Real Estate Highgate Hill

Suburb History

Before the Europeans arrived, this area was used as a hunting ground for indigenous people from nearby areas and camps. Previously, the banks of the river was filled with vegetation including tall figs, scrub palms, vines, giant ferns and more and some of the remnants of this vegetation still exist in a number of gullies leading to the river. The suburb is thought to be named after one of the first European settlements and the name ‘Highgate Hill’ first appears on a real estate advertisement in 1864. A big number of land from land sales were gradually subdivided into residential blocks. However, there was a lack of water which seemed to be a significant obstacle and people had to collect water in rain water tanks and sometimes even had to retrieve water from the springs in the West End area. This was eventually overcome in 1889 with the completion of the Highgate Hill Service Reservoir which is still in use today.

Suburban growth in the area was stimulated by the extension of the electric tram up Gladstone Road in 1902. The suburb’s density continued to grow with redevelopments and the building of flats during the interwar years. The developments continued after the Second World War with the historic building of Brisbane’s first apartment building in 1962, the 22 floor Torbeck which was located on Dornoch Terrace. Since then, there has been continued development within the area.

Family Friendly

While Highgate Hill is an area that is great for independent people and couples, it is also a great place for families to reside in. For one, there are many great schools both within and around the area. Some of these include Saint Ita’s Primary School, Dutton Park State School, Saint Laurence’s College, Somerville House, St Joseph’s Parish School, Brisbane State High School, West End State School, and more. As well as primary and secondary schools, there are also a number of tertiary schools in close proximity to the suburb including the University of Queensland St Lucia campus, the Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point campus, Brisbane Tafe, and the Griffith University Queensland College of Art.

As well as schools, there are a number of parks within the area. These include Brydon Street Park, Dauphin Terrace Park, Derby Street Park, Highgate Hill Park, and Lyons Playground Park. Some of these have facilities like an outdoor fitness and exercise station, picnic areas, shared pathways, barbeques, a basketball half court, playgrounds and more. The Lyons Playground Park also includes facilities for the Paradise Street community garden. The neighbouring suburb of South Brisbane is also an excellent place for family outings. South Brisbane houses facilities like South Bank which has playgrounds, public pools, cinemas, restaurants, and much more.

Getting to and from the area is an easy task with the number of main roads going through the area. There are also quite a few public transport options. Many buses frequent the area as well as being in close proximity to the South Bank railway station and the West End ferry terminal which is serviced by the CityCat.

Prime Real Estate

Highgate Hill is the perfect area for all types of people with its variety of prime real estate options. Highgate Hill has a mix of both old and new real estate which gives the suburb some character and personality. There are a bunch of tall, modern apartment buildings as well as some quaint, heritage listed houses. Highgate Hill marries the old and new. As well as this, Highgate Hill is made up of undulating hills that are no more than 70 metres above sea level. The proximity to the Brisbane CBD as well as the views that the real estate in the suburb provides, are the major factors that draw residents to the area. This is represented by the number of visits per property the suburb gets. Highgate Hill receives approximately two times the amount of visits per property compared to the Queensland average. This is testament to just how popular and in demand the real estate market in Highgate Hill is.

Highgate Hill is a suburb that will suit anybody, with its modern apartment buildings and older heritage houses. There are many factors that attract buyers, sellers, and renters to the area. If this sounds like the perfect place for you, send the team here at Reval Estate Agents an email or give us a call.