A missing walking and cycling connection between Griffin and Mango Hill is moving closer to reality, with a new bridge planned across Freshwater Creek between Aspire Parade and Brushwood Court.
The crossing would join two neighbouring residential areas currently separated by the creek corridor. There is no direct formal pedestrian or cycle crossing at the proposed location, forcing people using the existing street and path network to take a more indirect route between the two sides.
For Griffin residents, the link would also provide a more direct route towards Mango Hill railway station, public transport and the Moreton Bay Rail Cycleway.
A New Way Across Freshwater Creek
Artist’s render of Freshwater Creek Bridge, from Aspire Pde looking north. Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay
The bridge will extend from the Aspire Parade side of Freshwater Creek in Griffin towards Brushwood Court in Mango Hill.
Council describes it as a “much-needed active transport link” and says it will create a strategic walking and cycling connection between the two communities.
The project is for pedestrians and cyclists rather than vehicles. Once on the Mango Hill side, users will be able to connect with the existing path and street network towards the railway station and rail cycleway.
Council has not published journey-time or distance savings, but the practical change is clear: the project would provide a formal crossing where the creek currently breaks the local walking and cycling network.
Construction Still Planned for 2027
Site investigations were scheduled to begin from 27 July 2026, including drilling, soil testing and surveys to establish ground conditions for the bridge design.
Council’s current project information does not confirm that those investigations have been completed. It continues to list construction as starting in early 2027, with earlier material pointing to completion during the 2027–28 financial year.
The project has progressed beyond its earlier design phase. City of Moreton Bay’s 2026–27 Budget identifies construction of the new active-travel connection between Aspire Parade and Brushwood Court, with Queensland Government support through the Cycling Network Local Government Grants program.
Council has not published a total construction cost, final bridge dimensions, a contractor appointment or a more precise opening date.
Creek Corridor Shapes the Design
Freshwater Creek runs through a vegetated corridor between Griffin and Mango Hill, making the setting more complicated than an ordinary suburban pathway project.
Council says the alignment has been designed to minimise impacts on existing Melaleuca and Eucalypt trees. Some vegetation may still need to be removed, although a confirmed number of trees has not been published.
Environmental approval conditions will also apply to construction, with measures required to manage potential disturbance from the works.
For Griffin, the result will be a relatively small piece of infrastructure filling a conspicuous gap in the local network. Aspire Parade and Brushwood Court sit on opposite sides of Freshwater Creek; the planned bridge will finally give walkers and cyclists a direct way between them.
Work on the $290 million Bruce Highway upgrade at Murrumba Downs has moved into a more visible phase, with new ramps taking shape between Dohles Rocks Road and the Anzac Avenue interchange and a key local road connection now closed.
Access to Goodrich Road East directly from Dohles Rocks Road has closed as construction progresses on the new southbound highway exit. Drivers can instead reach Goodrich Road East via Silvereye Drive.
It is one of the biggest changes so far in a project that will alter how traffic enters and leaves the Bruce Highway between Murrumba Downs and the interchange serving North Lakes and Mango Hill.
New Ramps Between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue
Stage 1 centres on two extended north-facing ramps at Dohles Rocks Road.
The new northbound entry will take traffic from Dohles Rocks Road onto the Bruce Highway, continuing towards the Anzac Avenue exit as an auxiliary lane.
Heading south, another auxiliary lane will extend from the Anzac Avenue entry ramp to a new Bruce Highway exit at Dohles Rocks Road.
That means additional road capacity between the two interchanges, rather than the new infrastructure ending immediately after vehicles join or leave the highway.
Ramp-metering signals will also be installed on the northbound entry to manage the flow of vehicles joining the Bruce Highway.
Dohles Rocks Road Is Being Reworked
Changes are happening off the highway as well.
The existing signalised intersection on Dohles Rocks Road is being upgraded to accommodate traffic using the new northbound ramp. A separate signalised intersection will cater for the new southbound exit.
The closure of the former Goodrich Road East access makes room for that southbound ramp, while new and upgraded noise barriers also form part of the works.
Main construction began in April 2025 after early works started the previous year. The Australian Government is contributing $232 million towards the $290 million project, with the Queensland Government providing $58 million.
Bigger Changes Planned Around the Bruce Highway
The Murrumba Downs works are also part of a much larger rethink of the Bruce Highway and Gateway Motorway corridor through Brisbane’s northern fringe and southern Moreton Bay.
Immediately south of Dohles Rocks Road, detailed design is now underway on a separate project that would build collector-distributor roads on both sides of the Bruce Highway between Dohles Rocks Road and the Gateway Motorway and Gympie Arterial Road.
That proposal includes two new bridges across the Pine River, a shared active transport connection and a fauna underpass. Construction funding for that stage has not yet been committed.
