Woolloongabba Brisbane, Queensland
Queensland versus Victoria in a one-day cricket match at the Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba), during the mid-1980s
Population:	3,832 (2004) [1]
Postcode:	4102
Coordinates:	27°29′08″S 153°01′45″E / 27.4856°S 153.0291°E / -27.4856; 153.0291Coordinates: 27°29′08″S 153°01′45″E / 27.4856°S 153.0291°E / -27.4856; 153.0291
Area:	2.4 km² (0.9 sq mi)
Property Value:	AUD $588,000[2]
Location:	1 km (1 mi) from Brisbane
LGA:	Brisbane City Council, East Brisbane Ward
State District:	South Brisbane
Federal Division:	Griffith
Suburbs around Woolloongabba: West End Brisbane City Kangaroo Point Highgate Hill Woolloongabba East Brisbane Dutton Park Annerley Coorparoo

Woolloongabba is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 1km south of the Brisbane CBD. Experts are divided regarding the Aboriginal meaning of the name, preferring either 'whirling waters' (woolloon and capemm) or 'fight talk place' (woolloon and gabba).^[3] The locals refer to it as The Gabba. ^[3]

[edit] History

The Pacific Motorway in Woolloongabba.

The suburb has a significant transport history. Between 1884 and 1969 the main railway locomotive depot for lines south of the Brisbane River was beside Stanley St. It was reached via a line that ran beside Stanley St, then crossing it, Logan Road and Ipswich Road to the main line at Dutton Park. By the 1960s services from the depot were causing significant delays to traffic as they crossed these three major roads.

The suburb was served by horse-drawn trams from 1885 to 1897, which were replaced by electric trams, which in turn ceased operation on 13 April 1969. All but one of Brisbane's trolleybus routes traversed the suburb, from 1953 to 1969. The Gabba Fiveways (the intersection of Stanley St, Main St, Logan Rd and Ipswich Rd) was a complex junction with tram and railway lines, and tram and trolleybus overhead. Trams were controlled by a signalman, who operated the points (or switches) from a signal cabin near the eastern side of the junction. Trains were escorted across the junction by a flagman. Curiously, the Queensland Railways always referred to the branch line as the Wooloongabba Branch, i.e. only one 'l'^[4].

From 1927 until 1969 the largest of the Brisbane City Council's tram depots was on Ipswich Road, opposite the Princess Alexandra Hospital. It was also used by the council's buses.

[edit] Attractions

The suburb is home to the Brisbane Cricket Ground (known as "The Gabba") and the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Woolloongabba is being developed with new apartment buildings due to its proximity to the city, river and South Bank Parklands.

[edit] Demographics

In 2006, Woolloongabba had 39.4% of residents born overseas and 30.0% of residents speaking a language other than English. The most common languages other than English spoken at home were Vietnamese 2.3%, Cantonese 1.6%, Greek 1.6%, Mandarin 1.5% and Italian 1.3%^[5].

[edit] Transport

Park Road railway station and Mater Hill and Woolloongabba Busway Station provide access to public transport. The Pacific Motorway cuts through it.

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

1. Clark, H. and Keenan D6, "Brisbane Tramways - The Last Decade", Transit Press, 1977 (Reprinted 1985). ISBN 0-909338-01-9
2. Cole J., "Shaping a City: Greater Brisbane 1925-1985", Brisbane 1984
3. Deskins R., Hyde P. and Struble C., "Slow at Frog - A Short History of the Brisbane Trolleybus System", Brisbane Tramway Museum Society, 2006. ISBN 0-9597322-2-5
4. Kerr J. and Armstrong J., "Destination South Brisbane", Australian Railway Historical Society, second edition 1984. ISBN 0-909937-09-5