Rothwell, Queensland

Rothwell is in the west of the Redcliffe Peninsula, approximately 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. Redcliffe Aerodrome is in the north-east of the suburb (). 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. Rothwell Park () along McGahey Street experiences flooding and the relocation of the sports grounds at the park has been proposed for several years. The undeveloped Nathan Road Wetlands Reserve () occupies the north of the suburb (apart from the Redcliffe Aerodrome). Although Rothwell is a bayside suburb, there are no roads or tracks through the wetlands to provide access to the bay. == History ==

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 (), bounded to the east, south and west by Saltwater Creek (called Fresh Water Creek in the advertising material). The land was promoted as being near the proposed Redcliffe railway line. However, the lots were either never sold or never developed. Although the subdivision can be seen on cadastral maps until at least 1978, at 2020 the land has returned to a single undivided and undeveloped parcel. This may relate to the flood-prone nature of Saltwater Creek. Rothwell died on 28 January 1928 and his involvement with the Avenue was honoured on Sunday 9 April 1933 with the unveiling of the Rothwell monument by the Queensland Governor, Sir Leslie Wilson. This stone obelisk was placed on a small triangular piece of land at the intersection of Anzac Memorial Avenue and the Deception Bay Road, later moving to nearby Rothwell Park () when a roundabout was built on the original site. Rothwell was officially named as a suburb by the Queensland Place Names Board on 1 July 1970. Mueller College was established on 30 January 1990 by the Mueller Community Church. In 2015, the Moreton Bay Regional Council began a $18.8 million project to create the Nathan Road Sports Ground () in Kippa-Ring to replace the AFL facility at flood-prone Rothwell Park. It is expected to be completed in 2020. == Demographics ==

In the , 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. In the , Rothwell had a population of 7,165 people. In the , Rothwell had a population of 7,538 people. == Heritage listings ==

Rothwell has the following heritage-listed sites: • Anzac Avenue (the road itself) == Education ==

Grace Lutheran College is a private secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at Anzac Avenue & Mewes Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,361 students with 111 teachers (102 full-time equivalent) and 124 non-teaching staff (84 full-time equivalent). Mueller College is a private primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at 75 Morris Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1,451 students with 122 teachers (112 full-time equivalent) and 96 non-teaching staff (64 full-time equivalent). 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. == 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. == Sport ==

Currently, sporting clubs in Rothwell are the Redcliffe Cougars softball club and the Redcliffe Tigers AFC. == See also ==