Future stages between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue are also proposed. These include collector-distributor roads, changes to the Anzac Avenue interchange and a shared pedestrian and bicycle path along the eastern side of the highway.
Those later works remain subject to further approvals and funding.
For now, the most immediate changes are happening at Dohles Rocks Road, where the new ramps and intersections are steadily changing a familiar part of the Bruce Highway for motorists travelling between Murrumba Downs, Griffin and the North Lakes area.
Griffin and Murrumba Downs share a postcode and the same fast-growing corner of Moreton Bay, but the latest property figures show buyers are paying noticeably different prices depending on both the suburb and the type of home.
Murrumba Downs recorded a three-month house median of $1.165 million for settled sales to 28 August, putting it $174,000 ahead of Griffin at $991,000. Yet the comparison reverses for units, where Griffin’s $810,000 median was higher than Murrumba Downs’ $772,000.
Those differences have emerged in an area transformed by housing and population growth. Griffin’s population climbed from 6,839 in 2016 to 12,295 in 2021 — almost 80 per cent in five years — while Murrumba Downs gained a station with the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line in 2016. The Bruce Highway corridor through the two suburbs is now undergoing another major upgrade.
At a Glance
Latest three-month residential property snapshot
Market Measure
Griffin
Murrumba Downs
House Median
$991,000
$1.165m
vs 12-Month Median
−0.6%
+2.9%
Unit Median
$810,000
$772,000
vs 12-Month Median
+3.2%
−0.2%
Residential Transactions
56
51
Three-month figures cover settled residential transactions to 28 August 2026. Percentage movements compare the three-month median with the corresponding 12-month median.
The Premium Extends Beyond the Median
Murrumba Downs’ stronger house result also shows up at the top of the market. Its two biggest recorded sales for the period were 20 Tavistock Crescent at $1.86 million and 7 Hawkhurst Court at $1,850,222, while every property in its Top 10 reached at least $1.3 million.
Griffin topped out at $1.35 million for 13 Sepia Place, followed by 8 Bronze Court at $1.31 million and 10 River Breeze Drive at $1.3 million.
Over the latest three months, Murrumba Downs’ house median was about 2.9 per cent above its 12-month figure of $1.132 million. Griffin’s $991,000 median was about 0.6 per cent below its longer-term figure of $997,000.
Murrumba Downs Property Snapshot
House Median
$1.165m
3 months • +2.9% vs 12-month median
House Sales
33
Total transactions • 3 months
Unit Median
$772,000
3 months • −0.2% vs 12-month median
Unit Sales
18
Total transactions • 3 months
Griffin Units Turn the Comparison Around
Griffin’s unit result is notable in a suburb dominated by houses and townhouses. At the 2021 Census, 72.2 per cent of occupied dwellings were separate houses and another 26.7 per cent were semi-detached homes, terraces, row houses or townhouses. Flats and apartments accounted for just 0.9 per cent.
Against that housing mix, the $810,000 three-month unit median was 3.2 per cent above Griffin’s 12-month figure of $785,000. Murrumba Downs’ $772,000 unit median was almost unchanged from its longer-term $773,500 figure.
The samples are smaller than for houses, particularly in Griffin, so the short-term movement warrants some caution.
Griffin Property Snapshot
House Median
$991,000
3 months • −0.6% vs 12-month median
House Sales
47
Total transactions • 3 months
Unit Median
$810,000
3 months • +3.2% vs 12-month median
Unit Sales
9
Total transactions • 3 months
Four-Bedroom Homes Still Rule
The sales mix reinforces just how strongly this part of Moreton Bay is geared towards family housing. Of the 44 Griffin house transactions with usable bedroom information, 37 were four-bedroom properties; Murrumba Downs recorded 20 four-bedroom sales, seven five-bedroom sales and one six-bedroom sale.
That pattern is not confined to the latest quarter. At the 2021 Census, 57.6 per cent of occupied dwellings across the combined Murrumba Downs-Griffin area had four or more bedrooms, compared with 38.8 per cent across Queensland.
Monthly Medians Have Been Bumpy
The three-month medians smooth over considerable movement underneath. Griffin’s monthly house median reached $1.073 million in June, before coming back to $983,500 in July and $945,000 in August, while Murrumba Downs went from $1.275 million in June to $1.065 million in July and $1.082 million in August.
Those movements should not be read as houses gaining or losing those amounts from month to month. The properties settling each month change, and some monthly medians are drawn from relatively small samples, making the transaction volumes shown alongside the price series important context.
Monthly Median Price Trends
Monthly median sale prices are shown alongside the number of transactions included in each monthly median.
