Keperra, Queensland

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Keperra
Brisbane, Queensland

Population:

7052 (2001 census)

Postcode:

4054

Area:

5.5 km² (2.1 sq mi)

Property Value:

AUD $305,000 ^[1]

Location:

12 km (7 mi) from Brisbane

LGA:

City of Brisbane

State District:

Ferny Grove

Federal Division:

Brisbane

Suburbs around Keperra:
Ferny Hills	Arana Hills	Everton Hills
Ferny Grove	Keperra	Mitchelton
Upper Kedron	The Gap	Enoggera

Keperra is a suburb in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia which is located approximately 9 kilometres north-west of the CBD. It has a deep and rich history, with some thinking that the name was based upon the Aboriginal term for “Kipper” (a young tribe member who has reached initiation age). Two bora rings used to be located within the suburb, one near the corner of Samford Road and Keperra Street (now under housing) and one which disappeared with the construction of the Keperra Country Club.

In 1865 Thomas Price sold a large portion of land in Keperra to John and Mary Nicholsen who built a home and named it Groveley Lodge (the extra 'e' in the name was dropped in later years). The surrounding district soon became known by the same name and Keperra was known as Grovely West until recent times. In the 1880s the Nicholsens sold the land to the Dawsons (Dawson Parade). In 1908 the Dawson property was subdivided and pineapple and fruit gave way to poultry farming.

The railway was built through the area in 1918 but it was originally a siding located near the western end of the Keperra Country Club. Capt. Robert H Cottam founded the Keperra Golf Club in 1931 and it was originally called the Enoggera Golf Club. The name changed to the Keperra Golf Club in 1940 and it is now called the Keperra Country Club.

The railway station was named Keperra Station in 1932 and moved to its current site in 1956. In about 1940 a military camp was established on the slaughterhouse site. The army camp constructed many of the roads and much of the land was transferred to the Housing Commission for housing development in 1951.

The population of the suburb was 7,498 in 2004.

The suburb boasts a golf course (Keperra Country Club), shopping centres (Great Western and two smaller ones at Dallas Parade near the Keperra station and on Dawson Parade near Grovely station), churches, a hospital, dog off-leash area, two railway stations (Keperra and Grovely) and bus services (to Mitchelton, The Gap and Ferny Grove). An area of vegetation known as Keperra Bushland bounds the suburb to the south on its border with The Gap while the Keperra Picnic Grounds are located in the north-west section at the intersection of Samford Road and Upper Kedron Road. From 1966 to 2000 there was a drive-in movie theatre located at the corner of Settlement and Samford Roads which is now the site of the Kings Grove Estate (known locally as Kings Park).

At the intersection of Settlement Road and Samford Road is the Great Western Shopping Centre. A large quarry exists to the east and south-east of the centre but mining activities have ceased and the area is being converted to a housing estate by Multiplex. The conversion will also see the expansion of the shopping centre to the south of its present location.

The railway line running east between Keperra, Grovely, Oxford Park and Mitchelton is currently undergoing duplication. This work is is expected to be completed by 2008. Grovely is a locality within the suburb of Keperra. The Brisbane Institute of Tertiary and Further Education (TAFE) Grovely Campus is located within Keperra as is the Arana Leagues Club on Dawson Parade near the border with the suburb of Arana Hills.

Housing within the suburb ranges from modest post-war homes built from weatherboard and mainly located on the northern side of Samford Road and south of the railway to larger brick dwellings built during the 1980s and 1990s within the Kings Park Estate. A moderate segment of the population also lives within the large Keperra Sanctuary Retirement Village located on the south side of Samford Road just east of the Great Western Shopping Centre.