Bracken Ridge is a northern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bracken Ridge had a population of 16,936 people. Geography The suburb is located about north of the Brisbane central business district. The southern border is formed by Telegraph Road, one of the oldest roads in the suburb, and a portion of the western border is formed by the Caboolture railway line. A number of housing estates are located within the suburb, including The Oaks, Enbrook Heights and the most recent development Sungate Estate. The terrain in the suburb is, as the name suggests, generally hilly. The highest area of the suburb features a park and a reservoir; from this height it is quite easy to see Moreton Bay to the east and the CBD to the south. History The Turrbul people are the traditional owners of the area. The suburb takes its name from a property name and later an estate name, which in turn was a name given by the original settlers because there was so much Bracken fern. The first land sales in the area occurred on 3 August 1857, with the first purchase being made by William Loudon. John McPherson and James Ferguson bought land at the next land auction on 28 April 1862 and were the first to buy and settle on the land. Bracken Ridge State School opened on 26 August 1957. Nashville State High School opened on 23 January 1967. On 25 September 2000 it was renamed Bracken Ridge State High School. Norris Road State School opened on 24 January 1977. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School opened on 28 January 1978. St John Fisher College opened on 5 October 1981. The Bracken Ridge Library opened in 1987. The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit was dedicated on 7 May 1988 by Archbishop John Grindrod. The Bracken Ridge Gospel Hall was built in the mid 1990s at 294 Bracken Ridge Road (). It was affiliated with the Christian Community Churches of Australia. In 2014 the site was sold for $1.32 million and no longer operates as a church. In the , Bracken Ridge recorded a population of 16,936 people, 51% female and 49% male. The median age of the Bracken Ridge population was 36 years of age, 2 years below the Australian median, and 1 year below Queensland median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 20.4% of