 With the arrival of the Southern and Western railways (Brisbane and Ipswich extension) as far as Oxley West in 1874, improved access led to a population increase in the area.The land surrounding the school grounds was subdivided into smaller lots, through which roads were surveyed that would later become McCulla Street and Hall Street.Enrolments at West Oxley fluctuated, from 135 in 1869, to 72 in 1873, and 160 in 1877.