About the Ferny Grove Electorate

The Ferny Grove Electorate lies on the north-west fringe of the Brisbane metropolitan area and extends into the rural surrounds.

Geoff would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land encompassed by the Electorate.

The original occupants of the land north of the Brisbane River, including the north-west suburbs were the Duke of York's clan. The unusual name of the clan came from the title bestowed on the elder who was the great chief of the Brisbane tribe. The members of the tribe were river fishermen. There were a number of bora rings (ceremonial sites) in the area, with two at Keperra (which is how the suburb derived its name) but these have been destroyed by development. Bora rings at Samford and Samsonvale are fortunately still intact.

The area around Samford and Samsonvale was populated by members of the Garumngar people who spoke a dialect of the Waka language.

Geoff seeks to build respect for the traditional owners by fostering continuing relationships with the current indigenous residents of the Electorate.

The information on the traditional occupants of the land was obtained from a book titled "Aboriginal Pathways in Southeast Queensland and the Richmond River" written by J. G. Steele and published by University of Queensland Press.

The metropolitan suburbs in the Electorate include Arana Hills, Ferny Hills, Ferny Grove, Keperra, Upper Kedron, Bunya Riverside and the half of Mitchelton south of Samford Road.

Heading west over the range into the Samford Valley we pass through Camp Mountain and then down into the village of Samford which is the centre of what was a thriving rural area with dairy farming and timber cutting. With increasing development, the area is taking on much more of a semi-rural complexion with city dwellers escaping to the fresh air of acreage in the countryside.

The electorate stretches north to Lake Samsonvale and includes communities such as Yugar, Draper, Closeburn, Clear Mountain, Mt Samson, Samsonvale and the western part of Cashmere. There is a magnificent tourist drive over Clear Mountain and the views from the top are spectacular with 360 degree views of Lake Samsonvale, Moreton Bay, Brisbane City and north to the Glasshouse Mountains.

Heading west from Samford Village we pass through Wights Mountain, Samford Downs and Highvale and then climb up to the picturesque mountain communities of Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo on the southern end of the Agiular Range. This drive is a delight and is a favourite with locals and visiting tourists.

The electorate has:

over 30,000 electors with about 23,000 in the metro areas
a total population of 40700
480 indigenous residents
2,820 residents over 65
8 residents over 100
5,800 residents born overseas
over 50% of residents using the internet
32% aged 19 and under
21% aged from 20 to 34
38% aged 35 to 59
10% aged 60 and over.

On a population basis the Electorate is split between the Pine Rivers Shire Council (30%) and the Brisbane City Council (70%). On a geographic basis the split is PRSC (70%) and BCC (30%). Federally the electorate falls into the electorates of Brisbane (30%) and Dickson (70%) by area.

Click on this link to see a map of the Ferny Grove Electorate which includes the suburbs of Arana Hills, Bunya, Cashmere (west of Pinedale Road), Camp Mountain, Cedar Creek, Clear Mountain, Closeburn, Draper, Ferny Hills, Ferny Grove, Highvale, Keperra, Mt Glorious, Mt Nebo, Mt Samson, Samford, Samsonvale, Upper Kedron, Wights Mountain and Yugar.