Wynnum, Queensland

Wynnum is a suburb located on the shores of Moreton Bay in Brisbane, Australia, about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) east of the CBD. Although Wynnum is situated next to the ocean, the shoreline is covered in mangroves and aromatic mudflats which makes it unsuitable for swimming at low tide. Next to the Wynnum Wading Pool which has a playground and Water Park and the Wynnum Jetty, there is a man-made beach called Pandanus Beach.

History

Street in Wynnum, c. 1889.

The area was sparsely settled until the arrival of the railway in the late 1880s, but then grew fairly rapidly. The former Wynnum Shire Council was created in 1902, and twelve years later Wynnum became a municipality with its own town council and the right to elect a mayor. The Wynnum Town Council was absorbed into the enlarged City of Brisbane in 1925.^[2]

The suburb has traditionally boasted a country town atmosphere, but new residential development is resulting in significant population growth and changing demographics. The area is now marked by a mix of character housing and modern housing.

Demographics

In the 2011 Census the population of Wynnum is 12,229, 51.1% female and 48.9% male.

The median/average age of the Wynnum population is 40 years of age, 3 years above the Australian average.

73.7% of people living in Wynnum were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 6.2%, England 5.3%, Philippines 0.9%, Scotland 0.8%, South Africa 0.5%.

88.9% of people speak English as their first language 0.5% Tagalog, 0.4% German, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.3% Filipino, 0.3% Spanish.

Heritage listings

Wynnum Hall

Wynnum has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• 199 Bay Terrace: Mount Carmel Convent^[3]
• 75 Berrima Street: Waterloo Bay Hotel^[4]
• The Esplanade: Wynnum Wading Pool^[5]
• 39 Mountjoy Terrace: former Wynnum Fire Station^[6]
• 33 Tingal Road: former Wynnum Ambulance Station^[7]
• 272 Wynnum North Road: Nazareth House^[8]

These examples are from the Queensland Heritage Register. Additional sites are listed on the Brisbane City Council Heritage Register and the Australian Heritage Database.

Infrastructure

Wynnum railway station

Transport

Wynnum is served by three stations on the Cleveland railway line. Wynnum North railway station, Wynnum railway station and Wynnum Central railway station provide access to regular Citytrain services to Brisbane and Cleveland.

Education

The Wynnum district has several primary schools and two public high schools - Wynnum State High School and Brisbane Bayside State College.

Sport

It also has an extensive range of sporting clubs, such as Wynnum Seagulls Rugby League Club, Wynnum Golf Club, Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club, Wynnum Bugs Rugby Union Club, Brisbane (formerly Wynnum) Wolves Soccer Club, Bayside United Soccer Club and Wynnum Vikings Australian Rules Football Club. Wynnum Esplanade hosts Wynnum parkrun every Saturday - a free weekly 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) walk/run which attracts many participants. Recreational clubs include the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club and the RSL. The Wynnum foreshore is a popular swimming and picnic spot for Brisbane families especially at weekends.

Notable residents

Olympic swimming medallist Samantha Riley, Totally Wild television host Stacey Thomson and Australian Idol host Kyle Sandilands are originally from Wynnum. Quentin Bryce, the serving Governor General of Australia, was educated at Moreton Bay College, Wynnum. The Right Reverend Dr Keith Rayner, former Archbishop of Melbourne and Anglican Primate of Australia, was Rector of Wynnum from 1963-69.^[9]

Population Growth

^[10]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wynnum, Queensland.

• Brisbites : Suburban Sites : Wynnum (via Pandora)
• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Wynnum
• Wynnum-Manly History : A Virtual Heritage Trail (Brisbane Stories)
• Your Brisbane Past and Present