The Gap

The Gap is a north-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

The Gap is a north-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, The Gap had a population of 16,692 people.

Initially inhabited by the Turrbal people, The Gap was originally heavily forested. With the arrival of European settlement, timber felling became the first industry in the area, and with the removal of the timber the area was turned over to farming. The first crown lease of land was in 1851, to Darby McGrath who ran a sheep station across the entire valley. The first freehold land sale was made in 1858, to P.B. and J. Paten in the area where Paten road runs today. Access to The Gap in the 1850s was via tracks which became Waterworks and Payne Roads. They also provided access to Enoggera Dam which was built in 1866 to provide a water supply for Brisbane.A timber Primitive Methodist Church opened on Waterworks Roadon Sunday 25 May 1873 on land donated by Moses Amos. A foundation stone for a new brick church was laid on 2 October 1960 by the Reverend Dr Robert William Fulcher. Following the amalgamation of the Methodist Church into the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, it became present-day The Gap Uniting Church. On 15 September 2001 a new auditorium was dedicated by Reverend Dr Ray Reddicliffe, the Moderator of the Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia.From 1879 The Gap was part of the local government area called Ithaca Division, then part of the Shire of Enoggera from 1887 to 1925.A map advertised the sale of 800 allotments at Royal Park Estate, now The Gap and St. John's Wood Extension Estate, Ashgrove by F. M. Anglim in August 1927.Gap State School opened on 22 January 1912. It was renamed The Gap State School in the early 1960s.Following World War I the area was broken up into smaller farms for returned servicemen, many of whom farmed poultry and dairy cattle. Many of these farms were too small to be commercially successful, however small pockets of farming remained in The Gap until the 1980s.Mason's jam factory was established about 1939 by Claude Hamilton Mason. It was located to the east of the Ashgrove Golf Course (27.4464°S 152.9641°E? / -27.4464; 152.9641? (Mason's jam factory (site))), but closed circa 1990.The Gap State High School opened on 25 January 1960.Payne Road State School opened on 27 January 1970.St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School opened on 29 August 1972.Hilder Road State School opened on 30 January 1979.The billabong between The Gap State High School and Payne Road Primary School used to be a favourite swimming location and over the years has been home to turtles, eels and platypus. It was named Shepherd's Pool, supposedly after a shepherd who was killed by aborigines in 1852, although the name may derive from a P.A. Shepherd, who leased the adjacent land in the 1930s.There used to be a toll gate located on Waterworks Road near what is now the entrance to Brisbane Forest Park.

The Gap War Memorial is located at Walton Bridge Reserve (27.4464°S 152.9641°E? / -27.4464; 152.9641? (The Gap War Memorial)) and commemorates those who served in World War I and World War II.The Gap was affected by a major storm on the afternoon of 16 November 2008. A microburst hit The Gap with extremely high winds, causing many trees to fall onto homes and major roads, as well as causing many houses to lose their roofs.In the 2016 census, The Gap had a population of 16,692 people.

The district was later subdivided into blocks of land for housing estates. The recreational activities of inhabitants of the suburb are well catered for, with many facilities including many sporting clubs (Soccer, Tennis, Athletics, Swimming and Golf etc.) and there are a number of lush green parks.

The Gap is also where the main entrance to Walkabout Creek, in what was previously known as Brisbane Forest Park, (now officially the southern part of D'Aguilar National Park), is located. A major bushland area in Brisbane's west, there is an information and wildlife education centre, with many Australian wildlife species, including marsupials, birds, fish and reptiles.For a number of years, now, there has been a resident platypus named Burrun at Walkabout Creek and, more recently, a second platypus named Willum (Burrun's half-brother).Bred at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, they are the sons of Barak, the platypus at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

Ashgrove Golf Club is located in the Brisbane suburb of The Gap, at 863 Waterworks Road. Ashgrove Golf Club was formed in April 1939 as a nine-hole format.Over time the club expanded to eighteen holes utilizing freehold and leased land. The land was originally a dairy farm and market garden. Mark Winston was the original owner who leased the land to the club until the club bought the land in 1950 for £12,000. The club celebrated the 75th anniversary of the formation of the club with a week-long celebration of golf and social events in April 2014.