Herston

Geography

Herston is located 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi) by car north of the Brisbane CBD.

The area of Herston includes the Herston Health Precinct on its eastern side. This includes the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the Herston Quarter which is a development site to replace the former Royal Children's Hospital which moved to another site in 2014. Herston also includes the Ballymore Stadium Rugby Union venue in the northwest and Victoria Park on the southern side of Herston Road. The park includes the Victoria Park golf facilities and the heritage-listed former Victoria Park Golf Clubhouse built in 1931.

The Herston Quarter is a 5-hectare (12-acre) development site in Herston adjacent to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital on the site of the former Royal Children's Hospital which was merged into the Queensland Children's Hospital in South Brisbane. The site includes the restoration of the historic Royal Brisbane Hospital Nurses' Homes.

The rest of Herston is mostly a residential suburb.

History

Herston was first settled by Europeans in the 1850s. Sir Robert Herbert, Queensland's first premier, built a farm in the area, and lived in the farmhouse with his then Attorney-General, John Bramston. They named their house Herston, a combination of their surnames, which eventually became the name of the suburb. It has been speculated that the two men may have been in a kind of homosexual relationship at the time or at least a kind of very strong and intimate male friendship.

Many of Herston's streets were named after local identities of the time. Bowen Bridge Road and Bowen Park were named after Sir George Bowen, Queensland's first governor. Butterfield Street was named after local schoolmaster William Butterfield. Hetherington Street was named after coal industry identity John William Hetherington, and Garrick Terrace got its name from James Francis Garrick, the man who purchased Herston from Herbert and Bramston.

Royal Children's Hospital Special School opened on 11 August 1919. As the name suggests, the school provided education to children who were patients in the hospital. On 1 December 2014 it became the Royal Brisbane and ACT for Kids Campus of the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital School. On 1 January 2019 it became a campus of the Queensland Children's Hospital School (reflecting the name change of the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital).

St Joan of Arc Catholic church opened on Sunday 5 December 1920 when it was blessed and opened by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, James Duhig. St Joan of Arc Catholic School opened on 14 July 1924 under the Sisters of the Presentation. The school closed in 1968.

From the eastern side of the suburb was served by frequent tram services along Bowen Bridge Road, with routes converging from Chermside, Kalinga (until 1962), Stafford, and Grange. These services combined to provide the suburb with an off-peak service of a tram every 2½ minutes along Bowen Bridge Road in the late 1950s. This service ceased in December 1968. From the western side of the suburb was served by trams which ran along Kelvin Grove Road. This service also ceased in December 1968.

Herston Methodist Church opened on Saturday 24 March 1923 on the corner of Aberleigh and Scott Roads (27.4468°S 153.0203°E / -27.4468; 153.0203 (Herston Methodist Church)). It was an unpretentious hardwood building 33 by 24 feet (10.1 m × 7.3 m). The church was still operating in 1990 but had closed prior to March 2020.

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Herston had a population of 2,215 people. The median age of the Herston population was 29 years of age, 9 years below the Australian median. 50.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was China at 6.5%. 57.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin at 7.1%.The most common responses for religion were No Religion 40.7% and Catholic 18.4%.

In the 2021 census, Herston had a population of 2,311 people.

Heritage listings

Herston has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Brisbane General Hospital Precinct, 40 Bowen Bridge Road

Royal Brisbane Hospital Nurses' Homes, Herston Road

University of Queensland Mayne Medical School, 288 Herston Road

former Victoria Park Golf Clubhouse, 309 Herston Road

Education

The Royal Brisbane and ACT for Kids Campus of the Queensland Children's Hospital School is located within the hospital precinct. However it is only for children who are in-patients of the hospitals and their family members.

There are no other schools in Herston. The nearest government primary and secondary school is the Kelvin Grove State College in neighbouring Kelvin Grove.

Amenities

St Joan of Arc Catholic Church is at 47 Clyde Road (27.4452°S 153.0168°E / -27.4452; 153.0168 (St Joan of Arc Catholic Church, Herston)).

Transport

Brisbane City Council diesel buses serve the suburb, with two distinct corridors along Butterfield Street in the north and the Inner-Northern Busway in the south of the suburb. It services the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital busway station (which is the terminus for several routes including the Brisbane Metro M2 route), and Herston station, located across Herston Road from the hospital's rear entrance.

Notable people

Kyra Cooney-Cross (born 2002), soccer player for the Australia national team