Capalaba, QLD
 

Quick Question! Does anyone know about the suburb Capalaba? I understand its all personal opinion but just wondered if anyone had any first hand experience of the place. My OH sprung it on me the other day that he no longer whats to move to Perth, he would like to move to Brisbane.

I've been doing some research on jobs/houses and stumbled across Capalaba, I like the look of it, Not too far from the beach or CBD. House prices dont seem to be sky high.

Just wondered if anyone lived there/has been there could give me some info on what its really like.

Many Thanks

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Hi Louise,

Like any suburb it has good and bad, we stayed there when we first came to Brisbane with a family friend. At that time we thought it was great. (We now live the next few suburbs along from there).

It is an older suburb, does have some lovely roads and some acreage plots. An OK shopping centre with supermarkets etc., which felt very different to us when we first arrived. All I can say is as part of the Redlands / Bayside area its really perceived as a good area. Yes Capalaba is a bit more affordable than the newer suburbs. Certainly worth considering - Good Luck

T

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

We stayed round there for our reccie, but I cant remember it being near the beach though, sorry if i'm wrong.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I live in Capalaba, we moved here last year. So ask whatever you want!

You'll generally get mixed reviews on Capalba. There are older areas and newer areas, but I think most of them are just fine to live in. We live in a newer area so we have a nice house in a good quiet neighbourhood. We're only about 5 minutes from the main shops which is great, it's also a slightly shorter commute to get into the city (compared to Cleveland). My husband takes a bus in the morning and it takes him about 35 minutes, so not too bad. Capalaba is not on the train line so a bus is the way to go. Or a 12 minute car ride to Birkdale station.

We bought in Capalaba mostly because of housing prices. We liked the Bayside area but just didn't want to spend a lot of money on a house. Last year we bought our house for $460,000 and it's a 4 bed, 2 bath with pool house. So we got a lot more for our money in Capalaba. Alexandra Hills was also an option for us.

It's about a 15 minutes drive to Wellington Point which does have a small beach there (nothing like Surfers) and about 15 minutes to Cleveland. So it's not too long of a drive to do something on the weekend.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Personally I liked capalaba kids liked the football set up there and at redlands in cleveland, very importnat in our house :rofl:

Wellington point was my favourite place but a bit more expensive.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Only been a couple of times... but it seems to be a nice area. Some parks nearby and shops too. About 20-25min drive from the CBD outside peak hour.

Nowhere near a beach though. Nearest one is main beach, near Southport, just under an hour by car from capalaba. But I wouldn't let that put you off in any way.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Many Thanks for all the replies! when we come over I think Capalaba is definately a place for our list, obviously all depends on where OH gets a job but its always nice to have a starting point.

Thanks for the input Comet555 $460,000 is pretty much the same as our budget and if we had a pool we wouldnt be overly bothered about a beach.

I don't know why I thought it was near a beach? I think because on the map its not too far from the coast.... instictively thought Sea... Beach!

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

The whole redlands area is about 20 mins end to end. Generally people get a local rental, and then get to know the area better.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

There are a few parks on the water that have a small beach area where the kids can wade into the water and play. No real waves though as they are sheltered, and it's not the nice white sandy beaches that you'd get north and south of Brisbane.

For the real beaches that you'd expect in Oz you'd have to go north or south of Brisbane. Which is just fine for me because during the week we're too busy doing our day to day activities anyway. If we feel like going to the beach we have no problem taking an hour drive if need be. We also have passes to Dreamworld and Whitewater World for the kids, which is about 35-40 minutes drive south of Capalaba. So pretty easy to get to the themeparks if you're into that sort of thing.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Here's a few pictures from the Wellington Point park I took about a week ago. It's a great park for the kids.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

A few pictures of our house:
http://haleyculver.spaces.live.com/p...0034F4BA2!922/

These are the pictures I took before we moved in, so none of the furniture is ours. But hopefully it'll give you a good idea of what to expect for $460,000. I don't think the prices have changed too much in the past year. It might be worth about $480k now judging by a few for sale in the neighbourhood, but hard to tell if they're actually selling for that.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Your house looks lovely! Thats exactly what we're looking for. We should be coming out either November or January. Capalaba and its surrounding areas are now a definite must for us to visit. Thank you very much for your help.

