paladin
Reviews
"Gorgeous by the water but a grueling commute"
I’ve lived in Sandgste for two years now. A gorgeous suburb full of character homes and being by the water is hard to beat. A great place to take kids and dogs for a sunset walk along the water, especially at dusk. The food scene isn’t great. There are a handful of good restaurants and cafes but very suburban fare generally and not at all comparable to the kind of foodie fare available closer to the city. The commute to the city is absolutely grueling. Often it takes me an hour in peak hour traffic along sadgate road to the city and it’s an ugly commute generally. I think this is a great suburb to raise a family in but don’t be fooled by the other reviews. This is very much outer suburbs and the commute to the city reflects that. This also apples to getting in to the city to participate in the cultural scene the suburb is lacking.
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
"Well located, being actively gentrified"
Let me give you the inside scoop from a resident.
This is a quiet street, despite being so close to the shopping centers etc. Big pluses here are that everything is walkable. There are numerous restaurants, a gym, video store, massive pet store and a medical center opposite Alkina street, along Marshall Lane. Wongabel street houses a post office, hairdressers, computer store, more places to eat, coffee shops, newsagent, bakery. Of course the much larger shopping center on the opposite side of moggill road (maybe 300 meters away) has a very wide range of offerings too, including Macdonalds, Nandos etc if you are that way inclined.
At the other end of Alkina street lie acres of parkland and the biggest sports facilities in the area, including floodlights for night activities. It's a great place to walk the dogs (an off leash area is included), stroll by the creek, jog, kick a ball around, join a local footy club, or just to meet other friendly locals.
Alkina street represents the crest of the hill, dropping sharply towards Ijong street in one direction and more gradually towards Moggill Road in the other. This means all the benefits of elevation – views, excellent breezes, etc – notably towards the center of the street, where the most expensive houses are.
Alkina street is largely floodproof due to this elevation. An old waterway used to run along the valley where Ijong street presently is, and cubberla creek runs through the park. This means you can expect flooding at the park end of the street, in those 1 in a 50 year flood surges - like the one that happened in '08. Not an issue for Alkina street residents generally, but if buying near the park it would be worth checking the ’74 levels (which I have not done prior to writing this).
ADSL is provided from the Chapel Hill exchange. We are close enough to get really good speed here (I get about 10,000k down on an ADSL 2+ line). Mobile reception is strong.
Be aware that termites are very active in Kenmore generally, and probably 2 out of 3 houses in this street would have had some issues with them, if the housing stock is from the 60s or 70s. You will need to keep your pest inspections and controls up to scratch – but again, this is an issue that extends through very large sections of Kenmore.
A building inspection would also be called for, as many houses in this street have had garage conversions, rear extensions, and so on in the last 50 years and quality varies.
There is great bird life in and around this street - very large flocks of cockatoos, rosellas, etc. Please consider planting bird-friendly native trees, keeping cats indoors, and being nice to the local bush turkey families.
At night, you can expect to hear some (what I would classify as minor and intermittent) noise from Marshall Lane – depending on how close your house is to it. Marshall Lane may carry increased traffic should the bypass go ahead, but it would also mean that Alkina street would be a hop, skip, and jump away from an arterial leading directly into Toowong (and all the way to Kelvin Grove once the airport linkage tunnel is built in 2015). In other respects, Alkina street should not otherwise be impacted by the bypass at all, as the bypass itself is far enough away to mean that light, noise and so on won’t be an issue here. On balance, it might even become quieter.
Some of the houses in this street are much, much larger than their street profile would suggest.
As at the time of posting, no less than 5 houses in the street are undergoing significant renovation such as complete recladding, large extensions, houses being raised to build under, and so on. A lot of capital is being deployed here. Due to its excellent position, every new sale in the street seems to break existing sale records, with recent asking prices moving through the 600s and 700s and into the mid 800 thousand dollar bracket. Let's see if they achieve it, eh?
