Manly West is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Manly West had a population of 12,436 people.
Manly West originally was a part of the suburb of Manly (which takes its name from Manly, New South Wales). It was officially gazetted as a separate suburb in 1975.
Moreton Bay Girls' High School opened on 31 January 1901 on Bay Terrace Wynnum with 20 day students and 6 boarding students. It was established by Alice J Alison Greene and her sister Anne. In 1944 the Greene family gave the school to the Methodist Church which transferred it to the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools' Association. In 1957, the school was renamed Moreton Bay College. In 1975 the PMSA decided to close the school due to a slump in student numbers to 125. Negative reaction from parents and the community resulted in the Uniting Church taking back control of the school and establishing an independent board to pursue a new strategic plan. The boarding school closed in 1980. In 1981 a new site of 20 hectares (49 acres) was purchased in Wondall Road in Manly West. The primary school commenced operations on the new site at the start of 1984 with the secondary school relocating at the start of 1986. The school celebrated its centenary in 2001 with an enrolment of 1,170 students. In April 2003 the Upper Brookfield Uniting church building was relocated to the school for use as its Centenary Chapel.
The Springs Methodist Church was officially opened on Sunday 10 December 1916 by Reverend W. Smith. It was sold in 1985. It was at 481 Manly Road (27°28′31″S 153°09′49″E / 27.4753°S 153.1636°E). The church building is no longer extant.
In 1951, land in Preston Road was purchased to build a Methodist church. A stump-capping ceremony was held on 1 November 1952. Sunday School commenced in the unfinished church on 12 April 1953 with the 22 children and 3 teachers being lifted into the building as the steps had not yet been built. Preston Road Methodist Church (also known as Manly West Methodist Church) opened on 22 August 1953 by the President of the Queensland Methodist Conference, Reverend Arthur Charles Tempest. In 1977, it became the Preston Road Uniting Church, when the Methodist Church amalgamated into the Uniting Church in Australia.The church was at 186 Preston Road (27°27′18″S 153°10′08″E / 27.4550°S 153.1688°E). It is now in private ownership but, at 2021, the church building is still extant and being used as a childcare centre.
Manly West State School opened on 28 January 1958. The swimming pool was added in 1977.
Wynnum Christian Community Church opened in Preston Road in 1962.
Wondall Road State School opened on 12 September 1966. In 1967 it was renamed Wondall Heights State School.
A chapel for the Manly Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened in Strawberry Road in 1972.
Eastside Community Church opened in Wondall Road in 1977.
Bayside Uniting Church was established in 1990, combining four Uniting Churches located at:
Due to earlier or later closures, the Bayside Uniting Church also incorporated congregations from:
Initially the Bayside Uniting congregation held services at Oriel Handley Hall at Moreton Bay College, until their new Wondall Road church was opened on 16 November 1991.
Moreton Bay Boys College opened on 24 February 2003.
In the 2011 census, Manly West has a population of 11,195 people, 52% female and 48% male. The median age of the Manly West population was 38 years of age, 1 year above the Australian median. 78.1% of people living in Manly West were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were England 4.9%, New Zealand 4.8%, South Africa 0.9%, Scotland 0.7%, Philippines 0.5%. 91.4% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.4% German, 0.3% Tagalog, 0.3% Japanese, 0.3% Arabic, 0.3% Spanish. Over 47% of households in this area consist of a couple with children and a further 35% are couples without children. Stand alone house account for 87% of all dwellings in this area, with townhouses accounting for a further 10%.
In the 2016 census, Manly West had a population of 11,978 people.
In the 2021 census, Manly West had a population of 12,436 people.
History info courtesy of Wikipedia
