Stretton, Queensland

Stretton Brisbane, Queensland
Track into Karawatha Forest at Stretton
Population	4,067 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	4116
Location	18 km (11 mi) from Brisbane GPO
LGA(s)	City of Brisbane
State electorate(s)	Electoral district of Stretton
Federal Division(s)	Oxley
Suburbs around Stretton: Sunnybank Hills Runcorn Kuraby Calamvale Stretton Karawatha Drewvale Drewvale Karawatha

Stretton is a suburb on the south side of Brisbane, Australia. It is 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the Brisbane Central Business District, and borders the suburbs of Calamvale, Sunnybank Hills, Karawatha, Kuraby, and Drewvale.

History

In the early 19th century, the area and many of today's suburbs around the Sunnybank area were part of a vast area known as Coopers Plains. In 1861, Governor Bowen declared a wide area that included Eight Mile Plains to Stretton as a Brisbane Agricultural Reserve. This agricultural reserve was originally used as a source of timber, but when it was found to be good farming land, settlers quickly turned it into farms that produced sought-after fruit, vegetables, and poultry.

Stretton was gazetted as a suburb of Brisbane in 1972, and was named after George Stretton, a settler, postmaster and hotelier at Browns Plains in the 1870s.^[2][3]

Population

More than 65 per cent of households in Stretton are couples with children; 22 per cent are couples without children, and 10 per cent are single-parent households. In 1989 there was controversy regarding the sale of land to Asian investors, and there is a large Asian population in the suburb today. With rare exceptions, the dwellings in Stretton are stand-alone houses — generally modern, brick and tile. Houses in the north-west corner of Stretton include many huge, multi-storey mansions.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the population of Stretton was 4,067: 51.5% female and 48.5% male.^[1]

The median age of the Stretton population was 36 years, 1 year below the Australian median.

41.6% of people living in Stretton were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were China 7.1%, Taiwan 7%, New Zealand 4.1%, Hong Kong 4%, India 3.1%. 41.4% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 16.2% Mandarin, 11.3% Cantonese, 3.3% Vietnamese, 2.9% Hindi, 2.4% Korean.

Affluence

In the 2011 census, the median weekly household income in Stretton was $1,843, compared to the national median of $1,234. This difference is also reflected in real estate, with the median mortgage payment being $2400 per month, compared to the national median of $1,800.^[1]

To the north-west corner of the suburb are large, opulent mansions most exceeding 1000 squares and fetch upwards of $2,000,000 AUD when they hit the market. Kardella Street in the same area is known as the Millionaires Row of Southside Brisbane and is the location for many large and luxurious homes with some in excess of 2000 squares and can sell upwards of $5,000,000 AUD and even close to $8,000,000 AUD. Many if not all of the mansions in Stretton sit on 1-acre (4,000 m²) of land and have luxury features such as swimming pools (indoor and out), tennis courts, squash courts etc. 38 Kardella Street has been on and off the market for years and lives to be the largest single family private residence in Southside Brisbane at over 2000 squares of living space with 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and it is luxury and in most cases unique features include indoor swimming pool, tennis court, indoor squash court, recording studio, 10 car garage, 1-acre (4,000 m²) of land and is priced at around $8,000,000 AUD.

Environment

A military map from 1922 shows only four houses in the area that is now Stretton.

The northern part of Stretton includes several hills, but the land flattens out towards the south. The southern part has more vegetation, as it joins Karawatha Forest to the south-east and the Calamvale Creek wetlands on the south-west.

Facilities

Stretton is home to Hope Christian Assembly, a multicultural Pentecostal Church affiliated with Australian Christian Churches which holds services at Stretton State College.^[4] Stretton State College is located at the southern (Drewvale) end of the suburb.

In addition to small local shops, Calamvale Village on Kameruka Street and Sunnybank Hills Shopping Centre on Hellawell Road provide basic shopping. Garden City at Upper Mount Gravatt is a larger shopping centre nearby.^[5]

References

External links

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Stretton
• Critters of Calamvale Creek wildlife of Calamvale and Stretton
• "Stretton". BRISbites. Brisbane City Council. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. 
• "Stretton". Our Brisbane. Brisbane City Council. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. 

Coordinates: 27°37′24″S 153°04′04″E / 27.62333°S 153.06778°E / -27.62333; 153.06778