Beenleigh, Queensland

Beenleigh, first colonised in the 1860's, was once a stand-alone town built on sugar and home to Australia’s oldest rum distillery; increasing development in south-east Queensland since the 1980s has seen it enveloped by Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It is now the northernmost town in the Gold Coast Local Government area.

The postcode of Beenleigh is 4207. Surrounding suburbs sharing this postcode include Windaroo, Mt. Warren Park and Eagleby. Beenleigh and adjoining suburbs are located near the confluence of the Logan and Albert rivers. QR CityTrain provides frequent services to Brisbane and the Gold Coast at Beenleigh railway station.

Historically, Beenleigh's main industries have been sugar and beef (Teys Brothers abattoir). Still predominately a self sufficient town, Beenleigh is home to three shopping centres as well as many various speciality shops including jewellers, music stores, pawn brokers, sports shops and camping shops.

At the heart of Beenleigh stands the Southern District Court complex, first established in 1871.[1] For many years the court was constituted solely of three magistrates, this changed with the allocation of a permanent sitting District Court of Queensland Judge in 1998. The first presiding District Court Judge in Beenleigh was Judge O'Brien.[2] Recently, the Southern District Court complex has played an integral role in the development of the progressive Drug Court.[3]

There are three major high schools within the immediate area of Beenleigh, as well as many primary schools. The town has its own library, community centre and theatre (Crete Street Theatre). Social events of note are the annual "Cane Festival" and the "Beenleigh Show".

Proposed change of Governing Council

On the 27th of July 2007, an Independent Commission, appointed by the Queensland Government to examine current local government boundaries, made recommendations pertaining to Beenleigh. The Commission recommended that Beenleigh and surrounding suburbs transfer from the Gold Coast City Council's jurisdiction to that of the Logan City Council.[4]. The recommendation is to come before Parliament in September of 2007, for formal ratification.[5]

See also

• Suburbs of the Gold Coast, Queensland
• Beenleigh Rum

Coordinates: 27°43′S, 153°12′E

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