Ferny Hills, QLD 4055

We fell in love with Ferny Hills, after a friend recommended it, and after searching almost every suburb in Brisbane. Its beautiful, leafy and quiet. At times I sit on my balcony and look out through all the trees and feel the wonderful breeze and feel like I'm in the country. Adding to this is the amazing network of bush walks, bikeways, small village shops and parks dotted around just about every corner. Yet its incredibly accessible and connected to everything you need. Including restaurants, cafes, bars, gyms, pools, and even into the city and airport. Soon to be even more so with the Ferny Grove Central development. Short serene drives away take you charming Samford with amazing cafes, parks and village and nature, and Bunya where there is a local swimming hole, walks and fairy garden. It really is a magical place for us as a young couple, and now enjoying it even more as a family. There are also lots of activities and services for kids, including playgroups, local library, pools, gymnastics, soccer, indoor playgrounds etc, and schools. Its also a very friendly and supportive community where a neighbour is happy to wave hello and a fellow morning jogger will say good morning.

I walk my 2 greyhounds (rescue dogs) every morning and usually at 5am, so as it roles through from Winter when it's dark and on through the seasons you get the variations as the sun gets up earlier each month. It's quiet, it's the serenity as they say that really makes it different to so many other areas now. The main road - Samford Rd only goes to Samford, no Gold coast or Sydney melbourne type traffic here or Toowoomba - no Western Freeway or M1 taking trucks and people through to 20 other suburbs beyond us here in The Hills District.

This is a great suburb if you like ferns and hills.

We moved here from France a few years ago and started by renting in Indooroopilly and Bardon but ended up buying in Ferny Hills - and I’m so glad we did!

We have a large block with a big garden where we can grow all kinds of fruit and vegetables. Our children just love the area and there is so much for them to see and do. We are walking distance from the State Forest where we go on hikes and on a hot day we head to Bunya River Crossing for a picnic and a swim.

Houses and garden are mostly well kept and the area is well maintained with the grass regularly mowed in the parks and public bins emptied.

We have great friends who also live in the suburb from the four corners of the globe and many public spaces where we can socialise with them.

The dining options aren’t exceptional but there is good coffee and we’re French - we love to cook and entertain! - so it isn’t important to us.

It is a charming suburb with friendly neighbours of all ages and we love living here. We find some other parts of Brisbane elitist and pretentious but this is a really safe, wholesome area with great opportunities for kids. Also, the train line goes straight into the city and is walking distance from much of Ferny Hills so a great option for those who work in the CBD.

With a young family, we’ve found a great spot to raise them in Ferny Hills. The local park is great and well maintained and so is the pool next to it. We can walk to many of the places we frequent - the indoor heated pool for the kids’ swimming lessons (and the outdoor heat one for my laps), the park for scooter and bike rides and BBQs with friends over summer, Ironbark Gully where we have picnics amongst the kookaburras and take the kids for bushwalks, the skate park in Ferny Grove, the flea market on a Sunday morning, their daycare and school, the library...

I can walk to the train in 15 mins and the local shops. There are always 3 or 4 good free activities with rides and entertainment down in the park a year, a couple with fireworks.

The area is safe and fine to walk through at night. Lots of exercise options with often free classes run by the council in the park and a local walking group. There are lots of walking and workout options including the stairs at the library which rival KP cliffs.

Only a few mins drive away there is the FG aqua park and a great all-abilities playground in Arana Hills. Plenty of your usual takeaway rubbish options like GYG, Hungry Jacks, Red Rooster, McDonalds, pizza etc down at Arana Hills too.

Samford is a really pleasant short drive with lots of great brunch options and stunning bushwalks and rainforests a little further afield at Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo. There’s also the picturesque Bunya waterhole only 10 mins away.

The train has you in the CBD/South Bank in half an hour and they run every 7-15 mins through peak.

It’s really well located because it is so quick and easy to get to central Brisbane but it is also so safe, quiet and close to bushland. Plus, big blocks (600m+), lots of birds, possums and the occasional bandicoot and peace and quiet.

