My suburb is famous for things that aren’t even in it. But the reclaimed dump is a true asset

My suburb of Nudgee is perhaps best known for two things: the exclusive and imposing St Joseph’s Nudgee College (established 1891, more recently the alma mater of Jacob Elordi), and for its mudflat beach, popular with dog walkers and parasailers – a beautiful place to watch the sunset.

The only problems being: Nudgee College isn’t in Nudgee – it’s in Boondall – and Nudgee doesn’t have a beach, you’re thinking of the tiny suburb of Nudgee Beach, which is one suburb over (same postcode though).

Confused yet? The truth is, the good life in Nudgee requires a bit of border crossing. So lace up your runners and I’ll take you on my morning jog through Nudgee proper, as well as a bit of Banyo – two of the suburbs that make up the 4014 postcode.

While we get warmed up, I want you to know one thing: I absolutely love living in Nudgee. We moved to Nudgee from Banyo a few years ago, upsizing to a bigger place for our growing family. We have two nice little parks and a large sports facility practically on our doorstep (more on that later).

Our neighbours drop off their 10¢ containers for my kids to recycle and earn some pocket money, and when there is an abundance of fruit from someone’s tree, they generally leave it out with a sign for others to take their share.

The word “Nudgee” is Yuggera, meaning “place of ducks”, which explains the logo of the golf club. Bora rings found here in the late 19th century suggest it was a place where initiation rites were held. Later on, an orphanage opened, and vineyards and pineapple fields flourished.

These days it’s a quiet, welcoming residential suburb, albeit one that makes it easy for you to leave. I’m a two-minute drive from the M1, nine minutes from the airport and a seven-minute walk to Nudgee train station, which can have me into the city in about 28 minutes.

Another option is to hop on your bike, head up the bikeway to Nudgee Beach, and stop at Pam’s Cafe 88 for Vietnamese, or their famous fish and chips. Or pack your mozzie spray and go a bit further to the Boondall Wetlands, where there’s an environment centre with a bird migration simulator. It’s an easy ride, even for the kids.

Now we’re warmed up, let’s head down Childs Road, named after the grape-growing family of yesteryear. Keep the graveyard on your right, towards the home of the Banyo Devils rugby league club, conveniently located near the M1 service station. We turn right and jog past the Australian Catholic University (aka McAuley College).

Did you feel that? We just crossed the invisible boundary, and we’re now in Banyo.

Up Earnshaw Road we turn right at the school and head down into Banyo central – the heart of the action and where the best cafes and restaurants are. You have the ever-faithful Stellarossa cafe, a tasty Thai place, and Pakistani food (the goat biryani never fails to please) next to the large Woolworths.

As we get to one of Brisbane’s most notorious intersections, we trot past a brand-new restaurant called Rossco’s Cafe, Bar and Grill. I’ve yet to eat there, but my wife has been three times since it opened in December and tells me it has elevated that corner of Banyo from its former dilapidation.

I have to admit to a guilty pleasure. It can be perversely enjoyable to grab a coffee, sit outside Putia Pure Food Kitchen and wince as motorists forget how to give way at the Banyo train station intersection.

Others come to a confused halt after crossing the tracks from the Rossco’s side, leaving those immediately behind honking as they languish dangerously on the tracks.

Despite millions of dollars recently spent on accessibility upgrades to the station, the intersection remains unfixed. Maybe the politicians share my guilty pleasure.

It’s time to leave Banyo and head back, so we jog up Elliott Road past the All Inn Brewery, makers of the aptly named Good Beer, to what is arguably my suburb’s best asset: the Nudgee Recreation Reserve. Now featuring a pump track, play area, dog park, walking track and two full-sized soccer fields, the facility is contracted out to Football Queensland. But it was once the dump, and for a while the home of the famous – or infamous? – Banyo Bloods Australian rules football team (because where else would they play home games but Nudgee?).

Over the tracks and back up the steep hill towards home, I’m reminded of the time I spotted a person in a hazmat suit walking into a neighbour’s house.

I stopped for a longer look and realised it was actually a beekeepers’ suit, and our neighbour was out collecting from his bees. A few days later, a jar of Nudgee Honey turned up on our doorstep. Life in Nudgee indeed is sweet.

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