Medium term capital growth prospects here are good, as the 'Kenmore East' area remains undervalued compared with Indooroopilly / Chapel Hill / Fig Tree Pocket on one side, and Kenmore Hills / Brookfield on the other. This depends on the broader market, of course.
We rent rooms in our house to university students, and are always overwhelmed with enquiries when a vacancy pops up. I think that this is because we are well connected here, with direct bus connections to both UQ and the city right at the bottom of Alkina street. Rooms here rent for maybe $20 a less than a similar place in St Lucia, Toowong, Milton, Indooroopilly, etc – and that $20 makes a difference to a student renter. For the investor a cost/return calculation will show that the comparative cheapness of housing stock here to the other suburbs listed means rental ROI is much higher. This excludes issues like capital gain, etc, where St Lucia tends to outperform.
The recent development of the 'Kenmore Villas' at the bottom of the street (where townhouses seem to be starting from the low 600k mark as at October 2010), and the redevelopment of the old Sizzlers / KFC site (which for years remained an eyesore) are having trickle-up effects in the overall tenor of the street, and in property prices similarly.
Although I am an experienced property investor and long term resident of the street (with no plans to move elsewhere), these opinions do not constitute advice and you should thoroughly do your own research into any matter raised herein.
Other than that, if you move here – welcome! We’re a friendly bunch. Drop me an email and expect a cake or something on arrival to your new home.
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Families with kids
- Retirees
Lest anybody think it is totally idyllic in Alkina Street, be aware that you are just as likely to have noise issues in this street as in most suburbs of Brisbane. Currently there is, for example, one resident of Alkina Street who is more and more frequently imposing his very loud music on half the street for hours at a time. You would not want to spend your 7 or 8 hundred thousand dollars buying a house and then find that you're living close to this particular pest. People in the street tend to be no more and no less considerate than people virtually anywhere.
Gosh, that's a shame. We are down on the side of Alkina street at the Marshall Lane end and don't hear this. Neighbours are all quite delightful. Is this up the park end of the street?
If you are referring to the loud music, yes, that is on the other side of the hill from where you live. But I was making a more general point that Alkina Street isn't any quieter than most streets in Brisbane, because there is always the usual suburban noise of power tools, motor mowers, barking dogs, squealing kiddies and so on. It's normal, but if anybody is hoping for a nice quiet day at home if they live in Alkina Street, forget it, it just doesn't happen, whether during the week or on weekends. Some days are worse than others, of course - you know what it's like: A has a go at something with his power tools for a couple of hours, then when he stops B starts up his mower for a while, he stops and C just has to get his incredibly loud leaf-blower on the go for a while, then D has some vacuuming to do with a very loud high-pitched vacuum-cleaner. And we cop noise from nearby streets as well, for example from the house on the corner of Akuna Street and Wongabel Street where the occupants use some ridiculously loud machines that even impact upon some houses in Alkina Street. And there's the noise from the playing-fields some nights of the week. I'm not saying that any of this is worse than normal, but the noise is there and I wouldn't want anybody who wants to buy a house in Alkina Street to think that it's an amazingly quiet street - it just isn't.
Fair enough. I'd agree with that assessment. There is a lot of renovating going on. My neighbor has been renovating slowly for years so often has power tools going and a yapping dog to boot. So yep. Agreed. It's not quiet in the same way as acerage at Brookfield, for example. Thanks for the clarification!
As a permanent resident of Alkina Street, Kenmore, for 50 years I want to stress that the residential owners are good neighbours, the main trouble comes from rental premises, tenants who do not respect the quiet family atmosphere. Alkina Street homes were built in mid 1960, many by owner/builders, so other dates are incorrect. Trees, which new owners are quick to chop down, were all planted for a reason, apart from ecology, they shaded houses prior to the introduction of home air-conditioning. Renovations should take into consideration asbestos, old pipes, inadequate electrical wiring and steep driveways paved for smaller cars. Future owners should respect the character of Alkina Street, Kenmore, and strive to maintain its unique place in Brisbane's western suburbs.
"Just like Kenmore - only east."
