WestEnder

This is without doubt Brisbane's premier place to live.

The location is ideal. A walk or bike ride to the city, all major university campuses, Southbank, Brisbane's cultural centres, and Queensland's flagship state high. Rarely is a car needed as the West End is serviced by City Cat stops on its south and north (with a proposed stop on its west), bike paths (which are in the process of being extended and widened), buses (including the new City Glider, which can take you into the city and the Valley every 5-10 minutes), and trains near Southbank.

But, while West End is the most ideally situated residential neighbourhood in Brisbane, it is the culture that it is famous for. Boundary Street and Hardgrave Street is home to Australia's best cafes and ethnic restaurants. West End also competes with the Valley for the greatest live music and nightclub venues in Brisbane - though West End tends to attract a more cultured/alternative crowd. Almost every night of the week, there will be live jazz, reggae, folk or alternative rock playing in one of the many cafes and bars along Boundary or Hardgrave. For a less serious night of fun, the keyboardist on Hardgrave is JUST so awesome. Dancing in the street is difficult to avoid.

I haven't even mentioned the West End markets. This is, without doubt, the best place to get your fresh fruit and veges for the week. People travel from around Brisbane to the market.

The risk to West End is that the students, hippies, and ethnic communities who are so important to the vibrant and diverse culture are at risk of being squeezed out as people rush into the neighbourhood. At the moment a Porsche or Mercedes marks the driver as a visitor who does not quite fit with West End's Bohemian alternative culture, and a meal at Hardgrave will still cost you under $7. The challenge will be for those who move into West End to avoid turning it into a New Farm or Paddington, and to work hard to protect the culture that has made West End so desirable. This will mean making sure that there remains sufficiently affordable housing for students, musicians and artists, that the ethnic culture of West End is revered and protected, and that growth respects the heritage embodied in West End's established urban housing.