Eastern Suburbs Brisbane

Living in Eastern Suburbs Brisbane

The two districts in Eastern Suburbs Brisbane are Bayside Suburbs and Eastern Suburbs. A full list of all the suburbs within these districts are at the end of this page.

These are the suburbs of Eastern Suburbs Brisbane:

Bayside Suburbs

  • Cleveland, Redland Bay, Victoria Point, Birkdale, Ormiston, Thorneside
  • Wellington Point, Ransome, Lota, Manly, Wynnum, Manly West, Wynnum West

Eastern Suburbs

  • Alexandra Hills, Capalaba, Thornlands, Gumdale, Tingalpa, Hemmant, Wakerley

Do you live in this area? Tell us about your town or suburb in the comments below…

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{ 38 comments… add one }
  • Kev February 8, 2021, 12:28 pm |

    Hey mate is Woodridge good? My sister in-law said it’s the hood of Brissy

    • BobinOz February 9, 2021, 5:01 pm |

      Then you should listen to your sister-in-law 🙂

  • Christina January 5, 2021, 7:21 am |

    Hi Bob, I’m thinking of moving from Noosa to the Bay. I’m single and middle aged, but I will never be a retiree and don’t want that retiree vibe. I run my own therapy business and an a creative type of person. What Bayside suburbs do you think might suit me, that are pretty, peaceful and safe but close to some life and interesting stuff? Thanks so much.

    • BobinOz January 8, 2021, 7:04 pm |

      Hi Christina, we love the Bayside suburbs, we often go over there for a stroll at the weekends. Sandgate is one of my favourite suburbs there; it seems to have a good community spirit, a few trendy café’s and bars and some lovely houses. I also really like the Cleveland/Raby Bay area. I was there just before Christmas having a look around on a Sunday afternoon, walked past three bars and they were all playing live music. They have twilight markets at the weekend and a sort of traditional high street set up with quite a few restaurants and café’s. Cleveland might just be my pick. I’m pretty sure it’s all pretty safe along that part of the coast, but if you want real safety, there is a gated community in Raby Bay, although it is expensive and I don’t think you would really need it.

      Whenever we are in the area, we always like to spend a little time at either Wellington Point or Nudgee Beach, well worth checking out. Hopefully though, you are aware that Brisbane doesn’t really do beaches, not like you are used to on the Sunshine Coast. Good luck with your move, Bob

      • Christina January 8, 2021, 7:37 pm |

        Thanks so much Bob I appreciate this. Depending on the lockdown I’ll head down in a week and check it out. Gated communities are not for me ?
        Thanks again ?

  • Jo August 4, 2018, 7:38 am |

    Hi Bob!

    Our family moves from Sydney to Brisbane in September, and my husband will be working in the Port of Brisbane – so we narrowed it down to Wakerley and Carindale as two areas to target because of their good local public schools and pretty equidistant commutes to his work (20 minutes as opposed to an hour 15 in sydney, we are very excited!). Wakerley looks pretty and loved Gumdale SS, pretty quiet on the shop/restaurant front – but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Carindale looks very pretty but the high prices of property is a bit worrying. We did consider Manly too, but it looks like finding a rental in the catchment for Manly SS could prove difficult, also more expensive.

    If you or anyone else could give me insights into what it’s like living in Wakerley or Carindale, I’d really appreciate it – particularly Wakerley/Gumdale as we seem to be leaning towards it as a choice so we can buy a home down the line (also nice to be a bit nearer to the bay!).

    Thank you!

    • BobinOz August 6, 2018, 8:03 pm |

      Yes, exciting for sure. Brisbane is totally different to Sydney and I hope you get to love it here as much as I do.

      I don’t know much at all about Wakerley, so hopefully somebody who does will see your comment and help you out. I can see that it is in a good location though, and I’ve been to Birkdale, Ormiston and Cleveland and they all seem decent suburbs. Plenty of restaurants in Cleveland as well.

      Carindale has a very large indoor shopping centre, but that’s about all I know of that. If you really like the school in Gumdale and you can rent somewhere within the catchment area, then I’d go with that. I wish I could tell you more, but I just don’t know, so as I say, hopefully someone else who does will comment here.

      Anybody?

      If you don’t get any response here though, it may be worth posting a similar comment on my main page about Brisbane as it does get more traffic.

