The Gap, QLD 4061

I've lived in The Gap since 1983 in two locations, it is a lovely green and leafy suburb situated against state forest land. This is the ideal place for people with a bit more disposable income who like the traditional quiet suburbia setting. If you like that sort of thing you'll never leave, the only way people have left my street is when they passed away often then their grown children would move in so there are quite a few people whose family have been here for at least 1 to 3 generations.
The state schools here are excellent with students coming from a 3 suburb radius, Ashgrove Marist is also not far away.
The Gap also seems to be much more active on Saturdays when many Motorcyclists, car clubs, bike clubs, cyclists and picnickers all head up to the state forest and Mt Nebo and Mt Glorious. There are some fantastic roads up there but Saturdays expect a fair amount of traffic and Police speed traps.

Residence wise there are very distinct differences in areas in The Gap as below
"Old Town"
The old sections which were zoned residential from over 60-100 years ago, mostly 60's and 70's style houses , brick veneer and weatherboard. Tends to be characterised by all kinds of lower priced housing styles even a few odd fibro cement and "off the plan" LJ Hooker homes from the 80's.

"Affordableville"
A bunch of rather large new housing estates from the 90's to the 2000's all blonde and tan brick style 1 & 2 story jobs. Small streets, traffic calming intersections many with an estate like "entrance and sign" characterise the entrance to these areas. The ones closer to the Enoggera dam and Gap Creek road areas have poorer public transport and feel segregated from the rest of the suburb.

"Nouveau riche"
This is the line of very expensive houses located on the hill sides or large blocks scattered on the outskirts, (as The Gap is a suburb surrounded by mountains and big hills) These houses are rather big, very expensive and always seem extremely well maintained. These can be found at the end of Hilder Road's "Old town" section, and on the outskirts of the Kay's Rd "Affordableville" area plus on the border of Keperra and the Gap. Becareful though as many of these hillsides were aflame during the bad bushfire season a decade ago. Prices here can enter into the Millions

"Higher Density zones"
There are a number townhouse developments very distinct in appearance. One set was built in the 90's prior to a moratorium on townhouses in the area which was lifted around 2009 or 2010, these tend to be on main roads/streets but further out from the Commercial Zoned area near the golf course. The second set only opened in 2010 and 2011 and are a short distance from the Golf Course area. There are a couple of gated communities, one made famous for being the site of a murder in the 90's. Which is a good reminder that being locked in is all fine and good unless the people you should be worried about are in there with you.

Now the bad points.
Commuting:
You have three choices, car, bus or drive over to Ferny Grove and catch the train, the bus services are regular and generally on time. Problem is despite being only about 8-11km straight line from the City it will take you at minimum (when school is in) 40 mintues to get to the city by bus during peak time, perhaps longer by car as one lane is T2 and can bank right back to Ashgrove west. When school is out times are reduced considerably. The 385 express service that runs through Paddington is oddly faster than it's brother the Prepaid only 384 rocket (peak times only) that uses Waterworks road. However the 385's closest stop in the city is bus station under King George Square. Coworkers who live in Browns Plains and Logan get the same commute times due to their much better arterials and busways. Travel times are not bad outside peak times but any bus service using waterworks road well don't expect to be home in less than 40minutes.

Dormitory suburb:
To do anything except perhaps food shopping, normal errands, small selection of takeaway or drinking coffee, you will have to leave the suburb. Either going to Kmart plaza in Arana Hills, Westfield Brookside in Mitchelton, The Great Western in Keperra, The City, Toombul shopping town, Stafford city or Indooroopilly via the Centenary highway. There is very little commercial zoning and most of it is taken by essential services only. It's a two edged sword, the good side is it means that there are very few people from other suburbs who do anything except drive through from Settlement road to Waterworks road and not much in the way of heavy vehicles or noisier businesses, just don't expect any exciting retail opportunities. Because it's a dormitory suburb it can be a target for burglaries as the chances are noone is home during the day but that's about the only crime you'll find here.

Weather:
I don't know if this is universal or just where I live, The Gap's weather in terms of temperature and humidity are like Ipswich. It is hotter and more humid here in the summer, probably due to it's geographic situation, than any suburb closer to the river and can still get bitterly cold in winter. My sibling's place in New Farm has wonderful weather and breezes but they can get flooded so its a trade off.

House Prices:
House Prices here jumped by $100K in 2005 for no reason whatso ever. Many houses are ordinary and blocks surprisingly small. When I grew up there were a lot of young families but many families have been priced out so the demographic has changed substantially since the 80's. It is a lovely area but with whats available you don't really get much value for money. Don't expect the houses at the bottom of the range to be pretty, they'll usually be ex-rentals or deceased estates in need of a full renovation.

