Eagle Farm, Queensland

Eagle Farm is a largely industrial suburb of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, situated around six kilometres from the Brisbane central business district. It is the former site of Eagle Farm Airport, Brisbane's main airport until the opening of the Brisbane Airport. Eagle Farm was also the site of the disused Eagle Farm railway station. The locality of Whinstanes is located in Eagle Farm. Eagle Farm is within the industrial development zone known as Australia TradeCoast.

Eagle Farm Racecourse, home of the Queensland Turf Club (QTC) and the main racecourse for thoroughbred gallopers in Brisbane, is located in nearby Ascot.

History

Eagle Farm first appeared as a name in 1839, identifying a cultivation area in convict era Brisbane. In 1829 Captain Patrick Logan, chose this well-watered, fertile site between the Brisbane River and Serpentine Creek to farm mostly maize, pigs and cattle. The origin of the name apparently arose from eagles being observed around the farm. By 1834 women prisoners were working as field labour at Eagle Farm. By 1836 forty female prisoners were housed there, washing and mending clothes, growing vegetables. The site remained a prison for twice convicted female felons until transportation ended in 1839. Conditions for the females at the prison were documented by the Quaker missionary Backhouse in 1836.