Salisbury is a southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Salisbury had a population of 6,790 people.
Salisbury was named after the residence of William Coote, an early Brisbane engineer, architect, journalist and political figure, who lived in the area. It is presumed to refer to Salisbury in England.
The Beenleigh railway line opened in 1885 which included the Salisbury railway station to service the area.
Rocklea started to develop before Salisbury, with the Logan Railway estate auctioned on 2 May 1885, advertising that the estate was near Salisbury railway station.
On 20 July 1912, the Salisbury Township Estate was advertised to be sold on site by Arthur Blackwood. The estate was located off Main Road (now known as Lilian Avenue) and consisted of 442 predominantly 32 perch (800m2) blocks, between Lillian Ave, Cripps Street, Fairlie Terrace and Rocky Water Holes.
On 23 November 1918, Mountain View Estate, Salisbury located off Main Road (now known as Lilian Avenue) was advertised to be auctioned at 3 o'clock on site, by auctioneer A. S. Phillips & Sons Ltd. The estate consisted of 26 half-acre allotments and four two-acre blocks. he allotments were advertised as situated on a high position between Salisbury and Coopers Plains railway stations and opposite the site purchased by the Queensland Government for the proposed State School.
Salisbury State School opened on 27 May 1920.
The School Estate Salisbury was advertised for auction on Saturday 14 May 1921. 75 residential sites were sold by Cameron Brothers next to Salisbury State School and within 10 minutes walk to Salisbury Railway station.
The Waratah Heights Estate was sold on 17 May 1924 by Arthur Blackwood Ltd. There were 90 suburban lots in the vicinity of Golda Avenue (27°33′25″S 153°02′03″E / 27.5569°S 153.0342°E).
The area remained predominantly rural until World War II. Because of its comparative remoteness, a series of munition factories were built in the area. In November 1941, the Rocklea Munitions Works was opened to make small arms ammunition and artillery shells for the Australian Army. The buildings werecamouflaged from above. The site was on a land parcel of over 80 acres (32 ha) on the corner of Compo Road (now Evans Road) and Industries Road (27°32′38″S 153°01′43″E / 27.5439°S 153.0287°E). It was the largest construction in Queensland during World War II.
By the end of October 1943, the production of small arms at the Rocklea Factory had ceased and the factory was repurposed to overhaul engines for the US Army Air Force operating in the South-West Pacific against the Japanese.
The tram line from the city to Moorooka was extended in 1941 to Evans Road to service these factories. The tram line finally closed on 13 April 1969 when Brisbane ended all tram services.
Provision was also made for the establishment on the site of the Salisbury Hotel.
Salisbury State High School opened on 2 February 1954 on a 10 hectares (25 acres) on Fairlie Terrace (27°33′04″S 153°01′20″E / 27.5510°S 153.0222°E). On 12 December 1997, it was amalgamated with Acacia Ridge State High School to create the Nyanda State High School on the site of the Salisbury State High School. Nyanda State High School closed in 2013.
In 1955, Orange Grove Road was extended north from the eastern end of Lillian Avenue to connect to the eastern end of Evans Road. Toohey Road linked Salisbury to Tarragindi in September 1959. Significant residential development occurred during the post-war years, with rapid growth from the 1960s.
St Pius X Catholic School opened in 1964. The school was instigated by parish priest Father Frank Costello and is located on 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of land behind the St Pius X church. The school was operated by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart until 1981 after which it was under lay leadership.
Nyanda Station which was north of Salisbury station on Railway Avenue under the Beaudesert Road overpass was closed in November 1978. This was due to the electrification on the Beenleigh line, which because of the short distances between Salisbury and Rocklea stations, didn't allow the trains to stop in time. Also, the new Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) were too long to fit on the platform, and due to lack of space, the platform was not able to expand.
Southside Christian College opened at 109A Golda Avenue on 15 April 1985 with 16 primary students. In 2011 the school was renamed Brisbane Christian College. In June 2015 the school purchased the site of the former Nyanda State High School at 63 Fairlie Terrace for their middle and senior school campus.
St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church at 243-245 Douglas Road (27°33′04″S 153°01′55″E / 27.5510°S 153.0320°E) was dedicated on 21 July 1997 by Archbishop Felix Arnott, replacing a World War II army hut. Its last service was held on 23 February 2014 due to a declining congregation. A deconsecration ceremony was conducted by Locum Bishop Godfrey Fryar on 28 February 2018. The first church in the district opened in a tent in 1921.
In the 2016 census, Salisbury had a population of 6,290 people, of whom 50.0% were female and 50.0% were male. The median age of the Salisbury population was 35 years, three years below the Australian median. 67.8% of people living in Salisbury were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 66.7%. The other top responses for country of birth were India (4.0%), New Zealand (2.8%), England (2.6%), China (1.9%) and Vietnam (0.8%). 74.2% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were Mandarin (2.4%), Cantonese (1.4%), Punjabi and Spanish (both 1.2%) and Gujarati (1.0).
In the 2021 census, Salisbury had a population of 6,790 people.
History info courtesy of Wikipedia