Below is the review I made for Kenmore. Although Kenmore and Kenmore East are often listed seperately, I'm not sure if there's any formal difference here. They are, in fact, one suburb. The same deal applies here as in my overall suburb review (given below), with some minor variations. Kenmore East is located closest to the city in the Kenmore area. Transport and so on is excellent. Kenmore East does lack some of the grander houses found elsewhere in the suburb, but to my mind the nearness (walking distance) of restaurants, transportation hubs and so on make this an ideal part of the larger suburb.
I grew up in and around the area at Chapel Hill, in the 70s and 80s. Since then I have lived and owned mostly inner city. When I sold my last place at West End, I was faced with either being able to buy a small 2 bedroom cottage or a much larger house in Kenmore for the same price. I went for the latter.
Nightlife is definately lacking - with activities at the Kenmore Tavern and dining out (there are some very high quality local restaurants) being the only in-suburb options. That said, 5 minutes up the road, there is much to see and do at Indooroopilly, with several cinemas, good nightlife etc.
Traffic to and from the city can be an issue at peak hours, with Moggill road becoming quite congested at peak times, like much of Brisbane's roads.
There is presently a bypass being planned that will cut through Kenmore - so please keep an eye out for road reserves and so on if purchasing in the area. If your house 'backs onto green space' - make sure that green space isn't a freeway in the planning!
That said, Kenmore is a friendly, blue-chip suburb. I'm an academic, and know a lot of other academics who live in the area. Most of my neighbours are professional families, and a great mix of younger families starting out and older, established couples. It's a very friendly community vibe. Kenmore is well serviced by public transport, and is a very green suburb. Kenmore's topography consists of gently rolling hills, which - combined with all the greenery - is an important lifestyle plus in the subtropics as it makes for cooling breezes and so on. Flatter suburbs can bake in the heat.
There are loads of parks and green spaces, abundant wildlife, as well as very good shopping with two shopping centers (the Village and the Tavern areas) in the suburb as well as smaller retail hubs. We are close to the mega-mall at Indooroopilly. Much of the architecture in Kenmore is 60s/70s/80s brick and tile, with often large, good quality, architect-designed homes from this era, as it was considered a prestige suburb even back then. Like most middle ring suburbs in Brisbane, Kenmore is undergoing gentrification and redevelopment.
If you're a young twenty something looking to be living on top of busy nightlife, then Kenmore probably isn't for you. But if you're a professional couple, family or retiree then Kenmore is an extremely liveable upper-middle-class suburb in the blue-chip western suburbs of Brisbane.
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Families with kids
- Retirees
'The Kenmore Bypass' it's been planned since the 1980's - ish and it still hasn't happened. I contacted TMR and they said there would need to be a massive M5 update before it happened including an expansion of the bridge. Massive. And this would need to happen before a Kenmore bypass was even considered to be approved. So it's not happening anytime soon, but it is on the cards. I was looking at a place in Twilight st, but it is planned to run from the M5 exactly along (just north of) Twilight St and then connect to Moggill Road.
"Upmarket, safe, clean, green suburb."
I grew up in and around the area at Chapel Hill, in the 70s and 80s. Since then I have lived and owned mostly inner city. When I sold my last place at West End, I was faced with either being able to buy a small 2 bedroom cottage or a much larger house in Kenmore for the same price. I went for the latter.
Nightlife is definately lacking - with activities at the Kenmore Tavern and dining out (there are some very high quality local restaurants) being the only in-suburb options. That said, 5 minutes up the road, there is much to see and do at Indooroopilly, with several cinemas, good nightlife etc.
Traffic to and from the city can be an issue at peak hours, with Moggill road becoming quite congested at peak times, like much of Brisbane's roads.
There is presently a bypass being planned that will cut through Kenmore - so please keep an eye out for road reserves and so on if purchasing in the area. If your house 'backs onto green space' - make sure that green space isn't a freeway in the planning!