Ferny Hills was my home for a good 10 years and I enjoyed my time there but have now moved to North Lakes (further north and towards the sea a bit) but what I can tell you about Ferny Hills is that is a fantastic place for nature lovers and people who enjoy peace and quiet. I found it to be a safe, friendly suburb with only a few incidents I heard of over the years. It does get hot so make sure you get a place with an air conditioner! Even if you only run it during Oct - March. If you enjoy eating out you may have to go outside of the suburb as the choice or quality wasn't amazing, but the places you will find surviving there are very good. All 3 of my children had no issues with the schools. Ferny Grove public transport is also very good for getting to places.

We live in Illuta Avenue Ferny Hills and it is honestly the most wonderful, friendly and beautiful place to live. Our house faces North and we get the best aspect with a beautiful breeze and sunlight in the right places at the right times. We rarely use the air con in Summer! Now with so many cute but not wanky cafes and restaurants, Vince and Charlie's awesome fruit shop, the fantastic fresh seafood van and Indian and Thai restaurants galore. I jump on the train for work each day which takes all of 28 mins to Fortitude Valley and am home with enough daylight spare to walk my dogs in one of the many stunning parks. Everything is close by, kids all attend one of the best public High Schools in Brisbane, Ferny Grove High. One of the big bonuses is that the land sizes are still all around the 650 square and higher mark which is so much nicer than the inner city blocks where you can hear your neighbour pee :-)

We bought here five months ago and the suburb is exceeding our expectations. It's so leafy, green and tranquil. I don't need a holiday from work, I just need a weekend at my house. It's genuinely the most tranquil place I've lived.
It's an easy commute via train to the city and an easy drive (we do leave at 7am). The local school, Patrick's Road, has an outstanding reputation and its results match that of Ascot state school (where out of catchment parents camp out to try and get their kids in). My son is currently in kindy and there are great local childcare options. There are also beautifully parks, local swimming pool and library. I would like to see a few more restaurants but there's great Thai and Indian takeaway. There's also campos coffee at d-sol coffee shop at FernyWay to keep me going on weekends! I think overall it's a very attractive place for families.

Hopefully, Brookside will get its act together - sp much opportunity. It's sad that Myer is no longer at Brookisde but looking forward to Target's return. There's also a good Kmart and big w in close proximity.

Ferny Hills is becoming more accessible to Brisbane CBD, but is still very hot in Summer as is west and surrounded by bushland.

Ferny Hills as its name suggests has lots of hills so if you like flat terrain read no further. The suburb, located within the Moreton Bay Regional Council area, is quite large with the older, main part now around 50-60 years old so houses and gardens are well established. A notable feature of the original area is that street names are clustered by first letter. For example, Conlo Cr, Coolibah Cr and Corang Cr are in the same area. This makes it easier to know where streets are. The houses closer to Bunya are much newer and more expensive but further away from amenities (except the dump).

Ferny Hills has two state primary schools, public library, public pool, great parks (esp George Wilmore Park) and is close to Kmart Plaza and a good number of small local shops. The Ferny Way bakery is excellent and always has customers lined up. Brookside Shopping Centre is a 10 min drive away. For those who want to do serious shopping, it is probably easiest to go to Westfield Chermside which is absolutely huge (30 mins drive). Bus transport is available but expect a good wait and the excellent Ferny Grove railway station is just over the local govt boundary in Brisbane CC zone. Thousands of locals a day catch the train into the city (around 30 min trip).

The suburb is undergoing a noticeable change with more and more residents renovating their properties. Pride in yards is generally good, let down however by a few negligent residents. Street appeal does vary from street to street. For the record, Bunnings Warehouse at Keperra is a 10 min drive away. The crime rate around Ferny Hills is not really a concern and the Ferny Grove Police Station is not far away.

If you like a blended, multi-cultural melting pot, Ferny Hills will disappoint. It typifies the white, middle-class income area. About the only cultural experience will be the local Thai joints or your typical Indian or Chinese take away a short trip away to Arana Hills. Residents are not spoiled for fast food choice - KFC, Maccas, Hungry Jacks, Red Rooster, Subway, Dominos, Pizza Capers and Guzman Y Gomez, are all a short trip away.

Current property prices in Ferny Hills are mostly beyond affordability of unskilled persons and many of the newer buyers are typified by dual income households, tradies, and university educated professionals. Many houses are owner occupied with many long term residents. Not many units or townhouses in comparison to detached houses. In 2020/21 house prices have increased somewhat but the area is still good value for double-income families. Overall, a nice place to live.