Upper Coomera is located on the northern side of the Gold Coast on the western side of the M1Pacific Motorway. It borders Willow Vale in the north, the Coomera River on the south which separates it from Oxenford and the Pacific Highway on the east which separates it from Coomera.[citation needed]Tamborine-Oxenford Road (State Route 95) runs through from south-west to south-east.[4]
Upper Coomera and Coomera have long been the main centre of urban development on the Gold Coast and are considered to be, along with Southport and Robina, one of the Gold Coast's three urban centres. Upper Coomera is a heavily suburbanised suburb consisting of many large residential developments and commercial centres. Despite already being heavily developed and having a large population, Upper Coomera is predicted by both the Queensland Government and Gold Coast City Council to grow and develop at an exponential rate well into the next decade. Upper Coomera is a popular place of residence for dual-city commuters as it is placed roughly halfway between the central commercial districts of Southport and Beenleigh and within reasonable travelling distance to Brisbane CBD.[dubious – discuss][citation needed]
History
The name Coomera comes from the Yugambeh word kumera, a species of wattle.[5]
In 1864, the British surveyed the land along Coomera River with 15,000 acres reserved for agricultural purposes.[6] In 1865, William Alfred Binstead became the first white man to take up land in Upper Coomera area near a ford in the river that later formed part of a mail run. A ferry service was set up downstream which later became known as Coomera.[7]
The sugar industry was soon established in the region with the Otmoor plantation of Arthur Ardagh producing the first refined sugar in 1870.[8]South Sea Islander labour was utilised at Otmoor from its formation and by 1881 was the only type of labour used on the property.[9]
The Upper Coomera Cemetery was first surveyed in 1871 and it opened in 1885, but it was not until 3 years later that someone was buried there.[10]
By December 1888, an Anglican church had been built in Upper Coomera, but its opening was delayed until the return of BishopWilliam Webber from England to Queensland.[11] The opening ceremony was conducted by the bishop on Sunday 31 March 1889 .[12][13] The new Anglican Church of the Holy Road was opened on Saturday 18 December 1937 by Bishop William Wand.[14]
"This memorial was erected by the residents, in honour of the brave lads of the Coomera district who fell in the Great War 1914-19. They gave their all. Let you who pass, saluting here their names, See that through you no slur, nor stain, nor shame Falls on the land for which they gave their lives - AUSTRALIA."
Coomera Upper Provisional School opened on 23 October 1876. On 15 July 1878 it became Coomera Upper State School. It closed in 1964.[18]
Fern Hill State School opened in 1910 and closed on 24 March 1914.[18]
The first bridge across the Coomera river was built in the 1930s.[7]
Upper Coomera State College opened on 1 January 2003.[18]
Assisi Catholic College opened on 25 January 2005.[18]
Coomera Springs State School opened in January 2008 on an 11-hectare (27-acre) site with approximately 90 students initially enrolled.[19][20]
Highland Reserve State School was officially opened in January 2009 by Queensland PremierAnna Bligh.[21] The school was originally proposed to be called Oxenford West State School.[19]
Coomera Anglican College is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 8 Days Road (27°51′30″S153°18′20″E / 27.8584°S 153.3055°E / -27.8584; 153.3055 (Coomera Anglican College)).[25][31] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,407 students with 92 teachers (88 full-time equivalent) and 61 non-teaching staff (57 full-time equivalent).[32] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,414 students with 92 teachers (90 full-time equivalent) and 62 non-teaching staff (57 full-time equivalent).[27] It has a 2,500-square-metre (27,000 sq ft) sports centre, which includes two full size netball courts as well as a full commercial gym operated by Coomera Focus on Fitness and available for use by the local community. The current principal is Mark D Sly.[citation needed]
The Upper Coomera Community Centre is located on Reserve Road and contains the office of Councillor Donna Gates, Customer Service Office, Aquatic Centre, and Upper Coomera Branch Library. The community centre opened on 14 June 2013.[34] The Upper Coomera Branch Library opened in April 2013 and is the newest branch of the Gold Coast libraries.[35]
The Upper Coomera School of Arts was established in 1896. It is used for public meetings and other community purposes.[36]
Retail
Upper Coomera has several shopping venues, the main ones being Coomera City Centre, Coomera Grand Shopping Centre and The Hub at the junction of Days Road and Old Coach Road.
Upper Coomera is well serviced by a variety of bus routes provided by Surfside Bus Lines and operated by Translink. There is also a train station on Foxwell Road in the neighbouring suburb of Coomera.[citation needed]
^"PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XX, no. 2, 370. Queensland, Australia. 2 September 1865. p. 6. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"BEENLEIGH". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XXV, no. 4, 114. Queensland, Australia. 10 December 1870. p. 6. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"UPPER COOMERA". The Queenslander. Vol. XX, no. 309. Queensland, Australia. 23 July 1881. p. 102. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Country Mails". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. XLV, no. 9, 655. Queensland, Australia. 24 December 1888. p. 3. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Country News". Logan Witness. Vol. XII, no. 578. Queensland, Australia. 20 April 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 10 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^"General News". The Queenslander. Vol. XXXVI, no. 721. Queensland, Australia. 27 July 1889. p. 170. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Upper Coomera". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
Coghill, Gloria A; Coomera State School (1998). 125 Years of schooling on the Coomera 1873-1998. G. Coghill. ISBN978-0-646-35838-3.—includes Coomera Upper State School and Fern Hill State School