# Sunnybank, Queensland

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Sunnybank is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for its many Asian shops and restaurants. In the 2021 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,892 people.

## History

The Jagera Indigenous people were the first to inhabit the area well over 20,000 years ago.
Early settlers noticed that the Sunnybank district had good rainfall and a beautiful loamy soil, somewhat sandy in character, that produced beautiful displays of natural wild flowers. From the mid-19th century it developed into a farming area with prosperous fruit and poultry farms and gardens of every kind.
In 1885, the railway line was extended from Yeerongpilly, and names had to be given to the railway stations along the line. The name came from a property called Sunny Brae Estate owned by the Gillespie family, Sunnybank got its name when 2 acres (8,100 m$^2$) of land were taken over for the railway. Brae is Scottish for the English word bank, so the area was named Sunnybank. The Town of Sunnybank was surveyed in 1886, with 50 town and suburban land parcels offered for sale in 1887. It was within the local government area of Yeerongpilly Division (later the Shire of Yeerongpilly), then outside the City of Brisbane, until parts of the Shire (including Sunnybank) were amalgamated into the present City of Brisbane in 1925.
Rolling hills and the headwaters for both Stable Swamp Creek and Bulimba Creek have drawn people and wildlife to the Sunnybank area.

### Development

By the first part of the 20th century, farmland increasingly gave way to suburbia. General Motors Holden established a car manufacturing plant on Bradman Street at Acacia Ridge, creating a major source of employment for the entire city of Brisbane.
On 21 June 1914 a group of adherents of the Church of Christ began holding services in private homes. The group purchased a block of land and cleared it. The congregation was formally established in April 1915 with 18 foundation members. The first church was erected in 1918 and moved to a more central location in 1922. By 1975 the church relocated to its present chapel and hall at 105 Station Road (27°34′32″S 153°03′19″E﻿ / ﻿27.5756°S 153.0552°E﻿ / -27.5756; 153.0552﻿ (Sunnybank Church of Christ)).
Opening in 1938, The Oasis, with lush gardens, swimming pools and a mini zoo became Brisbane's most popular tourist attraction. The tropical gardens themselves attracted national and international attention. The Oasis's popularity really took off in 1942 when, during the Second World War, thousands of American military personnel stationed in Brisbane used the Oasis as a rest and recreation venue. It closed in 1989 due to declining patronage. The Oasis was located at 141 Station Road (27°34′25″S 153°03′23″E﻿ / ﻿27.5736°S 153.0563°E﻿ / -27.5736; 153.0563﻿ (The Oasis (former))).
With the 1982 Commonwealth Games being held at the Queen Elizabeth II sporting complex (QE II), now known as the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), and Expo 88 years later, Brisbane and its suburbs like Sunnybank were shown to the world. With new land releases rare in the region, developers have turned to building higher density residential and commercial projects.

### Asian influence on culture

In the late 1980s, an increasing number of Asian immigrants began to settle in Sunnybank and neighbouring suburbs. The influx of Asian immigrants caused the look of the area to change, especially in the primary business district of Sunnybank at the intersection of Mains Road and McCullough Street, where Asian restaurants and businesses are numerous.
Sunnybank is today a thriving multicultural suburb, with strong Asian influences in design, food and culture. Many of the suburb's shops and businesses are owned and run by people of Asian descent who call Australia home, with many bilingual business signs written in Chinese and English.

## Demographics

In the 2011 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,091 people, 50.3% female and 49.7% male. The median age of the Sunnybank population was 34 years, 3 years below the Australian median. 44.1% of people living in Sunnybank were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were China 15.1%, Taiwan 7.1%, India 3.5%, New Zealand 2.8%, Vietnam 2.3%. 48% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 20.4% Mandarin, 7.4% Cantonese, 2% Vietnamese, 1.7% Korean, 1.6% Punjabi.
In the 2016 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,697 people, with 31.0% (the largest group) describing their ancestry as Chinese, with 19.0% of Sunnybank's people being born in China, 9.3% in Taiwan, and 2.6% in Hong Kong.
In the 2021 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,892 people.

