Towns in Australia

Exploring Australia, town by town

Wynnum QLD

Wynnum

Postcode: 4178

Wynnum is a seaside suburb located on the shores of Moreton Bay in Brisbane, Australia, about 16 kilometres east of the CBD. Originally known as Oyster Point, the name Wynnum derives from an Aboriginal word meaning “pandanus” or “place of the pandanus tree”.

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. The Wynnum district has several primary schools and two public high schools – Wynnum State High School and Wynnum North State High School.

It also has an extensive range of sporting clubs, such as Wynnum Seagulls Rugby League Club, Wynnum Bugs Rugby Union Club, Brisbane (formerly Wynnum) Wolves Soccer Club and Wynnum Vikings Australian Football Club. Recreational clubs include the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club and the RSL. The Wynnum foreshore is a popular swimming and picnic spot for Brisbane families especially at weekends.

The suburb has traditionally boasted a country town atmosphere, but new residential development is resulting in significant population growth and changing demographics. The area is now marked by a mix of character housing and modern housing. Federally, the people of Wynnum are represented by Ross Vasta MP in the seat of Bonner. Olympic swimming medallist Samantha Riley and Totally Wild television host Stacey Thomson are originally from Wynnum. Although Wynnum is situated next to the ocean, the shoreline is covered in mangroves and aromatic mudflats which makes it unsuitable for swimming.

Originally known as Oyster Point, the bayside suburb of Wynnum took its name from the Aboriginal word for the breadfruit tree in the early 1800s. Wynnum is renowned for its seafood restaurants and cafes, and the swimming pool set in a reserve on the shores of Moreton Bay is just the place to cool off before lunch. A makeover of the pool and its amenities in 1997 was designed to make the most of the sea breezes. North of Wynnum lies the suburb of Lytton on the southern bank of the Brisbane River mouth. Because of its strategic position, Lytton was the site chosen for the first fort to protect Brisbane from enemy invasion. Built in 1881, Fort Lytton, which was Queensland’s front line of defence for more than half a century, remains as a classic example of a 19th century garrison. The fort and museum are open from Sunday to Friday. Guided tours are available only on Sunday.