Beenleigh, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Beenleigh is a suburb in the Logan City area of Queensland
, Australia
. Beenleigh and adjoining suburbs are located near the confluence of the Logan
and Albert
rivers. Whilst it was once a stand-alone town built on sugar and home to Australia
's oldest rum distillery
built in 1864, increasing development in South East Queensland
since the 1980s has seen it enveloped by Brisbane
and the Gold Coast
.
shire, England. The first sugar cane mill was built in 1867 and by 1885 another 29 were operational.
Historically, Beenleigh's main industries have been sugar cane harvesting and beef production at an abattoir
. The abattoir was established in 1952 and is still one of the largest industries in Beenleigh. Commercial dairying in the area began in 1889.
Until the 1990s, Beenleigh was the centre of the Albert Shire, which also included the suburbs of Eagleby, Alberton, Mt Warren Park, Windaroo, Edens Landing, Holmview, Pimpama, Jacob's Well. The Albert Shire was dissolved and Beenleigh and the surrounding suburbs were then merged with Gold Coast City Council. A few years ago, these suburbs were unmerged from Gold Coast City Council (despite protests from locals who voted against being part of Logan) and are currently under the jurisdiction of Logan City Council.
, Woolworths
, BI-LO
, Big W
, Aldi
and a Mitre 10 MEGA
.
At the heart of Beenleigh stands the Southern District Court complex, first established in 1871. For many years, the court was constituted solely of three magistrates, this changed with the allocation of a permanent sitting District Court of Queensland
Judge in 1998. The first presiding District Court Judge in Beenleigh was Judge O'Brien. Recently, the Southern District Court complex has played an integral role in the development of the progressive Drug Court.
Beenleigh Mitre 10 MEGA
opened in 2004 it was the company's first Australian MEGA store, it employs over 200 people.
Day care
facilities are available at the Lutheran Beenleigh Family Day Care Scheme.
. QR
Citytrain
provides frequent services to Brisbane
and the Gold Coast
via the Beenleigh railway line at the centrally located Beenleigh railway station
.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Beenleigh and adjoining suburbs are located near the confluence of the Logan
Logan River
The Logan River is a river in South East Queensland. The catchment is dominated by urban and agricultural land use. Near the river mouth are mangrove forests and a number of aquaculture farms.-History:...
and Albert
Albert River (Queensland)
The Albert River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast and Beaudesert shires and covers an area of 782 square kilometres. The river provides drinking water for the town of Beaudesert....
rivers. Whilst it was once a stand-alone town built on sugar and home to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's oldest rum distillery
Beenleigh Rum
Beenleigh Rum is one of Australia's oldest brands of rum. It is currently available in both dark and light rum grades. Both varieties are fermented from sugar cane molasses.-History:...
built in 1864, increasing development in South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
since the 1980s has seen it enveloped by Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
.
History
Beenleigh was first colonised in the 1860s, with the first permanment European settlement occurring by John Davy and Frank Gooding who named their sugar cane plantation Beenleigh in memory of their family estate in DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire, England. The first sugar cane mill was built in 1867 and by 1885 another 29 were operational.
Historically, Beenleigh's main industries have been sugar cane harvesting and beef production at an abattoir
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
. The abattoir was established in 1952 and is still one of the largest industries in Beenleigh. Commercial dairying in the area began in 1889.
Until the 1990s, Beenleigh was the centre of the Albert Shire, which also included the suburbs of Eagleby, Alberton, Mt Warren Park, Windaroo, Edens Landing, Holmview, Pimpama, Jacob's Well. The Albert Shire was dissolved and Beenleigh and the surrounding suburbs were then merged with Gold Coast City Council. A few years ago, these suburbs were unmerged from Gold Coast City Council (despite protests from locals who voted against being part of Logan) and are currently under the jurisdiction of Logan City Council.
Facilities
Still predominately a self-sufficient town with expanding retail and commercial areas close by, Beenleigh is home to three shopping centres with Coles SupermarketsColes Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
, Woolworths
Woolworths (supermarkets)
Woolworths is the largest supermarket chain in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited.-History:Woolworths Limited was founded in 1924, with the first store opening up in Sydney's Imperial Arcade.-2008 rebranding:...
, BI-LO
BI-LO (Australia)
BI-LO is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers . Once a chain of 180 outlets, most BI-LO supermarkets were re-branded as Coles Supermarkets during 2006 and 2007. In October 2008, Coles stated it was looking to create a new chain to replace the remaining BI-LO stores...
, Big W
Big W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
, Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
and a Mitre 10 MEGA
Mitre 10
Mitre 10 is the trading name of retail and trade hardware store chains, over 700 locations throughout of Australia. Operations are based on a co-operative system where the store owners are members of the national group and each has voting rights...
.
At the heart of Beenleigh stands the Southern District Court complex, first established in 1871. For many years, the court was constituted solely of three magistrates, this changed with the allocation of a permanent sitting District Court of Queensland
District Court of Queensland
The District Court of Queensland is a court in Queensland, a state of Australia. It has jurisdiction to hear:* appeals from decisions of the Magistrates' Court of Queensland;...
Judge in 1998. The first presiding District Court Judge in Beenleigh was Judge O'Brien. Recently, the Southern District Court complex has played an integral role in the development of the progressive Drug Court.
Beenleigh Mitre 10 MEGA
Mitre 10
Mitre 10 is the trading name of retail and trade hardware store chains, over 700 locations throughout of Australia. Operations are based on a co-operative system where the store owners are members of the national group and each has voting rights...
opened in 2004 it was the company's first Australian MEGA store, it employs over 200 people.
Day care
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
facilities are available at the Lutheran Beenleigh Family Day Care Scheme.
Transport
Beenleigh is situated on the Pacific MotorwayPacific Motorway
The Pacific Motorway is a 100 km long motorway in Australia between Brisbane, Queensland, and the New South Wales-Queensland border at Tweed Heads. The motorway starts at Coronation Drive at Milton in Brisbane, and from 2008 links the Tweed Heads bypass in New South Wales...
. QR
Queensland Rail
Queensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...
Citytrain
CityTrain
Citytrain is the brand name of urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. Its network, centering in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is approximately in route length...
provides frequent services to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
via the Beenleigh railway line at the centrally located Beenleigh railway station
Beenleigh railway station, Brisbane
Beenleigh Station is a railway station on the Beenleigh Line of Brisbane, Australia. It is part of the Queensland Rail City network. It is the terminus for the Beenleigh Line, and serves as a stop on the Gold Coast Line....
.