Acacia Ridge Suburb Overview

The name Acacia Ridge derives from the number of Acacia species growing in the area. Acacia Ridge is 15 kilometres (9 mi) south of the central business district. It is within the local government area of the City of Brisbane. Acacia Ridge is mainly a residential area, but it also has a large industrial zone in the eastern part of the suburb, covering a significant portion of the area east of Beaudesert Road. The suburb was established after World War II to house returning servicemen and their families. Many of the original post-war dwellings still stand today. Acacia Ridge is home to one of Queensland's largest railway freight yards, dealing with interstate freight and the break-of-gauge from 1,067 mm to 1,435 mm. In 2008, the Beaudesert Road level crossing was replaced by an overbridge so that the sidings in the yard could be extended for the shunting of longer 1500-meter trains. Because space was not sufficient for all potential users of this yard. In 2009, the line between Acacia Ridge and Bromelton was converted to dual gauge to enable another break-of-gauge freight hub to be established at Bromelton in 2017. Acacia Ridge also borders one corner of Archerfield Airport, a small, privately owned airport. Some notable residents of Acacia Ridge are: Mabior Chol (AFL player), Steven Herrick (poet and author), Jeff Horn (boxer), Steve Price (rugby league player), Johnathan Thurston (rugby league player), and Joel Turner (musician).

In the 2016 Census, there were 7,429 people on Acacia Ridge. Of these, 50.2% were male and 49.8% were female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.4% of the population. The median age of people in Acacia Ridge was 34 years. In Acacia Ridge, 55.6% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were New Zealand (3.9%), India (3.1%), and the Philippines (2.3%) Vietnam (2.0%) 2.0%. In Acacia Ridge 59.6% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Somali 2.8%, Vietnamese 2.6%, Arabic 2.4%, Spanish 1.8% and Mandarin 1.8%.

Acacia Ridge State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at 67 Nyngam Street. Watson Road State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 210 Watson Road. Lady of Fatima Primary School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 350 Mortimer Road. The Aboriginal & Islander Independent Community School (also known as The Murri School) is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 1277 Beaudesert Road. YMCA Vocational School is a private secondary (7–12) facility of YMCA Vocational School in Kingston at 24 Mannington Road. The nearest government secondary schools are: · Glenala State High School is in Durack to the west. · Sunnybank State High School is in Sunnybank to the east; Calamvale Community College in Calamvale to the south.