St Lucia, Queensland

St Lucia is an exclusive inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia 6 km southwest of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb sits on a peninsula, bordered on all three sides by the Brisbane River, and is home to some of Brisbane's finest homes. The suburb is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.

St Lucia is a mainly residential suburb and is generally regarded as one of the most affluent suburbs in Brisbane. For many years it was the third most expensive suburb behind Hamilton and Ascot and is still one of the top five most expensive suburbs in Brisbane today.

History
The area was originally part of Indooroopilly and later part of Toowong. For a short time it was called Toowong South and part of the area was called Lang Farm. Sugar plantations were established in the area in the 1860s. William Alexander Wilson, born in St Lucia in the West Indies, purchased the Coldridge Plantation in 1882 and renamed it St Lucia Sugar Plantation. It was subdivided in 1883 for housing and the name was transferred to the subdivision.

St Lucia is a green, leafy suburb with a variety of housing including apartment complexes and detached Federation styles and Queenslanders.

Historical houses
St Lucia has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
 * 12 Upland Road: Great Court, University of Queensland
 * 38 Upland Road: Union College
 * 99 Sir Fred Schonnel Drive: Vida and Jayne Lahey's House
 * 396 Swann Road: Langer House

Although not heritage-listed, one of St Lucia's most iconic homes is located at:
 * 272 Swann Road: The Pink Palace.

Demographics
St Lucia is home to a diverse range of individuals. Typically, the student population of St Lucia is high, especially in dwellings in the immediate vicinity of the university, but the suburb is also home to wealthy professionals and families. Houses and apartments in close proximity to the Brisbane River typically attract price tags in the millions.

In the 2011 census, St Lucia had a population of 11,195 people; 50.7% female and 49.3% male.

The median age of the St Lucia population was 23 years of age, 14 years 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 7.5% of the population. The most notable difference was in the group aged between 15–24 years; in St Lucia this group comprises 46.7% of the population, compared to 13.3% nationally.

52.5% of people living in St Lucia were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were China 5.6%, Malaysia 4.9%, Singapore 4.1%, England 3%, Vietnam 1.9%. 63.8% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 9.9% Mandarin, 2.9% Cantonese, 2% Malay, 1.9% Vietnamese, 1.7% Indonesian.

The most common response for religion in St Lucia was No Religion 32.2%, followed by Catholicism 18.0%, Anglicanism 11.9%, Islam 5.3% and Buddhism 5.3%.

In St Lucia, just over half of all households (50.2%) were family households, 24.1% were single person households and 25.7% were group households. The median weekly household income was $1,315, similar to the national median of $1,234.

Attractions
The University of Queensland is the primary focus of St Lucia, with the university, and residential colleges covering a large proportion of the suburb. Ironside State School which was opened in 1870 is located on Hawken Drive and is the only primary school in the suburb. Several small shopping complexes are located throughout the suburb but otherwise the suburb is residential. St Lucia Golf Links is an 18 hole pay-and-play public golf course located on the corner of Indooroopilly Road and Carawa Street, St Lucia. The golf course is one of Brisbane's oldest and has hosted several Queensland Open and PGA tournaments. The layout suits golfers of all levels.

Transport
By Bus, St Lucia can be accessed from the western suburbs and Brisbane CBD, with routes terminating at the University of Queensland. There is also a NightLink service, a safety initiative which provides buses with security on board all night Fridays and Saturdays. The Eleanor Schonell Bridge, a dedicated bus/pedestrian/bicycle bridge, connects the University with Dutton Park and carries the 109 bus route from George Street in the city to the Lakes Bus Station on St Lucia campus.

By Ferry, The CityCat stops at two terminals in St Lucia, the Guyatt Park CityCat Terminal and University of Queensland Terminal.

By Bicycle, St Lucia has bicycle routes that utilise the residential streets between the University of Queensland and Toowong.

By Road, St Lucia has three major thoroughfares which all lead to the University of Queensland. These are Swann Road, Sir Fred Schonell Drive and The Esplanade.