East State School celebrated its 50th anniversary. Aspley State High School opened on 29 January 1963. It was originally to be called Zillmere State High School but was renamed on 17 January 1963. Aspley Special School opened on 6 November 1973. In May 2006, John Howard Amundsen was arrested for fraudulently obtaining more than 50 kg of explosives, causing an evacuation of a number of nearby residents. In July 2008, Aspley's Bank of Queensland branch was destroyed by an explosion and fire in an attempted robbery. In August 2009, the Aspley Village Shopping Centre opened its doors to the Aspley Village Arts Markets each Sunday. In the , Aspley recorded a population of 12,594 people and comprises 52.4% females and 47.6% males. The median age of the Aspley population was 40 years of age, 3 years above the Australian median. 74% of people living in Aspley were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%; the next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 4.4%, England 3.5%, India 1.4%, Italy 1.1%, Philippines 1%. 84.1% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 1.9% Italian, 1.1% Cantonese, 1% Mandarin, 0.6% Hindi, 0.5% Greek. In the , Aspley had a population of 12,108 people. Transport Aspley is primarily accessed by Gympie Road, the primary artery in Brisbane's northern suburbs. Other primary roads are Albany Creek Road to the west and Robinson Road to the east. Public transport is provided by buses operated by Brisbane Transport, Translink, Hornibrook Bus Lines. Brisbane's tram network originally terminated just south of Aspley on Gympie Road at Chermside. The closest railway stations are Geebung and Zillmere. In the 1961 Brisbane City Council Town Plan, the concept of a northern suburbs' expressway between Bowen Hills and Aspley was first proposed. The expressway would travel along the eastern side of Lutwyche Road to Park Road at Kedron, take a northerly route to Chermside and through the eastern side of Aspley, before heading north-westerly through Carseldine to connect with the Bruce Highway north of Bald Hills. The 1965 Wilbur Smith and Associates Brisbane Transportation Study recommended the additional construction of a Northwest Freeway between the Brisbane CBD and Aspley via the Grange and Everton Park. The freeway system was to be constructed between 1965 and 1985 in four five-year stages. However, by 1972, opposition was voicing concerns about inadequate compensation for resumed