Hello All

Am close to making the shift north, and am doing my preliminary homework but was hoping I could get a run-down on the Brisbane suburbs.

I've pretty much got my head around New Farm and Valley, but was hoping that I could get some on-the-ground comments about other areas of Brisbane - Plusses and Minusses will be equally helpful - what they have, what they offer, what to avoid, etc, etc

Did you have any particular suburbs in mind? I have some knowledge of Highgate Hill, West End, Dutton Park and Fairfield which are all inner south side. If not can you tell us what you are looking for in a suburb?

What kind of work will you be doing and how far are you willing to travel for it? Some areas are better than others when it comes to employment in certain industries.

Thank you both for chiming in and getting the thread off to a start.

Just to be clear, I'm not really looking for cutom-tailored recommendations for my own needs - I'm pretty sure I can handle that end of things.

But what I would like at this stage is to know what various particular suburbs have to offer in terms of character, amenities, transport, distance and ease of getting to CBD, population make-up, types of activity (ie typical businesses/industries, sport/leisure/entertainment/recreational possibilities in the area)etc, etc, etc

A few particular spots have been mentioned, so for starters can we go into a few of the details of :Highgate Hill, West End, Dutton Park and Fairfield ?

thanks, guys
:-)

On the southern side of the Brisbane river from the city and slightly west is Southbank. Many newer appartment buildings have gone up there taking advantage of river and city views and the entertainment precinct that sprang from redevelopment of the old Expo 88 site. There is a large TAFE college, various university buildings, cafes, bars, hotels, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, cinemas, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Conservatorium of Music, Queensland Museum, Maritime Museum, Art Gallery, State Library and Gallery of Modern Art as well as popular parklands with an artifical beach and weekly markets. It is serviced by bus, train and ferry connections and walking and cycling bridges into the city. Accommodation prices are higher here because of the location, amenities and style of modern accommodation available. Demographics would be mainly high income professional people and some students.

Adjoining to the west of Southbank is West End. Bordered by the river some edges that are lower lying were flooded last year but most of the suburb was secure. It is a melting pot of alternative lifestylers, students, older generation and young single professionals. There are many cafes, a shopping complex and most of the accommodation is older, densely spaced timber and brick workers cottages. Some redevelopment is happening but only slowly. Towards the Milton reach of the river there are many businesses and warehouse outlets such as fashion, luggage etc. and there is a riverside strip of parkland for walking and cycling that circles the suburb back to Southbank. Good bus and ferry services are running. The suburb has significant Greek and Asian influences.

Fantastic info!

thanks for that Basic!

More to come later. I am at a dog show but hope to make todays samesame meetup in Brisbane later.

OK. Second installment:

Highgate Hill. I lived here before I met John, for about 5 years. This suburb is between West End, Southbank and Dutton Park. It is indeed a hill and many dwellings have good views of the city, the river, University of Queensland (UQ) and Mt Cootha. There are many apartment buildings from small to quite large. There are some larger older homes and some workers cottages on streets that can be quite steep. It is well serviced by bus routes and an easy walk or cycle to the city (via Southbank) and West End (for shopping and cafes) There is a small set of shops at the bottom of the hill and some medical facilities (including one that specially services the LGBT community). UQ can be accessed via Dutton Park (bridge) or West End (ferry). There are several private secondary schools and Brisbane State High on the border with Southbank and also the Mater Hospital (towards Woolloongabba). The lower slopes have closer spaced workers cottages while the higher areas have apartments and larger homes. The residents have a similar demographic to West End but with less alternative lifestyle influence. My first floor flat that I rented in the early 1990s had views over Southbank, the river and the city and out across Moreton Bay as far as Moreton Island (on a clear day) yet the rent was quite reasonable.

Dutton Park is immediately south of Highgate Hill and runs from the river bank overlooking UQ down to Woolloongabba. The riverbank side has expensive apartments and houses while away from the river there are smaller workers cottages on either side of the main railway line. The station is at the southern end of the suburb but there are good bus services, easy cycling and walking, a bus, cycle and pedestrian bridge to UQ. It is almost as hilly as Highgate Hill. It has similar demographic as Highgate Hill with perhaps a slightly higher uni student percentage. The is an historic old gaol on the edge of the suburb that form the centre of the Ecosciences precinct. A new development that brings together CSIRO, Department of Natural Resources and Mines and Agriscience specialists into a joint facility. There are modern unit developments under construction and selling off the plan.

More Great info!

Thanks for that Basic, you're a real font of information!

I've dug around and noticed that all of the suburbs you've listed are South of the river.

I know that there is a Northside/Southside divide here in Melbs, is the same thing in Bris? or is it mostly that North is predominantly non-residential? or someplace that would be less-accessible to most people?

thanks again for all of your really good input

I'm not aware of a divide as such. I have given you information on the suburbs I am most familiar with as I lived in that area for about 15 years. I currently live in Ipswich, which is a bit outside the area of your enquiry.

Fairfield is the next suburb south of Dutton Park. It is more traditional suburban area. More houses and less units. Student demographic is still high . There is a medium sized shopping centre including a Coles supermarket with a railway station at the back and bus terminus at the front. There are more areas of parkland including leash free dog areas. Dutton Park and Fairfield are separated by the old Dutton Park cemetary. Houses near the river are generally more expensive, which is a general rule across Brisbane.

