Good Suburbs in Brissie

[Mia]

I know this subject has been discussed before, but I would like some fresh views on "good" suburbs in Brissie (we're moving there pretty soon from Sydney - yippee). I have been looking at a few areas and would appreciate any opinions. What is Birkdale (Thorneside) like - I see there are a couple of Mobile Park Home sites there - is that something to be concerned about (re. type of people that live there)? Any suggestions for other suburbs in that area (SE Qld) would be appreciated. Also would love to hear any feedback on good schools in the area (junior and senior).

[Pippa]

Hi Mia,

Welcome (almost) to Brisbane! I am definitely not an expert and I definitely don't know all the suburbs. Choosing a suburb depends on your lifestyle and obviously if you have children, you will need to consider where the good schools are. I don't have children as yet so I can't comment on good schools (apart from knowing that there's a number of good schools in the Western suburbs, but then again, good schools are definitely not unique to the Western suburbs).

A lot of SA'ans love Bellbowrie, but I think it is about 18 - 20 kms from the city. For suburbs just outside the inner city ring (Zone 3+), I would recommend areas such as Kenmore (lots of SAans), Chapel Hill (lots of SAans), Fig Tree Pocket. Inner city sububs include Indooroopilly (on the border of Zone 2 and 3 though), Taringa, Toowong, St Lucia, Bardon (my favourite!), Paddington, Rosalie, Red Hill, Ashgrove, Kelvin Grove, Tenneriffe (more for couples though, but absolutely stunning!) and parts of Spring Hill.

I am not very familiar with suburbs south of the river, but I will try to mention a few...

I absolutely LOVE Bulima and neighbouring suburbs include Morningside, Hawthorne, Balmoral. I believe suburbs such as Norman Park, Carina, Carindale etc are also lovely suburbs to live in, but I don't know it personally and can't comment on it.

One of my Australian colleagues (who lived in SA for 2 years) told me about Mount Cotton recently. I've never been there, but apparently it is a lovely area. I also love Raby Bay and Cleveland, but it is just too far from the city for us at the moment.

Have a look at Brisbane suburbs if you were interested in some demographic information on suburbs. There is a "Where to live Guide - Greater Brisbane" book by Chantal Dunbar available to get some more information on suburbs, but I don't know where you can get buy it from.

There's plenty of suburbs to choose from in Brisbane and as I said before, it all depends on your needs and lifestyle!

Good luck and enjoy Brisbane!

Lovies, Pippa! X

PS. You can also use ABS as an effective tool to look at social economic factors. Have a look at ABS's SEIFA (Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas) for Greater Brisbane’s most disadvantaged and advantaged areas. BUT please note that this data is based on the Census 2006 data and won’t be updated after the next Census which is only scheduled for 2011.

[Brissy Bessies]

Hi there,

We live in Morningside (South East Brisbane) its about 6km's from the City - have been here for over a year now and we're very happy. My daughter goes to Morningside State School, she's in Grade 2 and we only have wonderful things to say about the school. Let me know if you need further info?

Cheers,

Tanya

[Mia]

Thanks for the info guys (especially Pippa) - I now have a LOT more to consider. Spent the whole afternoon looking at google maps and then checking out house prices. We'll be up there for a week during the holidays, so I'll definitely be checking out some of the areas you recommended.

Thanks again.

M

[Jenn]

Dear Pippa,

Thanx for the info and links.

We liked the suburbs which are ranked on ABS's SEIFA (Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas) for Greater Brisbane.

Jennifer