The suburb of Kirwan was established in 1968 as the northernmost of a series of new suburbs along the western side of the Upper Ross River. It was officially named on 1 March 1969[2] and took its name from an early farming family in the region. Prior to suburban development, Kirwan had been farmed and had also been the site of air force activity during World War II.[5]
Kirwan State School opened in 1977[6] and Kirwan State High School[7] opened in 1979.[8]Ryan Catholic College, which serves both primary and secondary students, was also founded in 1979.[9] The Willows State School was established in the suburb in 1997.[10]
Demographics
In the 2016 census, Kirwan had a population of 21,418 people.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 8.5% of the population.
82.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 2.5%, England 2.4%, Philippines 1.0% and Papua New Guinea 0.6%.
88.2% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian at 0.5%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 29.7%, No Religion 25.6% and Anglican 16.2%.[11]
In the 2021 census, Kirwan had a population of 20,780 people.[1]
Several leisure facilities are situated within Kirwan itself, including the Willows Golf Club, the Townsville and District Junior Rugby League Grounds and the Townsville Brothers Leagues Club. Kirwan is also well known as the home of the National Rugby League team, the North Queensland Cowboys, and is the site of 1300SMILES Stadium.[citation needed]
^"Kirwan". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
^"Kirwan SS". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
^"Kirwan SHS". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.