Suburb profile: Chermside West an overlooked family-friendly haven
IT’S one of Brisbane’s best-serviced suburbs and definitely lives up to its quirky nickname, but if you want to buy a house here, you may have to be very patient and wait in line.
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IN the late 1960s, when this northside Brisbane suburb was emerging even before it was officially named, it was coined “nappy valley” because it had a high reproductive rate among residents.
Now it’s a tightly held suburb and still a major family dominated suburb but also one of the most overlooked areas because of an attention-seeking major shopping centre.
Chermside West, which is less than 10km from the CBD, was only gazetted as a suburb in 1975.
It has more family households (75.9 per cent) than the national (71.3) or state (71.8) average, according to ABS figures.
It also has a median age of 40 which is three years higher than the Queensland average and two years higher than the Australian average.
“Geographically it’s a small suburb and 78 per cent (of residents) are owner-occupiers, but it’s popular with families because it has 10 parks covering more than 20 per cent of the area,” said Innov8 Property principal Michael Spillane.
“Like several surrounding suburbs, people want to live in Chermside West for a number of reasons and one of those is it has perfect access to Chermside shopping centre.
“There’ also the Rode Rd shops and you’re near a number of quality schools in the Padua Precinct, two Craigslea State Schools and right next to Prince Charles and Holy Spirit Hospitals.”
The suburb may be well serviced by schools and hospitals and be within 1.5km of Westfield Chermside, but finding the property that suits your needs may be an issue.
Of more than 2400 homes within the suburb, only 100 have changed hands over the past 12 months.
The average length of home ownership is about 14 years, which is five years more than how often premises change hands in neighbouring Chermside.
It’s also three years more than the average for greater Brisbane, according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland.
Mr Spillane said Chermside West remains relatively affordable for families given its location in relation to the city and nearby amenities.
“It’s popular with investors and owner-occupiers because its proximity to the CBD and, generally speaking, it’s quite affordable,” he said.
“It’s overlooked because people focus on moving to Chermside and being near the shopping centre and don’t take into account Chermside West and what it has to offer.
“It’s an older suburb with a lot of the houses being built in the 1960s and there a lot of nicely renovated homes.”
As far as prices are concerned, the suburb has been a slow burner, although it’s starting to attract some heat.
The median house price rose from $522,000 to $559,000 between 2015 and 2017
In only the past 12 months, it has jumped by a similar amount again, and the median price now tracks at $589,000.
Even with such a modest median for a suburb within 10km of the CBD, that’s does not mean million-dollar-plus homes cannot be found.
The highest sale price this year was $1.16 million, while in 2016 a house changed hands for $1.8 million,” Mr Spillane said.
With next to no room for development, the next million-dollar home to be built in Chermside West is most likely to be at the expense of a post-war house.
“There are a lot of post-war homes and it’s likely to lead to a stage in the next five to 10 years where the suburb undergoes a renewal and houses are removed and replaced with contemporary designer homes,” Mr Spillane said.
“There has been some movement in this area, but not at the rate that we’ve seen with suburbs which offer vast views because West Chermside has fewer streets that are elevated.”
Whatever change occurs in the future it probably won’t be as significant or on the scale that local Phil Ryan has witnessed in his 55 years living in Chermside West.
“We moved here in 1963 and it was one of the last houses to be built on our street and one night we had cows in our yard,” Mr Ryan said.
“There were houses scattered throughout but nothing like it is now. We never wanted to move because we have always been happy here.”
Mr Ryan’s local café is the Silky Oak Espresso in Ainsdale St which occupies a store that once housed a butcher’s outlet and was in the same row of shops as a former chemist, newsagents and grocers.
The café’s new owners took over three months ago and, even in that short time, chief barista Rob Szakaly said the clientele has mirrored the ABS data with many young families as well as elderly among their customers.
“It’s a full house here on weekends and there is a cross section with a lot of young families but there is also quite a few elderly and some of them have been here 50 years,” he said.
The side-street shopping strip in Ainsdale St, is one of at least two off Maundrell Terrace that have managed to survive to some degree despite being in the ominous retail shadow of Westfield Chermside.
Among the stores in the Basnett St group of strip shops is wedding couture Bridal and Bridesmaids and café and delicatessen Loria.
The continental delicatessen is celebrating its 10th year in business and its seventh in Chermside West.
The store originally opened 900m away on the corner of Rode Rd and Appleby Rd.
Owner Silvana Piotto, who makes all the fresh pasta and sauces, said she has survived despite the hot competition of the multinational shopping centre.
“We had loyal customers who followed me here and we now have a kitchen where we can make our own pasta and sauces,” she said.
“I focus on Italian goods to be different and we are known for that and that has helped us survive.”
The strip shops are situated within 200m of Craigslea State High School and Craigslea State School which are pretty much in the heart of the Chermside West and the primary catchments for Chermside West.
The two schools only add to the livability of a suburb that has sat for too long in the shadow of Chermside itself.
“There’s a lot to like about the suburb, but people are so focussed on Chermside shopping centre and the local apartment development, they’re missing out on a great location,” Mr Spillane said.
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