WHO ARE METROCITY REALTY?
Metrocity Realty is a boutique sales and property management real estate company specialising in Brisbane Real Estate. Above all else, we value our clients and work hard to ensure a smooth real estate experience for each and every one we deal with. Metrocity has maintained its dominant market share for the last 17 years through striving to deal professionally and with integrity.
We can’t wait to show you what we can do for you.
BUYING AND SELLING IN DUTTON PARK
Throughout the course of 2018 we saw house sales follow a similar pattern to the 2017 sales. Only three houses were reported to have sold in the first quarter of the year and the median sale price is sitting in the mid $800,000s. Demand for houses in the area is huge as the relaxed lifestyle, close proximity to CBD, and access to quality schools in the area is extremely attractive to young families. The popularity of Dutton Park keeps growing and it appears that price of apartments in the area remain strong. With a median price of under $550,000 buyers are keen to be part of the action and are seizing the opportunity to own so close to the City. Potential owner occupiers love Dutton Park’s easy access to local universities, hospitals, and the CBD, whilst investors can look forward to earning some great rental returns and future long term growth.
DUTTON PARK RENTAL MARKET
There has been a lot of building in Dutton Park and surrounding suburbs, and most of the building has finally finished. While there may have been an oversupply of new properties in the suburbs north of Dutton Park, which negatively affected the rental prices, the prices are starting to even out and bring some stability back to pricing in the area.
Growth has been relatively steady, and currently the median house rental price is $520 per week, and the average apartment rent is $380 per week.
DUTTON PARK: A BRIEF HISTORY
Development in Dutton Park was slower than the surrounding suburbs because of its unfriendly terrain. It was partly for this reason that it was declared a government reserve in 1863. Over time the area became known as ‘Dutton’s Park’, named after Charles Boydell Dutton, who was the Queensland Minister for Lands at the time the area was declared a recreation reserve in 1884.
Dutton Park has never had a large geographical footprint, and seems to have been an in between suburb back in the 1860s, between St Lucia across the river (which was predominantly sugar plantations) and Yeronga, which was home to dairy and agricultural farming. In 1884, both St Lucia and Yeronga were subdivided for housing. As Fairfield wasn’t subdivided until 1914, it’s clear that Dutton Park came into its own as the neighbouring suburbs grew, and that it wasn’t originally a high priority for development.
However, Dutton Park’s proximity to nearby population centres meant it servde as a convenient buffer between nearby farmland and the development that was burgeoning in the area. A year before the recreational reserve was announced, Boggo Road Gaol was opened, firstly as a holding place for prisoners who were in transit, but soon housing some 300 prisoners by 1889. Dutton Park is also the home of the South Brisbane Cemetery, which was established in 1866. The result is a unique Brisbane suburb that tells the story of a much younger Brisbane.
DUTTON PARK LIFESTYLE
All of Dutton Park falls in the catchment area for Dutton Park State School, the local primary school. Here students can learn French as their LOTE. DPSS is a smaller school compared to others in the area, and its large oval and philosophy program make it an attractive choice for parents looking for a more traditional primary school experience for their children. While the area is currently serviced by Brisbane State High School, a new high school will be built in Dutton Park, the first high school to be built in inner-city South Brisbane in over 50 years, with construction slated to be completed in 2021. The new school will alleviate anticipated crowding at BSHS, which is already home to 3200 students. The catchment area is presently subject to community consultation, but it could reasonably be expected to include Dutton Park. If you prefer private education, Dutton Park is home to Brisbane Catholic Education, a P-12 Catholic school, and is close to Somerville House, an all-girls P-12 school located in Woolloongabba. There are also Brisbane Boys’ College and St Ignatius across the River in Toowong.
If primary and secondary education aren’t your focus areas, there are also a number of tertiary education campuses nearby. On the same side of the River there is the South Bank campus of TAFE Queensland, as well as Griffith University’s South Bank campus and Griffith Uni Film School. Across the River in St Lucia (conveniently connected by the Green Bridge through Dutton Park) are many offerings from the University of Queensland, including the UQ Riverside campus, the UQ Business School and the UQ Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.
If your sights are set on something other than education, Dutton Park’s historical job as suburban hub will serve you well. There are yoga classes and gyms (including a crossfit facility) nearby, as well as the UQ Sport Fitness Centre in St Lucia. There’s a bike trail that takes you from Dutton Park (the actual park, that is) over the Brisbane River to the University of Queensland. It’s also the start of the 5.3km Dutton Park to Bicentennial Bikeway bike path. Of course, bike trails are often just as good for walking, so if you prefer sneakers to spandex, you’re still well catered to. The River & Green Bridge View Bench gives you a place to rest your feet before you walk across the Eleanor Schonell Bridge towards St Lucia, and it’s also close to Harmony Gardens, a lovely nearby park. Dutton Park offers ready access to two hospitals: the Princess Alexandra and the Queensland Children’s Hospital. If your pride and joy walks on fours, there are two dog parks in Dutton Park: Dutton Park itself, and the Fairfield Dog Park. Both parks are well regarded by locals, so whether you want to be near the water at Dutton Park, or in a more shaded park at Fairfield, you can pick and choose depending on your mood.
WHAT TO DO IN DUTTON PARK
Dutton Park is located close to a range of very different suburbs in Brisbane, each with their own charm. It’s next door to Highgate Hill, which is well known for its café and restaurant culture, as well as the friendly locals. It’s one thing to be a part of the neighbourhood, but it’s quite another to feel like you’re part of it as well! As one of the historically esteemed suburbs of Brisbane, Highgate Hill is full of heritage-listed buildings, so it’s a lovely place to soak in old Brisbane. Highgate Hill also very quickly leads to West End, a charming, more bohemian suburb full of microbreweries, street art and recycled clothing stores. Between West End and Highgate Hill, you don’t have to move too far to find an amazing variety of food options. West End also hosts a weekly organic market, so if you’re keen on fresh, organic produce, you don’t have to go too far to find some of Brisbane’s best.
The South Brisbane Cemetery is a wealth of local history, as well as gorgeous monuments. If you’re looking for a quiet place to walk and reflect, or somewhere to soak in the past, it’s a beautiful place to do so. Of course if you prefer other ways to unwind, the nearby area is littered with parks, a great many of which are dog friendly (in West End, Highgate Hill and South Brisbane), and there are plenty that fall along the river (especially Orleigh Park in West End), so you can enjoy the water as you relax after a day’s work.
If you find yourself playing host to family and friends who are new to Brisbane, you could take advantage of the Boggo Road Gaol Ghost Tour, where you can explore the old jail in Dutton Park or even the Southbank Cemetery Ghost Tour. Dutton Park is also right next to Woolloongabba, home of the Gabba, so if sports are relevant to your interests, it’s not a bad place to be! If you prefer museums, you’re spoiled for choice between the art museums in South Brisbane and the Physics Museum and University of Queensland Art Museum in St Lucia. There’s also the Anthropology Museum in St Lucia, which is home to the largest university-owned collection of ethnographic material in Australia. Of course, it’s also only a stone’s throw away from the Brisbane CBD itself, so if all else fails, you could always head north and go shopping.
The true joy of Dutton Park isn’t so much what you can do in your own backyard, so to speak, as much as it is about how close to are to the surrounding suburbs, and what they have to offer. For a small suburb, Dutton Park packs a mighty punch, serving as a great connection point between South Brisbane and surrounds, and St Lucia over the River.