  • Liz September 29, 2017, 4:48 pm |

    Hi Bob,
    Like most people I have found this website great.
    I’m planning on moving from the Riverina NSW to Brisbane. I am a Primary teacher and will be needing to find a permanent position. I will be contacting the Queensland DET office for information about work.
    My questions are;
    Are there any areas that you would avoid due to safety and crime?
    What areas would you recommend for a single person in their mid 20s?
    -I have a small dog so would need a small backyard.
    -My budget is $500 a week.
    -I would love to live near the water, public transport, shops and bars.
    Thanks
    Liz 🙂

    • Ozimandias October 1, 2017, 12:49 pm |

      avoid Logan for work as a primary teacher and as a residence, imo. Look up “Australias worst s…holes” or search for equivalent term, you will find Logan every time.
      avoid Fortitude Valley for safety and crime.
      I would look for the work first and then plan accommodation from there. I personally liked the village feel of Paddington and surrounding suburbs, but it isn’t near the water.
      Your dog could be an issue. Otherwise, in your favour is an apartment glut in Brisbane. Example – in Kangaroo Point you could rent a fully furnished penthouse with truly premium river views in a complex with pool, bbq area, tennis court and gym, with off street secure parking for under you weekly budget.
      tbh as you are moving from what sounds like the northern rivers area of NSW there are fully fledged forums about where to live in Brisbane that may answer your questions better.
      Be aware of commuting times and costs, which can affect your quality of life quickly in a city.

      • BobinOz October 2, 2017, 8:37 pm |

        Pretty sure your dog won’t be allowed into an apartment building as has been implied, which is a pity, so I think you’ll need to look elsewhere. I quite like Sandgate, which is on the coast, it has a few bars and restaurants around and a good community feel. I think it now has a train line with good access into the city.

        Raby Bay/Cleveland are quite lively as well, but as Ozimandias has said, you don’t want a long commute, so I think it might be important to find out where you will be working before you start choosing where to live. Brisbane itself doesn’t have too many unsafe suburbs, (Logan is actually not part of Brisbane, it is a city in its own right) but anywhere where rents or house prices are considerably lower than elsewhere around Brisbane should be treated with caution.

        New Farm would be worth a look as well, it’s not near the sea but it is on the river and that does have a nice walkway along it. New Farm is very much where the young and trendy hangout.

        If you can find out where you will be working and come back and let us know, I’m sure we would be able to help you out some more.

        • Liz October 4, 2017, 1:19 pm |

          Thanks so much. Will let you what ends up happening.

          • Ozimandias October 4, 2017, 9:56 pm |

            Cleveland is a cul de sac at the end of a train line. It is fairly modern I thought, but not well planned for pedestrians – e.g. shops are about one or two kms away from the train station, with some traditional old buildings out towards the ferry terminals which give access to the islands, e.g. North Stradbroke, Russell, Macleay and Coochiemudlo.
            You mentioned public transport. There are various buses there and a train which takes about an hour to the central city stations. The train station is not that well placed and could impact on commuting, unless you live close, and then you would have to place yourself somewhere midway between the local shopping strip and station to avoid long walks. Workwise, it might not be bad as it is a middle of the road suburb, therefore the rug rats probably aren’t that feral. There is an old pub down by the water with large outside alfresco dining and ibis birds, maybe a pelican wandering around. Not cheap though. Cleveland has a marina, a couple of 24h gyms, various chain fast food outlets which it shares in a strip up to Ormiston, otherwise mentioned here. I thought these two suburbs fairly nondescript, though not unfavourable. OK if you are middle aged and don’t plan on leaving home much, or if you have water borne pursuits, but if you have an urge to explore and be close to urban action it could be an issue. There is worse in the area, e.g. Capalaba apparently (pronounced “Capalla-bah”). I think Wellington Point was relatively favourable in that area. Hope I have that right. The other was Victoria Point, though I seem to remember that wasn’t that good.
            When thinking about primary schools, you do not want an unruly oppositional, behaviourally disturbed and traumatised population, where the teacher is pressured into taking responsibility for ills borne of family dysfunction. Choose wisely. Then look for proximity to train lines and review the service frequency. The trains themselves are reasonable. Security presence is pretty good. Buses are ok too. Tickets are interchangeable. Make sure you get the right one though, as a single mistake is on your record for 3 years in Queensland, though you may not be fined the first time.
            Shops and bars down in that area are pretty generic I thought. Could be lonely. The area is generally spaced out so if you don’t have a car it is potentially a significant factor. The Ormiston train station is well away from the main drag of shops. It’s a significant hike. Avoid the islands at all costs, unless you are working on Northy Straddy. The other islands lack infrastructure and ferry costs are significant. Be very careful as the rents are cheap there, which might seem tempting but the tradeoffs are weighty.
            New Farm and surrounding suburbs have definite eye appeal, wide roads, purple flowered Jacaranda, also a type of tree that is regional to there with beautiful red blooms, along the roads. There’s a race course there. Not sure if it on the flight path from the airport. You can do a google map road walk to get an idea.
            As Bob says, weigh up the costs and be mindful of why prices may be lower. The trains are pretty good so if you can find a reasonably central place you will have the shops and bars you seek, with the river close by. You can even use the free ferry there to commute. The downside will be on commute times if you need to use more than one service. Maybe try and find a situation with a single commute from home to work, rather than combo ferry/train, or train/train, or train/bus. It can be very hot in summer so the last thing you want is long commutes with waits in between services. Try to keep it under 30mins each way if you can.

