Moorooka

Moorooka Brisbane, Queensland
Hughes Centre and Toohey Forest, from Beaudesert Road
Population	9,984 (2011 census)
• Density	2,435/km2 (6,310/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4105
Area	4.1 km2 (1.6 sq mi)
Location	9 km (6 mi) from Brisbane
LGA(s)	City of Brisbane (Moorooka Ward)
State electorate(s)	Miller Toohey
Federal Division(s)	Moreton
Suburbs around Moorooka: Yeronga Annerley Tarragindi Yeerongpilly Moorooka Salisbury Rocklea Rocklea Salisbury

Moorooka is a suburb of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is seven kilometres south of Brisbane's central business district. At the 2011 Australian census the suburb had a population of 9,984. The suburb was founded as a stop-over for journeys from Brisbane south (Logan and Albert river valleys) and south-west (Ipswich and beyond). A section of the suburb's eastern boundary lies adjacent to Toohey Forest Park.

The area was occupied by the Australian Aboriginal Jagera tribe before European settlement. The area was probably a hunting ground with plentiful food and water. There was also reportedly a Bora ring, which older residents of the area recall being shown. The word Moorooka is an indigenous word, either meaning 'iron bark', referring to the numerous iron bark trees in the area, or 'long nose', referring to Mt Toohey at the suburb's periphery. A collection of local historical records known as the Brisbane City Archives was established at Moorooka in 1859.

In the 2011 census the population of Moorooka was 9,984, 50.1% female and 49.9% male. The median age of the Moorooka population was 35 years of age, two years below the Australian median. 66.8% of people living in Moorooka were born in Australia, compared to the national average of 69.8%. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand (3.1%), England (3%), India (2.7%), China (1.1%), Vietnam (0.9%). 73.9% of people spoke only English at home; the next most popular languages were 1.7% Arabic, 1.2% Vietnamese, 1.2% Mandarin, 1% Punjabi, 1% Greek.

Moorooka has traditionally hosted a working class population stemming from its history as a manufacturing hub during World War II. The southern part of Moorooka bordering Salisbury was the location of government built returned servicemen housing. Recently Moorooka has seen immigrants from various places of the world, including people from the ex-Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia), Middle East (Iraq and Iran) and recently people from Africa (Southern Sudan and Eritrea), which has brought an influx of new families into the area.