Redcliffe City, Queensland

Infobox Australian Place
type = city
name = Redcliffe
state = qld

---

pop = 51,174 (2006 Census)
density = 1343.1
area = 38.1
est = 1824
region = South East Queensland
propval = $330,000 [cite news | title = Property – What your house is worth (liftout) | work = Real Estate Institute of Queensland median house prices | pages = 7 | publisher = The Sunday Mail | date = 2007-09-09 ]
postcode =
utc = +10
timezone = AEST
elevation=
stategov = Redcliffe, Murrumba
fedgov = Petrie

---

dist1 = 23
dir1 = NNE
location1= Brisbane CBD

Redcliffe City is a municipal location north-northeast of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. Also known as "the Redcliffe peninsula", the area covers the suburbs of Clontarf, Kippa-Ring, Margate, Newport, Redcliffe, Rothwell, Scarborough and Woody Point.

Rich in natural resources with many sandy beaches and picturesque parks, Redcliffe is enjoyed by many people seeking a place to relax, and is home to over 51,000 residents over its total area of km2 to mi2|num=38.1|abbr=yes|spell=Commonwealth|precision=1. The peninsula is relatively flat with few areas rising more than m to ft|num=20|abbr=yes|spell=Commonwealth|precision=0 above sea level.

History

Redcliffe holds the distinction of being the first European settlement in Queensland.

The area was first visited by Matthew Flinders on 17 July, 1799.cite news | title = Redcliffe | work = Travel | publisher = The Sydney Morning Herald | date = 8 February 2004 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/17/1108500203689.html | accessdate = 2008-05-17 ] Flinders explored the Moreton Bay area and landed at 10:30 a.m. at a location he called "Red Cliff Point",cite web | last = Potter | first = Ron | title = Place Names of South East Queensland | publisher = Piula Publications | url = http://www.dovenetq.net.au/~piula/Placenames/page55.html | accessdate = 2008-05-17 ] after the red-coloured cliffs visible from the bay, today called Woody Point.

In 1823, the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane, instructed that a new northern penal settlement be developed, and an exploration party led by John Oxley further explored the Moreton Bay area. Oxley recommended Red Cliff Point for the new colony, reporting that ships could land at any tide and easily get close to the shore.

The settlement, along the banks of what is now called Humpybong Creek in the Redcliffe central business district, consisted of small, temporary dwellings with gardens and vegetables planted. However the lack of a reliable water supply, attacks by Aboriginal people, large mosquito numbers, and insufficient facilities for safe anchorage meant that the settlement needed to be moved after eight months. [cite web | title = Exhibitions at Redcliffe Museum | publisher = Redcliffe City Council | date = 2005 | url = http://www.redcliffenow.com.au/museum/exhibitions.htm | accessdate = 2008-05-17] The settlement relocated to the banks of the Brisbane River at North Quay, convert|28|km|mi|1 south. Redcliffe was then abandoned, with just a small number of dwellings remaining. Local Aboriginal people called these empty buildings "oompie bongs", anglicised to mean, in reverse, 'dead house', and the name was given to the entire Redcliffe peninsula.

The area was designated as an agricultural reserve in the 1860s, and residential development began in the 1880s. The population grew significantly after 1935 when the Hornibrook Bridge was opened; the two lane, convert|2.8|km|mi|1 bridge crossed Bramble Bay and linked the peninsula with a more direct route to Brisbane. A replacement three lane bridge, the Houghton Highway, opened in 1979.

Redcliffe was proclaimed a city in 1959 when Princess Alexandra visited with a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth II. [cite news | last = Russell | first = Peter | title = No matter what, Redcliffe's a city | work = Opinion | pages = 9 | publisher = Redcliffe and Bayside Herald | date = 2007-08-01 | accessdate = 2007-08-03 ]

In 2007 the Queensland Government's Local Government Reform Commission announced that Redcliffe would be amalgamated into the adjoining Pine Rivers and Caboolture shires to form the Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Population

Redcliffe's population is 51,174Census 2006 AUS | id = LGA36200 | name = Redcliffe (C) (Local Government Area) | quick = on | accessdate = 2007-08-03 ] with a female skew. The 2006 Census showed that Redcliffe's population of indigenous origins was 1.9% (2.0% 2001 Census), 27.2% (19.9%) were born overseas, and 5.1% (4.7%) of the population speaks a language other than English at home.

ister cities

The City of Redcliffe, through the Redcliffe City Council, has two Sister City arrangements: [cite web | publisher = Redcliffe City Council | title = Council A-Z Services | work = |date= 2006 | url = http://www.redcliffe.qld.gov.au/services.htm#S | format = HTML | accessdate = 2007-01-04 ]
* Japan – Sanyō-Onoda, Yamaguchi
* Australia – Winton, Queensland

References

ee also

* City of Redcliffe
* Redcliffe, the suburb

External links

* [http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au Moreton Bay Regional Council]
* [http://www.redcliffe.qld.gov.au/tourism/ Redcliffe Tourism]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Brisbane,+Australia&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=13&ll=-27.22731,153.095169&spn=0.105475,0.21698&t=k Google Maps satellite image]