In the laidback heart of Cleveland, a vibrant cafe culture thrives. Being easily accessed by road or rail, its beautiful foreshores, many parks, playgrounds and dining options are very popular.
The Raby Bay Harbour restaurant precinct is a feature, along with the Redland Performing Arts Centre, Redland Art Gallery, a wonderful museum, boutique-style shopping and regular markets.
Stradbroke Flyer passenger and vehicle ferries to stunningly beautiful North Stradbroke Island leave from Cleveland’s Toondah Harbour.
Why not pack a picnic and head for Cleveland Point to throw in a fishing line, check out the historic 150-year-old lighthouse or dine at one the restaurants overlooking Moreton Bay and its islands? Also try the Raby Bay Foreshore Park on Masthead Drive and Oyster Point Park on Phelan Street. And don’t be put off by the name, the Black Swamp Wetlands on the fringe of the CBD is a fascinating ecosystem of birds, animals and flora.
Cleveland offers a wide range of retail choices, with boutiques and specialty shops mixed with eateries and a choice of supermarkets.
Cleveland District State High School, a member of the Council of International Schools, is highly regarded. Cleveland State School and Star of the Sea Primary School also service this community.
The Cleveland railway line terminates here. Transdev Queensland operates regular bus services, with a 24-hour weekend bus from Brisbane to Victoria Point.
The township of Cleveland was proclaimed in 1850 and the following year the first land sales were held. Because of ongoing debate about the location of a port, many investors hedged their bets and bought land in Brisbane, as well as in and around Cleveland. Most early settlers in the district were timber-getters or farmers, and Cleveland became the region’s hub for services and government, with local government first being formed in 1885.
The area that we now call Cleveland CBD was known as Raby Bay until the 1960s. Raby Bay railway station was behind the Raby Bay (now Sands) hotel, and the train went from there to Cleveland Central near the northern end of Passage Street, and on to Cleveland Point where the terminus was just before Paxton Street. Goods and produce from throughout the southern farmlands were transported via the busy railway, replacing the earlier reliance on boats to take produce to market.
Find more about our local history on our library Local History section.
Cleveland is predominantly covered by Division 2 (Cr Peter Mitchell), with parts in Division 3 (Cr Paul Gollè) and Division 7 (Cr Rowanne McKenzie).
Visit the popular parks in Cleveland
View Cleveland's national regional profile (Australian Bureau of Statistics)