Porrohman74

It is nice and quiet, but for how long??

Once the Brisbane City Council finish with west End it will be like some thing you would see in Hong Kong - high rise capital of the world.

For the moment its OK. It is the food capital of Brisbane so its good to drive too when your hungry. A few parks here and there. Still has industry in it so it attracts trucks...
Has a market which I think is good, but others may debate that. Close to the CBD.

Check it out for yourself - I think its a little wierd they have factories and houses and the wealthy and the homeless all in one suburb. But hey, thats what some people like about it!

Many years ago, there was a racetrack called Lakeside. It became a bit run down and eventually closed its doors. Drivers needed somewhere else to test their metal and wits. They went looking for another place to race and found,

Bott Street.

This street is infamous for hoons, rat runners and the ignorant. Traffic 'calming' measures have been added and now thanks the sweeping bends they provide, race car drivers can keep the motor racing spirit alive with a quick spurt down a once quiet residential street.

The council/local government have actually made it easier by removing a traffic island in the adjoining Woodlands Street and allowing MORE traffic to use the track.

For the budding drag racer, the best times are peak hour, and late Saturday and Sunday nights when a clear run will ensure a great time. Don't worry about Police, they've ignored local residents plea's for help for years - your as safe as houses, (obviously not those in Bott Street though)

For budding residents - forget it. You'd be safer crossing a Piranha infested Amazon River than Bott Street.

UPDATE: Brisbane City Council has approved so many units in the street without thinking about the car parking that frequently cars will park on the footpath and across driveways in order to be close to home. Interesting to note that no building approval council workers live in Bott Street.

Lets be honest. New Farm is wonderful. I could finish here but I won't because there are few other things that New Farm should be known for other than its wonderfulness!

New Farm goes no where. Its located on an almost peninsula like bend on the Brisbane River and as a result has very little traffic. But there are particular streets that at 1:00am are still carrying quite a bit of non-local traffic. Being located next to Fortitude Valley is both a curse and a blessing. Generally, (very general), most Queenslanders love driving. The idea of walking to get groceries and coffee isn't as popular as I believe it will be in the future. I strongly believe you could live in New Farm and not even own a car. Its radical thinking I know. Walk to the city, the shops, parks, doctors. If Brisbane has a 'european village' style suburb, then New Farm is it.

New Farm is one of Brisbane's oldest suburbs, its swamped with masses of leafy trees and cool river side open parks. It has a theatre on the river in what was Brisbane's source of electricity. A converted power station now hosts everything for stand up comedy to small dramatic pieces, a treasure it is.

Home styles vary. You name it - its here. Free standing homes to penthouse apartments. I wouldn't recommend it for kids. But it comes at a cost. Its a very sought after location, so is pricey. Many units and some homes have river views and they're not free.

Its a little cosmopolitain and quirky, but also conservative with its historically listed homes. Take a drive through New Farm and see for yourself.

I actually lived in a free standing house in Brisbane - its not a fairytale, its true. Petrie Terrace is the best part of Brisbane. It's close enough to walk to the CBD, has restaurants and cafes. A new supermarket and cinemas.
Sure there are apartments in the city, but if thats not your thing, you can still found a house. I'm not sure if Sydney and Melbourne have free standing residential homes in the city. But Brisbane does.

Brisbane is very, very slowly waking up from a long, almost coma-like sleep. You can now find a decent coffee, walk around without the need for a car and they've even discovered bridges and tunnels to assist the capital of Australia's sunniest state to cope with the demands of 'growing up'. Often people think and refer to Brisbane as a big country town. But I don't buy into that. Its a city, with the traffic, noise, pollution and crime that comes with being a city.

If apartment living is your thing - then make Brisbane your home. You won't regret living in the river city.

HISTORY: Lansbury Parade was once infact a creek. It flowed into Ithaca Creek (still there) at the end of Lansbury Parade. Lansbury Parade's creek has been put into pipes underground and can no longer been seen. Parts of Lansbury Parade where once within the boundary of 'Woodland'. Woodland is an historically listed home on Woodlands Street, which runs parrallel to Lansbury.

