Moggill (4070)
Located 19 km to Brisbane’s west, Moggill (4070) is a mix of higher density and acreage residential together with a few remaining farms. It was first explored by John Oxley in 1823, then it was the site for a coal mined operated by John Williams in 1848. It was surveyed for a township in 1851, a cemetery was opened in 1865 and a school followed in 1866. About 2004, Moggill’s pineapple farms began to be subdivided for residential development characterised by large modern executive homes.
Today, Moggill is a rapidly developing community with an abundance of services including a school, a police station, an ambulance service, a fire and rescue service, numerous clubs, namely; an historical society, and some dozen parks, although only one has playground, barbecue and shelter facilities and none have toilets. Yet, there are no sporting clubs in Moggill. Although a range of options are located in closely adjoining suburbs and there is a proposal for a Sports Precinct to cater for a range of sports such as rugby, netball, tennis, and cricket. A mobile library visits Moggill.
In the past, Moggill was accessible by a vehicular ferry crossing the Brisbane River. Although there have been proposals to replace the ferry service with a bridge, this as been a source of energetic debate with the negative worried about the loss of an historical landmark and a way of life while the advocates argue that the service is unreliable, unavailable at night and dangerous in severe weather. Because of its proximity to Brisbane River, Moggill is also vulnerable to inundation with flooding as occurred in 2010.
A major arterial road bisects Moggill and it has been proposed that this road extend to a bridge over the Brisbane River and connect with the Centenary Highway to Brisbane and suburbs north and the Warrego Highway to Ipswich to significantly cut travel times and relieve traffic congestion. Several bus services connect Moggill with Brisbane city, however there are no bus services into Ipswich on the other side of the Brisbane River. A council cab to the nearest small shopping centre in Karana Downs is offered only to those Moggill residents with special needs. Otherwise, residents are reliant upon taxis or private transport.
In 2011, 3600 people lived in Moggill, their average age being 34 years. Most were Anglo-Australian, with a minority from South Africa and India such that Afrikaans was spoken in a few homes alongside English.
