Christopher Bell,
Sales Agent at Image Property.
The Grass is Greener in Strathpine
[lwptoc]By Christopher Bell, Image Property
Tucked away in Brisbane’s north, just 16 kilometres from the CBD, is a little slice of paradise that’s a firm favourite among young professionals, first home buyers and growing families.
The median house price here is more affordable than comparable nearby areas – just $465,000 for houses and $278,000 for units.
It’s also well connected to the city, there’s lots of future capital growth potential when it comes to property options, and the neighbourhoods are friendly, pleasant, and peaceful.
But that’s not even the most attractive part of Strathpine.
It’s very easy being green
Strathpine is widely considered by many to be home to Brisbane’s best parcel of public parklands by way of Pine Rivers Park.
This sprawling greenspace is frequented by locals, visitors and an array of wild birds taking a dip in the South Pine River, which snakes through the grounds.
It boasts recreational facilities, from playgrounds to bushwalking, as well as expansive lawns dotted with barbeques and picnic tables.
After school and on weekends, you’ll see little ones enjoying the top-notch play equipment, which includes a pedal train, zipline swing, garden maze, jungle gym and slides.
Throughout the year, local community groups host fetes and festivals on the grounds, and on balmy summer days, the smell of snags and the sound of clinking glasses fills the air.
But it’s not the only leafy asset Strathpine has. In fact, an estimated 20 per cent of the whole suburb is covered by parks or reserves. It makes this an extremely green part of the city, and you can literally feel it – it’s cooler and breezier as a result.
Families and couples are flocking
Perhaps that abundance of natural amenities is why families love it here so much.
They’ve been flocking to Strathpine for years, laying down roots of their own and raising their kids.
It could also have something to do with the excellent choice of local and nearby state and private schools spanning primary and secondary.
Strathpine State High and Pine Rivers State High offer good public options, while the well-regarded St Paul’s is just down the road.
This suburb is also overwhelmingly filled with detached, spacious homes situated on generously sized blocks with lovely backyards, so that could also play a part in Strathpine’s popularity with families.
All of that being said, there’s a good cohort of young couples here, too.
They’re drawn by the relatively good affordability, offering a chance for first home buyers and upgraders to snap up an actual house with some land that’s not a million miles away.
Strathpine is well serviced by two rail stations nearby that provide extremely easy access to the city, Caboolture and Redcliffe. There are also excellent bus connections, including to the hub of Chermside.
The housing type on offer is also a drawcard for renovators and investors. There’s plenty of possibilities to add value in those 1970s-style low-set brick homes that are solidly built and very liveable but could use a little bit of TLC.
In terms of local amenity, you’re got the bustline Strathpine Centre with three supermarkets and an array of specialty shops. You’ll also find some good coffee shops and restaurants locally.
For the home improver, DIYer or home mechanic, a light industrial strip offers just about every shop you can imagine, from Bunnings to Repco.
Convenient, with more to come
Strathpine is about a 40-minute drive to the CBD in good traffic. The beautiful bayside suburbs of Shorncliffe and Brighton aren’t far either. And the southern parts of the Sunshine Coast are less than an hour up the highway.
On the topic of roads, rapid population growth across Brisbane’s northern suburbs over the past few decades has seen some traffic congestion become a bugbear for locals, but improvements are underway.
Locally, work is progressing on a $30 million overhaul of the Strathpine Road interchange to turn it into a ‘diverging diamond’ design.
It essentially switches traffic to the other side of the road, eliminating the need for motorists turning onto Gympie Arterial Road to cross into the path of other cars or wait for a green light and will have a massive impact on congestion, travel time, safety, and network connectivity.
