Margate history

The Redcliffe suburb of Margate derives its name from a famous English seaside resort, Margate, a town on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, England. Once known as Meregate (in 1254), later becoming Margate (from about 1293), the meaning of this word may be translated as ‘a pool gate or gap in a cliff where pools of water are found’. The beaches of Margate in England made it one of the first seaside resorts in Britain with all the traditional pleasures from sandcastles to donkey rides.

The name ‘Margate’ was first used on the Redcliffe Peninsula to designate an estate subdivision in the 1880s. Margate then became one of the ‘townships’ on the Peninsula that eventually developed into a suburb. The area was also often referred to as ‘Margate Beach’.

In 1970 discussions took place in council regarding the names pf Redcliffe suburbs and there was debate over whether or not the word ‘Beach’ should be dropped from the areas known as Clontarf Beach and Margate Beach, the issue was put to vote with Mayor Ald Kroll deciding with his primary vote that the word would be dropped and the southern suburbs would be Clontarf and Margate, subject to the approval by the Place Names Board. The Queensland Place Names Board approved the naming of the suburbs for the city of Redcliffe in 1971.