Upper Coomera is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

in the

City of Gold Coast The City of Gold Coast is the Local government in Australia, local government area spanning the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and surrounding areas. With a population of 606,774, it is the second most populous local ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , Upper Coomera had a population of 27,180 people.

Geography

Upper Coomera is located on the northern side of the Gold Coast on the western side of the M1 Pacific Motorway. It borders Willow Vale in the north, the Coomera River on the south which separates it from Oxenford and the Pacific Highway on the east which separates it from

Coomera Coomera () is a town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Coomera had a population of 20,225 people. Geography Located next to the Pacific Motorway, Coomera is close to Pimpama, Helensvale, Wi ...

Tamborine-Oxenford Road The Tamborine Mountain road network is a group of roads that provide access to the mountain community from various lowland localities. The network ensures continuity of access in times of flooding or other natural disasters, and during planned ma ...

(State Route 95) runs through from south-west to south-east. Upper Coomera and Coomera have long been the main centre of urban development on the Gold Coast and are considered to be, along with

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

and Robina, one of the Gold Coast's three urban centres. Upper Coomera is a heavily suburbanised suburb consisting of many large residential developments and commercial centres. Despite already being heavily developed and having a large population, Upper Coomera is predicted by both the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

and

Gold Coast City Council The City of Gold Coast is the Local government in Australia, local government area spanning the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and surrounding areas. With a population of 606,774, it is the second most populous local ...

to grow and develop at an exponential rate well into the next decade. Upper Coomera is a popular place of residence for dual-city commuters as it is placed roughly halfway between the central commercial districts of

and

Beenleigh Beenleigh is a town and suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Beenleigh had a population of 8,425 people. A government survey for the new town was conducted in 1866. The town is the terminus for the Beenle ...

and within reasonable travelling distance to Brisbane CBD.

History

The name Coomera comes from the Yugambeh word ''kumera'', a species of

wattle Wattle or wattles may refer to: Plants *''Acacia sensu lato'', polyphyletic genus of plants commonly known as wattle, especially in Australian English **''Acacia'' ***Black wattle, common name for several species of acacia ***Golden wattle, ''A ...

In 1864, the British surveyed the land along

Coomera River The Coomera River is a perennial river in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim Region local government areas and covers an area of . Course and features Rising in Lamington ...

with 15,000 acres reserved for agricultural purposes. In 1865, William Alfred Binstead became the first white man to take up land in Upper Coomera area near a ford in the river that later formed part of a mail run. A ferry service was set up downstream which later became known as Coomera. The sugar industry was soon established in the region with the Otmoor plantation of Arthur Ardagh producing the first refined sugar in 1870.

South Sea Islander South Sea Islanders, formerly referred to as Kanakas, are the Australian descendants of Pacific Islanders from more than 80 islandsincluding the Oceanian archipelagoes of the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Gilbert Islands ...

labour was utilised at Otmoor from its formation and by 1881 was the only type of labour used on the property. The Upper Coomera Cemetery was first surveyed in 1871 and it opened in 1885, but it was not until 3 years later that someone was buried there. By December 1888, an Anglican church had been built in Upper Coomera, but its opening was delayed until the return of

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

William Webber from England to Queensland. The opening ceremony was conducted by the bishop on Sunday 31 March 1889 . The new Anglican Church of the Holy Road was opened on Saturday 18 December 1937 by Bishop

William Wand John William Charles Wand, (25 January 1885 – 16 August 1977) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane in Australia before returning to England to become the Bishop of Bath and Wells and, later, Bishop of London. ...

. The Upper Coomera Shire War Memorial is on the corner of Oxenford and Tamborine Road () and was unveiled on Saturday 18 May 1918 by

Edward Macartney Sir Edward Henry Macartney (24 January 1863 – 24 February 1956) was a solicitor, company director and a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early years Macartney was born in Holywood, County Down, Ireland, to parents William Isaac ...

, Member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

. The memorial originally only honoured those from the district who fell in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

; however, the names of those who perished during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

were added later. The inscriptions on the memorial read:

"This memorial was erected by the residents, in honour of the brave lads of the Coomera district who fell in the Great War 1914-19. They gave their all. Let you who pass, saluting here their names, See that through you no slur, nor stain, nor shame Falls on the land for which they gave their lives - AUSTRALIA."

Coomera Upper Provisional School opened on 23 October 1876. On 15 July 1878 it became Coomera Upper State School. It closed in 1964. Fern Hill State School opened in 1910 and closed on 24 March 1914. The first bridge across the Coomera river was built in the 1930s. Saint Stephen's College opened in 1996. Coomera Anglican College was established on 27 January 1997 by the

Anglican Diocese of Brisbane The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, also known as Anglican Church Southern Queensland, is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The diocese stretches from the south-eastern coastl ...