That said, Kenmore is a friendly, blue-chip suburb. I'm an academic, and know a lot of other academics who live in the area. Most of my neighbours are professional families, and a great mix of younger families starting out and older, established couples. It's a very friendly community vibe. Kenmore is well serviced by public transport, and is a very green suburb. Kenmore's topography consists of gently rolling hills, which - combined with all the greenery - is an important lifestyle plus in the subtropics as it makes for cooling breezes and so on. Flatter suburbs can bake in the heat.
There are loads of parks and green spaces, abundant wildlife, as well as very good shopping with two shopping centers (the Village and the Tavern areas) in the suburb as well as smaller retail hubs. We are close to the mega-mall at Indooroopilly. Much of the architecture in Kenmore is 60s/70s/80s brick and tile, with often large, good quality, architect-designed homes from this era, as it was considered a prestige suburb even back then. Like most middle ring suburbs in Brisbane, Kenmore is undergoing gentrification and redevelopment.
If you're a young twenty something looking to be living on top of busy nightlife, then Kenmore probably isn't for you. But if you're a professional couple, family or retiree then Kenmore is an extremely liveable upper-middle-class suburb in the blue-chip western suburbs of Brisbane.
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Families with kids
- Retirees
Hi there thank you for your comment on the area it is pleasing to read when someone writes the whole thing about an area. Are you able to tell me what the schools are like? For primary and college schools are there any private schools in the area? Thank you
Hi there!
For primary schools, you have a few good public ones to choose from both in Kenmore and Chapel Hill. My niece currently attends the school at Chapel Hill and everyone seems impressed with it. OLR primary school in Kenmore ( http://www.olrkenmore.qld.edu.au ) is a semi-private primary school, with a good reputation also.
Kenmore does have a public secondary school, Kenmore High. Its reputation tends to vary. There is also a large public high school at Indooroopilly. In terms of private secondary schooling, though, most are clustered further towards the city. These are fairly easy to access by bus. It's how most of their students get to and from them.
I don't have kids myself yet, so please do take this with a grain of salt.
I have lived in Kenmore all my life and in the same house since i was 1 year old and it's a nice suburb the only thing kenmore needs is town gas but public transport is great and it close to the city and Indooroopilly shopping centre nearby and the closest train station is Indooroopilly.
What is the demography like in terms of nationality and religion?
Hi cottoncandy! With some exceptions like Sunnybank, the Brisbane middle ring suburbs are unfortunately not the most multicultural places on the earth. It is a sadness to me (I would personally love more ethnic diversity here) but I'm afraid I would classify Kenmore as 90% or more Caucasian. The most notable ethnic groups I have seen are a decent amount of Indian residents and a decent amount of Asian residents. We are happy to have a new Chinese family in our street. As for religious demographics, I frankly have no idea. I'm not religious myself. The local Baptist church seems to have a lively and youthful congregation, and I think there is one other Protestant and one catholic church in the area. There is a zen Buddhist community nearby at katana downs. I hope that is helpful info!
Also, to update my above review - there is a massive expansion taking place at the mall at Indooroopilly. When it first opened, it was the largest mall in the Southern Hemisphere. How's that for history! It won't be close to that again, but the redevelopment is huge. New council plans have indooroopilly slated as a major urban hub. Also, the tunnel being dug between Toowong and kelvin grove (currently underway) might help smooth out peak hour traffic (which still sucks) a little.
Oh! And as richard28 above notes, some areas of Kenmore were flood affected in the 2011 flood, so best to do your due diligence in that respect before buying. We were minimally impacted, unlike many of the western suburbs, but very low lying places were flooded, as well as places directly on the river and overland flow areas.
Thanks Paladin. Happy New Year to you and all. You have been a great help !!
Adding to your post again, Paladin. We are ethnic Indians and have lived in Sydney for over 10 years now. Some of the Sydney suburbs are increasingly becoming biased towards ethnic communities and that has lead to pockets predominantly either ethnic chinese, Indian,lebanese and Caucasian. The suburbs which were once considered to be multicultural are no longer so. It is sad because Sydney is no longer what it used to be say over 15 years ago.
