A NONDESCRIPT southern suburb could lay claim to being the multicultural epicentre of Brisbane.
Macgregor, some 11km south of Brisbane, is a well-to-do area filled with two-storey homes complemented by a spattering of multi-million dollar mansions with manicured gardens.
It sits between Upper Mount Gravatt, Robertson, Runcorn, Eight Mile Plans and Sunnybank and possesses one of the best performing public schools in Queensland.
Macgregor State School matched it with a number of prestigious private schools in the 2017 Naplan results when it made it into the top 10 for Years 3 and 5.
It’s one of only two schools in the suburb, although graduating students do not have far to travel to further their studies with the likes of Griffith University (both Nathan and Mount Gravatt campuses), and The Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists on its doorstep.
In all, Macgregor, which was named in 1967, has a population of 5800 residents.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics only 36.6 per cent of the residents were born in Australia, with 69 per cent of respondents saying both their parents were born overseas.
The highest response for ancestry was Chinese (31.5 per cent), followed by English (13.4), Australian (10.5) and Irish (4.5).
In essence, Macgregor is primarily a suburb choc-full of houses with most services and supermarkets sitting just outside the boundary.
Arena Real Estate Agent Tim Heffernan said many of the homes are relatively modern, while the demographic is also youthful. The median age of Macgregor residents is just 31 – six years younger than Queensland’s median age.
“A lot of the people living there are in that 15 to 45 bracket which is the largest demographic, so there are a lot students living at home going to university or have children going to school,” he said.
Macgregor has many large homes on large blocks. Picture: Darren Cartwright
While brick two-storey homes are plentiful, you can find mansions befitting some of the wealthiest areas of Brisbane in and around Capstan Place and Delfin Drive.
You may also find the odd Mater Prize Home, which were raffled-off in the ‘70s throughout the area.
Mr Heffernan said other than small pockets on the suburb’s outer edges being earmarked for low-to-medium density residential (up to three storeys) the area is skewed towards family-friendly housing.
However, properties in Macgregor do not come on the market very often, with just 59 houses changing hands in the past 12 months, equating to little more than one a week.
The median price for 2017 is tracking at $765,000, only slightly up on the 2016 median of $760,000. In 2015 the median price was $670,000.
“It has a lot bigger houses and blocks because the houses are not as old and the people buying some of the homes are doing modern renovations,” Mr Heffernan said.
Westfield Garden City sits on the Upper Mt Gravatt side of the suburb boundary and is not only a major public transport hub (it has a bus station) but is also the prime shopping destination for Macgregor residents.
The bus station is serviced by a park ‘n ride facility on Kessels Rd.
A short stroll from the park ‘n ride is the Kessels Homemaker Centre, which has everything from a Super Amart to a dance studio.
It is also home to one of the very few coffee shops in the suburb.
Kevin Ho makes a coffee at his dog-friendly cafe and restaurant, Woofissimo. Picture: Darren Cartwright
The dog-friendly café and restaurant Woofissimo, owned by Kevin Ho, is now in its third year of operation.
“We love dogs and that’s why we have dog-cinos, dog muffins and doggy biscuits,” Mr Ho said.
Mr Ho said the strong Asian population in and around Macgregor had influenced the vastly varied menu of his popular eatery, which includes fried rice as well as muffins and sandwiches.
“We are a little bit different with specialty food and we have the option of Hong Kong, Japanese or local style,” he said.
“We have a lot of Australians and Taiwanese and about 30 per cent of our customers are either Japanese or from Hong Kong .”
Lesley McDonald is celebrating her 25th year in business as owner of Sewco Sewing and and Patchwork. Picture: Darren Cartwright
Singing the praises of Mr Ho’s establishment was Lesley McDonald who owns nearby Sewco Sewing and Patchwork.
Ms McDonald has been in business for 25 years and re-located the store from Mt Gravatt to Macgregor about four years ago.
She said the high visibility of the centre was one reason she moved but also because there was a high ratio of families living in and around Macgregor.
“We have great parking and exposure and we are popular with the locals,” Ms McDonald said.
“We even have people who have made friends through our classes. It’s a good location for the store.”
Originally Published: www.couriermail.com.au