Richlands, a predominantly industrial suburb adjoining Wacol and Inala, is 16 km south-west of central Brisbane.

Until industrialisation Richlands was regarded as an outlying district of Darra which had a railway station, the Queensland cement works and a developing residential area in the early post World War II years. Richlands had numerous farmers and poultry producers according to the post office directory in 1949, along with a rural primary school (1934) and a general store in Archerfield Road. Grape growers formed a district association as late as 1960. The name probably derived from the area's productive horticulture.

On Richland's eastern boundary the Housing Commission began the planned suburb of Inala in the early 1950s, but Richlands was for the most part left alone. The Wacol industrial estate and Darra, closer to the railway and Ipswich Road, had sufficient space for industrial uses. In the late 1980s the Ipswich Highway was constructed, improving motorised access to Richlands. Mack Trucks took advantage of the location, building on a 10 ha site in 1981. There were also some out-of-town entertainment venues: a drive-in theatre in Archerfield Road and the Brisbane Lions (formerly Hollandia) soccer ground at the corner of Pine and Garden Roads. (Upon the transfer of the AFL Lions team to Brisbane, the soccer team was renamed Queensland Lions.)

The Centenary Highway ran through Jindalee and Darra, terminating at the Ipswich Highway. With its south-westwards extension through Richlands to Springfield in the Ipswich region (1996), the Richlands industrial area had a choice of several access routes. Coca Cola Amatil had transferred its operations from Fortitude Valley to Richlands in 1996, and several under-used industrial sites were redeveloped for warehouse and other purposes. One of the re-used sites was the Mack Trucks factory. Other well known names at Richlands included Capilano Honey, Hills Hoists and a Franklins supermarket warehouse.

Richlands proved to be well positioned for the demand for outer-urban industrial and warehouse land. The alternative location of Yatala came under strong demand from the Gold Coast market, and Richlands absorbed demand from south-east Brisbane as well as the south-west corridor to the Ipswich region.

The increased activity encouraged the opening of a convenience shopping centre in 1996 in Progress Road midway between Centenary Highway and the soccer ground.

Richlands' small residential area is in its north-east, near Inala. Among the communities in Inala there is the Dutch Reformed Church, with an association with the Richlands soccer club (formerly Hollandia) and the Dutch Club next door. Richlands' census populations have been:

Census Date Population
1954 346
1976 496
1991 598
2001 875
2006 830
2011 2076

Richlands East primary school (1967) is in Inala and Richlands high school (1970-96) was also there.

In 2013 Richlands benefitted from the opening of a new spur railway line from Darra running through Richlands to Springfield and Spingfield Central.

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