Moggill Creek, 1890 (possibly taken during Field Naturalists' excursion in December 1890)
Brookfield is located approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west of the Brisbane CBD. Brookfield lies approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of the Brisbane River. Moggill Creek flows through Brookfield and joins the Brisbane River at Kenmore.[citation needed]
Brookfield is a rural residential suburb consisting primarily of large acreage properties and luxury homes. Although there are a small number of farms, the vast majority of property is residential.[5]
The centre of Brookfield is on the intersection of Brookfield Road and Boscombe Road. The Brookfield General Store, Brookfield Public Hall, Brookfield Showground, Brookfield Cemetery, Brookfield Recreation Reserve, Anglican Church and Brookfield State School are all in this area.[6] The Brookfield Horse & Pony Club operates out of the showgrounds.[citation needed]
History
James Brimblecombe's residence 'Fairview' at Brookfield, Brisbane, 1920s
Brookfield is believed to have been named by Lucinda Brimblecombe (née Logan) due to the course of Moggil Creek through the area.[7]
Development in the Brookfield area began in 1869, when the area was opened for logging and farming.[citation needed]
A Bible Christian Church congregation (a denomination of Methodism) was established in 1869.[8][9] In January 1870 a committee was formed to raise funds to construct a church.[10]
Brookfield State School, 1959
Brookfield State School opened on 27 March 1871 on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) site donated by Mr J. W. Barnett.[11] In 1874, a teacher's residence was built for the school.[12] In 2021, the school celebrated its 150th anniversary. The original school building is still in use.[13]
In 1872, a 19-acre (7.7 ha) site was reserved for recreation.[14]
Brookfield Post Office opened on 12 August 1876, but was downgraded to a receiving office in mid 1914. It was upgraded to a post office in 1919-1920, but closed in March 1924. It opened again in 1947, but closed in 1974.[15]
In 1885, 1 acre (0.40 ha) was reserved for a public hall. The Bible Christian church building was relocated to the site to be used as the hall.[16]
In 1932, the school teacher's residence was too small for a teacher with nine children, so a new building was constructed. The old building was bought by the Brookfield Hall trustees and relocated it where it became the Brookfield General Store.[12]
In 1932 Father Robert Bartlett Bates, the rector of All Saints Anglican Church at Wickham Terrace purchased a house at 139 Brookfield Road to establish St John's Home for Aged Men, which subsequently relocated to West Toowong (where it continues to operate as St John's Residential Aged Care Home).[24] On 12 May 1934 the Anglican Church opened St Christopher's Lodge, a home for boys. It was officially opened by James Francis Maxwell, the Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Toowong.[25] It was a farm school which operated until circa 1959. Around this time, 18 acres (7.3 ha) of the site was sold to the Presbyterian Church (now the Uniting Church in Australia) to develop an aged care centre. It was subsequently used a friary used by the Society of Saint Francis, a centre for contemplative spirituality and other community purposes.[26][27][28] It is now within the suburb of Kenmore Hills and is listed on the Brisbane Heritage Register.[29] In 2019 the site was sold by the Anglican Church to the Uniting Church on the condition that community could continue to use the site.[30]
In 1957, Rita O'Hanlan offered riding lessons at the showgrounds, which evolved into the Brookfield Horse and Pony Club.[31]
Demographics
In the 2016 census, Brookfield had a population of 3,524 people. The median age of the Brookfield population was 46 years of age, 8 years above the Australian median. 68.3% of people were born in Australia., compared to the national average of 66.7%; were England 6.7% and South Africa 4.5%. 85.5% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 26.7%, Catholic 21.5% and Anglican 19.1%.[32]
In the 2021 census, Brookfield had a population of 3,640 people.[4]
Heritage listings
Brookfield has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Every year the Brookfield Show is held over three days.[51] The 2006 Brookfield show attracted almost 22,000 visitors. A formal ball is held annually in Brookfield. The 2005 Show Ball had 550 attendees, 2006, 2007 and 2008 attracted 800 people.[citation needed]
^"Moggill Creek". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXIV, no. 3, 838. Queensland, Australia. 22 January 1870. p. 5. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ab"History". Brookfield General Store. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
^"History". Brookfield State School. 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
^"OFFICIAL NOTIFICATIONS". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXVI, no. 4, 567. Queensland, Australia. 20 May 1872. p. 3. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^Druve, Merilyn J. (Merilyn Joan); Church of the Good Shepherd (Brookfield, Qld.) (1993), Church of the Good Shepherd, 1893–1993, Brookfield, The Church, ISBN978-0-646-13552-6
^"Church at Brookfield". The Telegraph. No. 6, 385. Queensland, Australia. 5 April 1893. p. 6. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Brookfield Show". The Brisbane Courier. No. 16, 330. Queensland, Australia. 14 May 1910. p. 6. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Brookfield Show". The Telegraph. No. 11, 755. Queensland, Australia. 21 July 1910. p. 3 (SECOND EDITION). Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"CHURCH NEWS". Daily Standard. No. 6645. Queensland, Australia. 5 May 1934. p. 6. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
