Redland Bay is a coastal semi-rural locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the , Redland Bay had a population of 14,958 people. Since the first European settlers arrived in the mid-19th century, Redland Bay has remained a farming and fishing-based area until the mid-20th century when some of the farms were subdivided and improved transport infrastructure made it possible for residents to commute the 35 kilometers into Brisbane. Geography Redland Bay is at the southern end of Redland City, south-east of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. The locality is named for the bay to its east (), which forms part of larger Moreton Bay. The redness of the soil derives from iron oxides present in lava from a volcano that erupted (millions of years ago) in northern New South Wales, some 100 kilometres to the south. The locality is a port for vessels plying the bay islands. These islands include Russell Island, Macleay Island, Karragarra Island, Lamb Island and North Stradbroke Island, home to several thousand residents. The Beenleigh–Redland Bay Road enters from the south-west and runs north as Serpentine creek Road to the centre, where it becomes Cleveland-Redland Bay Road. History The Aboriginal name for the Redland Bay region is Talwalpin after the cottonwood tree which was widespread in the area. In the 1860s, settlers from England, Germany and Scandinavia began filtering into and along the Logan River and surrounding districts. They found dense forests growing from generally good soil. Particularly rich was the soil of the Redland Bay District which is said to have had lush rainforest complete with prized red cedar. The labour of clearing the forest was long and arduous. One man with an axe might labor for years to clear an area of land that could support a viable farm. The felled timber would then milled to provide building material for the first houses. Locally milled cedar was used for doors, architraves and other feature work on the early houses, such as the original farmhouse on what was to become Mt Carmel Orchard. The character of the red soil was such that over time, it infiltrated itself into and on farm buildings, giving them a characteristic red tinge. One early settler was Arnold Friedrich Muller who took up of coastal forest north of what is now Point Talburpin. Muller's farmhouse was removed in the 1990s to make way for a stage of