. Upper Coomera State College opened on 1 January 2003. Assisi Catholic College opened on 25 January 2005. Coomera Springs State School opened in January 2008 on an site with approximately 90 students initially enrolled. Highland Reserve State School was officially opened in January 2009 by

Queensland Premier The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...

Anna Bligh Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is an Australian lobbyist and former politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Queensland Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch), Labor Party. ...

. The school was originally proposed to be called Oxenford West State School.

Demographics

In the , Upper Coomera had a population of 25,276 people. Upper Coomera had one of the largest communities of both

New Zealand Australians New Zealand Australians refers to Australian citizens whose origins are in New Zealand, as well as New Zealand migrants and expatriates based in Australia. Migration from New Zealand to Australia is a common phenomenon, given Australia's proxim ...

(894 people; 3.5%) and

Māori Australians Māori Australians () are Australians of Māori people, Māori heritage. The Māori presence in Australia dates back to the 19th century when Māori travelled to Sydney to trade, acquire new technology, and learn new ideas. The Māori populatio ...

(1,549 people; 4.3%) of any suburb in

. In the , Upper Coomera had a population of 27,180 people.

Heritage listings

Upper Coomera has a number of heritage sites, including: * Upper Coomera War Memorial, intersection of Tamborine-Oxenford Road and Charlies Crossing Road North

Education

Primary-only schools

Coomera Springs State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Old Coach Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 899 students with 60 teachers (56 full-time equivalent) and 29 non-teaching staff (22 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

program. Highland Reserve State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 570 Reserve Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 902 students with 62 teachers (58 full-time equivalent) and 45 non-teaching staff (25 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Primary and secondary schools

Upper Coomera State College is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 137 Reserve Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 2,037 students with 180 teachers (169 full-time equivalent) and 96 non-teaching staff (69 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. Assisi Catholic College is a Catholic primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 173 Billinghurst Crescent (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,398 students with 97 teachers (91 full-time equivalent) and 54 non-teaching staff (41 full-time equivalent).

Coomera Anglican College Coomera Anglican College is an independent Anglican co-educational early learning, primary and secondary school located located in Upper Coomera, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1997 and operated by the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, the ...

is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 8 Days Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,407 students with 92 teachers (88 full-time equivalent) and 61 non-teaching staff (57 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,414 students with 92 teachers (90 full-time equivalent) and 62 non-teaching staff (57 full-time equivalent). It has a sports centre, which includes two full size netball courts as well as a full commercial gym operated by Coomera Focus on Fitness and available for use by the local community. The current principal is Mark D Sly. Saint Stephen's College is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 31 Reserve Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,294 students with 97 teachers (94 full-time equivalent) and 76 non-teaching staff (65 full-time equivalent). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,265 students with 98 teachers (93 full-time equivalent) and 79 non-teaching staff (65 full-time equivalent).

Community

Upper Coomera School of Arts opened 1896

The Upper Coomera Community Centre is located on Reserve Road and contains the office of Councillor Donna Gates, Customer Service Office, Aquatic Centre, and Upper Coomera Branch Library. The community centre opened on 14 June 2013. The Upper Coomera Branch Library opened in April 2013 and is the newest branch of the Gold Coast libraries. The Upper Coomera School of Arts was established in 1896. It is used for public meetings and other community purposes.

Retail

Upper Coomera has several shopping venues, the main ones being Coomera City Centre, Coomera Grand Shopping Centre and The Hub at the junction of Days Road and Old Coach Road. Nearby major shopping centres include Westfield Coomera, Westfield Helensvale,

Robina Town Centre Robina Town Centre is a large shopping centre on the Gold Coast, Australia. The site covers in the suburb of Robina, with seven anchor tenants and over 400 retail outlets covering over . History Construction began on the centre in 1994 on ...

Pacific Fair Shopping Centre Pacific Fair is a major shopping centre in the suburb of Broadbeach Waters, Queensland, Broadbeach Waters on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland. Transport Pacific Fair has a Pacific Fair bus station, bus station with connect ...

, Harbour Town Shopping Centre and Australia Fair Shopping Centre. The Westfield Coomera shopping centre in the neighbouring suburb of

is a new addition to the local area.

Public transport

Upper Coomera is well serviced by a variety of bus routes provided by Surfside Bus Lines and operated by Translink. There is also a

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

on Foxwell Road in the neighbouring suburb of Coomera.

References

External links

*
Upper Coomera Branch Library
{{Localities in Gold Coast Suburbs of the Gold Coast, Queensland