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Bardon Exhibits Steady Home Price Growth for Q1 2021

Photo credit: TripleThree/Wikimedia Commons

Bardon recorded a house price growth of 25 percent in the first quarter of 2021, making it one of the top choices for homebuyers looking to invest in Brisbane’s inner-west.

In 2021, the quarterly growth rate for Bardon is at 25.8-percent whilst the median house price is $1.17million.

Meanwhile, topping this year’s list is Chelmer, with a 65.1% growth rate and a median house price of $1.27m. Just this year, Chelmer already recorded two significant sales and the latest one is a contemporary house along Laurel Ave sold for $1.85 million.

Read: Rainworth, Bardon, Bardon West Identified as Among Safest Suburbs of Brisbane

Bardon is considered one of the best suburbs for raising a family or settling down. Besides its proximity to the CBD, Bardon has an appealing environment and accessible public transport system.

In February 2021, a four-bedroom, a post-war home located at 55 Outlook Crescent in Bardon sold for $2 million. The 1,264-sqm property was subdivided into two lots.

A separate report by Realestate.com.au finds that around 20 percent of people who live in Bardon are established couples and families. Around 18.7 percent are older couples and families whilst the remaining 15.6 percent are maturing couples and families.

Bardon is one of Brisbane’s school catchment zone, no wonder why families choose to live in the area. It’s home to Rainworth State School, one of the top-performing primary schools in Queensland.

Many long-time residents stay in Bardon because of the excellent schools within the suburb’s catchment area, such as Rainworth State School, Brisbane Girls Grammar, and St Joseph’s in Gregory Terrace.

Bardon to Experience Road Closures for New Tour de Brisbane

In order to accommodate the Tour de Brisbane, major roads along Bardon and beyond will temporarily be closed down, including Milton Road, Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, Birdwood Terrace, and Mt Coot-tha Road.

To guarantee the safety and security for both riders and spectators, Nxsport’s cyclist event organisers of the Tour de Brisbane — scheduled for April 11, 2021 — have taken extra measures to close major roads and divert traffic along the route with the help and management of the Queensland Police Service and Altus Traffic Control.

Major roads across Brisbane will temporarily be closed to accommodate the tour participants and spectators, including roads near Bardon such as Milton Road, Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, Birdwood Terrace, and Mt Coot-tha Road. For a complete schedule of all temporary road closures, visit their website.

It is estimated that over 7,000 cyclists of various ages and skill levels will join the event across Brisbane and partake in a 110-kilometre bike ride around closed city roads.

The cyclist event was created in partnership with Splatt Lawyers as a fundraiser for a transplant research initiative titled The Common Good — a project of the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation. Goals have been set to raise $200,000 to support the initiative.

Roads closed for the 110-km cyclist event are marked in red.
Photo credit: Google Maps/Tour de Brisbane

The Tour de Brisbane is scheduled to take place on the 11th of April, 2021, and official entries are to close on the 31st of March. Those interested in partaking or learning more about the event can visit their website. For more information and for the latest updates concerning the event, follow their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.

Disabled Ramp Caught In Auchenflower Train Sparks Safety Concerns

Whilst no one was injured when a disabled boarding ramp got caught on the door of an Auchenflower train, concerns have been raised over the safety of the State Government’s accessibility upgrades.

Commuters regularly taking the Auchenflower train said that the disability-compliant New Generation Rollingstock (NRG) trains are apparently not the correct height, causing a section of the raised platforms to have a gap of about 30 centimetres and rendering problems with the ramp at the door.

One commuter said that the platform appears to have a “camel hump” and assumed that it’s only temporary until the upgrades are done.

But as the Auchenflower station commonly caters to the elderly and mobility-challenged patients who need to go to the Wesley Hospital on Coronation Drive, locals said this accessibility failure must be corrected as soon as possible. As the main transport hub near a hospital, the Auchenflower train station should have full-length compliant platforms.

Work on the platform’s central section started the weekend following the incident on 10 Feb. Scott Riedel, QR Head of South East Queensland, said that the upgrades will continue at the station for the rest of the year. Aside from the raised platform with boarding points, the project is expected to deliver a new footbridge, several lifts, better lighting and CCTV.

Meanwhile, the acquisition of the NRG trains was approved in 2018 despite lacking in compliance with the disability access standards. At that time, the Auchenflower train station upgrades were still in the design phase.

Rainworth, Bardon, Bardon West Identified as Among Safest Suburbs of Brisbane

Did you know that the suburbs comprising the 4065 postcode (that’s Rainworth, Bardon, and Bardon West), had one of the lowest reported offences in Brisbane last year, making 4065 third on the list of the safest suburbs list In Brisbane, after Nathan in the south and Eatons Hill in the north?

