Bellbowrie is a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Bellbowrie lies west-southwest of Brisbane's city centre. It is a rapidly developing semi-rural area due to Brisbane's growth heading in a westwards direction.
Geography
Bellbowrie is on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. Moggill Road, which bisects the suburb, is a main thoroughfare for traffic passing from Ipswich to central Brisbane. Commuters may use the Moggill Ferry to gain access to Moggill Road as an alternative to the Centenary Highway. Neighbouring suburbs include: Moggill, Pullenvale, Pinjarra Hills and Anstead. The streetscape in Bellbowrie benefits from the provision of underground power and there are few power poles to be seen. Bellbowrie is part of the Pullenvale Ward for Brisbane City Council Elections as well as the seat of Moggill for state elections and the seat of Ryan for federal elections.
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Bellbowrie recorded a population of 5,462 people; 51% female and 49% male. The median age of the Bellbowrie population was 40 years of age, higher than the national median of 38. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 20.7% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.5% of the population. 64.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 9.3%, South Africa 4.7% and New Zealand 3.3%. 85.7% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 32.4%, Catholic 19.5%, Anglican 15.9% and Uniting Church 7.3%.
History
The initial subdivisions in the area were commenced in the early 1970s. Development slowed in the aftermath of the 1974 Brisbane flood which saw much of the eastern, lower-lying areas of the suburb badly inundated with water. Since the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam in the 1980s the fear of floods was reduced and development increased. Many acreage owners are subdividing their properties and as a consequence, significant areas of bushland are being cleared. Several new housing estates began development in 2001 on land that used to be pineapple farms. In the 2011 Brisbane floods, the Brisbane River rose significantly and some small areas of Bellbowrie were flooded. However, of greater concern was the inundation of access roads to the area, isolating a number of suburbs including Bellbowrie including the loss of electricity and telecommunications and a shortage of food with the supermarket inundated. The Uniting Church acted as an evacuation centre for those whose homes were flooded and as a communal food bank which received supplies of necessities via helicopter.
Moggill Cemetery is located on the eastern side of Moggill Road, Bellbowrie in subdivision 2 of portions 7 & 8, County of Stanley, Parish of Moggill. In March 1851, the original land owner, Joseph Lewis, purchased portions 7 & 8. It is believed portions 7 & 8 was used as church graveyard, circa 1855, only clues remain as to the exact location of the associated, possibly Methodist, chapel. George Mounser, who accidentally drowned at Moggill on 4 March 1855, is assumed to have been the first person buried in the graveyard. In 1865, the land was sanctioned as a Cemetery. In June 1921, the Governor, Sir Matthew Nathan, ordered that the cemetery be permanently reserved and placed under the control of trustees: John Anstead, John Bird, Maurice William Doyle, Norman Charles Robert Sexton and Frederick Charles Sugars. In February 1922, the land was resumed by the Crown. In July 1930, the Governor, Sir Thomas Herbert Goodwin, passed control of Moggill Cemetery over to the Brisbane City Council.
Amenities
Bellbowrie has an abundance of recreational facilities including many off-leash areas for dogs to play in. The suburb also borders the Brisbane River and some residents have boat ramps in order to access it. Bellbowrie is serviced by a weekly visit of the Brisbane City Council's mobile library service in the Bellbowrie Shopping Plaza carpark, off Birkin Road.
Education
There are two schools in the area: Moggill State Primary School and Pullenvale State Primary School.
Social organisations
A number of community groups are active in the area, including:
Bellbowrie is part of the 'Tyakunda Scout District', Tyakunda being an Aboriginal word meaning 'land of the rolling hills'. The local Scout group is called "", and is named so as Moggill was the original name of the area. The Moggill branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the Bellbowrie Community Church at 3077 Moggill Road.
Sporting clubs
The Bellbowrie Sports & Recreation Club Inc., known locally as the "sports & rec" or "the club", located in Sugarwood Street, is the home ground of several sporting clubs:
