Oxley

Oxley is a south-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Oxley is a south-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 10.8 kilometres (6.7 mi) from the Brisbane CBD. It was named after the early Australian explorer John Oxley. The suburb supports a mix of residential, retail and industrial land.

The first land sale that covered parts of today's Oxley occurred in 1851. Oxley once covered a larger area including the suburbs of Chelmer, Graceville and Corinda to the north. It extended to the south into the current suburbs of Willawong and Durack. The first subdivision of residential lands occurred in 1864 near Douglas Street. Although the railway through the suburb connected Oxley to the rest of Brisbane it was the road to Ipswich that defined the suburb's early development.The suburb was a stop-over point on the Cobb & Co coach route west to the Darling Downs. The first hotel in Oxley was built in 1860 close to Oxley Creek on a rise near Factory Road. It attracted other businesses to the area and provided refreshments for travellers between Brisbane and Ipswich. The hotel soon gained a reputation as a venue where drinking and dancing occurred well into the morning hours. The hotel was moved several times due to flooding which was not a deterrent to the licensee. By 1892 a brick hotel has been built on the corner of Oxley Road and Ipswich Road, the site of a public bar still open today.

In 1870 the first school in Oxley was opened. A small creamery was operating in 1873, most probably located near Factory Road in Oxley's south east parts.By 1873 there were five churches operating: Anglican, Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist.The railway station was opened in 1874. This led to the establishment of a second subdivision in 1876, referred to as the Township of Oxley which was centred on the train station. It consisted of 140 allotments with the lower ones experiencing periodic inundation. In the same year the construction of the first police station was completed. Dairying became common in the area during the 1890s. The 1893 Brisbane flood halted housing construction in the lower parts of Oxley for many years. William Brittain moved his brick making operations to a 200-acre (0.81 km2) site on Douglas Street in 1899.In 1879, the local government area of Yeerongpilly Division was created. In 1891, parts of Yeerongpilly Division were excised to create Sherwood Division becoming a Shire in 1903 which contained the suburb of Oxley. In 1925, the Shire of Sherwood was amalgamated into the City of Brisbane.

By 1904 the "Bacon Factory" as it was locally known as, which produced not only bacon but also cheese, ham and other small goods was established. Because of regular flooding the Oxley police station was moved in 1911, to a site where the police academy currently is. The Oxley Progress Association was founded in 1917. It built the small hall in Station Road and supported the establishment of the Oxley War Memorial. This community group was still active in the early 1990s. During this time the Darra cement works on the western edge of Oxley had plans for a major expansion. With the help of the Oxley Progress Association residents were successful in stopping this development. In the 1960s the group played a major role in the proclamation of Queensland's Clean Air Act.The Oxley war memorial to the fallen was opened in 1920 and moved in 1980.The firm of stone masons which constructed this memorial was F. Williams & Co of Toowoomba, with the original cost being approximately 110 pounds.It is constructed of sandstone and marble and was built in honour of those from the district who fell in the First World War.This memorial is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.The Oxley Golf Club was established in 1928.A Methodist church was built in 1930.On Sunday 9 January 1938 a new Apostolic church was opened and dedicated by the Apostle Emil Zeike, the head of the Apostolic Church of Queensland. The church is in Irwin Street.The Oxley Scout Group was formed in 1951 and in 1955 the Oxley fire station was established.An ambulance station was built in the suburb in 1961 but was moved to Durack in 2002.Oxley State High School was opened in 1966 and then closed in 2000.The bus/rail interchange at Oxley station was built in 1977.

In 2003, Oxley was one of a number of suburbs that benefited from the Suburban Community Improvement Programme. Landscaping and tree planting around Oxley Station and the beautification of the nearby roundabout and footpaths were some of the activities undertaken by the Brisbane City Council to improve the area's appearance. A second tavern on Blunder Road was opened in 2003.

The 2010–2011 Queensland floods inundated many properties along the main roads of Oxley Road, Blunder Road and the Ipswich Motorway as well as at least ten minor roads.