Fig Tree Pocket: The Brisbane suburb so beautiful, locals happily go without a shopping strip

Throw around the catch-all word lifestyle and images of hip cafes, bars and restaurants spring to mind alongside the more practical amenities like supermarkets, health services and banks.

But there are plenty of reasons to love living in a suburb that doesn’t host these offerings.

Simon Kalinowski, chief executive of Mandalay Technologies, moved to Fig Tree Pocket four years ago and says while the nearest coffee is probably 3.5 kilometres from home, he couldn’t be happier.

Serenity in spades

“In city terms we’re quite removed from amenities but I actually prefer that,” he says. “It means that on weekends there’s no traffic and no crowds. I can take my son and my dog for a walk for a couple of hours and I may not see anyone for that entire time.”

With the river forming much of the suburb’s boundary, Fig Tree Pocket is eight kilometres south-west of the Brisbane CBD with the peak-period commute taking between 20 and 30 minutes.

Kalinowski grew up on a farm in Byron Bay and, after many years of living in inner-city Brisbane, he was hankering for more of a country lifestyle.

“I wanted a place that gave me a bit of space,” he says. “It still had to be close to the city but I wanted somewhere peaceful, close to schools with a warm community feel for my family.”

What Fig Tree Pocket lacks in the caffeine stakes it more than makes up for in its green spaces and river frontage.

Jack Dixon of Dixon Family Estate Agents says the suburb has a strong connection to the river, lots of public parkland, boat ramps, barbecue areas and playgrounds.

Family favourite

“The local community has great access to the Brisbane River and it’s a big lifestyle benefit of the area,” he says. “It’s got a semi-rural feel to it and it appeals to Brisbane families wanting a bit of room to move with block sizes of 1000 square metres-plus as well as acreages. You can have the pool, the large home, a backyard for the kids.”

Dixon says Fig Tree Pocket has a low turnover, with families often staying put for 10 to 20 years. The suburb offers plenty of level land and none of the character overlays you might find in the inner-city suburbs, which means you can build your dream contemporary home.

The local state school and Montessori School are also key drawcards.

Kalinowski says he sees plenty of value in the suburb with its unusually low density. “I can see in the longer term that the very fact that it’s locked off by the river gives it a uniqueness which is only going to grow.”

Top home in the area

Framed by mature river gums, this riverfront residence has soaring, nine-metres ceilings in the main living room as well as a feature fireplace and art deco chandelier.

The two-storey property also has a cellar, a media room, a customised office and a salt water pool.

John Fredericks of Dixon Family Estate Agents has the listing, for which he is quoting a $3.4 million-to-$3.7 million price guide.