Alberton is a rural locality in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Alberton had a population of 547 people.[1]

Alberton
Gold CoastQueensland
Sugarcane fields, looking south down Cane Farm Road, Alberton, 2022
Alberton is located in Brisbane
Alberton
Alberton
Map
Coordinates27°42′25″S 153°16′08″E / 27.7069°S 153.2688°E / -27.7069; 153.2688 (Alberton (centre of locality))
Population547 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density32.18/km2 (83.3/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4207
Area17.0 km2 (6.6 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10:00)
Location
LGA(s)City of Gold Coast
State electorate(s)Coomera
Federal division(s)Fadden
Suburbs around Alberton:
Eagleby Carbrook Redland Bay
Eagleby Alberton Woongoolba
Stapylton Gilberton Woongoolba

Geography

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Alberton is bounded in the north by the Logan River and in the west by its tributary, the Albert River.[3]

History

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Alberton State School and students, circa 1892

The Aboriginal name for the area was Wobbomerijee (where Wobum means mud and Mudtheri means sticky).[2]

European settlement began in 1863 when the first settlers arrived, mostly German immigrants.[4]

A town reserve was established in 1865 on the southern bank near the junction of the Logan and Albert Rivers.[5]

The Ageston sugar plantation and sugar mill operated from 1866 to the 1890s and was described as "one of the finest plants in the Moreton district" in 1873.[6]

 
Alberton Sugar Mill, 1922

In 1869, the first Lutheran church was established near the Lutheran cemetery on Zipfs Road. The area was known as Elkana (meaning "God has created and blessed").[4][7] A German school was established early in the 1870s beside the church.[4] In 1886, a new larger Lutheran church (the present St Peter's) was built. It was consecrated in 1887 by Rev Hellmuth.[4][8][9] The German school was demolished in 1919.[4]

Later[when?] the area was called Alberton after Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, but the name Elkana is preserved in Elkana Road.[10]

The Alberton Ferry was established 1870 to cross the Logan River between Ferry Road at Carbrook and Alberton Road at Alberton (27°41′37″S 153°15′40″E / 27.6937°S 153.2611°E / -27.6937; 153.2611 (Alberton ferry (Alberton terminal))).[11] Following the opening of the Logan Bridge in 1931, usage of the ferry declined and it was closed in 1948.[12][4]

The Alberton Provisional School opened on 13 May 1876 with children attending German school on only one day a week.[4] On 13 October 1884 the provisional school became the Alberton State School.[13] It closed in 1966.[13][14] It was on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) site at 88 Alberton Road (corner of Zipfs Road, 27°42′39″S 153°15′35″E / 27.7109°S 153.2596°E / -27.7109; 153.2596 (Alberton State School (former))).[11][15][3]

In October 1886, a well-known property on the Albert River owned by W. K. Witty called "Yellowwood Estate" was advertised for subdivision into suitable sized farms and then auctioned by Simon Fraser & Son.[16] A map advertising the auction states that 40 choice farms were available and the auction was to be held on Saturday 27 November at the Palm's Hotel, Beenleigh.[17]

The Gem Hotel was established in 1877 but it was destroyed by fire on 27 June 1933 but was insured.[10][18] By December 1933, the hotel had been rebuilt.[19][20]

In the 1950s, a very notable Bora ceremonial site on the Logan river was destroyed, and replaced with a pineapple plantation owned by a Mr Inklemann. The site bore the characteristics of the classic twin circles, with a north-south orientation, the large northern ring measuring 70–80 feet in diameter, while the smaller ring lay some 100 feet to its south. In the middle of the latter was a native stone hut, consisting of several stone slabs supporting a stone roof, not unlike the dolmen structures of prehistoric Europe.[21]

In September 2012, an archaeological dig was undertaken on the former Ageston sugar plantation, revealing stone and steel structures, a Cornish boiler and evaporating pans.[6]

Demographics

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In the 2011 census, Alberton had a population of 576 people.[22]

