Surrounding suburbs of Yatala include Beenleigh, Windaroo, and Stapylton. Yatala and adjoining suburbs are located near the confluence of the Albert River, which is at the northern end of the suburb.
Etymology
A property on the Albert River was acquired by a South Australian who named the property after Yatala Harbor near Port Augusta, South Australia. The word is presumed to be from the Kaurna Aboriginal word 'yertalla', meaning water running by the side of a river. As a place name it specifically referred to the inundation of the usually-dry plain either side of Dry Creek in South Australia after heavy rain.
History
St Joseph's School opened on November 1875 and closed on December 1877. Since 2006 development has been rapidly occurring within the suburb, with over 300 businesses now established within its boundaries. This type of urban development is predicted to eventually encompass all the semi-rural land currently separating the Brisbane Metropolitan Area and Gold Coast City. Currently, there is approximately of this land remaining between the two cities. At the Yatala had a population of 1346 people.
Industry
In 1988, Bernie Powers operating asPower's Brewery opened a new brewery in Yatala on a site bounded by Cuthbert Drive to the east, Darlington Drive to the north and Pearson Road to the west. Powers entered a joint venture with Carlton & United Breweries in 1992 and then sold completely to them in 1993. For CUB, it provided a modern efficient plant on a large site, ideal for their northern brewing operations. By 2010, CUB had expanded by the plant to over 20 times its original size, enabling it to produce one quarter of Australia's beer. Yatala is the base for Supercar team Matt Stone Racing, and was previously the base for Stone Brothers Racing and later Erebus Motorsport. Kanga Loaders, a heavy machinery manufacturer, are headquartered in Yatala.
Culture
Yatala is home to the Yatala Pie Shop which claims to have been "a landmark in the Yatala area" for "more than 130 years". The restaurant is considered a common stop-over for travellers between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. There are no permanent public libraries in the vicinity of Yatala, however the Gold Coast City Council operates a mobile library which regularly visits the nearby suburb of Ormeau.