From January 2020 to January 2021, 177 offences were reported in the area, according to Queensland Police Service Online Crime Map. Most of these were unlawful entry, theft and drug-related reports, which peaked during the holidays, whilst just five offences relating to assault or disorderly conducted were filed with the police.

For a 14-day period from late December 2020 to early January 2021, the Inner West Patrol Group warned residents of an increase in home burglaries and vehicular thefts. At least 20 home dwellings had an attempted break-in whilst the police logged 16 stolen cars. In Bardon, the incidents happened on Empress Terrace, Carroll Street and Mahara Street.

As a result, the police increased patrols and conducted proactive crime prevention and security engagements with the Inner West Neighbourhood Watch Groups and the local government.

To the over 10,000 residents of Bardon, this quiet and leafy western suburb is more than just open spaces, trees or hills. It is a place with a high socio-economic community, thriving local cafes, beautiful homes, and heaps of good public and private schools.

Bardon has been pegged as a great place to raise a family. This appealing environment is close to the CBD with an effective and accessible public transport system.

This Unpretentious Bardon Bookshop is a Treasured Sanctuary

Most people may prefer a spacious and trendy bookstore with a cosy atmosphere for browsing but there’s nothing quite like this Bardon bookshop found on Morgan Terrace. Truth be told, this store wasn’t set up to impress visitors but behind its run-down appearance, Logical Unsanity Books and Miscellaneous Phantasmagoria could be described as a treasured sanctuary.

Among styrofoam boxes that work as shelves and a hodgepodge of old furniture, Logical Unsanity Books has a book collection that may be the envy of other well-funded and well-maintained libraries.

People come inside, browse the current books and simply pay whatever they could afford — or take the books for free. Bring a suitcase for your haul, just in case!

Yarran Jenkins has had this Bardon bookshop for more than five years and it surprisingly thrives 24-hours-a-day without a staff nor security. He admitted that he initially didn’t want to mind a store day in, day out so he decided to leave it open for anyone interested.

Over the years, Logical Unsanity Books has built a loyal following, who aren’t necessarily from Bardon. Mr Jenkins believes that people enjoy coming to the shop despite the way it looks because no one will judge them.

The owner said that he has seen blue-collar workers, who actually love a good book or two, coming back to his store.

Logical Unsanity Books has a guest book with inspiring messages from the shoppers. Many of these messages express gratitude for leaving the store open 24/7 as it has saved them from stress and anxiety, especially during late nights.

This bookshop doesn’t provide for Mr Jenkins’ basic needs, like food or rent, but it brings him a lot of good karma. It has opened the doors for him to set up his main store in West End. The Book Merchant Jenkins is a specialty shop for rare or antiquarian books.

Rainworth State School, Among Brisbane School Catchments With Highest House Price Growth

House prices in some Brisbane school catchments, including Bardon’s Rainworth State School, have surged by almost 30 percent over a 12-month period, the latest report says.

The latest Domain School Zones Report, which measures median prices within school catchments over the past 12 months, noted that in a majority of both primary and secondary school catchments, prices have surged higher compared to their respective suburb, and that families are placing more weight on secondary school placement.

As a result, 72 per cent of secondary school zones across Greater Brisbane saw a price growth. Primary school catchments also did well, although slightly lower with a 61 per cent rise. Still, when speaking of overall performance, secondary school catchments outperformed primary school zones.

Rainworth State School has claimed the 3rd spot among Brisbane’s top 10 schools for house price growth, soaring by 27.8 per cent to $1.15 million. Residents find Bardon an ideal place for families given that it is home to great secondary schools as well as primary schools, and that it is only 10 minutes to the city.

Brisbane’s top 10 school zones for house price growth according to Domain School Zones Report are as follows:

School Level	School Name	School Suburb	Median Sale Price	Annual Change
Primary	Bald Hills State School	Bald Hills	$675,000	29.2%
Primary	Wynnum West State School	Wynnum West	$547,500	28.8%
Primary	Rainworth State School	Bardon	$1,150,000	27.8%
Primary	Ipswich Central State School	Ipswich	$365,000	27.0%
Primary	Cannon Hill State School	Cannon Hill	$755,000	25.8%
Primary	Tingalpa State School	Tingalpa	$675,000	25.6%
Primary	Marsden State School	Marsden	$342,000	23.9%
Secondary	Flagstone State Community College	Jimboomba	$471,000	23.9%
Primary	Morayfield State School	Morayfield	$382,250	23.9%
Primary	Aspley State School	Aspley	$776,500	23.3%

Source: Domain Group. Median sale price is based on 12 months of data to October.

