Samford Village (4520)
Situated about 20 km to Brisbane’s northwest, Samford Village (4520) is a hilly rural suburb, settled by Europeans in the 1850s. Land was auctioned in 1855. Farms were then subdivided and sold as acreage housing blocks in the 1960s with recent significant road upgrades to accommodate the increasing population, many of whom commute to Brisbane for work. Buildings were constructed in the village in 1916, the first business opened was a bakery. In 1919, O’Hara’s Hotel, now the Samford Hotel was also established in the Village’s Main Street in 1919. In 1908, banana growing became an important industry with the government assisting World War I veterans to acquire plantations, culminating in the largest shipments of bananas to NSW markets by rail in 1927. However, bunchy top disease destroyed many of the plantations and was the death of the industry.
Adjacent to the Brisbane Forest Park, Samford Village is mainly rural bushland, with many recreational areas. Nestled within a valley surrounded by the D’Aguilar Range including Mt Nebo, Mt Glorious, Mt Pleasant, and Camp Mountain, Samford Village provides a protective habitat for a large range of native wildlife. Its high street is a mix of small businesses including restaurants, services including banking, legal, accounting, and medical, and retail stores many of which continue to service the continuing farming community with hardware and produce. A local park at the centre of the village is host to many community activities such as free concerts and family picnics.
Samford Village has a large Scout group and is the group’s headquarters with the Baden Powell Park incorporating 56 acres of bushland with modern conference amenities including accommodation, camping, swimming, walking trails and an adventure course for abseiling and laser skirmish.
Residents of Samford Village are affluent professionals with families who are active in their community as evidenced by the plethora of sports on offer including swimming, soccer, horse riding, football, tennis, archery, netball, cricket, and lawn bowls to name a few. Although there are 2 schools in the village, several prominent private schools, despite being a substantial distance away, operate school buses into Samford Village.