We'll be coming out with our baby, James, who's only 12 weeks old - how did your kids cope with the heat when they were babies?

Might have to ask for you more info nearer the time on Mother/Baby groups etc as I definately want to get out and about as I won't be working, well to start with anyway!

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

The heat didn't seem to bother the kids, mostly we just make sure they've got sunscreen on if we're out for a while and that they drink lots of water.

Our youngest was 8.5 months when we arrived and the oldest was 3.5 years old. They've never had any problems with the heat. We have ducted air in the house and they love the pool, so that helps. The air conditioning is a must!

There are lots of playgroups around. You can find some here:
http://www.playgroupaustralia.com.au/qld/

There is also a Bayside UK moms group that meets up once a month I think. So if you ended up somewhere in Bayside you could check that one out. I'm not working either but don't really do the organized playgroup thing much. My daughter goes to kindy now twice a week a bunch of the moms from her class all get together every Monday at the park, so we usually do that. In January she will start prep at Capalaba State so I imagine she'll have more friends and more moms for me to chat with then!

Feel free to look me up when you come over. You're welcome to stop by with the kids (I swear I'm normal!).

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I don't do any mother/baby groups in england I just thought it would be a good way to meet people in Australia as James is so little, He wont be playing at parks and play groups for a while!

I will look you up when we come over, thanks for the offer!

Oh and we're normal too!

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Hi Louise

We live just down the road from Capalaba in Ormiston.

These are just general comments and not meant to offend. As people have said there are good and bad parts in all suburbs, so this is just a general overview of what seems to be the general local opinion.

Capalaba and Alexandra Hills are generally less desireable suburbs within the bayside area and the price of housing perhaps reflects this. Another suburb you may want to consider, which has a better reputation, but similar priced housing to Capalaba and Alex Hills is Thornlands. There are 2 areas within Thornlands - the older area (not really that old -15 to 20 years) where prices are pretty good at the moment and then the newer area, closer to the water which is a bit more expensive.

Shopping in Thornlands is crap though! There are no decent department stores in the Redlands area at all!! You have to head out to Carindale for that!

Hope that helps and good luck with the move

Rudi
x

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Depends on what kind of shopper you are. I always find everyting I need at either BigW, Kmart or Target. I have not once needed to go to Carindale to go to some of the swankier shops.

That's just me though, everyone has different tastes!

You're right about the areas. Capalaba and Alex Hills are generally seen as the less desireable suburbs, but thereare good and bad to all suburbs. I've seen some really nice areas in both of those suburbs where I'd be more than happy to live. If you've got a budget of $450,000 though you would be hard pressed to find a decent 4x2 with pool in Thornlands or any of the suburbs right next to the water.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Hi all,
We are based at Thornlands the older part, we have been here for nearly three years and love the Bayside, it offers everything we need as a family. There are plenty of areas to visit to be near the waters edge all over the Bayside, some areas for you to consider:-
Thorneside
Birkdale
Cleveland Point - Access to ferrys for Stradbroke Island etc
Wellington Point - Great for small children
Victoria Point - Ferry to Coochi Island
Redland Bay - New up and coming area, house prices still reasonable, although a little out of the way for some people
As people said previous, depends what you are looking for in an area, for us the local shopping centres provide all we need on a day to day basis. If we need something special for presents,Christmas etc then we go to Carindale or Garden City which are larger centres.
We love the option of a 5 minutes drive to go and have a coffee at Raby Bay Marina, and other restaurants allocated on the waters edge, dont think we will ever get tired of the lovely views that the Bayside has to offer.
Good luck with your search :thumbsup:

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

we has our house built in thornlands..... here is my old thread

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340762

boomie
x

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I see your thread, I haven't found the price of the house yet. I assume you've posted it because of my comment about hard to find a good house for $450k.

I will point out that your thread is almost 3 years old now and that your house price has probably gone up since then. When I looked last year the only places I could find a decent 4x2 with pool were in Capalaba and Alex Hills. There was one in Birkdale but it wasn't as nice. Believe me... I looked all over Bayside.

