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Reproduced with permission.
Overview
Upper Mount Gravatt is approximately 12 km from the Brisbane CBD. The homes are a mixture of timber clad and brick veneer, with the majority being timber clad.
Upper Mount Gravatt is the commercial hub of the wider district with an extensive range of shops and offices. Westfield Garden City is on Logan Rd, as are the large offices of the Australian Tax Office.
There are four schools. St. Catherines and St. Bernards are the two Catholic primary schools in Upper Mount Gravatt. Clairvaux MacKillop Catholic College is a co-educational secondary school. Upper Mount Gravatt Primary is the local public school.
Access to the city is either along the Pacific Motorway or Logan Road and the suburb is well serviced by buses.
The most notable open space in the area is Mount Gravatt and the outlook at the top of this mountain. Due to the mountain in the vicinity of Upper Mount Gravatt, many homes have elevated views of the surrounding district.
Why you should buy
Upper Mount Gravatt is reasonably close to the city but it virtually houses a mini CBD, as it’s a commercial hub for the district.
There are two campuses of Griffith University in the adjoining suburbs of Nathan and Mount Gravatt. With the large number of students studying on these campuses, there are many opportunities for both investors and home owners. Investors are able to offer their properties as student accommodation on a room by room basis and home owners are able to increase their cash flow by renting spare rooms and offering room and board or home stay style of accommodation.
Upper Mount Gravatt has been nominated as a Principal Regional Activity Centre in the state government’s South East Queensland Regional and Plan (2009 -2031). This ensures that money will be spent in this area to upgrade facilities and infrastructure for many years to come.
Areas to focus on
Properties that offer elevated views of the area, especially those on the slopes of Mount Gravatt.
Areas to avoid
Roads to avoid include Logan, Newnham and Mt. Gravatt – Capalaba Rd. The new high rise purpose built student accommodation in the area generally makes money for the developer and the management company, not the investor.
Happy House Hunting!
Written by Peter Koulizos, university lecturer, author and buyers advocate.