Quote:

Originally Posted by longhornie

I know that there is a Northside/Southside divide here in Melbs, is the same thing in Bris?

There is a natural divide due to the river and the lack of bridges to cross it. Closer to the CBD it doesn't exist so much. But if you live in any of the suburbs further out than has been suggested, there is less tendency to cross the river. If you want to live further out then I'd recommend living near a busway or train line. As most people meet socially in the CBD/Valley/West End.

Oh and can I just say New Farm is awesome and there really isn't any reason to choose another suburb

Oh and can I just say New Farm is awesome and there really isn't any reason to choose another suburb


Cool! I'll deffo add that to the 'check-it-out' list

What are some of the selling-points of NF?
Bascia2 did a great job of bullet-pointing the attributes of the suburbs he's familiar with - can you offer something similar for New Farm?

Cheers

Thanks a lot guys, its been really helpful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by longhornie

What are some of the selling-points of NF?

Close to the City/Valley.
New Farm Park (Large greenspace, which has playing fields, tennis courts, markets (every second saturday), the powerhouse - an performance space and restaurant/bar, numerous picnic spots and a city cat terminal).
Many cafes/restaurants of varying types...
Whilst this is slowly going, an mixed crowd of yuppies/housing comission and all that comes inbetween.
Beautiful treelined streets and river views. You can walk almost entirely all the way around New Farm along the river.
Supermarket and all major ammenities - the CBD homemaker centre is on the edge of this superb.
Easy access to other parts of Brisbane via the City Cat, Buz 199 and City Glider services.

Perosnally I am bias as the majority of my friends live in or near New Farm, so it simply makes life easier.

Many people call it the Insular Penninsular - referring to the fact that there is rarely a reason to leave!

He's right. New Farm, just New Farm. There are other great places, but are they New Farm? No

FV all the way. Access to crack is second to none.

^^ Do you ever stop talking about your ass?

that ass should get its own blog.

I've never seen a forum about where to live end up as a debate on how often an ass is being mentioned.. Impressive!

That being said, I was hoping you could help me a little regarding my search for a room?
I've tried some international websites, but they tend to overcharge the monthly rent, so do any of you have a link to a website that you would recommend? Sorry for being such a bore by interrupting the ass-talk
Cheers!

Hey Martin

if you're looking for a room for a few months, then have a look at gumtree.com.au - they present a lot of choices in terms of house-share arrangements.

In melbourne, at least, the competition for rooms can be really strong and opportunities don't last long, so if you're interested in taking a look at a place, make contact and get your name on the list early.

but also do be sure to have a look at the place and meet your potential house-mates before you agree to take it.

Otherwise, you might find it helpful to start a topic "Advice for Share-housing" and see what some other people's successes and flops have been.

Thanks for the advice, I'll look into it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewFarmer

that ass should get its own blog.

It would but it's super busy. Bitches be hatin.

lets see if i can meld these two important issues

tight arse tuesdays @ the moray cafe
... nothn wrong with new farm

Quote:

Originally Posted by longhornie

Hello All

Am close to making the shift north, and am doing my preliminary homework but was hoping I could get a run-down on the Brisbane suburbs.

I've pretty much got my head around New Farm and Valley, but was hoping that I could get some on-the-ground comments about other areas of Brisbane - Plusses and Minusses will be equally helpful - what they have, what they offer, what to avoid, etc, etc

Newfarm is a bit homophobic for my liking.

What kinds of homophobia do you encounter in New Farm?

Quote:

Originally Posted by longhornie

What kinds of homophobia do you encounter in New Farm?

Homophobia can be found in all suburbs, personally i find the best gay friendly suburbs are Paddington, New Farm, Fortitude Valley, West End, Spring Hill and Teneriffe. You should avoid some of the suburbs south of Brisbane, such as Woodridge, Sunnybank, Moorooka, Kingston, as there's lots of low income families there.

Coasty and Boyfriend, In your experiences, what form has the "Homophobia" manifested?

Bashing? Vandalism of venues/vehicles/homes? Housing or job descrimination? Burning Crosses in front yards? Verbal harrassment?

Quote:

Originally Posted by coast_boy_21

Homophobia can be found in all suburbs, personally i find the best gay friendly suburbs are Paddington, New Farm, Fortitude Valley, West End, Spring Hill and Teneriffe. You should avoid some of the suburbs south of Brisbane, such as Woodridge, Sunnybank, Moorooka, Kingston, as there's lots of low income families there.

Whoa, homophobia is because of a prevalence of low income families? That's outrageous and untrue. I know many gays and lesbians who live very happy lives in the suburbs you mentioned.

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys! That deffo gives me a set of areas to consider during my search.

NOW,
What about running through a short list of the best places (particular venues) to go out?

I'm familiar with the Sportsman but would like to know a few of the other ones worth checking out.
Also if there are any 'cool' areas with a concentrations of night-life options to bar hop between, that would be good to know too

cheers, fellas

In choosing the best place to live and learn to know the place before moving in.