Although, I've looked lately and found a lot more in the $400-450k range. Mostly though it's in Capalaba or Alex Hills. But there does seem to be more on the market though at the moment.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Many Thanks for all the input. Bayside/Redlands is very much our starting point for when we arrive and we shall hop in a car and drive round EVERYWHERE! :rofl:

Will pay attention to all areas mentioned and hopefully we can find something that we like for our budget, we could poss go up to $500k but for that I'd want to move in and not have to do anything to the place.

Thanks again everybody. you've been really helpful! xx

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Good luck, hope all goes well with your search

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I agree about Target etc but Thornlands has virtually no shops at all!!

In the older part of Thornlands there are houses to be had for around the 450k mark with a pool. We have seen a number - one on Moselle Drive - 5 bedrooms, office, living room, kitchen / diner, 2 baths, pool - was on at 440k but is now sold. Here's another - http://www.domain.com.au/Public/Prop...did=2007364384 ....and another.....http://www.domain.com.au/Public/Prop...did=2007317292 decent property, but only lock up double carport, no proper garage, which was passed in at auction for 375k and is now on the market for 430k. We also had an offer accepted (460k) on one in Hermitage Crec, really nice property - 3 bedrooms plus sun room which could be used as a bedroom, with the most amazing view over the bay and islands, 2 baths, also with a pool. We pulled out of that sale though.

When you get here you really need to take a drive around and see where feels right for you. Definitely get off the main road though - if you only see the houses either side of the main road you will not get a real feel for the suburb.

Rudi

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Bayside is a great are of Brisbane, but if i'm honest the reason we had to look elsewhere is because most of it was getting to be out of our price range and we had to look for alternatives.

If we had pulled our finger out and applied when we originaly planned on I suspect that is where we would be settled now, but we missed the boat i'm afraid.

still a great area though

x

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I could not agree more about that. You'll need to check out the older and newer sections of each, particularly Capalaba because it makes a difference. I would also suggest when you go to buy a house to look at everything that fits your generals critera and roughly within your price range. At least at first. After a few houses a realizes the high sets weren't for me (two storeys with kitchen upstairs). So after that we cut those off the list.

Anyway... there are some better priced houses out there at the moment so you might be able to buy in any area of Bayside, but you will see a difference in the houses (neighbourhood too).

Part of the reason I like Capalaba is because my area is very quiet, but also because I'm about 5 minutes to the shops. If I'm going to go to the parks along the water it's probably only going to be once a week. But I do run to the shops all the time, so I like to be close. Just me though.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I recently moved to Alexandra hills.

I looked at every bayside suburb and found them all over priced, however there are a few which are cheaper than most, still over priced but that is what the market dictates.

I love where I live, it is quiet, good access to major roads.

Old cleveland road is probably the best road in the whole of the eastern brisbane suburbs, takes you right to the city through the major shopping center of Carindale and then the city.

You are close to Wellington point and Cleveland which is a very nice modern type suburb.

You sometimes have to compromise between affordability and desireability.

Alex hills was a good choice for us as it allowed us a nice big 5 bedroom, swimming pool, 760 fully fenced block for under 500k.Something difficult to find in other bayside suburbs. In manly west, wynnum west you would pay 500k for a 2 bed workers cottage or a 3 bed lowset on 450 block.

More desireable areas but priced accordingly.


Keep looking though, best to rent first, get a feel and then buy.

To be honest I am yet to find a bayside suburb that is remotely bad in comparision to a lot of british towns.

Am sure wherever you find you will like the area. it is something different and that coupled with close proximity to water makes things seem better than what we certainly had before in the UK.


Good luck.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Yeah thats around the right time frame. I was posting the thread to view another option ie building. We got more for our money rooms wise which is what we needed having 5 children.

I have found an old private message to karmagirls i sent yonks ago..... i gives a few prices we paid way back then. the house as it stands today is 560K

...................................


Default Re: House Information
This is what we did..... we bought the land..... then chose a builder that would best suit our needs..... we found javica (unfortunately they dont have a web page but their email address is [email protected] if you wish to make contact). A guy called chris anderson came to pay us a visit..... we told him what we wanted and he went away and got one of his designers to come up with a design for us.... which is the one that you see on draft.... we just altered the kitchen a touch to best suit us.