  • Erika Nel September 26, 2017, 8:00 pm |

    Hi Bob,

    We are relocating from South Africa to Brisbane in Jan 2018. I don’t know which suburb to choose for short term settling in. I don’t have a job yet and for that reason my husband will only join us much later (he is going to work and earn while I settle our family). I would like to be lead by suburbs with good schools and close to sport centers as my kids love gymnastics and netball.

    Hope someone can share their experiences!

    Thanks

    Erika

    • Erika Nel September 26, 2017, 8:03 pm |

      Perhaps I should also mention that the school should have care outside of school hours.

      • BobinOz September 27, 2017, 12:50 am |

        Lots of netball going on in Graceville, they have 5 or 6 courts up there and it’s very well organised. Gymnastics nearby in Mt Ommanney as well and both are good areas. Don’t know about after school care though, I think you’ll have to check that direct with the schools.

        Hope that helps, Bob

  • Dick and Bev June 6, 2017, 9:21 am |

    Hi,
    My wife (an Aussie) and I are thinking of retiring to the Brisbane area in about 5 years. We would like to get the process started early. We are intimidated by the process and wonder about health care access for us

    • BobinOz June 6, 2017, 7:53 pm |

      It is an intimidating process and quite tricky to navigate, the rules are very complex. How your healthcare would work would almost certainly depend on the type of visa you might get, so my advice would be to talk to a MARA registered migration agent about your circumstances.

      You’ll be pleased to hear these people are not intimidated by the process, they work with it every day and understand it fully. Good luck, Bob

  • Kirk January 9, 2017, 11:19 am |

    Hi Bob

    We are looking to relocate to Brisbane from Sydney, for specifically a semi-rural acreage property with a good high school, which led me to look at Ormiston. Are there any other suburbs within a commute of 40mins to Brisbane in any direction?

    Thanks

    • BobinOz January 11, 2017, 11:39 pm |

      I don’t know Ormiston very well, but I don’t think you will find there is much that way that is semi-rural, but I might be wrong. If I am, hopefully someone who knows the area better than I do will correct me.

      You might want to look around the Kenmore area, Kenmore State High School has a very good reputation and Upper Brookfield, Pullenvale and Anstead are all acreage and within the catchment area. You could drive from these places to the CBD in about 25 to 30 minutes, but that’s without traffic. During rush hour it would be longer, and there are no trains, only buses.

      Samford Village may also be worth a look, it’s very rural over that way but I don’t know what schools are like. Hope that helps, Bob

    • Dawn August 11, 2017, 9:56 am |

      Hi,
      I live in Ormiston and love it! I am an ex-pom who lived in Melbourne for 10 years then moved to QLD a few years ago. It is a quiet sleepy bayside suburb but not too far away from the city either (30 mins by car or 55 mins by train, Ormiston has its own train station). The schools are fantastic, one in particular is in the states top 10. Nearby Cleveland and Wellington Point has a busy restaurant night scene. Ormiston is famed for its larger than usual block sizes and tree-lined streets with its own pockets of Koala population.
      Being right on the bay brings the advantage of milder winters nights and cool afternoon sea breezes. Its at least 4 to 5 oC lower in temp than inner city and Western suburbs.
      Has a varied mix of demographics and is suitable for all ages.
      Highly recommened, but Shhhh don’t want to spoil it !!!

      • BobinOz August 11, 2017, 7:48 pm |

        That’s a definite thumbs up vote for Ormiston, but yes, I do understand, we will keep this to ourselves. I won’t say a word to anyone 🙂

  • Barbara Brindley November 21, 2016, 7:24 pm |

    I’ve lived in Central Wynnum since 2006, a beautiful suburb, close to the wading pool with beautiful parks, childrens swings etc. and walking distance to shops, train station, bus service, any place you need. I’m not sure where abouts Andrew C lives (Wynnum West maybe) but I’ve never had any problems with neighbours, certainly no noisy Kiwis! It’s a great little town, and around 30 mins drive to the CBD, and only 1 hour’s drive to the Gold Coast. It’s walking distance to Manly along the Esplanade. Definitely a sort after suburb.

