New Farm, Queensland

New Farm Brisbane, Queensland
The western side of the suburb is characterised by large houses and tree-lined streets.
Population:	10,891 (2004) [1]
Postcode:	4005
Area:	2 km² (0.8 sq mi)
Location:	2 km (1 mi) from Brisbane CBD
LGA:	City of Brisbane Central Ward
State District:	Brisbane Central
Federal Division:	Brisbane
Suburbs around New Farm: Fortitude Valley Newstead Teneriffe Bulimba Hawthorne Brisbane City New Farm Hawthorne Kangaroo Point East Brisbane Norman Park

New Farm is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located 2 km east of the Brisbane CBD on a large bend of the Brisbane River. New Farm is partly surrounded by the Brisbane River, with land access from the north west through Fortitude Valley and from the north through Newstead.

Attractions

The suburb of New Farm including New Farm Park is located on the Brisbane River.

At the south-eastern end of the peninsula is the historic New Farm Park. The suburb derives its name from the fact that the peninsula was used as a farming area in the early years of Brisbane's history. Brunswick Street is the main street running northwest-southeast up the centre of the peninsula. To the south of Brunswick Street the suburb is characterised by large ornate Queenslander-style houses, shady streets lined with large trees and tall apartment buildings, predominantly along the river. More modest Queenslander-style houses dominate the north of Brunswick Street, where there are fewer large trees and apartments.

The Brisbane River Walk was located on the western side of the New Farm Peninsula.

The suburb has one main commercial area close to New Farm Park, called 'Merthyr Village'. A wide variety of businesses also operate along Brunswick Street and in adjacent streets. The former electric tramway power station, located at the eastern corner of New Farm Park, has been converted into a community arts and performance space called 'The Powerhouse'. New Farm is known as Brisbane's "Little Italy" as many immigrants from Italian descent first settled in the suburb.

New Farm Village, located on Brunswick Street in New Farm

History

Though one of Brisbane's oldest suburbs, the peninsula of New Farm was once called `Binkin-ba' by the Aborigines. According to a recent book, Reflections on New Farm, published by the New Farm and Districts Historical Society the area was also a working site of convicts (lime kilns dating back to 1870 are still evident on the river banks) a marine base in World War II and home to many wealthy merchants and lawyers.^[2]

From 1885 to 1897 New Farm's transport needs were met by horse-drawn trams, which operated along Brunswick Street, as far as Barker Street. In 1897 the horse trams were replaced with electric trams and the line was extended, with trams ultimately running as far as Macquarie Street and down to the river at New Farm Park. The electric trams ceased operation on 13 April 1969. Since then the suburb has been served by diesel buses.

New Farm developed a reputation in the late 1980s as a drug-addled, low-rent culture depicted in Andrew McGahan's grunge novel Praise, which is set largely in the suburb.

Since then, and like many Brisbane suburbs, New Farm has experienced much 'gentrification' and 'infill development' throughout the 1990s and the years since 2000. However, New Farm maintains its diversity, being known for its long-established Anglo-Saxon and Italian communities (as depicted in Venero Armano's novel Firehead), and its many restaurants and cafes.

On the 23rd of January 2007, part of the movie Fool's Gold, starring Kate Hudson, was shot at New Farm Park. Scenes from the films All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane (2007) and Jucy (2011) have also been shot there.

Transport

By Ferry At the river end of Brunswick Street a small cross-river ferry, operated by Brisbane Transport links New Farm with Norman Park. New Farm can also be accessed via two CityCat stops (operated by Brisbane Transport) - at Sydney Street and at New Farm Park.

By Bus The suburb is serviced by several bus routes to and from the city centre.

The Smart Cities: Rethinking the City Centre^[3] report proposes building green bridges from Merthyr Road across the Brisbane River to Bulimba in the east and to Kangaroo Point in the west.

See also

Queensland portal

• List of Brisbane suburbs

References

1. ^ ABS Statistics
2. ^ New Farm and Districts Historical Society Inc
3. ^ Smart Cities: Rethinking the City Centre

External links

• Brisbites - Information about New Farm
• University of Queensland: Queensland Places:New Farm
• NewFarm.info - Further information on New Farm

Coordinates: 27°28′05″S 153°02′53″E / 27.468°S 153.048°E / -27.468; 153.048