Live in Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay’s real estate market is the second strongest in the country. Affordable living is still readily available thanks to various new developments, with the largest registration of new residential lots in South East Queensland.

Moreton Bay was named one of the top 10 places for property investment in Australia in 2021.

Median rental costs are $415 per week, significantly lower than the Australian average of $471. Medium house prices are $510,000, compared to $690,000 in Brisbane, and almost half of the Australian average and up to $1 million lower than some capital cities.

Caboolture, Morayfield and North Lakes have the highest turnover of properties, recording around 600 sales in the past 12 months.

Moreton Bay’s affordability and extensive availability of vacant land to build new homes has made it attractive to first-home buyers.

The education and training sector is already a major employer and contribution to the local economy, providing jobs for 18,000 workers.

The region has an extensive schooling system with:

• 49 state primary schools
• 13 state secondary schools
• 2 combined (primary & secondary) state schools
• 5 special schools
• 37 private schools

Moreton Bay is also home to five of the state’s best performing schools, named in the list of Queensland’s top 100 high schools:

• Samford Valley Stiener School
• St Paul’s School
• The Lakes College
• St Patrick’s College
• Grace Lutheran College

Moreton Bay is now home to Queensland’s news university, the USC Moreton Bay campus at Petrie.

The university has its first intake of students in February 2022. By 2030, the campus is expected to be completed, and will have some 10,000 students. 

TAFE colleges are located at Caboolture and Redcliffe, and there is a wealth of private schools across the region and a new education precinct next to the Westfield Northlakes Shopping Centre.

Accessibility is one of Moreton Bay Region’s greatest strengths.

Commuters, visitors, freight carriers and primary products all benefit from recent improvements to the Bruce highway and to rail links.

From 2014 – 2028, the Commonwealth has committed $10 billion to the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program. Key upgrades in the Moreton Bay Region include:

• Caboolture to Caloundra upgrade ($195 million)
• Pine River to Caloundra Road interchange ($663 million)
• Deception Bay Interchange Upgrade ($163 million)
• Managed Motorways – Gateway Motorway to Caboolture ($105 million)

The upgrades will deliver more reliable connectivity across SEQ while improving safety and reducing congestion and travel times.

With Caboolture West development progressing in 2021, a new access route is planned to remove the congestion from the Bruce Highway and the preferred route for stage one will run west of the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. If approved, the route would run Beerburrum - Moodlu – Moorina – Narangba – Kallangur.

Moreton Bay Region is serviced by the Sunshine Coast and Redcliffe lines of the Brisbane metro train network, creating easy access between the region and Brisbane CBD, the airport, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

• Beerburrum
• Elimbah
• Caboolture
• Morayfield
• Burpengary
• Narangba
• Dakabin
• Petrie
• Kippa-Ring
• Rothwell
• Mango Hill East
• Mango Hill
• Murrumba Downs
• Kallangur
• Lawnton
• Bray Park
• Strathpine

Caboolture also caters for long distance train travel with the Tilt Train connecting to Bundaberg and Rockhampton, and a connectivity to Central Queensland via Spirit of Queensland which takes travellers on a scenic journey to north Queensland, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, or the Spirit of the Outback to towns like Barcaldine and Longreach.

Strathpine, Morayfield and Dakabin train stations are undergoing upgrades as part of the Queensland Government’s $300 million station program to provide safety and accessibility. Works are also planned for Burpengary.

North Lakes is home to the region’s major shopping and commercial hub of the region, boasting an extensive retail precinct, as well as North Lakes Health Precinct and education precinct.

The major outlets located at North Lakes are:

• Westfield North Lakes Shopping Centre
• Costco
• Aldi
• Bunnings
• Ikea Superstore
• Officeworks

Looking towards the future, from 2023 the 1.7ha site at North Lakes - Laguna North Lakes located opposite Westfield - promises to become an up-market residential and lifestyle centre touted to become a drawcard for the whole southeast.

The $250 million mixed-use precinct will feature a lagoon-style pool, high-street shopping and dining scene, gym and wellness space, and TRYP hotel by Wyndham.

Morayfield Strathpine and Caboolture are also home to important retail precincts.

In the pipeline is the $150 million Caboolture Retail Precinct development in which Caboolture’s iconic Big Fish will be transformed into a retail and service hub.

Capstone master-planned community at Mango Hill is under development, already home to 6,000 residents, creating demand of the Capestone Shopping Centre.

Moreton Bay is serviced by two major public hospitals at Caboolture and Redcliffe, and there are also private hospitals at Redcliffe, Caboolture and Strathpine.

The increased demands on infrastructure by the growing population has highlighted the new for new and improved medical facilities.

Serving as a key regional hospital, Caboolture Hospital is undergoing a $395 million expansion, including a new 5-storey clinic as well as multi-storey car park with completion of the project expected in 2023.

Other projects to increase capacity of medical services include the $265 mllion on building three satellite hospitals in Petrie, Caboolture and Bribie Island.

Bribie Island will also be home to a new emergency care health clinic and day hospital.

Famous for diversity, there’s always something to see and do in Moreton Bay. Journey along the road less travelled to peaceful seaside towns and rural communities, each boasting a distinct, unique character.

Find places to soak up the sun at pristine beaches, cool off in hidden swimming holes, hike national parks, feast on fresh Moreton Bay seafood, discover your own secret fishing spot and savour the natural beautiful around every corner.

Moreton Bay is home to an abundance of quality parks perfect for the family, as well as tour operator and adventure activities, restaurants and cafes, cultural experiences, shopping and markets, and nightlife, to keep everyone entertainment.

The region is also famous for its thriving events calendar, boasting some of the biggest, most unique festivals in the country including the annual Woodford Folk Festival, Redcliffe KiteFest, Abbey Medieval Festival and Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival.

Find out more about things to see and do in Moreton Bay: