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West End Apartment Boom Causing Public School Overcrowding

The growing number of high-rise apartments near Brisbane CBD is causing overcrowding in several public schools in the suburbs of West End and South Brisbane, according to an investigative report by ABC.

The ABC investigation revealed that there is a steadily growing trend wherein more families are choosing to live in smaller apartments to be close to schools and the business hub. As a result, authorities seem to be trying to catch up. Brisbane State High School in South Brisbane is one example where enrolments are on the rise and classrooms are over capacity.

The impressive academic record of Brisbane State High School is one reason why many are moving to apartments in West End and South Brisbane. A draft report by consultancy firm KPMG states that 40 per cent of classrooms for grades 7 through 10 have surpassed the recommended number of students.

Statistics showed that from 2011, there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of children aged 15 and below in Brisbane’s inner city. This signifies that a growing number of families trading larger homes for smaller apartment spaces as they choose to be close to where the action is.

In West End, the trend is more obvious, with 70 per cent of students in a local primary school found to be residing in apartments. West End has been attracting more families because of the lifestyle it offers residents. Everything a family would need is easy to reach. Schools, shops, hospitals and cultural institutions are all within walking distance of residential areas.

Planning Oversight

Carla Mullins, a parent who lives in an apartment in Brisbane’s inner city, asserts that the overcrowding in public schools is a result of a major planning failure. She has been urging for the state government to build a new school in South Brisbane or West End, but so far, only short-term solutions have been made.

Jo-Jo’s Leaves Queen Street Mall, Relocates to West End

After nearly four decades in Queen St Mall, Jo’Jo’s Restaurant is closing its doors, but will re-open soon in West End.

Jo-Jo’s, which opened in 1980 to serve hairdressers and clients of Stefan Stylists, is considered as one of the most iconic restaurants in Brisbane. Since opening as a small café, it has expanded to serve international dishes and has become a famous venue for birthday and Christmas parties and other special events.

The new Jo-Jo’s will open at Stefan Headquarters on Melbourne Street in West End. Jo-Jo’s promises an exciting and modern twist to its restaurant, which will join forces with The Bach Living, a home, gift and furniture business.

The restaurant will be smaller compared to its location in Queen Street Mall. Seat capacity will be downgraded to 150, from 450 to 500 seat capacity in Queen Street.

Jo-Jo’s will close its Queen St location on March 5 and re-open in West End on May 31.

To find out more about Jo-Jo’s restaurant, visit their Facebook page.

West End to Host the First Brisbane Ice Cream Festival

The countdown continues. Registration starts on March 1. Hurry, slots are limited!

Brisbane’s first ice cream festival is fast approaching, and ice cream lovers are eagerly counting the days until Saturday, March 11.

Widely regarded as Brisbane’s foodie precinct, West End will soon become a mecca for ice cream aficionados of all ages, as they all flock towards the historic Peters Ice Cream Factory on 97 Boundary Street.

Go for that ultimate sweet fix, as the coolest vendors in town try to top each other. Wait until you see what they have in store for you at their pop-up stalls:

You can start with some soft serve goodness from Ruby the Little Red Ice Cream Van.

 

Get your gelato, pronto! From La Macelleria.

 

Okay, calm down. Gelato Messina is in town too. Take your pick.

 

Have a doughnut and some ice cream. Better yet, the ice cream on the doughnut! From the Doughnut Bar.

 

How about some deep-fried ice cream pops from IcePhile?

 

Try the rolled ice cream from Ice Cream Curls.

 

Liquid nitrogen magic from Nitrogenie.

 

Or have a Mister Fitz masterpiece.

 

Vegan? If you’re loco for some coco(nut), check out Cocowhip.

 

Cowch lets you design your own naked pops for an udderly delicious treat.

 

Did I tell you the Boss Bites?

 

Get your caffeine fix in, with coffee-flavoured licks from the Queen of Pops.

 

J’adore les crepes. Enough said.

 

Everything’s cool AND sunny with Frozen Sunshine Ice Blocks.

 

Hett’s n Ice Shaved Ice in rainbow-tastic colors

 

Delicious treats from Alfred & Constance.

 

And if you’re feeling adventurous, try the Bundaberg Ginger Beer Sorbet from Minus32.

 

Do you think that’s all? Think again. As if things aren’t going to get exciting enough, Hit105 will be playing some live music. And don’t forget to try the Ice Cream Burgers, a Brisbane Ice Cream Festival exclusive from Red Hook.

Fancy some savoury treats and still more drinks? Check these stalls out:
Micasa Food Truck
Rolls Pho Mi
Two Teas
King of the Wings

Here’s the deal. The Brisbane Ice Cream Festival’s Facebook event page has been swamped. 35,000 people “interested”. 8,700 “going”. You read that right. Thousands are visiting West End! What can we say, Brisbane REALLY loves her ice cream.

So, heads-up for the registration mechanics.

Entry is free. Ticket registration will open at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 1. There will be three registration sessions: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each session has a registration cap of 1,800 tickets. There is a maximum of five tickets per person.

REGISTER HERE

Other Reminders

The festival organizers have announced that there is limited street parking and no on-site parking. Visitors are urged to take Translink’s bus and train service to the festival grounds. A special tie-up with Uber will give festival goers $20 off their first ride, with a dedicated pick-up and drop-off service at Boundary Street. Uber users should key in the promo code JUSTFORLICKS to avail of the promotion. The festival is not a dog-friendly event, so it’s best to leave your pets at home.

Media Credits: Photos and video from the Brisbane Ice Cream Festival Facebook page.

West End Cottage Fetches $2.03M at Auction

Character homes in prime “gentrified” locations in West End and New Farm have sold for significant sums, in what can be considered a testament as to how urbanisation, the passage of time, and a great location can spell good fortune and serendipity when it comes to the value of one’s real estate.

A West End cottage located on 29 Daventry Street, in its first appearance on the market in 30 years, has sold for an impressive $2.03 million when it was sent to auction among seven registered bidders last February 18, easily making it Brisbane’s top sale of that week.

The character home’s strong selling point was the property’s footprint, covering 1,038 square metres on two blocks of blue-chip West End land.  “Once you start talking about blocks like these ones it’s the top end of the buyer pyramid,” George Balandinos, real estate agent of Drakos Real Estate says. “It’s a unique property 1,038sq m. It was actually on two titles which lent itself to many options for the purchaser who could live in the house and subdivide up to 500sq m off … A block of (subdivided) land on a quiet street like that is worth a lot and 500sq m is a big block in West End.”

Similar Sales at New Farm and South Brisbane

227 Kent Street, New Farm

The West End sale comes three months after a similar seven-figure sale in New Farm, where a worker’s cottage located on 227 Kent Street fetched $1.6 million, in its first sale in 50 years. The cottage, which was in its original condition, sits on 506 square metres of prime property, in a quiet neighbourhood that’s within walking distance of James Street and less than 2 kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD.

42 Mollison Street, South Brisbane

In November last year, a three-bedroom cottage on 42 Mollison Street in the South Brisbane/West End precinct sold for $1.4 million. Situated adjacent to The Markets shopping complex and around a kilometre away from the Southland Parklands and Brisbane City Business Centre, that sale was the first in what has now become a three-peat of million-dollar sales of inner city cottages.

Both the New Farm and South Brisbane properties are within easy walking distance of the city’s retail, hospitality and market precincts, and are in excellent school catchment areas — things that buyers look for when considering to purchase.

As the real estate maxim goes, “Location is everything.” Given these three seven-figure sales, it would certainly appear to be so.

Photo Credit: All photos are from www.realestate.com.au 

105-Year-Old Survey Map To Help Protect West End Timber and Tin Houses

A survey map of early Brisbane, dating back to 1911 has been discovered in the city archives. The map identifies “timber and tin” homes built before 1911, the style of which was characteristic of Queensland houses in the early 1900s. Timber and tin houses typically had their main living spaces raised off the ground, allowing the building to “float” above the terrain.

Some of the houses identified have been found nestled in the midst of apartment towers in the fast-expanding suburbs of South Brisbane, West End, Toowong and Kangaroo Point. The map will help the Brisbane City Council protect 147 more “timber and tin” homes which the BCC was unaware had existed. The protection will be permanent, and is intended to prevent pre-war character properties from being demolished.

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Controversial $800 Million West End Development Back On Track

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has given her approval for the controversial $800 million development project at West End’s Absoe site to push through, with modifications.

West End residents had called out the Deputy Premier on the proposed development’s lack of affordable housing and green space.

The approved plan will include more accessible green space and a requirement that the development get a 5 Star Green Star rating.

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