Capalaba is a popular suburb in Redlands Coast featuring major business and retail centres, as well as a host of recreational, cultural and community facilities.
The busy shopping and commercial precinct of the suburb’s north makes way for rural, rural-residential and bushland areas to its south.
Location
Lifestyle
Capalaba boasts family-friendly attractions that draw people from throughout Redlands Coast. One of these gems is Capalaba Regional Park, a sprawling 14ha of open areas where kids can run and play with walking and cycling circuits, picnic and barbecue facilities. There is a great playground complete with flying fox, timber fort and embankment slide.
There’s even a stage for concerts and festivals. Check out our What's On calendar for upcoming events.
Just up the road is the Redlands IndigiScapes Centre. If you love the bush, it is well worth visiting this environmental facility dedicated to local native plants and wildlife. The main centre is under construction (effective June 2019), however you can still visit the nursery or walk around the parklands, botantic gardens or see the 400 year old Tallowwood tree.
Capalaba also has one of the biggest, some say one of the best, skate and BMX facilities in South East Queensland.
Shopping
Capalaba Park and Capalaba Central shopping centres and nearby Capalaba Town Centre form one of the largest shopping zones in Redlands Coast, rivalled only by the twin retail precincts at Victoria Point in the south.
Schools and colleges
The main secondary school is Capalaba State College, which has both junior and senior campuses. Coolnwynpin State School and St Luke’s Catholic Primary School also service this area.
Getting around
The bus interchange is across from Capalaba’s retail precinct. Transdev Queensland operates regular bus services, with a 24-hour weekend bus from Brisbane to Victoria Point. Birkdale, to the north, and Cleveland, to the east, are the main railway stations servicing this area.
History
The first sale of land at Capalaba was held in 1853. Most buyers were interested in the area for its grazing and farming potential. Some of the district’s earliest timber licences were issued to Capalaba residents in 1865, including the Willards. In 1877 the first hotel on the site of the present Capalaba Hotel was built, just to the south of the Rocks crossing and the newly completed bridge.
During WWII the hotel was taken over by the US Army, with officers staying in the hotel and as many as 300-400 soldiers camped on the land behind it. The land behind Willards Farm was also used by the US military as a radio transmission and receiving station.
Find out more through the Redlands Coast History library catalogue.
Your councillor
Capalaba is predominantly covered by Division 9 (Cr Jason Colley), with parts in Division 7 (Cr Rowanne McKenzie) and Division 8 (Cr Tracey Huges).
More information
Visit the popular parks in Capalaba.
View Capalaba's national regional profile (Australian Bureau of Statistics).
See the latest demographic snapshot for Capalaba.