Sunnybank

Sunnybank is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Sunnybank is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Sunnybank had a population of 8,697 people, with 31.0% (the largest group) describing their ancestry as Chinese, with 19.0% of Sunnybank's people being born in China, 9.3% in Taiwan, and 2.6% in Hong Kong. It is known for its many Asian shops and restaurants.

The Jagera Indigenous people were the first to inhabit the area well over 20,000 years ago. Early settlers noticed that the Sunnybank district had good rainfall and a beautiful loamy soil, somewhat sandy in character, that produced beautiful displays of natural wild flowers. From the mid-19th century it developed into a farming area with prosperous fruit and poultry farms and gardens of every kind.

The Town of Sunnybank in the 19th century was part of a much larger area known as the Parish of Yeerongpilly, but a distinct town outside of the area known as Brisbane. In 1885, the railway line was extended from Yeerongpilly, and names had to be given to the railway stations along the line. Sunnybank got its name from a local farm, Sunnybrae, owned by the Gillespies, when 2 acres (8,100 m2) of land were taken over for the railway. Brae is Scottish for the English word bank, so the area was given boundaries and named Sunnybank.

The present suburb much reduced in size from the previous suburb of Sunnybank. The separate town of Sunnybank was absorbed into the City of Brisbane in 1925. This older Sunnybank area is still known locally as Sunnybank. Rolling hills and the headwaters for both Stable Swamp Creek and Bulimba Creek have drawn people and wildlife to the Sunnybank area.

By the first part of the 20th century, farmland increasingly gave way to suburbia. General Motors Holden established a car manufacturing plant on Bradman Street at Acacia Ridge, creating a major source of employment for the entire city of Brisbane.

On 21 June 1914 a group of adherents of the Church of Christ began holding services in private homes. The group purchased a block of land and cleared it. The congregation was formally established in April 1915 with 18 foundation members. The first church was erected in 1918 and moved to a more central location in 1922. By 1975 the church relocated to its present chapel and hall at 105 Station Road (27.5756°S 153.0552°E? / -27.5756; 153.0552? (Sunnybank Church of Christ)).Opening in 1938, The Oasis, with lush gardens, swimming pools and a mini zoo became Brisbane's most popular tourist attraction. The tropical gardens themselves attracted national and international attention. The Oasis's popularity really took off in 1942 when during the Second World War thousands of American military personnel stationed in Brisbane used the Oasis as a rest and recreation venue. The Oasis was located at 141 Station Road, Sunnybank.

With the 1982 Commonwealth Games being held at the Queen Elizabeth II sporting complex (QE II), now known as the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), and Expo 88 years later, Brisbane and its suburbs like Sunnybank were shown to the world. With new land releases rare in the region, developers have turned to building higher density residential and commercial projects.

In the late 1980s, an increasing number of Asian immigrants began to settle in Sunnybank and neighbouring suburbs. The influx of Asian immigrants caused the look of the area to change, especially in the primary business district of Sunnybank at the intersection of Mains Road and McCullough Street, where Asian restaurants and businesses are numerous.

Sunnybank is today a thriving multicultural suburb, with strong Asian influences in design, food and culture. Many of the suburb's shops and businesses are owned and run by people of Asian descent who call Australia home, with many bilingual business signs written in Chinese and English.