The current area of Loganlea represents only a small portion of what was originally Loganlea. The area stretched between two early settlements of Slacks Creek and Waterford. A bridge was built across Slacks Creek on Loganlea Road in 1866, and a bridge across the Logan River at Waterford was built in 1876. The railway bridge over the Logan River was built during 1884-85, and the railway opened April 1885 and by July the bridge was completed and the line opened to Beenleigh.
Some of the first settlers in Loganlea included Robert & John Nosworthy, James Ferris and William Jameson, George, Aaron and Emmanuel Love, Thomas and William Armstrong, John Beetham, James Moloney and Richard and Patrick Leo. James Ferris was one of the first victims of the flooding of the Logan River in 1864. William and Margaret Armstrong arrived in the 1860's and grew cotton, sugar, corn, millet and maize as well as breeding poultry, pigs and dairy cattle. Their sons, Thomas and William, settled along the river in what is now known as Meadowbrook. Other early settlers to this region were the Fullers, who lived near the current University site. Following the tragic deaths of two members of the Fuller family in 1894, the land was sold to John Morrow. He eventually owned three properties in the area
Riverdale Park on the Logan River at Meadowbrook
and Ellerslie was the name of one of them. When he died in 1920 the property was sold to the Stimpsons who established a dairy stud farm on the site, known as Eleresley and Ayrshire stud, Loganlea. The correct spelling of the name was restored to the Ellerslie Road in the post-war era.
The Loganlea area was the home to dairy stud farms in the mid 20th century. Successive members of the Armstrong family ran the dairy farm, Riverdale until the 1970's. It was during this time that the surrounding land was bought by developers and new urban housing estates were created. The Ellerslie estate was sold to Suncorp and in late 1995 the land was sold to the Department of Education as the site for the new Griffith University, which opened in 1998. Part of the Armstrong land is now the Logan TAFE College, which was established in 1988. Logan Hospital opened in 1990. The remainder is now Riverdale Park on the Logan River in Meadowbrook.
Meadowbrook was gazetted as a suburb name in 1991. Much confusion was caused by this name change as the housing estate had been marketed as Meadowbank from 1987. The Meadowbrook Lakes estate on the northern side of the Logan Motorway was developed around Griffith University in the early stages of the 21st century.
Riverdale Park on the Logan River at Meadowbrook