Would ethnic Indians be accepted in the community in Kenmore? Our concern is more to do with our children who would be going to local schools and will they be able to make friends.
Thanks again Paladin.
Hi,we are thinking about selling up in Sydney & moving to Brisbane . Looking for a nice family area & good schools for 2 boys between the ages of 5 & 7. Kenmore & Chapel Hill seem on the top of our list so far .Would there be any negatives for these areas.
Whoops. Totally missed cottoncandy's post there. Sorry. Although very much a minority, there are a few ethnic indians about, and a specialty indian grocer that does wonderful Indian street food onthe corner of Wongabel street and Marshall lane. It mightn't be a bad idea to call them directly to talk to someone from the local community. I know I personally feel no prejudice (I like seeing multiculturalism in our community), but as someone who isn't a member of the community there may well be things I am blind to.
Hi CharlotteB! I'd say the biggest downside is the traffic congestion into and out of the city around peak hours. There is a new tunnel soon to open between Toowong and Kelvin Grove that *might* alleviate some of the morning pressure on the western freeway and thereby Moggill Road, but we will have to see. Brisbane is behind Sydney and especially Melbourne when it comes to arts and culture, but this isn't a problem unique to Kenmore/Chapel Hill. These are both good, comfortable, family areas. And some great food moving into the area, notably the Wongabel Street shop which now have a few places that rival anywhere in Brisbane.
And in terms of AliciaB's review above - it seems like AliciaB has moved from Kenmore to Forest Lake and loves Forest Lake because there are no trees there etc. I would agree that these are two quite different suburbs, and someone who loves one might not like the other as much. Forest Lake is much further out and as a relatively new suburb does suffer from McMansion syndrome (although the green street design there is also a great example of satellite city design, and is well regarded from an architectural standpoint). As for Kenmore houses being old - it is correct that this suburb was developed mostly in the 60s. Many houses have been gentrified since. Some have not. I don't find the house sizes here especially small. Mile is about 280sqm which feels like more than enough. Its true that there is above ground power to houses. It is true that it is a very leafy suburb, and personally I find that and the resulting bird and other wild populations very pleasing. Horses for courses I guess. It's untrue that a commute can take 2 hours. Maybe if an explosives truck has flipped onto its side or something. I commute to the city and if I time it poorly and get gridlocked it might take me 45 or even 50 minutes, which I would agree is frustrating. I also agree leaving early is the trick. Takes me more like 20 minutes, so I have adapted my work schedule to that.
Hi Paladin,
Thanks for being so informative about Kenmore. My husband and I are working professionals living on the South suburbs of Brisbane and looking to buy our first property., we are keen on suburbs like Kenmore, as according to online articles and word of mouth, its a reputable suburb, have very good schools, close to the city and indro shopping mall, close to centenary hwy, and median price of house or land is just a bit slightly higher but on a manageable range. I don't mind the greenery and lack of diversity. The important question here is how is the crime rate there? And will there be a good return on investment on the property in the future? Hint: it's a land near Sunset Rd, near the river. I have done some research and found out that area wasn't affected the the 2011 floods even if it was close the river, and they are planning to make a park right by the river.
Regards, SKC
Hello guys,
I am looking to buy in Kenmore.
Please recommend the good streets and if there are any streets to avoid.
Kind Regards,
Gita
Hi,
Indooroopilly, which is nearby to Kenmore, is a particularly multicultural area. It's primary school is one of the best performing in QLD and tolerance is an observable trait throughout the area (both within Kenmore and Indooroopilly). People are polite and helpful within these suburbs and crime is virtually non-existent. I personally have a love of multi-culturalism, and a preference to live in an area where multiculturalism is embraced. This was taken into account prior to myself and my Thai/Lisu wife moving to Indooroopilly. I lived in Sydney approx 19yrs ago and was deeply disappointed whilst there at the level of tribalism that appeared to exist. Obviously there was a lot of diversity of culture there, but noone wanted to socialise outside of their own culture. I think Brisbane is generally much more tolerant and engaged.
30 mins on the train to the city is a short commute compared to most major cities.