Bellbowie
Postcode: 4070
Bellbowrie is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Bellbowrie lies 17 kilometres west-southwest of Brisbane’s city centre. It is a rapidly developing semi-rural area due to Brisbane’s growth heading in a westwards direction.
Bellbowrie is part of the ‘Tyakunda Scout District’, Tyakunda being an Aboriginal word meaning ‘land of the rolling hills’. Bellbowrie is part of the Pullenvale Ward for Brisbane City Council Elections as well as the seat of Moggill for state elections and the seat of Ryan for federal elections.
The initial subdivisions in the area were commenced in the early 1970s. Development slowed in the aftermath of the 1974 Brisbane flood which saw much of the eastern, lower-lying areas of the suburb badly inundated with water. Since the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam in the 1980s the threat of floods has been reduced and development has increased. Many acreage owners are subdividing their properties and as a consequence, significant areas of bushland are being cleared. Several new housing estates are being developed on land that used to be pineapple farms.
Moggill Road, which bisects the suburb, is a main thoroughfare for traffic passing from Ipswich to central Brisbane. Commuters may use the Moggill Ferry to gain access to Moggill Road as an alternative to the Centenary Highway. Neighbouring suburbs include: Moggill, Pullenvale, Pinjarra Hills and Anstead.
Bellbowrie has an abundance of recreational facilities including many off-leash areas for dogs to play in. The suburb also borders the Brisbane River and some residents have boat ramps in order to access it. A Brisbane City Council run public swimming pool hosts the Bellbowrie Swim Club. Ample sporting fields (on Sugarwood St) are the home of the Moggill United Soccer Club and the Moggill Cricket Club. Overlooking the fields (and paying for much of the maintenance and upkeep) is the licensed Bellbowrie Sports and Recreation Club Inc – known by locals simply as the “sports & rec” or “the club”.
There are two schools in the area: Moggill State Primary School and Pullenvale State Primary School.
In addition to the Queensland newspaper The Courier Mail and the national paper The Australian, there is a local newspaper, the Westside News.
The streetscape in Bellbowrie benefits from the provision of underground power and there are no power poles to be seen.
Two community/lobby groups are active in the area, the Moggill Community Association and the Rural Environmental Planning Association Inc.