Merrimac

Merrimac is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Merrimac is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Merrimac had a population of 7,071 people.

The origin of the name of the suburb is unclear. In 1873 Thomas Blacket Stephens purchased 6,980 acres (2,820 ha) of land; his wife Ann named the property Merrimac. In 1906, it was claimed to be named by the American Indian word for swift running waters.It has been suggested that it has been named after the Merrimack River in the New England region of the United States, or USS Merrimac, a Union navy frigate itself named for the river.The land was swampy but Stephens and later his son William Stephens progressively drained the land and turned it into productive farming land, principally used for dairying, but also sheep, cattle and sugarcane. The Stephens family continued to purchase land, increasing the estate to approximately 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) In 1908 , the family sold 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) at £4/15/0 per acre, believed to the highest price per acre of a property of that size at the time, to a syndicate from Victoria, which subdivided it into small farms known as the Stephens Estate.Merrimac State School opened on 25 July 1917.Merrimac State High School opened on 30 January 1979 (but is now within the suburb of Mermaid Waters).St Michael's College opened on 4 February 1985.St Michael's College opened its Carrara campus on 4 February 1985, but, as at 2021, this campus is within the boundaries of Merrimac.All Saints Anglican School opened on 28 January 1987.Gold Coast Jewish Day School opened on 1995 at 16A Ghilgai Road and was renamed King Solomon College on 1 January 1996. In 2007 the Gold Coast Montessori College relocated to share the King Solomon College site (having been originally established on 13 July 2002 at Lot 2, Mudgeeraba Road, Mudgeeraba). Faced with falling student numbers King Solomon College suspended its operation on 18 July 2008. Gold Coast Montessori College closed on 31 October 2008. Two schools merged forming Queensland Independent College on 2 April 2009, closing on 16 June 2017.The Queensland Football School took over the site of the Queensland Independent College to commence operation at January 2020, but the school did not open.Gold Coast Montessori College opened on 13 July 2004.In the 2016 census, Merrimac had a population of 7,071 people.