Wynnum, Queensland

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Wynnum is a seaside suburb located on the shores of Moreton Bay in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Originally known as Oyster Point, the name Wynnum derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "pandanus" or "place of the pandanus tree".

It has traditionally boasted a country town atmosphere, but new residential developments are resulting in significant population growth and changing demographics. The area is now marked by a mix of character housing and modern housing.

Wynnum has several primary schools and two public secondary schools. It also has an extensive range of sporting clubs and recreational facilities. The Wynnum foreshore is a popular swimming and picnic spot for Brisbane families on weekends.

Wynnum is on the Cleveland railway line and has regular train services connecting it with the Brisbane CBD. Wynnum also has a number of regular bus services.

Olympic swimming medallist Samantha Riley grew up in Wynnum. Other high-profile people to grow up in Wynnum include rugby league player Wally Lewis and Totally Wild television host Ranger Stacey Thomson.

Dark lives here. Long live Dark.

[edit] Bay Terrace

Bay Terrace, located in Wynnum was “named in the East Wynnum Estate, the first land sale in Wynnum South (now central), held on Saturday 24th May, 1884” (Green Hill, 1998).

Since then two significant buildings have been erected. These buildings are the Wynnum Central Post Office and the Wynnum Baptist Church which have since been heritage listed (Heritage Trail – Wynnum Manly). The post office boasts a symmetrical design, with twin porches that lead into the public space (Heritage Trail – Wynnum Manly). The Wynnum Baptist Church was originally built in Edith Street in 1912, however was relocated in 1930 to its current location (Heritage Trail – Wynnum Manly).

Presently there are numerous types of dwellings on Bay Terrace, which vary from unattached residential houses, attached shops and apartment buildings.

[edit] Wynnum Esplanade

Wynnum waterfront has interconnected cultural and historical layers and “deeply imbedded cultural values” (Mackay,2005, p.17) It provides a variety of organizing principals for people’s relationship with the world around them leading to a formation of a vibrant community around.

It all began at the time of Mangroves, when 6000 years ago stabilized sea level formed the Islands of Stradbroke, Moreton and Bribie as a protective barrier for the diverse ecosystem of Moreton Bay. (Beitz, 2005,p.1) An abundance of food made semi-nomadic aboriginal family groups form more permanent camp. Although we do not hunt turtles and dugons anymore, fishing is still popular in this area. From the aboriginal culture we inherited the name of this place, Wynnum, used to describe the Coastal Screw-pine tree. Same plant, Pandanus tectorus, gave a name to the sandy beach we have today, opened in 1978, showing that we are experiencing the profound relationship with the land as well.

Did we ever have sand on our beaches? Or just “mud and mangroves fringing the shoreline”? (Beitz,2005,p.99) Well, the clearing of water’s edge was started with the subdivision of land and cultivation of sugarcane. Later, at the very end of 19th century, when Wynnum was attracting more and more attention, a number of trees were planted on the cleared beachfront to provide shade. On the later photos their green vegetation is quite noticeable alongside with the new buildings of the theatre, different shops, cafés and petrol station. We can see how people primarily engaged with the place by camping, building jetties and tidal baths, started to have events of cultural significance like Spring parades and Sandgarden competitions.

Wynnum Esplanade represents an example of sustaining and supportive architectural environment, created by nature and people over the time.

Historically, the awareness of the value of Wynnum foreshore determined the relationship people were developing with this place. From the area of fishing, market gardening, timber and cattle industries, “Wynnum sprang into prominence as a Bay-side holiday resort” (Wynnum: Jubilee Celebrations, 1951). Certainly, it was due to a number of “marketable features“ to this place: a proximity to Brisbane, splendid for the time transport services( “trains from the city were crowded, and for school holidays every class of vehicle from cabs to fuel carts were used to convey families to furnished houses or tents), high standard accommodation for visitors, safe bathing, boating and fishing. Accessibility and modern commodities of the place made Wynnum a destination, a place, where they go to experience great out doors through the “intense relationship with a landscape and enveloping seasonal movements” (Charr, 2003, p. 133)

Creation of nice hotels on the foreshore of Wynnum-Manly permitted tourists to the area to “feel at home in the surroundings that are not actually their own” but have “similar characteristics” (Ballantyne, 2002, p.17) This temporary substitution of a home in the hotel make the area more attractive for holidaymakers or sailors, who are far away from their home land.

With the mass of people visiting the place, came the hospitality business to the area and some cultural establishments for entertaining people. We can analyse this change using a concept of “concentration of wealth” of Andrew Ballantyne (2002, p.9), when buildings and areas can become more “lavish” with some political, economical and cultural changes. Examples of that in Wynnum would be the establishment of the Empire theatre, creation of wonderful sand beaches and stone jetties, creating a large marina in Manly. But also Wynnum foreshore played a very important role in the getting through the depression times, that came in 1930s. Activity for creating wading pool and sand gardens were helping people to stay positive, active and creative.

Even incidentally placed cannon which could be found half a century ago was a symbolic object, reminding of the significance of the nearby Fort Lytton that was the focus of Queensland defence activity at the end of 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

Looking at the history of development of this place, it seems like Wynnum Esplanade was a much more vibrant place then it is now. It was a ground that fed the people, the battle ground, the struggle ground, the showground, the leasureground …now, after conquering and intensively exploring the area, people see it as a retreat from the busy city life.

[edit] References

• Ballantyne, A. (2002). Architecture: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Beitz Myrth, (2005). Mangroves to Moorings revisited: a history of Wynnum, Manly and Lota district. Brisbane City Council
• Mackay, H. (2005, October 8-9). A place of one’s own. The Sunday Morning Herald, p.17.
• Greenhill, J. (Ed.). (1998) Naming of Streets in Wynnum Manly and Districts. Brisbane: Wynnum Manly Historical Society Inc.
• Heritage Trail: Wynnum Manly. (3rd ed.). Series 8. Brisbane: Brisbane City Heritage.
• Sharr,A. (2003) The professors house: Martin Heideger’s House at Freinburg-im-Breisgau. In S. Menin (Ed.), Constructing Place: Mind and Matter. New York: Routledge.
• Uhlmann F.J. (1933). Back to Wynnum, Wynnum Central: Wynnum printing works
• Wynnum: Jubilee Celebrations, a souvenir booklet. (1951). Wynnum Central