Redcliffe, Australia

Redcliffe is a peninsula on the western end of Moreton Bay in the south-east Great Sandy Region of Queensland, Australia. Redcliffe is also the name of the city that fills the peninsula and borders the state capital of Brisbane to the southwest. The city acts as a service centre for the Moreton Bay island communities, a tourist hub for the Bay, and base of operations for a thriving fishing and seafood industry. As of 2004 it had a population of approximately fifty thousand people occupying thirty-seven square kilometres.

Redcliffe proper is incorporated as a city of the Commonwealth of Australia, and is governed by a municipal council.

Demographics

• Male population: 23,400
• Female population: 25,671
• Aged 14 and under: 9,073
• Aged 15 to 64 (inclusive): 30,501
• Aged 65 and over : 9,497
• Total: 49,071

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Economy

Fishing and prawning are the principal primary industries, with mostly light industries located at Clontarf and Kippa-Ring. Tourism is also an important industry to the area with approximately 500,000 tourists visiting each year. This focus on tourism has existed since the late 1800s, when people came by boat to enjoy its safe, sheltered and sandy beaches. The area is rich in natural resources, with many sandy beaches and picturesque parks. It is a popular location for residents of Brisbane seeking a place to relax. From Redcliffe you can access Moreton Island, or at Deception Bay you can sail down the Caboolture River.

The major shopping centres in the area are Peninsula Fair, Redcliffe City Heart, Kippa-Ring Village and Margate and Deception Bay Shopping Centres. Most large national retailers have outlets in Redcliffe.

History

The area was first visited by Matthew Flinders on 17 July 1799. Explorer John Oxley recommended Redcliffe to the governor of Brisbane as the site of a penal colony. He and Settlement Commandant Lieutenant Miller, a crew and 29 convicts sailed on the Amity from Sydney and arrived at Redcliffe on 13 September 1824. In 1825 the settlement was relocated to the banks of the Brisbane River, and Redcliffe was deserted until the 1860s when it was designated as an agricultural reserve. Residential development began in the 1880s and the population grew significantly after the 1935 when the Hornibrook Highway was opened. The two lane 2.8 km long Hornibrook Bridge crossed the mouth of Pine River and linked the peninsula to Brisbane. A replacement three lane bridge, the Houghton Highway, was opened in 1979.

Redcliffe is also the former home of the Bee Gees who have since described the area as 'paradise'.

Communities on and around the Peninsula

The suburbs of the City of Redcliffe are: Clontarf, Queensland - Woody-Point - Kippa-Ring - Margate, Queensland - Scarborough, Queensland - and Rothwell, Queensland on the isthmus connecting the peninsula to the mainland.

To the north-west of the peninsula is Deception Bay in the Shire of Caboolture and to the south-west and south (across Bramble Bay) are the suburbs of Brighton and Sandgate of Brisbane.