PROPERTIES: Large homes adorn Lansbury Parade and the streets which come off it. A large percentage of the streets in this particular pocket of Ashgrove actually go no where. There are no shops, schools, doctors or sports grounds to attract traffic and as a result is wide and quiet residential street. If you want to see REALLY wide check out Grant Street! Its ridiculous. I've been in Lansbury for nearly three years and have met people all along its route. The homes are mostly old Queenslanders, some renovated, others on the way to being renovated. A couple of new homes, some post war and a few brick homes too. A mix of tin and tile roofs complement the homes they protect. There are no apartments or units on Lansbury Parade.

TRAFFIC: Bott Street at the western end can be busy in mornings and afternoons as rat runners use it to avoid the Ashgrove & Waterworks Road intersection. Whilst there are traffic calming measures in place, be careful with kids and pets when crossing as the non-locals who use it have little regard for life. But Findlay, Grant, Anderson, Romani & Warmington Streets are generally very quiet, with only residents and those visiting using the roads.

RECREATION: At the eastern end is "The Park". It has a running/bike path along it and if you follow it you can travel for miles in either direction. Its popular early morning with people exercising. The park has a small playground for younger kids, a bbq area with shelter and a heap of open space - great for kicking balls and flying kites. The creek can flood during severe storms so be aware. NOTE: Many maps show 'Lark Avenue' coming off the eastern end of Lansbury along the creek. Lark Avenue does not exist - Its much better as a park.

LOCATION: You can access Ashgrove's main retail area in 5-10 minutes on foot and public transport is available on both Ashgrove Avenue and Waterworks Road that goes straight to the CBD. Its a combination of things that makes Lansbury a great place to live. We have no traffic, beautiful homes, a large park and shops within walking distance. If you are lucky enough to snare a home on Lansbury or within the triangle of Ashgrove Avenue, Waterworks Road and Ithaca Creek, you will be forever grateful that you are in the quiet, city side pocket of Brisbane's best suburb - Ashgrove.

Many are suprised to hear that Ashgrove is in fact one of the largest suburbs in all of Brisbane. Great public transport, close to city, every public facility minus a hospital you could think of. Lots of parks.
Retail wise its not much chop. No major shopping centres, you'll need to travel to the city or Indro or maybe Enoggerra if you want a big centre. Restaurants/bistro's have avoided Ashgrove like the plague, for whatever reason. Forget the idea of any type of nightlife - I consider that a bonus. No drunks wondering the streets at 4am. Another downside is when you get quotes for anything the prices is jacked up because your in "Ashgrove".
Ithaca Creek runs through/alongside Ashgrove. It has running and bike trakcs along large parts of it. The creek does flood during very bad storms so be aware if buying near it.
Plenty of schools, both private and public and whilst it has Waterworks Road running though the high street you can walk around it pretty easily. Unfortunately, alot of Ashgrovians are still addicted to thier cars and even the shortest trips which could be walked, are not. As result parking in the main retail area is not very good. The high street has the potential to have a village type atmophere, but its still developing. We have a great butcher and fruit shop. Theres a bakery, but it not outstanding. All the banks, post office, gym, cafe's etc. The florist is also very good.
Ingore the fact that the High Street looks like 1985. It needs a facelift, but it works.
I've been in Ashgrove for 3 years. We have two kids at primary school and we both work in the CBD. We have a dog who gets plenty of exercise at the local park. Traffic in Ashgrove can be bad, pending on where you live.Peak hour is the worst. Lots of rat runners using back streets - but on the up side on weekends, even some of the busier roads are fairly quiet, There are some great little pockets of homes tucked away - these are the ones to hunt out. Be sure to ask others about the location of the house your considering. More and more real estate agents are pushing the boundries of Ashgrove out to areas which aren't actually in Ashgrove - but the name helps to sell homes. so buyer beware! - This could affect resale. Parking around some of the units can be a challenge, so consider this also.
All in all, Ashgrove is a great place to raise a family with all the convienences of city living on what are traditionally big blocks with lots of trees and friendly neighbours.