Chic Nundah earns its stripes

Brisbane's Nundah has shaken its long-held ‘working-class’ status thanks to a $270 million development transforming the suburb into one of the city’s most sought after cosmopolitan precincts.Property Solutions, which is responsible for some of Brisbane’s most iconic new urban developments including Centro on James Street, SW1in South Brisbane and more recently The Barracks at Paddington, is delivering a mixed use project to Nundah which is widely regarded as the catalyst to the suburb’s renaissance.Known as Circa Nundah Village, the precinct includes several residential buildings, a full-line Woolworths supermarket, 11,000sqm of office space occupied by Energex, and an abundance of retail, dining and lifestyle amenities.Local resident Samara Barlow, who lives and owns a Studio Pilates business at Crica Nundah Village, says the area’s gentrification has made it a desirable location to both live and work.“Even with the growth of the past few years, Nundah still has a strong community feel,” she said.“The residents are really positive about how the suburb has changed in recent years and really make an effort to support new businesses.“I do my grocery shopping at the local markets or at Woolworths, I catch up with friends at the local cafes and restaurants, and I do my daily workout - all without needing to get the car out.”Ms Barlow said she opened her Studio Pilates business in Nundah Village after noticing a demographic change in the area.“The people moving here were a perfect fit for our target market,” she said.“I noticed that on weekends, there were a lot of people sitting in cafes dressed in workout clothes. I was also aware that many more people would be moving into the area with the completion of the future Circa Nundah residential stages.”The suburb’s increasingly discerning resident demographic has encouraged other boutique retailers to establish a presence in Nundah.Late last year Paleo diet-inspired grocer and café Primal Pantry opened its third Brisbane store while highbrow barber Jimmy Rod’s, which is already established at The Barracks, also opened its first Nundah shopfront.The suburb’s long-established Royal Hotel is also poised to enter its second expansion phase in as many years with the addition of a new upstairs lounge bar.Property Solutions joint managing director Kevin Miller says the company’s affinity with Nundah came from its urban renewal potential.“It was a sleepy village but that was a large part of the appeal for us,” he said.“Nundah had all the ingredients to follow in the footsteps of South Brisbane and Paddington and now we are seeing it come into its own as a desirable residential destination.“A real driver of the suburb’s growth has been the Airport Link which gives residents direct access to the airport in five minutes and the CBD in less than 20 minutes.“But also it’s a true live, work and play location and that has resonated with discerning buyers who these days want a whole lifestyle package out of a property purchase.“Anecdotally, it was only a couple of years ago that the Royal Hotel served 30 meals a day - now it’s serving more than 300 as more people come and enjoy what Nundah has to offer.”Property analyst Urbis identified a demographic shift started in Nundah in 2006 with the 20 to 34-year-old age group now accounting for more than a third (36.2 per cent) of the area’s population.“The increasing popularity of Nundah to the Generation Y demographic could be credited to the significant urban renewal activities, including mixed construction of commercial, retail, new apartments, and lifestyle amenities, which further stimulates the rental demand in the suburb,” according to Urbis’s Outlook Nundah.With completed residential stages of Circa Nundah Village now sold, Property Solutions is turning its focus to the $23.5 million VIVIR.Circa Nundah Village has seen a strong contingent of end user buyers, accounting for up to 80 per cent of buyers in the previous stage Circa Dos, according to marketing agents Place Projects.Hutchinson Builders has this month (January) started construction of the nine-level building after completing Circa Dos last year.VIVIR will see the delivery of 54 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments priced from $371,000 to $730,000 and ranging in size from 64sqm to 140sqm.Property Solutions is a market leader in urban renewal projects across Southeast Queensland and has a workbook of more than 150 completed projects throughout its 20 year history.For more information go to circanundah.com.au.