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New Farm
BrisbaneQueensland
Vehicle entrance to New Farm Park, Queensland 02.jpg
New Farm Park.
New Farm is located in Queensland
New Farm
New Farm
Location in Queensland
Population 12,542 (2016 census)
 • Density 5,020/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
Postcode(s) 4005
Area 2.5 km2 (1.0 sq mi)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location 2 km (1 mi) E of Brisbane CBD
LGA(s) City of Brisbane
(Central Ward)
State electorate(s) McConnel
Federal Division(s) Brisbane
Suburbs around New Farm:
Fortitude Valley Teneriffe Teneriffe
Kangaroo Point New Farm Hawthorne
Kangaroo Point East Brisbane Norman Park

New Farm is an inner northern riverside suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, New Farm had a population of 12,542 people.

Attractions

Brisbane from air
The suburb of New Farm including New Farm Park is located on the Brisbane River.

At the south-eastern end of the peninsula is the historic New Farm Park. The suburb derives its name from the fact that the peninsula was used as a farming area in the early years of Brisbane's history. Brunswick Street is the main street running northwest-southeast up the centre of the peninsula. To the south of Brunswick Street the suburb is characterised by large ornate Queenslander-style houses, shady streets lined with large trees and tall apartment buildings, predominantly along the river. More modest Queenslander-style houses dominate the north of Brunswick Street, where there are fewer large trees and apartments.

The suburb has one main commercial area close to New Farm Park, called 'Merthyr Village'. A wide variety of businesses also operate along Brunswick Street and in adjacent streets. The former electric tramway power station, located at the eastern corner of New Farm Park, has been converted into a community arts and performance space called 'The Powerhouse'. New Farm is known as Brisbane's "Little Italy" as many immigrants from Italian descent first settled in the suburb.

History

StateLibQld 1 105536 Houses of New Farm, Brisbane, 1880-1890
View of New Farm c.1885
NewFarmVillage
New Farm Village, located on Brunswick Street in New Farm

Though one of Brisbane's oldest suburbs, the peninsula of New Farm was once called Binkinba (place of the land tortoises) by the indigenous Turrbal tribe of Brisbane. Patrick Logan established a farm in the area in 1827. According to a recent book, Reflections on New Farm, published by the New Farm and Districts Historical Society the area was also a working site of convicts (lime kilns dating back to 1870 are still evident on the river banks) a marine base in World War II and home to many wealthy merchants and lawyers. Politician and judge Samuel Griffith built his house 'Merthyr' in the suburb in 1870.

From 1885 to 1897 New Farm's transport needs were met by horse-drawn trams, which operated along Brunswick Street, as far as Barker Street. In 1897, the horse trams were replaced with electric trams and the line was extended, with trams ultimately running as far as Macquarie Street and down to the river at New Farm Park. The electric trams ceased operation on 13 April 1969. Since then the suburb has been served by diesel buses.

New Farm developed a reputation in the late 1980s as a drug-addled, low-rent culture depicted in Andrew McGahan's grunge novel Praise, which is set largely in the suburb.

Since then, and like many Brisbane suburbs, New Farm has experienced much 'gentrification' and 'infill development' throughout the 1990s and the years since 2000. However, New Farm maintains its diversity, being known for its long-established Anglo-Saxon and Italian communities (as depicted in Venero Armanno's novel Firehead), and its many restaurants and cafes.

On 23 January 2007, part of the movie Fool's Gold, starring Kate Hudson, was shot at New Farm Park. Scenes from the films All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane (2007) and Jucy (2011) have also been shot there.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, New Farm had a population of 11,330 people; 49.9% female and 50.1% male.

The median age of the New Farm population was 36 years of age, 1 year below the Australian median. Children aged under 15 years made up 8.0% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.5% of the population.

63.5% of people living in New Farm were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were England 4.6%, New Zealand 3.9%, Italy 1.9%, China 1.4%, South Africa 1.1%.

77.2% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 3.1% Italian, 1.9% Cantonese, 1% Mandarin, 0.9% Nepali, 0.8% French.

The most common religious affiliation was "No Religion" (30.9%); the next most common responses were Catholic 27.3%, Anglican 12.6%, Uniting Church 3.0% and Buddhism 2.9%.

Heritage listings

New Farm has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Transport

By Ferry New Farm can be accessed via two CityCat stops (operated by Brisbane Transport) - at Sydney Street and at New Farm Park. At the river end of Brunswick Street a small cross-river ferry, operated by Brisbane Transport used to link New Farm with Norman Park. However, the service was removed in July 2020, upsetting many Norman Park residents.

By Bus The suburb is serviced by several bus routes. This includes BUZ services 196 and 199, running cross-town via the city centre, as well as the peak-only 195 to the city.

The Smart Cities: Rethinking the City Centre report proposes building green bridges from Merthyr Road across the Brisbane River to Bulimba in the east and to Kangaroo Point in the west.

Education

New Farm State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Cnr James & Heal Streets (27°27′37″S 153°02′42″E / 27.4602°S 153.0451°E / -27.4602; 153.0451 (New Farm State School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 449 students with 32 teachers (27 full-time equivalent) and 19 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent).

Holy Spirit School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 36 Villiers Street (27°27′54″S 153°02′45″E / 27.4651°S 153.0458°E / -27.4651; 153.0458 (Holy Spirit School)). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 255 students with 21 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).

There are no secondary schools in New Farm; the nearest was Kelvin Grove State College until the start of 2020 when the new Fortitude Valley State Secondary College opened.

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