Javica do an all in house package.... which means the lot! the house itself, all the paint work, lighting, bathroom, kitchen, electrics, tiles, carpet, security doors/screens, blinds/drapes, wahsing line, mail box, fences, driveway, undercover eating alfresco, all the paved areas, Landscaping......If there is anything ive missed its in there - Its a turn key package everything is done! There are upgrades like fans/ air con which can be included in ure package.... ( we had included fans but we have had to pay for the fully ducted aircon as a cash extra as we didnt request it at the start.... got round andy following a stickie xmas!)

Also as an extra at a later date we opted for an extra plug socket in each bedroom by the wardrobes..... so the kids can use their hair appliances.... infront of the mirror door

Also as an extra we had tv points in all the kids bedrooms - you get 3 as standard.

We also got extra all the wiring for foxtel....to prevent holes been made in the walls later....

So all the extras we have paid cash for..... which i spose with better planning could ov been included....

Everything included in ure home you choose yourself....syles of doors, window colours, roof colour, kitchen styles and colours, floor, wall tiles and carpet are all your choice. You decide with the painter all colour options.

At present we are waiting for the the guys doing the drive to get in touch.... I dont really know how that works...... i think you have to mark it out with coloured sand to give them an indication how you would like it..... and its the same with the landscaping etc.

With regards to the land we were really lucky..... it was on the market for just ova $230...... and we were able to secure it for $179K when the new phase came out....

for the house it came to with the extras excluding air con $186K

For the aircon its just over $8K

the solicitors costs will be $500 for buying only.....

There are site fees but ure 1st time buyers grant covers all the necessary.......

if there is anything else i can tell you please get in touch.....


We think its just great value for a 6 bedroomed house with a rumpus room.

Javica have our thumbs up!

regards



boomie

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I agree with Brisben, all the suburbs on the Bayside are not remotely like any not so nice areas in the UK, we rented in Alex Hills for 8 months and enjoyed the area. The people were very friendly and our daughter had a ball with all the other children playing in the culdasacs, where parents were always watching over them.
There are still some good houses for the right price in Alex Hills and Capalaba with still good size plots, which is becoming difficult to find.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Yup, when they say that alex hills is the rough part of redlands, it's a long way up from the UK. NO vandels, or burnt out cars etc, and redlands gives you a huge choice of where to live etc. We used to live in wellington point, now thornlands, kids go to school in alex hills, we shop in vicky point and capalaba, eat out in cleveland....etc

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Nice to see someone else moved locally. We are in the rushwood estate ... anywhere near you guys


x boomie x

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Hi Boomie,
We are just down the road from you on South Street, where the birds dwell!!
Swallow etc and loving it!

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Practically neighbours...lol Lovely area...... great land sizes arent they. If you see a blue micra driving slow thats us.... Daughter practicing her driving around there...

regards boomie

x

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Do we need to get off the roads?!!! :ohmy: only joking
Yes lovely plots we are on half n acre which is great, the house has needed some renovating but we are about there now, we love the space and wild life, we hope to stay here for a long while (old and grey)not far off, especially the grey:curse:

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Off Ziegenfusz , but normally hanging around the panorama dr dog park late afternoon, or walking around the lakes

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Will look out for you, the lady/gentleman hanging around the parks:eek:

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

PMSL

XX

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

I thought the old park was better than the new one.

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Probably relative to how old your kids are. My kids are 2 and almost 5. It's great for them. Probably not as good for the older kids though.

Isn't there stuff on the other side as well?

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

Pop over to to the shops at Victoria Point, only 2-3 minutes away ;)

I used to do loads of shopping in Capalaba, but with all our new shops here, I don't need to go there very often now.

:thumbup:

Re: Capalaba, QLD
 

There are some small beaches in the local area, suitable for little kids (no waves or surf);

Cleveland, about 5-10 minutes away from Capalaba.
http://www.abcdiamond.com/4163/rabybay001.jpg

Victoria Point, about 10-20 minutes away from Capalaba.
http://www.abcdiamond.com/4165/beach823.jpg

Better than Isle of Grain beaches, but not as good as Blackpool :D