    • BobinOz November 22, 2016, 7:27 pm |

      Yes, I think it’s a good area as well, quite a few suburbs along that eastern Brisbane coastline are well worth a look. I remember reading the comment you refer to and I don’t think a suburb should be judged by a possible noisy neighbour incident.

      I suspect noisy neighbours could pop up anywhere, although, touch wood, I’ve never had a problem with that sort of thing either here in Australia or when a lived back in England. Sounds like you have found your ideal area Barbara, thanks for sharing your opinion here.

      Cheers, Bob

    • Eugenio Keller December 6, 2016, 1:09 pm |

      Hey Barb. I would like to talk to you. I`m going to Brisbane soon and I don`t know nothing. If you just let me talk to you to know a little bit about the city. keep in touch. thanks

  • Tracey October 27, 2016, 9:08 pm |

    Hi
    We are looking at relocating from South Africa to Capalaba in Brisbane around April 2017. We will be shipping most of our furniture over and will therefore need some furnished accommodation for my family of 5, until it arrives. There is not much on the internet (realestate.com.au) by way of furnished accommodation – please could you advise which areas close by are mostly likely to have this type of accommodation, until our furniture arrives and we can then look for a rental in Capalaba. Secondly, I have two teens and an 8 yr old, all very interested in sport. Please give me your thoughts on Capalaba as an area to settle. We would like them to have something to do, but be close enough to the CBD for when I eventually find work
    Many thanks!

    • BobinOz October 28, 2016, 6:25 pm |

      I’m afraid I don’t really know Capalaba very well at all, but it does appear to be in a very good area. Cleveland to the east is very nice and when I’ve driven close to Capalaba it has appeared to be quite rural in some ways, lots of leafy green fields and open spaces.

      So I’m sure it will be a good place for you and your family to settle.

      Furnished accommodation is always quite hard to find here, you may be better off picking up some very basic needs from garage sales or secondhand shops just to get you by until your stuff turns up. That’s what we did when we got here.

      Alternatively you could try Airbnb or Stayz, all property on those places are furnished but renting them isn’t cheap, it’s closer to holiday rates. Haggle for a discount if you intend staying in any of them for longer than two weeks.

      Hope that helps, luck, Bob

      • Tracey November 1, 2016, 12:50 am |

        Thanks so much for your help! Was also looking at Cleveland, so glad to hear that is a good area too.

  • Jo March 22, 2016, 3:45 pm |

    Can anyone tell me what Manly West is like. Looking to rent a property there whilst visiting our son in Brisbane. thank you

    • BobinOz March 22, 2016, 6:41 pm |

      Hopefully a local will help you out here, if not you can get information about suburbs from my page called Which Suburb?

      • Jo March 22, 2016, 7:10 pm |

        Thank you! I would be grateful for any help with this!

  • Brandy July 1, 2014, 12:13 am |

    Hi Bob ~
    I am curious what it is actually like to live in Brisbane.
    We are looking to take a 1 year house sitting job in Thornelands.
    Thank you!

    • BobinOz July 1, 2014, 8:47 pm |

      The vast majority of this website is written from the viewpoint of someone (me) who does live in Brisbane, if you have a good read you’ll soon get the idea. If you want an answer in one word, beautiful!

  • Andrew C May 14, 2014, 9:28 pm |

    If people are thinking of moving to Brisbane…be wary of Wynnum! Too many Kiwis live here and keep the rest of us up all night with taking, chattering, TV on full bore, and above all, ghastly music. I’d rather listen to a pneumatic drill for 8 hours…..

    • BobinOz May 15, 2014, 4:06 pm |

      Sounds like you’ve been unlucky with your neighbours Andrew. 🙂

    • Midori January 27, 2015, 11:41 am |

      Which side of Wynnum? I’m actually looking at that suburb.
      Thanks.

  • Thomas W. September 2, 2011, 12:23 am |

    So Bob,

    Please let me know, your reasons to choose Brisbane!

    Many thanks,

    Thomas W.

    • BobinOz September 3, 2011, 4:02 pm |

      Hi Thomas

      For a full answer on that one, visit my page called Which City. I give a roundup of all Australia’s major cities including the reasons why I chose Brisbane.

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