Sandgate, Queensland

Sandgate is a coastal suburb in Brisbane, Australia, located 16 km north of the Brisbane CBD. The town became a popular escape for the people of Brisbane in the early 20th century.

Geography
Sandgate is situated on the coastline, along Bramble Bay. It is connected to the QR Citytrain network.

Name
The name of the area may have been inspired by Sandgate on the coast of county Kent, England. Sandgate in Kent had a military camp, Shorncliffe Camp, on top of the cliffs adjacent to it. Sandgate in Brisbane also has an adjacent suburb called Shorncliffe.

History
Land in Sandgate became available in 1853, allowing a small seaside settlement to develop. By 1874, coach services connected Sandgate to Brisbane. The coming of the railway in 1882 promoted more rapid development of the Sandgate area. Travel to Brisbane by train could be completed in less than one half hour. Sandgate was declared a town by the Governor of Queensland in 1880. This new status meant a town council was formed to guide the development of the local area. Initially, the council chambers were located in Shorncliffe. However, following a fire which destroyed the council chambers in 1910, a much larger town hall was opened in 1911.

The Sandgate Council, which operated from 1880 to 1924, had to provide a range of services for the growing community. These included a fire department, ambulance, and sanitation facilities, as well as maintaining roads and regulating local development. In 1925 Sandgate Council was amalgamated into the City of Brisbane.

As well as the town hall, Sandgate includes another historic landmark, which is the Baptist church on the corner of Cliff Street and Flinders Parade. The church first opened in the late 19th century and has since undergone multiple restorations, yet has continued to remain in its original structure.

Sandgate boasted clean beaches that were a popular weekend destination, with thousands of people visiting from Brisbane to escape the heat. Boating, swimming and golf were the most common sporting activities. Moora Park was the location for dances and open-air films.

Sandgate is also home to a community theatre group called Sandgate Theatre Incorporated, which has been performing in the Sandgate Town Hall for almost 50 years, having been continuously running since 1958. The theatre group is also host to Brisbane's longest running community theatre festival – the Yarrageh festival which is run in August/September each year at the Town Hall.

Facilities
Most of Sandgate's facilities are located along Brighton Road, the main street in Sandgate, which include numerous banks, shops, services and a small shopping centre anchored by a Woolworths supermarket. Woolworths previously traded adjacent to the site of the centre until the opening of the new store in February 2009. The Sandgate railway station on the Shorncliffe line is also within a short walk from these facilities.

Sandgate includes two schools, the Sacred Heart Primary School and Sandgate State School, both of which are also within walking distance from the railway station.

Recreational facilities in Sandgate include numerous parks, walking and bike tracks and a municipal swimming pool on Flinders Parade.