JohnEdwards

I've been a local in Springfield Lakes for the last decade. Here's what I think:

Pros:
Lots of parklands and walkways. Beautifully landscaped. The great outdoors is literally on your doorstep.
Orion shoppingtown is expanding. Health city precinct is on track. And best of all, finding a parking space at Orion is so easy!
Good private school options. University.
NBN hub at Orion Shopping Town business precinct
Robelle Domain Parklands at Orion Shopping town will be beautiful and is already underway with a lake, waterpark, outdoor performance area etc.
Extra lane for Centenary Highway.
Two railway stations commencing: Orion Shopping Town and near Woodcrest school
Take a tour of Sprinfield station via youtube http://www.youtube.com/embed/efy_kDKqJbQ
Railway line to open in 2013
Bike path to Orion Shopping Town
University
Flood Free zone
New police station in area has resulted in less outsiders coming in and disturbing the peace.
Quiet streets.
Friendly people who love to say hello on your walk around the lakes.
Fitness conscious, family friendly locals.
Broadband stage 2 suburb. Fast internet will arrive here earlier than in other places in QLD.
New shops and restaurants opening up all of the time.
The older part of Springfield Lakes has more parkland corridors leading to Spring Lake Village shopping centre.
15 minutes away from Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre and Jindalee Homemaker Centre/DFO along the Centenary Highway.
Springfield Lakes city map (Orion shopping town and surrounds) Technology city /hospital etc. http://www.greaterspringfield.com.au/our-city.html
You never actually need to leave the suburb...master planning means that everything is already here that you need. And huge business investments like the technology precinct, university and hospital mean there are many interests in the future of Springfield Lakes as well.


Cons:
Housing values are increasing (I moved in here in 2000 when there were hardly any houses here and paid $190 000 for a 4 bedroom house, so my house value has increased quite a bit in the ten years...is that a negative?)
Average age: 30...with young families. This means that for the next ten years there will be an ongoing high level of teens in the area (however with good public transport arriving this will alleviate the type of boredom problems that you sometimes see in new housing estates. It also means that there will be a lot of community services and facilities for young families. Huge, brandnew sporting grounds.)
No movie cinema (Browns Plains, Redbank, Indooropilly are your closest options).
Things looked a little shabby during the drought years (it is tough establishing a garden on water restrictions....however this has changed)
Rentals...someone in my street had to move because of the GFC and job relocation and they were really upset about losing their dream home. I felt sorry for them. I thought there would be a string of people renting out the home and not caring much. But the opposite is true...quiet people who love living here. Now that the average home owners is in that 35 age group there lives are a lot more solidly based, schools and jobs established....they're here to stay.
(Home investors?....wrong suburb...check the real estate figures. Logan City is the home rental hub of Brisbane. Roughly 70% home owners to 30% rental is a national average and a Brisbane suburb average and also true of Springfield Lakes...see 2006 ABS census. In fact, areas with million dollar properties have higher rental rates...like Ascot. With the current state of limited public transport in Springfield Lakes until the railway is finished, this is a suburb for people with cars).
No public library. Mobile libary is available at Orion Shoppingtown once a week.

Other:
When the suburb hit the five year mark some people got pretty negative about the suburb because Orion hadn't built stage two yet and the railway line was delayed, the same internet access problem you find in a lot of Brisbane suburbs was here and they figured that the promised potential for the suburb wasn't going to plan. Some of them sold. They should have held on.

So who lives in Springfield Lakes? Middle income to high income families.....you have your middle class young families doing the outdoor thing and the families with beamers and your private school uniforms (they just opened up an Anglican college on the way to Orion and there's a Catholic Primary on the way...as well as brand new, well-resourced state schools....Springfield Lakes State Primary has a view of the lake ; ).