Brisbane property: Woolloongabba on brink of development boom

For most of Brisbane, Woolloongabba is just a suburb you drive through or leave as quickly as possible after the footy or cricket.

But for the more than 6,000 people living there, it is a tight-knit community more akin to a small country town than an urban hub. It is also on the brink of a development boom that is predicted to double the area’s population in 10 years.

Resident Eddie Game, 35, has lived in the suburb, affectionately known to locals as ‘The Gabba’, for the past five years and is excited about more people moving to the area. “Personally I’m all for increased medium density living, I think more people makes it more vibrant,” Dr Game said. “My only concern is that adequate public space is provided along with that. If you have a lot of apartments, people need somewhere they and get out and meet each other and interact.”

Dr Game was part of a group of locals who successfully campaigned to have a small plot of unused government land on Fleurs St into a community garden. It proved to be a big hit with more than 200 people attending the opening in April and is a beloved shared space where neighbours hang out.

Woolloongabba is hemmed in by major roads such as the Pacific Mwy, Stanley St, Annerley Rd and Ipswich Rd so everyone feels the importance of maintaining amenity. Businessman Daniel Lewis, who owns Pearl Cafe on the heritage strip of Logan Rd, said he was not a fan of large developments but the area would benefit from it if there was “intelligent infrastructure”.

Mr Lewis said there was a strong feeling to maintain the sense of community and diversity that makes Woolloongabba special through the development. “I think the people that will potentially buy here are hopefully buying into the culture instead of buying into inner-city real estate,” he said.

Woolloongabba has attracted an eclectic mix of people over time from Russian Orthodox who came to Brisbane after they were stranded in China to the many Vietnamese students now studying at the nearby universities.

You only have to visit the Indian and European wholesalers on Balaclava St to see how the suburb has drawn from all corners of the globe. Pennisi Cuisine owner Kata speaks four languages and tries to help the older people who come to the shop and can’t speak English well.

At the age of 70, Kata said she had no intention of stopping after running the business for 42 years. “It is my dream to run the store… I am so happy,” she said. Another beaming member of the community is resident and “local sheriff” Greg Bishop, the Officer in Charge of Dutton Park Police Station.

“I worked in the country for a decade and I came back to Brisbane for family reasons. The Gabba got under my skin straight away and it’s still there,” he said.

Snr Sgt Bishop said traffic was not a big issue in the suburb, despite the major roads, and only a few crashes happened in the area considering the hundreds of thousands of trips made each week.

He said extensive public transport made it easier for residents – one in five households in Woolloongabba do not have a car – but it had to be within convenient walking distance.

“When you live in the suburb you get used to managing your life around the traffic.”

Originally Published On: http://www.couriermail.com.au/