Darra, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Darra is a Brisbane
suburb
known for its high migrant population
. It is one of the older suburbs and lies about 14 kilometres southwest of Brisbane. The houses are mainly of the Queenslander style built in the 1940s and 1950s. The majority of blocks in Darra are large enough to be subdivided, which is becoming popular in the suburb, hence making room for more modern homes. In the last few years, a property developer bought a vast tract of vacant government
land. As a result, there are now many new homes and townhouse
s built in Darra, which has increased its population and its geographical boundaries.
Surrounding suburbs include Seventeen Mile Rocks, Oxley
,Sinnamon Park, Sumner, Richlands and Mt Ommaney. Darra is right next door to the Centenary suburbs and conveniently located near the Mount Ommaney shopping centre, with its many retail and commercial
facilities. The Centenary Freeway
and the Ipswich Motorway
provide convenient access to the Brisbane CBD.Darra also features a shopping centre in Monier Rd with Woolworths, a liquor store, hairdresser, chemist and post office.
provides access to regular Citytrain
services to Brisbane, Ipswich
and Rosewood
via Ipswich. Darra railway station is set to become the main line out to Springfield Lakes.
There are also buses that travel to surrounding suburbs such as Inala
and Mount Ommaney
park, which should provide an injection of capital
into the community
and further upgrade local infrastructure
and community facilities. The Brisbane City Council has been active in rejuvenating the streetscapes of the Darra suburb as well as neighbouring recreational and parkland facilities in Jindalee
and Sinnamon Park
.
, 3,698 people living in the area with a median age of 33. Of all occupied private dwellings, 62% were either fully owned or being purchased; 30% were being rented. In 2006, 21.4% spoke Vietnamese,4.1% spoke Arabic, 2.5% spoke Samoan and 51.8% spoke only English with various other minority groups speaking other languages.
.
REIQ research shows that the median house price in the suburb for the financial year 2005-06 was $310,000.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
known for its high migrant population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
. It is one of the older suburbs and lies about 14 kilometres southwest of Brisbane. The houses are mainly of the Queenslander style built in the 1940s and 1950s. The majority of blocks in Darra are large enough to be subdivided, which is becoming popular in the suburb, hence making room for more modern homes. In the last few years, a property developer bought a vast tract of vacant government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
land. As a result, there are now many new homes and townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
s built in Darra, which has increased its population and its geographical boundaries.
Location
The suburb is conveniently located on the Ipswich train line which provides an incentive for people to settle there, as travel to Brisbane is relatively fast and easy. The suburb is yet to reach its full potential.Surrounding suburbs include Seventeen Mile Rocks, Oxley
Oxley, Queensland
Oxley is a south-western suburb of Brisbane located approximately 11 km from the Brisbane CBD. It was named after the early Australian explorer John Oxley. The suburb supports a mix of residential, retail and industrial land use....
,Sinnamon Park, Sumner, Richlands and Mt Ommaney. Darra is right next door to the Centenary suburbs and conveniently located near the Mount Ommaney shopping centre, with its many retail and commercial
Commercial property
The term commercial property refers to buildings or land intended to generate a profit, either from capital gain or rental income.-Definition:...
facilities. The Centenary Freeway
Centenary Freeway, Brisbane
The M5 is a motorway in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Australia.It starts as a two-lane arterial road at Yamanto, travelling to Springfield, where it becomes a two-lane highway and travels across the M2 Logan Motorway at Ellen Grove and ends at Kenmore where it changes its name to the M5...
and the Ipswich Motorway
Ipswich Motorway
The M7 runs from the junction of Ipswich Road and Granard Road to the M2 Logan Motorway interchange. It is then signed M2 until the junction of the Warrego Highway and the Cunningham Highway between Brisbane and Ipswich in South East Queensland, Australia.It initially passes through the suburbs of...
provide convenient access to the Brisbane CBD.Darra also features a shopping centre in Monier Rd with Woolworths, a liquor store, hairdresser, chemist and post office.
Transport
Darra railway stationDarra railway station, Brisbane
Darra is a railway station in the suburb of Darra on the Ipswich and Springfield lines.-Construction of the Springfield line:The station is the junction where the Springfield Line outlined under the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program joins the Ipswich line...
provides access to regular Citytrain
CityTrain
Citytrain is the brand name of urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. Its network, centering in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is approximately in route length...
services to Brisbane, Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
and Rosewood
Rosewood, Queensland
Rosewood is a small town in the Bremer Valley, Queensland, Australia. It is located 60 km west of the Brisbane CBD in the Ipswich City Council area and is the terminus of QR Citytrain's Rosewood railway line. Rosewood Railway Station provides Citytrain commuter rail services to Ipswich and...
via Ipswich. Darra railway station is set to become the main line out to Springfield Lakes.
There are also buses that travel to surrounding suburbs such as Inala
Inala
Inala can refer to:* Inala, Queensland, a place in Brisbane, Australia* Electoral district of Inala, Queensland, Australia* Inala, a 1985 album by the South African chorus Ladysmith Black Mambazo...
and Mount Ommaney
Attractions
Darra has many Vietnamese restaurants and grocery stores. Opposite the railway station in Railway parade there are three Vietnamese grocery stores, and a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant named Cam Ranh, colloquially known to locals as the "Welcome welcome my friend" restaurant. This is due to the restaurant owner's greeting and speech style. Nearby there are three other Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants. Situated in Darra now are a new sporting club featuring many indoor sports, plus a new Fernwood gymnasium in Bellwood St. These are both conveniently located not far from Darra railway station. In Monier Rd there is also the Monier Rd Hotel, a modern establishment which provides dining, bar and pokies. Up the road from there is Gardenway, famous for its nicnacs, and also a popular place for people to have coffee and lunch with friends.Schools
Darra has two primary schools, one state and one Catholic private school ('Darra State School' and 'Our Lady of the Sacred Heart') . Both occupy blocks fronted by Darra Station Rd and Scotts rd, and both are conveniently located near the railway station. Because the suburb has two primary schools, it is becoming more popular with younger families moving to the area.Urban planning
Overall plans include the further redevelopment of the industrialIndustry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
park, which should provide an injection of capital
Capital (economics)
In economics, capital, capital goods, or real capital refers to already-produced durable goods used in production of goods or services. The capital goods are not significantly consumed, though they may depreciate in the production process...
into the community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
and further upgrade local infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
and community facilities. The Brisbane City Council has been active in rejuvenating the streetscapes of the Darra suburb as well as neighbouring recreational and parkland facilities in Jindalee
Jindalee, Queensland
Jindalee is an outer suburb of Brisbane, Australia located south-west of the Brisbane CBD, and is a part of the Centenary suburbs. It is bordered by the Brisbane River to the north. The Aboriginal meaning for Jindalee is "bare hills"...
and Sinnamon Park
Sinnamon Park, Queensland
Sinnamon Park is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 14 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. Sinnamon Park is named for the pioneering Sinnamon Family...
.
Census data
According to the 2001 CensusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 3,698 people living in the area with a median age of 33. Of all occupied private dwellings, 62% were either fully owned or being purchased; 30% were being rented. In 2006, 21.4% spoke Vietnamese,4.1% spoke Arabic, 2.5% spoke Samoan and 51.8% spoke only English with various other minority groups speaking other languages.
.
REIQ research shows that the median house price in the suburb for the financial year 2005-06 was $310,000.