Our Area - Past, Present and Future

The Past

It was way back in 1869 that William Robert Oxenford took up 90 hectares or in those days 225 Acres of land near the Coomera River (originally the Arrowsmith River when surveyed in 1839) where he gained a reputation for his experimental farming. The only access across the river at Lower Coomera as it was then known was by ferry which crossed close to where the old pacific highway is today. A few years later on the 25th January 1889 the South Coast Railway was opened, which enabled Brisbane residents to travel by rail instead of ferry to Southport which had a bustling population of 1,230. Close to the southern bank of the Coomera River was the Oxenford station where people could alight for the local race meetings, which were held on what is now known as Regatta Waters Estate.

Surviving as a link to the past is the Oxenford Tavern which was renamed from the Oxenford Hotel and was once owned by Russ Hinze the colourful personality and one time State Minister for everything as he was affectionately known. This was also situated on the southern banks of the river and provided accommodation and refreshments for wary travellers awaiting the ferry. The northern side of the river had the Ferry Hotel which has long since gone.
The Coomera River was an important waterway for local timber cutters working in the hinterland, Such as the Binstead family who settled at Upper Coomera near a ford that was mostly accessible except during floods. This was also the route used by the first horse drawn mail run at the turn of the century from Brisbane. The Cobb & Co station is still there today operating as a Tai restaurant on the Tamborine–Oxenford Rd near Charlies Crossing Rd and the War memorial.

In 1930 the first road bridge was completed at Coomera eliminating the need for the ferry service and ultimately causing the demise of the railway which closed down in 1964. In answer to placard waving protesters the then State Treasurer Gordon Chalk predicted that within ten years helicopters would provide affordable transport for Gold Coast-Brisbane commuters!

On the advent of this new road and bridge Oxenford blossomed. The Ryder family set up a General store on the corner of what is now the Tamborine-Oxenford Rd and the Old Pacific Highway. The MacNellie family who still run a bakery in Coomera began in Oxenford, and Proud’s Garage serviced local and passing traffic on the same site where you buy Woolworths fuel today.

The Present

Not quite the present, however it is 1975 and one of the first housing developments in the area was the 184 lot Oxenford Estate, complete with pony trails and parkland. Situated on the old Hinze dairy farm with blocks averaging about 5000m2 or 1-1/4 acres this enterprise of the Mainline Corporation was the beginning of things to come.

The Oxenford Coomera area has changed rapidly since then especially over the last few years. Housing east of the motorway in and around the old Coomera Township bought many new families to the area. New shops opened and activity in the region increased. Since then both east and west of the Motorway has seen vast changes to the landscape. Not only is the Foxwell road area now mooted as home for the largest shopping and community centre in the southern hemisphere, but we have many new residential estates. These cater for the first homebuyer or investor to those requiring a more opulent lifestyle like Hope Island, Sanctuary Cove or Coomera Waters provide.

The Coomera area is now the fastest growing suburb in Australia and investors are taking the challenge in order to be part of this bright future which we face.
There are many schools in the area which include St Stephens College which opened in 1996 and Coomera Anglican College which opened in 1997 and the oldest school in the area, the Coomera State School which began operation in 1873.

The Future

In mentioning the future of the Oxenford Coomera area we cannot go past the proposed Coomera Town Centre. With state and local government approvals in place it is now just a waiting game for it all to begin. Covering an area of approximately 60 hectares and surrounding the Coomera railway station the town centre once completed will be as large as Southport with over 100,000m2 of retail space which will be four times larger than Pacific fair. The new Town Centre plan will be a true city centre made up of a retail and residential component. Local, State and federal government offices plus a higher education campus of Griffith University and a new TAFE College will be incorporated in the Centre.

The Town Centre’s location and expected growth will be a major driving factor in the Gold Coast economy. As a major activity centre it will serve a catchment of regional significanceand provide employment and housing for the envisaged population growth.
Although development in Upper Coomera and Oxenford is nearing saturation, Foxwell Road towards Genisis and Coomera Waters has still a way to go as is the Pimpama area around Yawalpah rd and north with many thousands of home sites to be made available.

Another feather in the cap of the Gold Coast is the Coomera Marine precinct. To date an approximate 60 hectares of land has been developed for marine and industry uses with an estimated $120 Million being invested by private sources. Currently 2500 people are employed in the precinct with a conservative yield of 5000 jobs when ultimately developed.
We are situated here within an area of enormous future growth and potential. The population of south east Queensland is expected to explode to over 4 million people by 2031 and Coomera itself to over 100,000 people by 2025. The investment opportunities that lie ahead speak for themselves, so let’s hope we can all gain from it.