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Kenmore
4.2(16 reviews)

Kenmore, QLD 4069

4.2(16 reviews)

Ranked 143rd best suburb by locals in Brisbane Region, QLD

Great for

  • Safe and sound
  • Public transport
  • Schools
  • Medical facilities
  • Clean & green

Not great for

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Who lives here?

  • Families With Kids
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Singles
  • Students

Reviews of Kenmore, QLD

21st October 2023

"Can’t get a ride"

Great suburb but you can never get a cab or ride share out if there. Expect to be late for everything if you’re waiting for a cab.

Who lives here?

  • Families with kids
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"One of the absolute best suburbs"

Kenmore is a wonderful suburb to live in, with lots of trees and greenery, quiet streets, friendly neighbours and it's close to everything.
I have raised my family here over the past 14 years, and have been fortunate to have quiet streets, great schools, terrific shops, retaurants & transport closeby - whether it's shopping at the local shopping centre, having a quiet coffee or a chat with neighbours, it's truly one of the best suburbs close to, but just far enough away, from downtown Brisbane.

Who lives here?

  • Families with kids
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"Family friendly suburb"

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
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"Friendly community feel"

Mostly big yards, seperate houses and super friendly community. Leafy tree lined streets, suburban walking and close to both Mount Cootha and Brisbane. Very central for access to other suburbs. Good cafes, churches, sports grounds and clubs. People stop and talk in the street. Low crime.

Who lives here?

  • Families with kids
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"Beautiful leafy suburb with rolling hills"

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
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"Posh country living in the city."

Excellent suburb within 10 kms from the city centre. Large leafy suburban lots and homes perfect for the family. Top rated public and private schools in the suburb. Homes still affordable as compared to homes in Indooroopilly & Fig Tree Pocket just one suburb over.

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
0
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"Mic's Mom"

Owesome place to live, perfect for us

Great for

  • 11 Kilometers to CBD
  • Heaps of schools
  • Heaps of shops
  • Good access from motorways.
  • Well priced Restaurants

Not great for

  • Trees

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
0
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"Safe, liveable and a sense of community."

We moved from Toowong, reluctantly, when we bought here in late 2011. I am so glad we did. It is a great suburb for families, very safe, 3 primary schools to choose from just in the suburb and two excellent high schools in it or nearby (Indooroopilly State being the second). People are actually friendly, not in your face, but friendly. Much more so that in the more student/young professionals domain of Toowong. The buses are great, regular and able to connect you to everywhere via the Indooroopilly bus station. There is a bus that goes straight to UQ (University of Qld) too. There are an abundance of shops, farmers markets etc for groceries (including the 3 major supermarkets) and it is a short drive to either Indooroopilly or Mount Ommaney for everything else. The new tunnel at the end of the western freeway will hopefully alleviate some of the morning crawl in traffic. On that note, however, if you are a bit creative in your route it's really not so bad. Just saying.... Yes the houses are older but that makes them sought after because they are mostly weatherboard, not heritage listed, on bigger blocks and a blank canvas OR someone has already turned them into something great. You would have to look hard to find two houses the same in this place. Yes there was flooding in 2011 but it was minimal compared to many suburbs and only affected those who were low and near the river, or unlucky as most of Kenmore is hilly.

Great for

  • Community spirit
  • Green and leafy
  • 11 Kilometers to CBD
  • Heaps of schools

Not great for

  • Traffic in the mornings

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Students
2
HeatherL2

Is the traffic really that bad in the morning? 1-2 hours to get into the city??

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"Old houses, Bad traffic"

I have lived in Kenmore for 5 years since 2009. The houses here are so old and hard to maintain. Most of them were built in th 1950s or 1960s. The houses are tiny but with big gardens. There are many big trees in kenmore, blocking all the sunlight to houses and posing threat to the house. Cutting down trees is very costly.

Living in Kenmore is like living in the old time.There are powerlines across the sky, which is so ugly and inconvenient. Every time it rains heavily, either our internet connection is down for days or the electricity is off.

In rainy seasons, we are worried about the water damage to the house, too.

The traffic here is terrible. There is only one way to the city, that is the Moggill RD. Even though it is only 11km to the city, it can take you 1 to 2 hours one way. How terrible is that! Kenmore is so underdeveloped. You have to leave house before 7am, otherwise you will be stuck in the traffic jam and want to commit suicide.

I heard that the local school is going downhills and drug is a problem there.

Great for

  • Trees

Not great for

  • Trees
  • Powerlines
  • Bad traffic

Who lives here?

