Chermside is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The suburb is situated 9.8 kilometres (6.1 mi) by road north of the Brisbane CBD. It is home to a large Westfield shopping centre. In the 2021 census, Chermside had a population of 11,426 people.
The Chermside area was first settled by Europeans in the late 19th century. The first plot of land was sold on 23 May 1866, and the population has progressively increased since with a significant increase with the post-war residential development.
When the Gympie goldrush started in 1867, many travellers heading north would run into trouble at a creek in present-day Chermside. Because of this waterway, Chermside was first known as Downfall Creek.
In November 1868, Cobb & Co. stagecoaches began to travel through the area on the way to the goldfields at Gympie.
A United Methodist Free church opened on Sunday 11 August 1878 on the corner of Gympie Road and Banfield Street, (then Church Street, approx 27°22′54″S 153°01′23″E / 27.3818°S 153.0230°E). In 1926 a more central site was purchased on the south-east corner of Gympie Road and Hamilton Road and the church building was relocated to the new site and renovated. It was replaced by a brick church which opened on 30 September 1950. It became part of the Uniting Church in 1977. This brick church was demolished in 2004, probably because the current Chermside-Kedron Community Church (a Uniting Church) in Chermside on the north-western corner of Gympie Road and Rode Road had opened on 23 September 2001.
Downfall Creek State School opened on 9 July 1900. In 1903, it was renamed Chermside State School. It closed in December 1996. It was on the north-western corner of the intersection of Gympie Road and Rode Road (27°23′35″S 153°01′50″E / 27.3930°S 153.0306°E).
In 1904, the district's name was changed to Chermside after the Governor of Queensland, Sir Herbert Chermside.
Regular Anglican services commenced circa 1906 in the public hall (School of Arts) on the corner of Gympie Road and Hall Street. In January 1913 land was purchased in Hamilton Road to build an Anglican church. A stump-capping ceremony was held on St James' Day 25 July 1914. The first service was held on 11 October 1914. The official dedication of All Saints Anglican Church by Archbishop St Clair Donaldson was held on 15 November 1914. The foundation stone of the present church building was laid by Archbishop Reginald Halse on Sunday 11 December 1960. The church was extended in 1996.
Chermside has had a library since 1909. Since 1951 it has been a branch of the Brisbane City Council Library service and had a major refurbishment in 2017.
In December 1925, "Rainey's Hill Top Park" made up of 99 allotments were advertised to be auctioned by Thonton's & Pearce, Auctioneers. A map advertising the auction states that this estate is "close to tram, motor bus, water and electric light".
The Dawn picture theatre first opened on 3 November 1928 (showing The Man Who Laughs). It closed on 9 August 2005 (with Mr. & Mrs. Smith). It was at 708 Gympie Road (27°23′20″S 153°01′51″E / 27.3889°S 153.0309°E), now the site of the North Brisbane Eye Centre. It was the last single screen cinema in Brisbane.
The Sanctuary in the Wheller Gardens retirement village was dedicated on 5 March 1940 by Reverend Wilfred Leonard Slater, the President of the Methodist Conference.
During World War II, a diverse range of volunteers, soldiers, and camps were at Chermside, such as U.S. Army units, including a number of African American soldiers. A Kitty Hawk airplane on a training flight crashed there in 1943, killing the pilot and instructor.
Brisbane's tramway network finally reached the suburb on 29 March 1947, and Chermside remained the northernmost point on the system until the line to Chermside was closed on 2 December 1968. The tram line along Gympie Road was separated from other traffic (this is commonly called "reserved track"), which resulted in fast travel times along this portion of the route. Another feature of the Chermside tram line were the rose gardens which bordered the reserved track portion of the line.
Westfield Chermside first opened on 30 May 1957 as The Chermside Drive-in Shopping Centre with an Allan & Stark's department store and a small arcade of a dozen shops, before becoming a Myer department store. It was the first drive-in shopping centre in Australia. It was the first drive-in shopping centre in Australia. It is now the largest single level shopping centre in Australia, with a 3-storey Myer, as well as a 16-screen Birch, Carrol and Coyle megaplex. It is also home to Brisbane's first Apple Store.
St Thomas' Anglican Church in Chermside East (now Wavell Heights) was dedicated on 13 October 1957 by Archbishhop Reginald Halse. Its closure on 21 December 1990 was approved by Assistant Bishop George Browning. It was deconsecrated was authorised by Archbishop Peter Hollingworth.
The Prince Charles Hospital (a public hospital) was opened in 1959.
The Brisbane Chest Hospital was opened in 1954 for the treatment of tuberculosis. As tuberculosis declined, it was renamed The Chermside Hospital in 1961 to reflect its more general healthcare role. Prince Charles visited Brisbane in 1974 and the hospital was renamed The Prince Charles Hospital in his honour.
St Laurence's Anglican Church in Chermside West was dedicated on 26 February 1966 by Archbishop Phillip Strong. It has since closed.
The early 1970s saw the opening of Queensland's first Kmart store in Chermside, which was situated next to a Coles supermarket. Both of these stores closed in the mid-1990s and have been replaced with a Woolworths supermarket and specialty stores. Both Kmart and Coles have been relocated in Westfield Chermside.
Craigslea State School opened 24 January 1972 and the neighbouring Craigslea State High School opened on 28 January 1975. Both are now within Chermside West.
In 1975 the area known as Chermside West was established as a separate suburb.
Prince Charles Hospital Special School closed on 30 December 1983.
The Burnie Brae Centre (also known as Chermside Senior Citizens Centre) opened in 1984, from funds raised by the Rotary Club of Chermside. It was named for the Burnie Brae Homestead that had originally occupied the site.
Holy Spirit Northside Private Hospital opened 30 July 2001; it was operated by the Sisters of Charity and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters. In September 2019 it was renamed St Vincent's Private Hospital Northside.
In the 2011 census, Chermside recorded a population of 8,170 people, 53.2% female and 46.8% male. The median age of the Chermside population was 35 years of age, 2 years below the Australian median. 59.5% of people living in Chermside were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were India 4%, New Zealand 3.8%, Philippines 2.7%, England 2.6%, China 1.5%. 67.9% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 1.7% Malayalam,1.5% Tagalog, 1.3% Italian, 1.3% Mandarin, 0.9% Korean.
In the 2016 census, Chermside had a population of 9,315 people. It was described in that year as one of Brisbane's fastest developing suburbs.
In the 2021 census, Chermside had a population of 11,426 people.
History info courtesy of Wikipedia
