The Gap (Warning: Photos)

[Fish]

This is for Rover's suburb research. One I prepared earlier

The Gap, Brisbane

Getting There

To get to The Gap from the city centre you head west along Waterworks Rd until at about the 6.5km mark you pass between "the gap" in the mountains and enter The Gap. At around the 10km mark the suburb ends and the road enters D'Aguilar National park and begins winding up the slopes of Mt Nebo. Mt Nebo is part of the D'Aguilar Range. Other mountains in the range include Camp Mountain, Mount Pleasant, Mount Glorious, Mount Samson and Mount Mee.

From the map below you can clearly see "the gap" between the mountains which gave The Gap it's name (just below the "p" in the suburb name). Notice how it is surrounded by mountains/hills on all sides so is very green with many nice outlooks from people's back decks.






Here's a few snaps I took while coming down the hill towards the entry to The Gap:










Five schools, plus others in neigbouring suburbs
Police Station
Ambulance Station and Fire Brigade are just over the border in neighbouring West Ashgrove.
Churches
City Bus Services


Smallish suburban style shopping village with supermarket, fruit/veg shops, vets, dentists, doctors, banks, chemists, bike shop, real estates, hardware, small business services, mcdonalds, takeaway's, cafes etc





The Walkabout Creek Wildlife Centre - a simple little wildlife centre that my young kids enjoy (go on a tour):





The wildlife centre is also the entrance to many bush walking, cycling and horse riding tracks that skirt Enoggera Dam in the west of the suburb.

There are also many walking tracks in the mountains surrounding the suburb. Here is a council brochure showing tracks in Mt Coot-tha forest which adjoins the suburb:

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/2010%20Library/2009%20PDF%20and%20Docs/4.Environment%20and%20Waste/4.4%20Bushlands%20and%20waterways/mt_coot-tha_track_map_and_brochure.pdf



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It has quite a few sporting facilities including a football club that seems well run, with nice pitches in a lovely setting:





http://www.gapfootball.org.au/


A health and tennis club.

"What began in 1970 as The Gap Squash Club with three courts has now grown into a first-class health club and one of the largest tennis operations in Brisbane with over 600 children in the coaching academy and 400 players involved in playing each week. In 2001, the squash courts were converted to a brand new Health Club, the only one in The Gap which now has expanded to accommodate 1800 members and offer cardio, strength and conditioning studio as well as a full range of group fitness classes and a ladies only circuit gym."



http://www.healthracquet.net/


A children's athletics club.



http://www.thegaplittleathletics.org.au/index.html


An amateur swimming club:



http://www.thegapgators.com/

Edited June 19, 2013 by Fish

[Fish]

A 18 hole Golf Course which, despite it's name, is in The Gap:



http://www.ashgrovegolf.com.au/new/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=2



A family friendly tavern:

From a newspaper review: "This icon of a great suburban venue includes a playground, kids' meals and an indoor play room with Playstations. But the menu and atmosphere is sophisticated enough that everyone will enjoy it."



http://www.gaptavern.com.au/



A road cycling club:




http://treadly.com/group/182/the-gap-club-rides.html


Lots of lovely bike paths and parks.

The council website lists 45 gazetted parks from little to big in The Gap alone with about 5 having council facilities:

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/parks-and-venues/parks/parks-by-suburb/the-gap-parks/index.htm

Here's The Gap's bikeway map:

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/downloads/traffic_transport/roads_infrastructure_bikeways/bike_map_4.pdf

It also next door to a great spot for mountain biking. There are many trails maintained by Brisbane cyclists.

Here is the government brochure listing the trails and information. There are different grades suitable for all abilities.

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/2010%20Library/2009%20PDF%20and%20Docs/4.Environment%20and%20Waste/4.4%20Bushlands%20and%20waterways/bushland_and_waterways_mt_coot-tha_mountain_bike_trails_2010.pdf



http://www.mtbdirt.com.au/qld-trails/view/trail/22/mt-coot-tha-gap-creek



As I mentioned The Gap is at the entrance to D'Aguilar National Park which has many bbq area's, picnic grounds, lookouts and nice drives nearby.

Here's the Queensland Govt National Parks departmental website which lists facilities in the D'Aguilar national park:

http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/daguilar/about.html















The Gap's local council library is situated in neighbouring Ashgrove:

See here for library facilities and family events:

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/libraries/opening-hours-locations/ashgrove-library/index.htm





Wattle Creek Riding School, The Gap



http://www.wattlecreekridingschool.com.au/

Edited June 19, 2013 by Fish

[Fish]

The Gap has three well rated state primary schools, Hilder Road, Payne Road and The Gap State School, one very well rated high school, The Gap State High and St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School.

The Gap is a suburb where parents would be able to send their children to 13 years of government schooling that would outrank many private schools (without painting it as nirvana).

I haven't looked up crime but it is in the western suburbs north of river where crime is low.

Usually only gets minor creek flooding so check if buying next to a creek.

It is a quiet suburb so not for the party person but for a place that has all this and starts only 6.5km from the city centre you could do a lot worse.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Fish

[Rover]

Awesome area.

We've actually been there earlier in the year, but I didn't realise how much it actually offers, but then again, it was raining and visibility sucked. We also went up Mount Cootha, but you couldn't even see the city due to the rain.

I actually recognise the some of the photos, like the one of The Gap Village sign.

We couldn't find a lot of places priced in our range that was to our liking, but we only looked at pictures in real-estate agency windows, which can be misleading.

Thanks for your help, Fish. Need to shout you a beer or something.

[Fish]

Awesome area.

We've actually been there earlier in the year, but I didn't realise how much it actually offers, but then again, it was raining and visibility sucked. We also went up Mount Cootha, but you couldn't even see the city due to the rain.

I actually recognise the some of the photos, like the one of The Gap Village sign.

We couldn't find a lot of places priced in our range that was to our liking, but we only looked at pictures in real-estate agency windows, which can be misleading.

Thanks for your help, Fish. Need to shout you a beer or something.

Very hard just driving through isn't it. Brisbane suburbs can just look like a see of trees and hard to know where anything is sometimes, specially in weather

I don't drink beer but skinny flat white sounds grand...for that I'll do the fish tour

[Rover]

Very hard just driving through isn't it. Brisbane suburbs can just look like a see of trees and hard to know where anything is sometimes, specially in weather

I don't drink beer but skinny flat white sounds grand...for that I'll do the fish tour

Yip, and you tend to lose your sense of direction with no landmarks being visible in the rain, so after a couple of turns and direction changes we were pretty lost. The CBD was ok, but as soon as you move into the 'flatter' areas with curving roads, it was real bad.

Thank you GPS...

And the skinny flat white will be the 'something' then.