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Life in the ’burbs

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Rhyndarra House is a Victorian mansion and former military hospital built in 1889 in Yeronga, Brisbane.

My suburb smells like Weet-Bix – and money. But there’s a downside to riverside splendour

In this often overlooked suburban pocket, the dumps are now parks, the factories are arts centres, and large riverfront homes have made way for even larger ones.

  • Brooke Maddison

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Friends relaxing in a rooftop pool in Newstead.

Yes, the cliches about my suburb are all true. Roll your eyes if you must

High-density living is in full swing here, but there’s one positive to overdevelopment that no one ever mentions.

  • Lucinda Kent
View of the Brisbane River in Jindalee.

My suburb is a bird-filled paradise next to a mighty river. There’s nothing dull about life here

Brisbane really feels like a river city around here. And the brown snake has a tendency to swallow you up.

  • G.P. Shera
The former Sandgate Baptist Church, built in 1887, on the hairpin corner of Flinders Parade and Cliff Street. It’s now a childcare centre.

Soldier crabs and sunset walks: Why nobody wants to leave this seaside suburb

Once a sleepy haven for retirees and holiday makers, this bayside suburb’s smug secret is out – along with some of the unfortunate renters who can no longer afford to stay.

  • Kate Wild
Stafford Road.

My suburb has gone from daggy to desirable. But we still miss the roller disco

I used to think of it as a suburb you drove through rather than lived in. Now it’s all about microbreweries, specialist coffee roasters and gyms.

  • Melanie Myers
Suburban street, Tarragindi, Brisbane.

I know my neighbour and the cafe owner in my suburb. It’s all so disgustingly wholesome

Life in the ’burbs can come as a shock to the long-time apartment dweller. And it changes you.

  • Brittney Deguara
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Zillmere in northern Brisbane has a bit of an image problem.

No, my suburb isn’t unsafe, so please stop saying it is. It’s actually charming

What this week’s Life in the ’burbs suburb lacks in sandwich shops and wine bars it makes up for in proximity to friends and wine drinking on back decks.

  • Kate Carey
A suburban street in Toowong, Brisbane, in 2026.

My suburb has a mountain on one side and high-rises on the other. And the odd python

It’s a suburb of stark contrasts: community and commerce; wildlife and traffic; the living and the dead.

  • Kim Wilkins
The population of Bridgeman Downs has tripled to almost 11,000 since the late ’90s.

My suburb’s population is booming, but business – and services – are not

The scene of a fondly remembered childhood, the population of this suburb has tripled in 25 years. But not a single new service has been added.

  • Dominique Tassell
Suburban street in Balmoral, Brisbane.

​​My suburb’s name sounds like a royal retreat. Given local house prices, that’s not misleading

This suburb has come a long way since its blue-collar days. But don’t mention the aircraft noise.

  • Freya Petersen