Forest Lake, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Forest Lake or "The Living Forest" as it is affectionately known, was the first Master Planned Community within the municipality of Brisbane
, Queensland
. It has won numerous awards for its design and had a population of 20,900 residents, as of February 2006. Delfin
, the developer of Forest Lake, was absorbed into Lend Lease
in 2001. Now operating as Delfin Lend Lease
, they are developing the adjacent Springfield Lakes
Master Planned Community.
Forest Lake was considered instrumental in the creation of affordable housing
within Australia
. The development was the first modern day community to contain small lot product, a first during its time. The master planned community contained retail
, commercial
, educational, residential, retirement
, and recreational uses. The entire community is linked by an extensive network of pedestrian and cycle paths, which are integrated into the large open space network.
Forest Lake lies within the Brisbane City Council municipality and is approximately 19 km from the Brisbane central business district
. It adjoins the suburbs of Doolandella, Park Ridge and Algester. It successfully mixes wildlife with residential development.
The centrepiece of Forest Lake is an $8.9 million, 10.7 hectare recreational lake, with a perimeter of 2.7 km.
The Forest Lake Village Shopping Centre
is located in Forest Lake.
During World War II, the Forest Lake area was used as an encampment by American soldiers.
In 1990, construction of the master planned community commenced by Delfin Lend Lease
. In 1991, Forest Lake was officially launched by the then Premier of Queensland, Wayne Goss
. The development lasted until 2006, when the last block of land was sold.
There are an abundance of sporting complexes and beautiful fields around the suburb. Sports include rugby union, netball, baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming, water polo, triathlon, cricket and athletics.
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...
, Queensland
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...
. It has won numerous awards for its design and had a population of 20,900 residents, as of February 2006. Delfin
Delfin Lend Lease
Lend Lease Communities is the Australian Master Planned Communities arm of property and infrastructure company Lend Lease Corporation, an Australian-based global property and infrastructure solutions company.-History:...
, the developer of Forest Lake, was absorbed into Lend Lease
Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
in 2001. Now operating as Delfin Lend Lease
Delfin Lend Lease
Lend Lease Communities is the Australian Master Planned Communities arm of property and infrastructure company Lend Lease Corporation, an Australian-based global property and infrastructure solutions company.-History:...
, they are developing the adjacent Springfield Lakes
Springfield Lakes, Queensland
Springfield Lakes is a suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.Springfield Lakes forms part of a 2850 hectare site being Australia’s largest master planned community. .-References:...
Master Planned Community.
Forest Lake was considered instrumental in the creation of affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
within 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...
. The development was the first modern day community to contain small lot product, a first during its time. The master planned community contained retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
, educational, residential, retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
, and recreational uses. The entire community is linked by an extensive network of pedestrian and cycle paths, which are integrated into the large open space network.
Forest Lake lies within the Brisbane City Council municipality and is approximately 19 km from the Brisbane central business district
Brisbane central business district
The Brisbane central business district , sometimes referred to as the city, is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is located on a point on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The triangular shaped area is bounded by the Brisbane River to the east, south and west...
. It adjoins the suburbs of Doolandella, Park Ridge and Algester. It successfully mixes wildlife with residential development.
The centrepiece of Forest Lake is an $8.9 million, 10.7 hectare recreational lake, with a perimeter of 2.7 km.
The Forest Lake Village Shopping Centre
Forest Lake Village Shopping Centre
Forest Lake Village Shopping Centre is a shopping mall located in Forest Lake, Queensland, Australia.Forest Lake Shopping Village has these major stores: Aldi and Woolworths.- Anchor tenants :* Woolworths* Aldi* Best & Less...
is located in Forest Lake.
History
A homestead was built by Henry Farley in the late 1870s on a site that is now Homestead Park. It was a substantial building of two-stories and timber construction. In the 1930s it was destroyed by fire, although it has been said that termites caused a great deal of damage to the structure beforehand. In 1881 the homestead and surrounding property were purchased by Michael' Stumpy' Durack. The surrounding area became part of "Archerfield Station".During World War II, the Forest Lake area was used as an encampment by American soldiers.
In 1990, construction of the master planned community commenced by Delfin Lend Lease
Delfin Lend Lease
Lend Lease Communities is the Australian Master Planned Communities arm of property and infrastructure company Lend Lease Corporation, an Australian-based global property and infrastructure solutions company.-History:...
. In 1991, Forest Lake was officially launched by the then Premier of Queensland, Wayne Goss
Wayne Goss
Wayne Keith Goss was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996.-Early life:He was born at Mundubbera, Queensland and educated at Inala High School and the University of Queensland...
. The development lasted until 2006, when the last block of land was sold.
The master planned community which was created by Delfin Lend LeaseDelfin Lend LeaseLend Lease Communities is the Australian Master Planned Communities arm of property and infrastructure company Lend Lease Corporation, an Australian-based global property and infrastructure solutions company.-History:...
was so successful, that in the latter years of the development, up to 40% of new homes sold were purchased by existing residents. (David Keir, Project Director 1996-2000)
The Lake
- Area: 10.9 hectares
- Perimeter: 2.7 kilometres
- Depth: 2.6 metres on average (300 – 600 mm around the safety ledge, deepening to 4 metres in the centre)
- Surroundings: 3.5 kilometres of pedestrian and cycleways; 8 hectares of adjacent parkland
- Volume: 310,000 cubic metres or 269 Olympic Swimming Pools
- Total Cost: $6.7 million for the lake's construction, stilling basins and adjacent parkland. $1.8 million for the dam wall, outlet structure and Boulevard embankment.
- Man Made
Algae Issues
It was discovered in 2011 that the Lake was infected with a toxic algae. The government immediately began to search into this, and worked hard to remove the infection from the water.Awards
- 1991 - Royal Australian Planning Institute (QLD): Award for Excellence in Planning
- 1991 - Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management: Annual Award - Homestead Village Design
- 1992 - Queensland Association of Landscape Industries: 1st Prize (Commercial One Landscaping) - Forest Lake Sales and Information Centre
- 1994 - Urban Development Institute of Australia: Queensland Award for Excellence - Marketing
- 1994 - Urban Development Institute of Australia: Queensland Award for Excellence - Urban Design
- 1995 - Case Easrth Awards Queensland: Category Two Award - Forest Lake
- 1995 - Case Easrth Awards Queensland: Category Three Award - Forest Lake
- 1996 - Urban Development Institute of Australia: Queensland Awards for Excellence - Environment
- 1996 - Institute of Engineers (QLD): Engineering Excellence Award - Environment
- 1998 - Urban Development Institute of Australia: Queensland Awards for Excellence - Premier Award
- 1999 - Urban Development Institute of Australia: National Awards for Excellence - Community Creation
- 2000 - Urban Development Institute of Australia: Queensland Awards for Excellence - Community Creation
- 2002 - Urban Development Institute of Australia: Queensland Awards for Excellence - Master Planned Community
Sport
- The Lakes Junior Rugby Union Club, Forest Lake - http://www.thelakes.rugbynet.com.au/.
There are an abundance of sporting complexes and beautiful fields around the suburb. Sports include rugby union, netball, baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming, water polo, triathlon, cricket and athletics.
Education
There are 4 schools in the suburb of Forest Lake- Forest Lake Primary School
- Grand Avenue Primary School
- Forest Lake High School
- Forest Lake CollegeForest Lake CollegeSt. John's Anglican College classes from Prep to Year Six are conducted at the campus in Alpine Place, Forest Lake, Queensland. This campus operates in partnership with Education Queensland....
(Alpine Place and College Avenue Campuses)