Wakerley, a rural/residential suburb, is 13 km east of central Brisbane. It was named after J.W. Wakerley, an early owner of land near the corner of New Cleveland and Ingleston Roads.
Originally part of Gumdale, Wakerley has a mixture of good loamy soils and less fertile soils around the headwater tributary creeks of Lota Creek. The suburb was named in 1975. Its boundary with Gumdale, New Cleveland Road, was the district's centre with Gumdale primary school (1935), a progress hall, a general store and Anglican, Catholic and Christian Assembly churches.
Wakerley moved slowly from rural to urban. The population movement during 1976-96 was 440 to 715, but it then more than doubled in five years and has roughly done so every five years since. Schools and shopping centres are found in neighbouring Tingalpa, Manly West and Gumdale.
Wakerley's census populations have been:
| Census Date | Population |
|---|---|
| 1976 | 440 |
| 1996 | 715 |
| 2001 | 1516 |
| 2006 | 3908 |
| 2011 | 7804 |
