Toorbul, a seaside township facing Pumicestone Channel and Bribie Island, is 50 km north of central Brisbane. It is thought that the name resembles that of an Aboriginal clan in the area.
The township lies between the mouths of Elimbah and Ningi Creeks. Toorbul Point, a raised headland south of Ningi Creek, is now known as Sandstone Point, where the Bribie Island bridge is built.
Toorbul and Pumicestone Channel had excellent oyster beds which supported a substantial pre-colonial Aboriginal population. There is a bora ring off Bestmann Road, Sandstone Point.
Toorbul was surveyed in 1868, and farms were taken up soon afterwards. It continued as a rural community until the 1940s.
Toorbul Point and Bribie Island were military/defence areas during World War II, with Toorbul being used for amphibious and commando training. Both Australian and American personnel were involved, and Toorbul Point eventually became known as 7th Amphibious Training Centre under US Naval command. With the departure of military personnel, Toorbul became known as the causeway crossing point to Bribie Island, since bypassed by the bridge at Sandstone Point. The urbanisation of Bribie Island has not been strongly reflected in Toorbul.
Toorbul has numerous retiree residents, some with links to the Bribie Island RSL. There are a caravan park, a hotel, a hall and a local store. A foreshore reserve along Pumicestone Channel has several boat ramps. Census populations have been:
| Census Date | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Toorbul | Sandstone Point | Bribie Island | |
| 1911 | 153 | ||
| 1954 | 92 | ||
| 1981 | 423 | ||
| 1991 | 674 | ||
| 1996 | 1401 | ||
| 2001 | 557 | 2151 | 14,744 |
| 2006 | 911 | 3343 | 15,914 |
| 2011 | 877 | 3895 | 17,045 |
Ron Donald, Fort Bribie: the story of wartime Fort Bribie and Toorbul Point, 1939-45, Bribie Island, Bribie Island RSL, 1995
