Newstead

Like its neighbouring suburbs of New Farm and Fortitude Valley, Newstead has undergone huge transformations over the last decade.

Once known for its light commercial activity in the Teneriffe precinct, Newstead has developed a trendy, café lifestyle with the sale and redesign of the old Woolsheds into up-market studio apartments and older homes in the area being renovated to their former glory.

One home in Newstead that has remained the same, and will never change, is Newstead House. Located at the mouth of Breakfast Creek on the Hamilton Reach of the Brisbane River, its beautiful gardens form the basis of Newstead Park and attract visitors from around Brisbane for social days and festivals.

In keeping with the demand for housing in the area, Newstead's community facilities have developed accordingly and now include cafes, restaurants, the new renovated Palace Cinemas and small retail complexes. Also close by is the Powerhouse Arts Complex in New Farm. The historic New Farm powerhouse was only recently converted into a community complex incorporating theatres and art spaces.

Newstead has excellent public transport facilities, including the CityCat ferry service at the end of Commercial Road and two other terminals in neighbouring New Farm. The ferry service, introduced by the Brisbane City Council in late 1996, has proved enormously beneficial for local residents.

Residents are close to other recreational areas including New Farm Park, which is a popular Sunday afternoon destination for many inner-city residents, and the Perry Park sports ground in Bowen Hills.