In the 2016 census, Alberton had a population of 590 people.[23]

In the 2021 census, Alberton had a population of 547 people.[1]

Economy

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Prawn farming, Alberton, 2014

Alberton is primarily a rural area with sugar cane plantations and prawn farms.[10]

Education

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There are no schools in Alberton. The nearest primary schools are Woongoolba State School in neighbouring Woongoolba to the south-east and Mount Warren Park State School in Mount Warren Park to the south-west. The nearest secondary school is Beenleigh State High School in Beenleigh to the south-west.[3]

Facilities

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AIberton Cemetery is at 80 Zipfs Road (27°42′42″S 153°15′58″E / 27.7116°S 153.2662°E / -27.7116; 153.2662 (Alberton Cemetery)).[24] Established by the German settlers, it is now operated by the Gold Coast City Council.[4][25]

Amenities

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The Gem Hotel, 2014

The Gem Hotel is on the corner of Stapylton-Jacobs Well Road and Rotary Park Road (27°43′15″S 153°15′08″E / 27.7207°S 153.2523°E / -27.7207; 153.2523 (The Gem Hotel)).[20]

 
St Peter's Lutheran Church, Alberton, 2014

St Peter's Lutheran Church is at 187 Alberton Road (27°42′11″S 153°15′24″E / 27.7031°S 153.2566°E / -27.7031; 153.2566 (St Peter's Lutheran Church)).[26]

The Gold Coast City Council operates a fortnightly mobile library service which visits St Peter's Lutheran Hall in Alberton Road.[27]

Alberton Cricket Club is in Zipf Park at 88 Alberton Road (27°42′41″S 153°15′34″E / 27.7115°S 153.2595°E / -27.7115; 153.2595 (Alberton Cricket Club)).[28]

There is a boat ramp at the northern end of Alberton Road on the south bank of Logan River (27°41′37″S 153°15′39″E / 27.6937°S 153.2608°E / -27.6937; 153.2608 (Alberton Road boat ramp)). It is managed by the Gold Coast City Council.[29]

There are a number of parks in the area:

References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Alberton (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  2. ^ a b "Alberton – locality in City of Gold Coast (entry 48111)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "History". Alberton Lutheran Parish. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  5. ^ "THE ALBERT RIVER". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 16 November 1865. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Ageston Plantation Dig 2012". Gold Coast City Council. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  7. ^ "LOGAN PIONEERS". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 30 May 1914. p. 17. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  8. ^ Blake, Thom. "St Peter's Lutheran Church (1869)". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  9. ^ Blake, Thom. "St Peter's Lutheran Church (1887)". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Alberton History". City of Gold Coast Council. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Beenleigh" (Map). Queensland Government. 1947. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Alberton". Gold Coast City Libraries. 11 April 2017. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Agency ID 6326, Alberton State School". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Queensland Forty Chain series sheet 612" (Map). Queensland Government. 1943. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Advertising". Logan Witness. Vol. IX, no. 445. Queensland, Australia. 30 October 1886. p. 2. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Yellow Wood Estate Albert River" [Map]. Collections. State Library of Queensland.
  18. ^ "FIRE AT ALBERTON". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 28 June 1933. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Classified Advertising". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 11 November 1933. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Welcome". The Gem Hotel. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  21. ^ Ponosov, Vladimir Vasil'evich (1974). Results of an archaeological survey of the Southern region of Moreton Bay and of Moreton Island (1963-1964) (PDF). University of Queensland. pp. 2, 69–70. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  22. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Alberton (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 January 2013.  
  23. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Alberton (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  24. ^ "Cemetery Areas - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  25. ^ "Alberton Cemetery". Gold Coast City Council. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  26. ^ "St Peter's Lutheran Church :: Alberton Lutheran Parish". Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  27. ^ "Mobile Library 2018 timetable" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  28. ^ "Building points - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  29. ^ "Recreational Boating Facilities Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Land for public recreation - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
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