## Education

Sunnybank State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 50 Eddington Street (27°34′32″S 153°03′05″E﻿ / ﻿27.5756°S 153.0514°E﻿ / -27.5756; 153.0514﻿ (Sunnybank State School)). It includes a Special Education Program. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 340 students with 27 teachers (22 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (11 full-time equivalent).
Despite its name, Runcorn State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 646 Beenleigh Road in Sunnybank (27°35′17″S 153°03′44″E﻿ / ﻿27.5881°S 153.0621°E﻿ / -27.5881; 153.0621﻿ (Runcorn State School)). It includes a Special Education Program and a Special Education Unit. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 437 students with 33 teachers (27 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent).
Sunnybank State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Boorman Street (27°34′34″S 153°03′35″E﻿ / ﻿27.5762°S 153.0597°E﻿ / -27.5762; 153.0597﻿ (Sunnybank State High School)). It includes the Sunnybank Special Education Unit. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 664 students with 67 teachers (63 full-time equivalent) and 42 non-teaching staff (32 full-time equivalent).
Sunnybank Special School is a special primary and secondary (Early Childhood-12) school for boys and girls at 79 Troughton Road (27°34′20″S 153°02′54″E﻿ / ﻿27.5721°S 153.0483°E﻿ / -27.5721; 153.0483﻿ (Sunnybank Special School)). It includes an Early Childhood Development Program. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 38 students with 14 teachers (11 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).
Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Shearwin Street (27°34′54″S 153°03′43″E﻿ / ﻿27.5816°S 153.0619°E﻿ / -27.5816; 153.0619﻿ (Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 509 students with 37 teachers (31 full-time equivalent) and 15 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent).
St Thomas More College is a Catholic secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at the corner of Troughton Road & Turton Street (27°34′25″S 153°02′56″E﻿ / ﻿27.5737°S 153.0489°E﻿ / -27.5737; 153.0489﻿ (St Thomas More College)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1012 students with 75 teachers (74 full-time equivalent) and 34 non-teaching staff (27 full-time equivalent).
Carinity Education is a private secondary (7-12) school for girls at 153 Lister Street (27°34′40″S 153°03′17″E﻿ / ﻿27.5778°S 153.0547°E﻿ / -27.5778; 153.0547﻿ (Carinity Education - Southside)). The school provides a supportive individual learning environment for girls who have difficulties with mainstream schooling. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 114 students with 10 teachers (8 full-time equivalent) and 18 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent).

## Amenities

The Sunnybank Coopers Plains branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the St. Barnabas Anglican Church Hall at 189 Lister Street.

### Medical

Near the main shopping precincts, the Sunnybank Private Hospital is a modern for-profit hospital, and accompanying annexes with specialist consultants.

### Retail areas

Sunnybank includes shopping centres along Mains Road, such as Sunnybank Plaza. Market Square, located across from this centre, is a community-based centre that is Asian-focused, featuring numerous Asian shops and restaurants. Other shopping centres that are nearby to Sunnybank include Centro Pinelands, Oasis Shopping Village, Westfield Garden City, Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown and Calamvale Central.

### Places of worship

Sunnybank neighbourhood has many spiritual sites, including Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Chinese Methodists, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Churches of Christ, Lutheran, Mormon/The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Presbyterian, Runcorn Christian, Southside International Church, The Great Commission and Uniting churches, Chung Tian Temple, Masjid Al Farooq (Kuraby Mosque), and The Brisbane Synagogue.
Sunnybank Church of Christ is at 105 Station Road (27°34′32″S 153°03′19″E﻿ / ﻿27.5756°S 153.0552°E﻿ / -27.5756; 153.0552﻿ (Sunnybank Church of Christ)).
Sunnybank Wesleyan Methodist Church meets at the Church of Christ. It is part of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia.

### Sport

Sunnybank is home of the Souths Sunnybank Rugby League Football Club, the second oldest rugby league club in Brisbane, and the Sunnybank Dragons Rugby Union Club.

## Transport

Sunnybank is a busy area, and there have been ever-growing traffic problems in the area. Mains Road can become gridlocked around peak-hour, packed with cars and buses, as commuters make the slow ride home, although construction has widened and improved the Mains Road bridge which crosses the train line at Altandi. Sunnybank plaza has a small bus stop, which serves as one of the major stops on most bus routes in the area.
Banoon railway station, Sunnybank railway station and Altandi railway station provides access to regular Queensland Rail City network services to Brisbane and Beenleigh.

## Climate

Climate data for Sunnybank :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 119.3 (4.70) | 108.5 (4.27) | 111.4 (4.39) | 66.3 (2.61) | 53.2 (2.09) | 43.6 (1.72) | 31.2 (1.23) | 31.6 (1.24) | 34.3 (1.35) | 63.9 (2.52) | 76.7 (3.02) | 106.4 (4.19) | 1,073.8 (42.28) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology ||||||||||||||
Climate data for Archerfield Airport :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) | 29.7 (85.5) | 28.6 (83.5) | 26.4 (79.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 21.3 (70.3) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 25.1 (77.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 28.3 (82.9) | 29.4 (84.9) | 26.1 (79.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.2 (68.4) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.3 (64.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 11.8 (53.2) | 9.2 (48.6) | 7.5 (45.5) | 8.0 (46.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 14.3 (57.7) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.0 (66.2) | 14.3 (57.7) |
| Source 1: Bureau of Meteorology ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: Bureau of Meteorology ||||||||||||||

## Notable residents

* Len Ardill, politician
* Mark Coyne, Queensland Maroons, Australia, St George Dragons player.
* Ben Cutting, Australian cricketer, born in Sunnybank
* Luke Feldman, Australian cricketer, born in Sunnybank
* Ken Ham, President of Answers in Genesis
* Katrina Gorry, soccer player for Australia
* Samantha Reid, member of Australian Olympic team, synchronized swimmer.
* Johnathan Thurston, Queensland Maroons, Australia,Canterbury Bulldogs, and North Queensland Cowboys player.
* Lote Tuqiri, dual code rugby international
* Daniel Vidot, Samoan professional wrestler, and former rugby league player