Samford, Queensland

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Samford
Queensland

Looking onto C.S.I.R.O land (Samford)
Population: 3,287 (2006 census)
Postcode: 4520
Location: 21 km (13 mi) from Brisbane
LGA: Moreton Bay Regional Council
State District: Ferny Grove
Federal Division: Dickson
Localities around Samford:
Ceder Creek Yugar Draper
Highvale Samford Draper
Wights Mountain Camp Mountain Ferny Hills

Samford is a valley community located in South East Queensland, Australia. It is roughly 21 km north west of Brisbane. It is located in the local government area of Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Contents

[edit] Location

Samford is probably the closest semi-rural acreage township to Brisbane. There are many acreage properties located in Samford Valley which are a short walk to the village centre. Access to Samford from Brisbane is along Samford Road. Drive 15 minutes to Ferny Grove. The busy city is left behind. Meandering another 5 minutes through the Samford State Forest brings us to the very pretty Samford Village. Samford is located adjacent to the Samford State Forest section of Brisbane Forest Park. Brisbane Forest Park comprises more than 26,500ha enclosing 16 separate recreation areas. This park is a favourite of bush walkers, bird lovers and picnickers. The wide variety of habitat provides a sanctuary for a broad range of native wildlife.

2007 View of Camp Mountain South West from Main Street
2007 View of Camp Mountain South West from Main Street

The D'Aguilar Range (Camp Mountain, Mt Nebo, Mt Glorious, Mount Pleasant) as well as the House Mountain Range more or less encircles the valley. While Samford supports a substantial population from the surrounding areas, the village itself has a population of only 656 in 2006[1] (rising from 448 in 2001).[2]

[edit] Transport

  • 5 minute drive to Ferny Grove Train Station (Buses between Samford and Ferny Grove train station)
  • 20 minute drive to the Brisbane’s CBD
  • 15 minute drive to major regional shopping centres at Aspley / Chermside via Eaton’s Crossing Road
  • 15 minute drive via Brendale to access Gympie Road / Bruce Highway / Gateway Motorway (North and South)
  • 30 minute drive to Brisbane domestic and international airports (airports also serviced by rail)

There several potential transport plans which may affect Samford Valley. Those plans include -

“Samford Valley Sub-Arterial” / “Samford Valley Road” / “Samford Valley Connection Road” / "Samford Bypass" – Refers to the preserved traffic corridor from Ferny Hills / Upper Kedron and turning back up through Samford itself. The areas for this corridor have already been set aside and can be found at the Main Roads Department website. Refer Main Roads Department Map of the Samford Bypass

“Western Bypass” / “Western Brisbane Bypass” / “Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation” – Refers to plans/investigations into the feasibility of a freeway connecting the Warrego/Cunningham highways through to the Bruce Highway north of the Gateway Arterial. A route for this freeway has not been determined. One of the possible routes is Ipswich - Mt Coot-tha - Brisbane Forest Park – Samford Valley. There is a possibility of a linkage between the proposed Samford Bypass and the possible Western Bypass. Refer Westernbypass.org

[edit] Facilities

Center of Samford Village: View of John Scott Park with Slab Hut Gallery on left, rotunda/stage in centre, & children’s playground on far right. Note stage is located on former railway station site
Center of Samford Village: View of John Scott Park with Slab Hut Gallery on left, rotunda/stage in centre, & children’s playground on far right. Note stage is located on former railway station site

Samford Village contains a vast mix of historical buildings, restaurants, shops and services. Samford's heritage as a village servicing farming communities is apparent from the facilities which include a saddlery, hardware and produce stores, as well as banking, shopping, medical, chiropractic, fitness, legal and accounting. Samford must contain one of greater Brisbane’s most diverse mixture of first-class ethnic and traditional restaurants / takeaways.

[edit] Samford Valley Historical Museum

A popular tourist attraction is the Samford Valley Historical Museum.

[edit] John Scott Park

Located in the heart of the village, John Scott Park is the frequent venue of community cultural activities such as free concerts and holiday celebrations. The park contains excellent playground facilities for children, and is a popular venue for weekend barbecues.

[edit] Information Centre / Galleries / Boutiques

The Slab Hut Gallery is an information centre and art gallery located in John Scott Park at the centre of town. There are several boutiques and gift shops in the immediate vicinity of John Scott Park.

