ahomeowner

We are a professional couple who previously rented in the inner-city before purchasing and moving into a house over the train line in Northgate. We chose Northgate because it represented good value in what seemed an extremely convenient location on the fringe of some very good suburbs (Ascot, Clayfield, Hendra, Nundah, etc.). For those who work in the CBD, Northgate train station is perfect as it is such a short walk for residents and the station is so well-serviced with multiples lines passing through - between 6am and 9am, one rarely has to wait longer than 2-3 minutes for an in-bound train and a train is often arriving as another is departing. Additionally, all express services stop at Northgate, which is great if you've been slow to get moving in the morn. On weekends, the cafes and restaurants in Ascot are always a nice option and only a 5 or so minute drive away. One can also enjoy a morning stroll to Rhino Espresso on Northgate Road in Northgate Heights for a leisurely coffee (Piazza D'oro) and light meal (perhaps after purchasing a few newspapers at the next door newsagency). Groceries and other shopping can be done in Ascot, Clayfield (3-5 mins), Chermside (5-8 mins), DFO (3-6 mins), Toombul (2-4 mins) or Nundah Village (1-3 mins). There are also some convenience stores in Northgate itself as well as some quick eats along Toombul Road in Virginia (1-2 mins) if one is desperate. There's also some petrol stations along Toombul Road and some handy furniture and homewares stores along Sandgate Road in Virginia (2-3 mins). Access to the motorways is super-fast and a real advantage - a day trip or weekend away up or down the coast, or north to Shorncliffe, Sandgate, Redcliffe or Bribie Island, or east to Bulimba, Manly, Wellington Point or Cleveland, becomes quick and easy. Taxis to the Airport also won't come any cheaper than from Northgate. The area of Northgate in which we live is safe with a strong and active Neighbourhood Watch presence. It is generally neighbourly and quiet - Toombul Road does get some traffic but the noise is minimal during the important hours and the trains do not disturb us. We don't see or hear any planes - this is not an issue at all. The light industrial works that others have mentioned are barely noticeable and in fact are pocketed away adjacent to the train line on the non-residential side of Toombul Road (UPDATE: the Esco foundry has recently permanently shut down following sustained Council and community pressure, virtually eliminating this as an issue). The local demographic appears be a mix of the old and the young, the middle, lower-middle and upper-working class, with an increasing number of upwardly mobile types and prosperous young families buying into the suburb, with its charming post-war homes, cottages and Queenslanders. All in all, Northgate is an excellent base and a suburb in which anyone could feel comfortable and 'at home'.