Furthermore, prices on some secondary school catchment zones have risen nine times faster than that of prices in Greater Brisbane, Domain senior research analyst Dr Nicola Powell said. She also said that the figures show how much families place importance on education, regardless of the price point.

Bald Hills State School took the top spot with prices rising by 29.2 per cent over the same period to $675,000. However, the top performing secondary school catchment was Rochedale State High School, where median prices surged by 20.5 per cent to $750,000.

Residents Oppose Childcare Centre Development in ‘Dangerous’ Bardon Intersection

A Bardon childcare centre development proposal has received hundreds of resistance from residents because of its dangerous intersection location on Chiswick Road.

Public submissions continue to pour on the development application (A005563407) lodged with Brisbane City Council in October.

The developer, Corella Property Investment Trust, wants to build a childcare centre with a left-in, left-out Chiswick Road access and a 22-vehicle parking space. A traffic assessment indicated that the planned driveway will not bring any significant impact to a pedestrian refuge island near the crossover.

However, residents are voicing out serious concerns about safety. Chiswick Road is opposite the hilly Cecil Road, which peaks in traffic during school runs and pick-ups since there are three primary schools in the area.

Multiple chicanes have been installed on Cecil Road to encourage cars to slow down but locals said that driving through this particular street might be comparable to the challenging Bathurst racing car course.

“This part of Bardon is already burdened by 2 schools that jam traffic up in the morning and the evening—and now you want to add a third hazard?” one resident said.

“The T-intersection adjacent to the site is extremely busy now especially during peak hours which is not good considering small children will be thrown into the mix. Secondly. the area is already well serviced by child care centres, there are at least ten. Thirdly, the community demographic is not one of the families with very young children, most are primary or secondary school age, so why the need?” another local shared in the public submission.

Michael Berk, Greens MP for Maiwar, posted on Facebook that he also submitted his reasons for opposing the Bardon childcare centre development after residents informed him of their concerns. Mr Berk said he’ll make a formal submission to the Council as well.

“We would like to see significant safety upgrades, especially to make sure parents can safely walk with their kids for drop-off and pick-up,” Mr Berkman said.

6 Impressive Street Art Displays Making West Brisbane More Colourful

The best things about street art are that it’s unrestricted, creative and diverse. Lucky for those living in Brisbane, an abundance of these interesting public art displays are everywhere, including West Brisbane.

In Bardon, Melanie Mons Wolff’s flowery canvas, titled Samsara (main photo, can be spotted at the intersection of Jubilee Terrace and Coopers Camp Road.

Commissioned in 2017, this creation was inspired by the various flora and fauna found in Bardon that grows and declines by the season. The mural reflects the constantly changing life and beauty of the locale.

If you’re planning on exploring and rediscovering great sights around the western suburbs, be sure to look out for these street art displays at these locations:

ARTIST	LOCATION	ARTWORK
Melanie Mons Wolff	Jubilee Terrace, Bardon	Samsara
Adam Busby	Walker Street, Taringa	Portrait of a Dynamic Future
Deb Mostert	Bolton Clarke Fairview Retirement Village Moggill Road, Pinjarra Hills	Free Form Birds
Xana Denruyter	Moggill Road, Bellbowrie	Living organism
Thomas Jackson	Milton Road, Milton	Follow the Leader
Matt Stewart	Coronation Drive pillars, Milton	Evolution

Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council
Portrait of a Dynamic Future by Adam Busby
The two faces, placed on opposite bridge pillars, portray the diversity in culture and gender with each looking in an equal and understanding gaze. The mural, inspiring and uplifting, encourages discussion around what the future can look like.

Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council
Freeform Birds by Deb Mostert
A quirky and whimsical combination of animal and domestic object – the optimism of the baby Tawny Frogmouth perched atop the familiar humble teapot.

Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council
Follow the Leader by Thomas Jackson
This piece brings elements of nature to remind people of the site’s history as a thriving bushland.

Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council
Evolution by Matt Stewart
Inspired by Cirque Du Soleil, the viaduct and adjacent Bicentennial Bikeway river walk area, is transformed with the vibrant, dynamic, colourful murals to four pillars of the Coronation Drive overpass.

Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council
Living Organism by Xana Denruyter
This represents a cohesive and healthy flora eco system. Celebrating the Bellbowrie area the mural encourages discovery of the depicted colours, shapes and creatures in the world around them.

Brisbane Canvas supports these Street Art displays to boost the local art industry and if you want to become a part of this initiative, join the Creative Register.

