THERE has been a changing of the guard at the seaside Brisbane suburb of Sandgate.
Grey-haired retirees who once dominated the area have been joined by young families and hipsters, keen to take advantage of the laid-back lifestyle.
Abbey Smith-Fisher and her husband Chris Fisher moved into the area in 2005 following a stint overseas.
The pair opened Sandgate’s first bar in 2013.
Cardigan Bar has since transformed into a live music venue, offering seven performances a week.
Ms Smith-Fisher said the pair decided to take the plunge and open a bar because they saw the younger demographics moving in.
“When we arrived in 2005 there was one cafe and only pubs and RSLs,” she said.
“We love seeing the change in the lifestyle culture.
“Over the past 11 years it’s been so rapid.”
Another small bar — Mr Henderson — has since opened, as have countless cafes and boutique clothing stores.
Satori Organics has also started hosting farmer’s markets twice a week.
According to Brisbane City Council data, 15.8 per cent of residents in the Sandgate and Shorncliffe area were 65 or older as of June 2015.
More than 30 per cent of people were aged between 45 and 64, while 22 to 44-year-olds were close behind, accounting for 24.5 per cent of the population.
Ms Smith-Fisher said the young families were the first to move in, but in recent years hipsters and young professionals had arrived.
“There was that shift from oldies to families and now it’s filtering down to people you’d expect to be living in West End or more central to the city,” she said.
“I think with Brisbane in general there has definitely been a shift from the lifestyle stuff being central, to now be shifting out to the suburbs.”
Sandgate is located 17km north of the Brisbane CBD.
Sandgate Real Estate agent David Bissell said people moved to the area for the lifestyle.
“People like living by the water,” he said, referring to the expansive esplanade that extends down to the Shorncliffe Pier.
“It’s cooler and there are some good schools around.
“It’s 20 minutes from the airport and about 30 minutes to the city.”
Mr Bissell said the Sandgate property market was doing well, with buyers able to secure an entry-level home for between $500,000 and $600,000.
“A lot of people are coming in,” he said.
“I think this area is only going to grow.
“Over the next five years or so, areas like Shorncliffe, Sandgate, Brighton and even Bracken Ridge and Deagon, they are so close to the highway going north but the airport as well.”
Philip Woods works as the social enterprise business manager at Sandbag Community Centre and Services.
The not-for-profit organisation has been providing crisis and other support services to Brisbane’s northern suburbs for more than 20 years.
Mr Woods said Sandgate was a “beautiful, evolving, vibrant community”.
“You’ve got the booming Shorncliffe property market where you’re getting magistrates from Hamilton,” he said.
“But there are still boarding houses all over the place.
“There are a certain number of homeless people who live around the area too.
“There is a need for the services.”
Original Published By: http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/