  • Retirees
2
SumedhT

Hi we're looking a Kenmore as an option to move from Indooropilly. The part that concerns me most in your comment is about the school. Is that an observation you've made or has anything been published in the media? I've heard that the newer Kenmore South State school is rated very highly.

chrisb17

Most houses in Brisbane are built over 50 years ago and give the place character. Much prefer the old houses to the bland mcmansions of suburbs like North Lakes. And too many trees? seriously...

jerryo

Honestly what are you talking about? While it's true that Hookers purchased the land that would become Kenmore in the late 1950's in order to build a modern housing development (a 1960's Forest Lake) the suburb didn't really get underway until the early to mid 1970s with the building of the local high school and ambulance depot. And 1970's architecture is evident all around the suburb, from the majority of houses, to the schools and street design.
The local shopping plazas both have a decidedly 1990s in design. Houses are of normal size for their 60s-80s build time with many new post 2010 town houses and units going up. The average bedroom is 3m-4m which is quite large by todays standards. Yards are not large but definitely larger than a cramped estate of today. There are no more trees than anywhere else and power lines aren't a visible problem and have to really be looked for to be noticed. Power lines being overhead is a distinct advantage for faults on the grid. It rains constantly in Kenmore and yet given the suburb is connected with HFC NBN which is laid underground and has nothing to do with power lines the rain does not drop out the internet, or the electricity.
Traffic is easy with an average trip from Kenmore to the CBD taking between 13-18 minutes. To call your suggested 1=2 hour travel time an over exaggeration would be an understatement. Further Moggill Road is not the only way there by far. All main roads into the CBD have peak hour traffic.
Kenmore State School is rated the best primary school in SEQ with the principle responsible for co-writing the curriculum the entire state follows. Kenmore South State School is too highly rated as is Kenmore High which requires interviews and acceptance invitations to even attend.

ladybugl

What a ridiculous review! Kenmore is a fabulous superb and then schools are amazing. We moved here from NSW in 2018 and have no complaints at all. We have first hand experience of Kenmore South State School and Kenmore State High, and both are exceptional schools.

karenn26

#ladybugl Hi! I'm reading your review of Kenmore as a suburb and it's high schools, as we're busy 'area-shopping' - also relocating from NSW with 3x teenagers. I've heard that Kenmore State High is very good, so we're taking a leap of faith to base our move on that and the good feeling we had when driving through Kenmore. Our other option is Bayside, Wynnum, but we don't feel quite as excited about that area. Any insights, 5 years down the line, would be much appreciated!

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"Get More at Kenmore"

Kenmore is located about 11kms from the Brisbane CBD and borders the Brisbane River, Fig Tree Pocket, Chapel Hill, Kenmore Hills and Brookfield. It was developed back in the 50's and 60's and the homes reflect architecture from that time forward. Many homes in Kenmore are low maintenance brick and tile and many of the older style homes are undergoing modernisation.

Kenmore really is a very well established suburb with plenty of beautiful established gardens and loads of facilities for its residents including lots of parks and gardens, two decent sized shopping centres, public and private schools, and medical facilities.

Kenmore is very popular with families and represents exceptional value, a pleasant lifestyle and a safe, solid community atmosphere.

Great for

  • 11 Kilometers to CBD
  • Heaps of schools
  • Heaps of shops
  • Good access from motorways.
  • Well priced Restaurants

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
2
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"The Great all rounder you want in the burbs"

Fantastic location close to the city and great access once the tunnel opens to the north as well as easy times to South via great mtr way. Good schools and nice ressys for a cheap night out for the family. Lone pine for the tourist in all of us plus access including boat ramp for the river person.
Good neighbours are easy to find and some streets have great street family appeal.

Great for

  • Well priced Restaurants
  • Good access from motorways.
  • Quiet streets and safe
  • 11 Kilometers to CBD
  • Heaps of schools
  • Heaps of shops

Not great for

  • Some areas flooded in the 2011 floods

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Country Lovers
0
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"Great Suburb Only 11 Kilometers to the CBD"

Kenmore is a beautiful leafy suburb only 11 kilometers to the CBD. Kemore residents are very friendly, there are lots of resturaunts to choose from, it is a very safe and green suburb. With an adequate amount of parks and shopping options, residents are in area for many well-regarded schools such as: Kenmore Primary; Kenmore South Primary and Kenmore High.

Great for

  • 11 kilometers to CBD
  • Shopping options
  • Schooling options
  • Good access from motorways.
  • Quiet streets and safe
  • Trees
  • Community spirit

Not great for

  • Some areas flooded in the 2011 floods

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Hipsters
  • Students
  • Trendy & Stylish
0
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"A great high school, but commuting is still a big problem"

Who lives here?

  • Families with kids
2
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"The Schools of Kenmore"

Kenmore has a wide selection of local schools that offer exceptional amenities and have a wonderful community based feel. Our lady of the rosary is an excellent catholic primary school catering to a large number of local families in a well equiped and modern setting. Kenmore state school and Kenmore South state school are also well run and provide a brilliant primary school education. My Son Jonah attends the Kenmore South Primary School and he couldn't be happier. Kenmore is also blessed to offer a local well regarded High School.

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
0
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"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
0
Ruru

Hi, do you know where we can find more info on the bypass being planned?

Stephen Anning
Stephen Anning

'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.

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"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
1
hawaii99

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

paladin

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.

Sean1972

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.

cottoncandy
cottoncandy

What is the demography like in terms of nationality and religion?

paladin

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.

paladin

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.

cottoncandy
cottoncandy

Thanks Paladin. Happy New Year to you and all. You have been a great help !!

cottoncandy
cottoncandy

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.

CharlotteB

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.

paladin

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.

paladin

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.

paladin

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.

SK9

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

gitas

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

Aaron Ainsworth
Aaron Ainsworth

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.

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