China (7.4%), England (3.0%), India (2.8%), Malaysia (2.6%), and New Zealand (1.8%).
Regarding language, 63.1% of people spoke only English at home, compared to 72.0% nationally. Other most commonly spoken languages included Mandarin (10.1%), Cantonese (1.7%), Spanish (1.5%), Bengali (1.3%), and Vietnamese (1.2%).
When it came to religion, the most common response was "no religion" (47.8%), compared to 38.4% nationally. Other most common religions were Catholicism (14.4%), Anglicanism (7.7%), and Islam (4.7%).
St Lucia has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Although never heritage-listed, one of St Lucia's most iconic homes was the so-called "The Pink Palace" at 272 Swann Roadd until it was demolished in 2016.[19] [20]
Ironside State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 2 Hawken Drive (-27.5009°N 152.9959°W).[21] [22] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,486 students, with 73 teachers (66 full-time equivalent) and 32 non-teaching staff (20 full-time equivalent).[23]
While there are no secondary schools in St Lucia, several high schools are nearby. The nearest secondary schools include Indooroopilly State High School and St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly as well as Brisbane Boys' College and the Queensland Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology (QAMST) in Toowong.
Several small shopping precincts are located throughout the suburb, but it is primarily residential. The main precinct is a strip of stores along Hawken Drive. This strip includes a local IGA Supermarket, various international restaurants, a medical centre, dentist office, and a post office/news agency. Friday nights are particularly popular for dining out, as many residents enjoy eating at these restaurants.[24] [25] St Lucia Golf Links is an 18-hole pay-and-play public golf course located at the corner of Indooroopilly Road and Carawa Street. The golf course is one of Brisbane's oldest and has hosted several Queensland Open and PGA tournaments. The course layout accommodates golfers of all skill levels.[26]
The University of Queensland provides public access to its swimming pools, tennis courts, and other amenities, although some facilities require a fee.[27] [28] The Schonell Theatre hosts many performances that the members of the public can attend by purchasing tickets.[29]
Every Saturday morning at 7 a.m., the free St Lucia 5 km parkrun takes place near the University of Queensland, opposite the UQ Aquatics Centre on Sir William Macgregor Drive.[30]
St Lucia can be accessed by bus from the western suburbs and Brisbane CBD, with routes terminating at the University of Queensland Bus Station. There is also a NightLink service, a safety initiative that provides buses with security on board all night on Fridays and Saturdays. The Eleanor Schonell Bridge, a dedicated bus, pedestrian, and bicycle bridge, connects the University with Dutton Park, and carries buses from the southern suburbs, CBD, and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to the UQ Lakes Busway Station on the St Lucia campus.
St Lucia can be accessed by ferries from the CBD. The CityCat stops at two terminals in St Lucia, the Guyatt Park CityCat Terminal and the University of Queensland Terminal.
St Lucia has bicycle routes that utilise the residential streets between the University of Queensland and Toowong.
St Lucia has three major thoroughfares, which all lead to the University of Queensland: Swann Road, Sir Fred Schonell Drive, and The Esplanade.