QUEENSLAND’S biggest shopping centre looms large in the next suburb, but the residents of this part of Brisbane would rarely need to visit it.
Aspley, just 13km from the CBD on the northside, is one of the most well-serviced suburbs in Brisbane.
It has a Hypermarket with more than 50 specialty shops, mid-tier department stores, restaurants and major supermarkets.
Not far from the shopping complex is a stand-alone homemaker centre, the Aspley Hornets Club and a couple of pubs.
Even though Westfield Chermside is a five-minute drive from the heart of Aspley, there’s not much the 12,500 residents long for in the way of services in their own suburb, says Innov8
Property sales principal Mick Spillane.
“It has to be one of, if not the, most well-serviced suburb in Brisbane,” Spillane said.
“They may need to visit Chermside if they are specifically shopping for a present or for entertainment, but they basically have everything they need in the suburb, and that includes restaurants.”
The diversity in shops is also met by a diversity of cultures, according to local butcher Billy Steyn.
Steyn set up his self-titled butchers in the Aspley Hypermarket some six months ago with a view to servicing the local South African community.
A former South African himself, Steyn said there was another large group of customers he now caters for which had never anticipated.
“There are a lot of South Africans around here and that’s why I got in Biltong,” he said.
“I also order in goat three times a week because a lot of my customers are Indian.”
With so much going for the suburb, Spillane said Aspley would almost be complete if it had a railway line.
The closest stations are at Zillmere and Geebung, although the lack of a railway line is compensated by a major bus hub at the Hypermarket.
“The bus network is quite extensive and it has helped make up for Aspley not having a station,” he said.
The lack of railway line certainly doesn’t stifle real estate prices.
The median house price has risen in recent years from $555,000 to $580,000 in 2016 and is on track to top $600,000 by the end of the year.
Mr Spillane said the area has attracted young professionals and local investors but also there are number of houses which have been “flipped”.
“We sold one recently, a 1961 two-storey house with a pool for $600,000 and the buyer was only interested in flipping it,” Mr Spillane said.
“We’ve found a few homes that we’ve sold lately that have been bought purely to be flipped.”
With next to no land to develop in Aspley, flipping houses is the next best thing to refreshing the suburb.
Overall there are 4616 properties in Aspley, of which 180 houses and 36 units changed hands in 2016.
“Chermside has started to get out of the reach of people and this is in the next bracket of affordability,” Mr Spillane said.
He said young families are attracted to the area because of amenities and schools.
The local schools are St. Dympna’s Primary School, Aspley State High and State School,
Aspley East State School and special-needs education centre Aspley Special School, while St Joseph’s Nudgee College is 7km away.
The suburb also boasts one of the biggest and most successful AFLQ clubs in Brisbane even if it sits metres away across the “border” in Carseldine.
Aspley Hornets Club holds the mantle as Club Queensland’s best large football club.
It has 450 registered players, including women’s teams, and that’s despite being deep in rugby league territory.
The Hornets, established in 1964, are so financially well-healed their senior side plays in the NEAFL which includes travelling to Sydney, Darwin and Canberra to play games.
“Some of our NEAFL players travel up to 40 minutes just to play at this club because it has been so successful said Hornets’ business development manager Brooke Hindmarsh.
“We are pretty much 70 per cent AFL but we do cater for rugby league.”
Ms Hindmarsh said a large portion of their gaming membership was aged 50-plus although a new kids club was being built to accommodate the increase in families who visit the facility.
“We have a lot of 50-plus aged members but we have a lot of families coming so there’s a need for kids club.”
Mr Spillane said the Hornets was another reason the suburb was popular, and was the fact it was a gateway to the Sunshine Coast.
Originally Published: http://www.couriermail.com.au/