I wouldn't mind living here for the rest of my life but I'm on a single income and can't afford to renovate or rebuild the old home I'm in. I'll probably end up moving to a cheaper area or one with higher density housing which is a shame because I've found my neighbours and residents here to be very nice and quite an eclectic mix in terms of occupations and histories.

good suburb in terms of location and environment, leaf and quiet, has lots of family friendly parks. Great public schools as well. Traffic to city is okay - peak hour might take you 10-20 mins extra whereas off peak hour it takes about 20 mins to the city. Since i dont rely on public transport and wouldnt mind driving, i dont see traffic as a problem. Its also away from noisy inner city so less hectic stuff and strange people hanging around which means more safer to live. The only downside is that its close to mt nebo so you would probably hear cars and bikes roaring sometimes when they on their way up to the mountain. but honestly its happening everywhere in brisbane.

The Gap was on my list to research for a potential move. The Bus from the CBD was a long ride on little windy roads, quite uncomfortable. The suburb is nestled among green hills with plenty of birdlife, but the town centre is run down and outdated. The locals appeared quite Bogan. I ended up in Bulimba, The Gap was just too trashy.

I have been a long term resident of The Gap for almost 20 years. I have found the area nice overall but the people who live here, not so. This suburb is home to some of the most rudest and opinionated people I have been unfortunate enough to have come across. If you don't look a certain way, people mistreat you and ignore you - you are not accepted. People here are up themselves on a large scale. Not a friendly place to live and has been overtaken by rich, snobby people 👎🏻

Whilst walking the streets of the gap you can find yourself getting lost in its bushwalks and wildlife. With its own remarkable heritage homes and close proximity to Ashgrove, this suburban gem holds its own as one of Brisbane's most sought-after places to live or visit.

One of the best secrets in Brisbane, Surrounded by trees, clean air parks and nature, this surburb is an oasis away from the CBD. But only a short drive or bus away from the heart of the city. Great schools and a shopping village with almost everything.

I lived at The Gap for two years. During that two years, I found the people who lived there very political (don’t join the Gap Grapevine if you hate politics) they struggle with understanding how to act towards one another as a community.

The traffic is terrible, with only buses that service the area. One road out to the city ect!
There is also a higher level of crime that has commenced in the area recently.

The surroundings are beautiful but that’s it. They have good schools here apparently, but we decided to put our child in private education so we didn’t utilise the schools.

The Gap is an okay place to live. It is a safe area where everyone watches out for one another. Most of the demographic are older generations, and most people here are generally wealthy, with quite a few people also being spoilt and entitled. That being said, people can be very picky and have high expectations here and if something is not right they’ll make sure someone knows. The area really needs some young couples for some variety, but then again this area is so unaffordable for anyone young and looking that this area might as well just rebrand itself to a retirement village.
Waterworks Road is an absolute nightmare to live on or near. It’s so noisy and you don’t get a sleep in on days off/weekends because all you can hear are the bikes and sooped up cars roaring past to go up Mt Nebo Road. Then closely followed by the ambulances and police from the nearby stations flying up there. Some nights/early in the AM you’ll even get people racing and/or doing burnouts. So if you plan to move onto WW Road make sure you invest in some good soundproofing or earplugs.
The area lacks any decent, cheap take out options. There’s the generic fast food places and a good Asian food place, but apart from that there’s not much. UberEats, Menulog and DoorDash are sparse with expensive prices and delivery fees, and this place doesn’t even exist on Deliveroo. More places are moving in, but they are high-class, expensive food places that the average Joe cannot afford.
The Gap Village is really lovely and easy to access, apart from the bit where the McDonald’s is which is a nightmare.
Hairdressers in the area are pricey and are booked out months in advance, making it hard for anyone working a full time job to find time for a quick haircut.
The parks are lovely and a lot of places are dog-friendly around here. Residents are also very cautious and aware of cats/dogs roaming the streets and will take extra care to make sure these animals are safe and get home.
Lots of wildlife around here, including snakes, so keep a look out in your garden.
Local school is pretty decent and the students there are generally friendly and behave well.
A short trip over the hill lands you in Keperra where the local Woolies does a straight to boot online order system and is currently being upgraded. There’s also a Taco Bell, KFC, Bunnings, Aldi and a PetStock (amongst other smaller shops) so it’s almost a one stop shop, just needs a Kmart.
There is currently a LOT of development going on here, which is only going to cause everywhere to get busier and the roads to be worse than what they currently are.
Summary: This area is great if you’re looking to retire, not great if you are young and trendy. Be prepared to spent big bucks to even live here.

So I moved to the gap at the start of the year after looking at everywhere north to north west of the city.

The gap offers extra space whilst also having a rural and village feel to it. It’s surrounded by walking trails and wildlife. I’m planning to have a family and could not think of anywhere better to raise my kids.

There are three drinking areas in the gap tavern, blind tiger and Ashgrove golf club which is pretty dam rare for suburbs in Australia. Enoggera dam is sublime and great place for swimming and treks. You have all great shops close by within 5 mins drive to, coles, Woolworths, Bunnings, every fast food joint you could think of, great takeaways. All my neighbours are really friendly and we often have get togethers.

Driving to the city takes 20 minutes, catch a bus takes 30ish mins. Only downside is there are no trains but I think this would diminish the character of the gap.

Such a good spot that will only become more popular as time goes on.