[edit] Scouting / Baden Powell Park / Heritage Centre & Museum

In addition to the Samford Scout Group, the Scout Association of Queensland operates Baden Powell Park. An easy walk to the Village, BP Park consists of 56 hectares of natural bush land bordering the Brisbane Forest Park. Included within the grounds are modern fully equipped conference facilities for up to 150 (including audio visual equipment), commercial kitchen, accommodation blocks, camping ground (for up to 500), swimming pool, dam, abseiling tower as well as walking trails of various grades throughout the park. The facilities at Baden Powell Park can be booked for conferences, scouting groups, school groups, or by the general public. Baden Powell Park is the venue for a number of activities open to the public such as laser skirmish and abseiling. The Baden-Powell Heritage Centre & Museum is also open to scouting groups and to the general public on weekends (check the website for opening times).

[edit] Sports & Activities

Some of the local sports played in and around town include:

  • Swimming
  • Horse riding
  • Soccer
  • Football
  • Cricket
  • Netball
  • Lawn Bowls
  • Samford Scout Group
  • Baden Powell Park
  • Sport and Recreation Facility - The Pine Rivers Shore Council has acquired the former CSIRO land which is on the northern edge of the village and comprises some 140 ha. The Council is planning a sport and recreation facility that will become a major resource for the residents of Samford Valley and the Pine Rivers Shire. The possible facilities include open space, camp ground, equestrian, tennis, netball, amphitheatre, kiosk, soccer and rugby league and parking.

Copies of the most up to date Master Plans are available by going to the Pine Rivers Shire Council website and searching for “park master plans”.

[edit] Education

There are 2 local primary schools:

The closest high school is Ferny Grove State High school which is located approximately 10 minutes away at nearby Ferny Grove. Several private schools also maintain buses to Samford, including St Paul's School, Bald Hills, Padua College and St. Joseph's Nudgee College, Boondall.

[edit] History

Samford's very first inhabitants were an aboriginal tribe which belonged to the Waka language group, whose territory also included the upper Brisbane River and the South Burnett. While there are no aboriginal tribes still living in Samford, their history remains by means of the very well maintained Bora Ring at Wights Mountain, the burial site near Upper Camp Mountain Road and the records kept at the local historical museum. Although they're closer to Brisbane than most acreage areas in the Pine Rivers Shire, the secluded valleys of the upper reaches of the South Pine River were not settled by Europeans until the mid 1850s. After the subdivision of farms into acreage homesites commenced in the 1960s, and substantial upgrading of road access more recently, Samford has become a desirable rural residential address and hundreds of residents now commute from their homes to work in Brisbane.

This first business to open in the Samford area was a shop and bakehouse which was owned and built by Alex Lawson.

1920s View of Camp Mountain South West from Main Street. Note former rail crossing and railway station
1920s View of Camp Mountain South West from Main Street. Note former rail crossing and railway station

In 1919 the O'Hara's Hotel or the Samford hotel shifted to its current location where it still operates from today, the location where the hotel previously operated from before the moved was then brought and used by the CSIRO. In the late 1950s, this hotel again changed its name from the Samford Railway Hotel to the Golden Valley Hotel. By 1908, banana growing on the steep ridges at the foot of the ranges had become one of the most important industries in the Samford district. After World War 1, the Government created additional small farms so that returned servicemen with limited capital were able to get started in the industry. During 1926 and 1927, more bananas were consigned to southern markets from Samford Railway Station than any other railway station in Queensland. This success was short-lived, however, as a virus which had wiped out banana growing in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, 'Bunchy Top' disease, finally affected the crop and was the primary reason for the decline of the industry in the Pine Rivers Shire.[3]

[edit] Climate

Samford has a sub-tropical climate with very hot humid summers and mild, dry, sunny winters. Most rain falls during the height of summer, between November and February.

Whilst summer maximum average temperatures generally linger around 30C, the summer months have some extremely hot days, sometimes as high as 40C.

Current realtime Samford weather details can be found here.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Samford (L) (Urban Centre/Locality). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). Samford (L) (Urban Centre/Locality). 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
  3. ^ Pine Rivers Shire Council | Queensland Australia - Samford

[edit] External links