Rothwell is in the west of the Redcliffe Peninsula, approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) north-northeast of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland.
The suburb is bounded to the north by the bay of Deception Bay (part of Moreton Bay), to the east in part by Nathan Road, and to the south and south-west by Saltwater Creek.[3]
Rothwell is one of the few areas on the Redcliffe Peninsula prone to flooding due to Saltwater Creek; areas in the southern part of the suburb near the creek are undeveloped.[6] Rothwell Park (27°12′57″S153°02′35″E / 27.2158°S 153.0430°E / -27.2158; 153.0430 (Rothwell Park)) along McGahey Street experiences flooding and the relocation of the sports grounds at the park has been proposed for several years.[7]
In 1888 and 1889 (when the area was known as Deception Bay), there was a long-running attempt to sell a subdivision known as the Isle of Man estate (27°13′05″S153°02′18″E / 27.2180°S 153.0382°E / -27.2180; 153.0382 (Isle of Man estate)), bounded to the east, south and west by Saltwater Creek (called Fresh Water Creek in the advertising material).[8] The land was promoted as being near the proposed Redcliffe railway line.[9] However, the lots were either never sold or never developed. Although the subdivision can be seen on cadastral maps until at least 1978,[10] at 2020 the land has returned to a single undivided and undeveloped parcel.[3] This may relate to the flood-prone nature of Saltwater Creek.[6]
Grace Lutheran College opened on 31 January 1978 with 15 students under teacher Viv Kuhl at Grace Lutheran Primary School at Clontarf. In 1980 it moved to its present site in Rothwell.[16][17]
In the 2011 census, Rothwell had a population of 6,683 people, 52.8% female and 47.2% male. The median age of the Rothwell population was 36 years, 1 year below the national median of 37. 73.5% of people living in Rothwell were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 5.8%, England 5.4%, South Africa 0.9%, Philippines 0.9%, Samoa 0.8%. 87.7% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 1.7% Samoan, 0.4% Afrikaans, 0.4% Hindi, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.3% Dutch.[19]
In the 2016 census, Rothwell had a population of 7,165 people.[20]
In the 2021 census, Rothwell had a population of 7,538 people.[1]
There are no government schools in Rothwell. The nearest government primary schools are Hercules Road State School in Kippa-Ring to the east and Deception Bay State School in Deception Bay to the north-west. The nearest government secondary school is Deception Bay State High School in Deception Bay.[3]
Amenities
Rothwell is a residential area with a growing commercial district, home to The Zone and a mixture of diverse retail businesses. A Woolworths supermarket is near The Zone on Deception Bay Road. A Bunnings Warehouse is on Anzac Avenue. Currently, the larger shopping centres and supermarkets are in nearby Kippa-Ring and Deception Bay.[citation needed]
^"Appendix D – Cultural Heritage Assessment"(PDF). Petrie to Kippa-Ring Public Transport Corridor Study. Queensland Department of Transport. 27 July 2004. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 January 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
^"Mr. T. J. Rothwell Dead". The Telegraph. No. 17, 210. Queensland, Australia. 30 January 1928. p. 8. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"FITTING TRIBUTE". The Brisbane Courier. No. 23, 461. Queensland, Australia. 10 April 1933. p. 10. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"T. J. Rothwell". Monuments Australia. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.