Stretton, Queensland

Stretton is 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the Brisbane Central Business District, and borders the suburbs of Calamvale, Sunnybank Hills, Karawatha, Kuraby, and Drewvale.^{[citation needed]}

The northern part of Stretton includes several hills, but the land flattens out towards the south. The southern part has more vegetation, as it joins Karawatha Forest to the south-east and the Calamvale Creek wetlands on the south-west.^{[citation needed]}

In the early 19th century, the area and many of today's suburbs around the Sunnybank area were part of a vast area known as Coopers Plains. In 1861, Governor Bowen declared a wide area that included Eight Mile Plains to Stretton as a Brisbane Agricultural Reserve.^[4] This agricultural reserve was originally used as a source of timber, but when it was found to be good farming land, settlers quickly turned it into farms that produced sought-after fruit, vegetables, and poultry.^{[citation needed]}

A military map from 1922 shows only four houses in the area that is now Stretton.^{[citation needed]}

Stretton was gazetted as a suburb of Brisbane in 1972, and was named after George Stretton, a settler, postmaster and hotelier at Browns Plains in the 1870s.^[5][6]

In 1989, there was controversy regarding the sale of land to Asian investors,^[7] and there is a large Asian population in the suburb today.^[when?]

With rare exceptions, the dwellings in Stretton are stand-alone houses – generally modern, brick and tile. Houses in the north-west corner of Stretton include many huge, multi-storey mansions.^{[when?][citation needed]}

Stretton State College opened on 1 January 2006.^[8]

In the 2011 census, the population was 4,067 (51.5% female and 48.5% male). The median age was 36 years, 1 year below the Australian median. 41.6% were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%. The next most common countries of birth were China 7.1%, Taiwan 7%, New Zealand 4.1%, Hong Kong 4% and India 3.1%. 41.4% of people spoke only English at home. The next most popular languages were 16.2% Mandarin, 11.3% Cantonese, 3.3% Vietnamese, 2.9% Hindi and 2.4% Korean. The weekly median household income in Stretton was $1,843, compared to the national median of $1,234. This difference is also reflected in real estate, with the median mortgage payment being $2,400 per month, compared to the national median of $1,800.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2016 census, Stretton had a population of 4,334.^[1]

Stretton State College is a government primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 226 Illaweena Street (27°38′22″S 153°03′13″E / 27.6395°S 153.0537°E / -27.6395; 153.0537 (Stretton State College)).^[9][10] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 2,590 students with 196 teachers (180 full-time equivalent) and 101 non-teaching staff (71 full-time equivalent).^[11] It includes a special education program.^[9]

Stretton is home to Hope Christian Assembly, a multicultural Pentecostal Church affiliated with Australian Christian Churches which holds services at Stretton State College.^[12]

In addition to small local shops, Calamvale Village on Kameruka Street and Sunnybank Hills Shopping Centre on Hellawell Road provide basic shopping. Westfield Garden City at Upper Mount Gravatt is a larger shopping centre nearby.^[13]

• University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Stretton
• Critters of Calamvale Creek wildlife of Calamvale and Stretton
• "Stretton". BRISbites. Brisbane City Council. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008.
• "Stretton". Our Brisbane. Brisbane City Council. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008.