Lutèce in Bardon Reopens As La Belle Vie Bistro & Bar

French bistro & wine bar Lutèce in Bardon has a new name and new owners who hope to continue the same high standards as its former owner, renowned Brisbane Chef Romain Bapst. La Belle Vie Bistro & Bar started trading on 18 Aug 2020, offering traditional French fare with some modern twists.

“We love the old name ‘Lutèce’ too, which was a part of Romain’s legacy, but we are hoping that we can continue giving our customers the same quality experience at La Belle Vie,” the new owners told Lutèce regulars. “We look forward to having you here soon.”

La Belle Vie translates to “The Beautiful Life,” which is what the new owners, Simon Lambert and Behrooz Farahnakian, and the head chef, Samuel Perrin, want diners to experience when they visit the restaurant. Their menu is a smorgasbord of delicious classics, elevated to match the growing batch of drinks list.

With his background in the European hospitality scene and his Michelin 4-star credentials, Mr Lamber has come up with a small set of organic wines from Australia and France. Choices of craft beers from Queensland, Tasmania, Italy and Belgium are also available, along with traditional cocktails and spirits.

The restaurant retains Lutèce signature’s dish, the sand crab lasagna, as a tribute to Chef Romain. But diners will also love main dishes (Plat Principaux) like Agneau (slow-cooked lamb shank, red wine jus, smoking thyme, roast Mediterranean vegetable) and Margaret De Canard (Honey and spice duck breast, fondant potato, confit cabbage).

Photo Credit: La Belle Vie Bistro & Bar/Facebook

Most choices have gluten-free options and the restaurant has a kids’ menu as well.

A lot of Lutèce’s structural elements in the dining room were kept intact when La Belle Vie took over, so it doesn’t feel disorienting for the regulars. Newcomers, however, will relish in the chic vibe of the formal dining room with its crisp white table linens and glass walls, which highlights the lush beauty of the greenery outside.

Chef Romain may have retired but he’s likely pleased to see that he left his bistro and bar among competent restorers.

For table bookings, phone (07) 3161 1858, or email hello@labellevie.com.au, or do it online via Bookit.

New Coles Local Proposed In Bardon’s Busiest Road

A Coles Local and Vintage Cellars bottle shop may soon open across a retail complex in MacGregor Tce, if a development application lodged with the Brisbane City Council successfully passes approval. While it may mean business and jobs coming to the ward, traffic concerns over the location could hamper its success.

Those opposed to the development said that the location of the mini-store is a busy area and a Coles Local will likely intensify the congested traffic in a known bottleneck. MacGregor Tce has two narrow lanes that easily fill up with cars coming from the retail stores.

The proposal also includes 105 parking spaces. This means more carpark access for shoppers but more traffic on the road, which could also lead to road accidents.

“The location of a shopping precinct in this area will negatively impact the flow of traffic in an already busy and difficult to exit area,” one opposition to the development application stated.

“The amount of car parking provided will encourage car trips levels that will have a significant impact on surrounding land, including amenity and pedestrian connectivity, ” another resident said.

Photo Credit: PD Online/Brisbane City Council

But Pradella, the developer, sought a traffic assessment of the site from an independent consultant, which stated that a Coles Local may generate less traffic even during peak periods.

“The proposed development is anticipated to generate in the order of 250 vph (vehicles per hour) during the weekday PM peak period and 286 vph in the Saturday peak period,” Cardno stated in its assessment. “This indicates the proposed development generates 78 less vehicles in the weekday PM peak and 148 less vehicles in the Saturday.”

Councillor James Mackay said that Council should carefully weigh the proposal’s traffic implications in as much as he welcomes the development. MP Michael Berkman, on the other hand, also asked the Council to study the proposal and consult with the community as it will affect commuters and the neigbourhood.

The MP’s call comes as Cr Peter Matic said that the proposed development fits with the zoning requirements, which means it’s code-accessible and won’t require appeals from residents. He said that State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) should also look into the traffic implications since Macgregor Tce is a State Government controlled road.

If approved, the development will knock down three mixed-use commercial and retail buildings. Coles said it’s not the developer or the owner of the site but it advocates for safety and will ensure that this is a key consideration in the planned site.

POSTCODE	SUBURBS/AREAS
4111	Nathan, Griffith University
4037	Eatons Hill
4065	Rainworth, Bardon, Bardon West
4009	Eagle Farm
4073	Seventeen Mile Rocks, Sinnamon Park
4067	Ironside, St Lucia, University of Queensland
4070	Anstead, Bellbowrie, Moggill, Priors Pocket
4061	The Gap
4010	Albion, Breakfast Creek
4112	Kuraby

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