Griffin — Houses
Monthly median sale price and qualifying transactions
Median price
Transactions
Griffin — Units
Monthly median sale price and qualifying transactions
Median price
Transactions
Murrumba Downs — Houses
Monthly median sale price and qualifying transactions
Median price
Transactions
Murrumba Downs — Units
Monthly median sale price and qualifying transactions
Median price
Transactions
Monthly medians can fluctuate where transaction volumes are low. Griffin’s house series begins in October 2025 because no qualifying September 2025 monthly median is plotted in the analysed dataset.
Similar Turnover, Different Mix
There was little separating the suburbs on overall activity, with 56 residential transactions in Griffin and 51 in Murrumba Downs during the three-month period. The composition was quite different: Griffin recorded 47 house and nine unit transactions, against 33 houses and 18 units in Murrumba Downs.
Growth Has Changed Both Suburbs
The combined Murrumba Downs-Griffin area grew from 17,520 residents in 2016 to 23,089 in 2021, an increase of almost 32 per cent in five years. That expansion has occurred alongside major changes to the transport network, including the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line in 2016.
Another change is already under way. Stage 1 of the Bruce Highway upgrade between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue runs through Griffin and Murrumba Downs, with main construction beginning in April 2025. The project includes extended north-facing ramps, with improved capacity, traffic flow and road access among its intended benefits.
Infrastructure and population growth cannot explain the movement of a three-month property median on their own, but they provide useful context for a part of Moreton Bay that has changed substantially over the past decade.
Same Postcode, Different Property Markets
The latest figures leave Murrumba Downs with a clear premium for houses and a stronger showing among high-value sales, while Griffin recorded slightly more transactions and the higher unit median.
For owners and buyers, the distinction matters: in 4503, the type of property changing hands can be just as important as which side of the suburb boundary it sits on.
Published 31-August-2026. Disclaimer: This article provides general property market information only and should not be considered financial, investment or property advice. Market figures are based on transaction data available for the periods stated and may be affected by the number and mix of properties sold. Readers should conduct their own research and seek appropriate professional advice before making property decisions.
Communities surrounding North Lakes are among those set to benefit from a series of upgrades at Unitywater’s Murrumba Downs Wastewater Treatment Plant, as the utility expands infrastructure to support growth across Moreton Bay.
The treatment plant services approximately 187,000 homes and businesses in Dakabin, Griffin, Kallangur, Mango Hill and Murrumba Downs, as well as Bray Park, Joyner, Lawnton and Strathpine. It processes around 25 megalitres of wastewater each day—the equivalent of about 5.5 million toilet flushes.
The upgrades are part of Unitywater’s $500 million renewals and replacements program, which is aimed at strengthening water and wastewater infrastructure throughout its service region.
Unitywater Executive Manager Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions Mike Basterfield said the works included a range of improvements designed to support the plant’s ongoing operation.
The project involves refurbishing the plant’s bioreactor, replacing aeration diffusers that supply oxygen to microorganisms used in the treatment process, upgrading a cloth media filter tank and constructing a new aeration tank to improve biological treatment.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Upstream of the treatment plant, crews have also installed a 16-metre-high barometric loop—a distinctive U-shaped structure that uses gravity and atmospheric pressure to maintain efficient wastewater flow.
According to Unitywater, the new structure will increase pumping efficiency while helping reduce odour and the risk of blockages in the wastewater network.
Mr Basterfield said the crane lift also drew the attention of children from nearby Green Leaves Early Learning Centre, who later visited the site dressed in miniature high-visibility safety vests.
The barometric loop was installed by Dormway earlier this year, while Downer is delivering the remaining works. The full program is expected to be completed by November 2026.
A private investor has paid $7.7 million for the Goodstart Early Learning centre, in a deal that drew more than 135 enquiries and reflects strong investor demand for childcare property in Brisbane’s northern growth corridor.
The sale was brokered by Stonebridge Property Group and completed via an on-market campaign in June 2026 after initially launching as part of a National Portfolio Auction campaign in March. The transaction settled at a yield of 5.30 per cent, which agents described as a benchmark result for the childcare asset class in the current market.
For families in Griffin, the sale changes nothing about the centre’s day-to-day operations. Goodstart Early Learning continues as tenant under a 15-year net lease running to 2035, with options extending to 2055 and CPI-linked annual rent increases built in throughout.
A centre designed for a suburb that needed it
The Griffin Goodstart centre was purpose-built in 2021 specifically to address an undersupply of childcare places in the suburb. At the time it was developed, Griffin had approximately 3.3 children aged between zero and five for every available childcare place, a ratio that signals significant unmet demand.
Photo Credit: Stonebridge
The 110-place facility sits on a 2,405 square metre landholding with 27 car parks and nearly 79 metres of dual street frontage. Its position directly opposite Griffin State Primary School was a deliberate development decision, creating a natural pathway for families moving between early learning and primary education on the same street.
Photo Credit: Stonebridge
Griffin State Primary School recently completed a $22 million extension bringing its capacity to 1,159 students, a figure that underscores how rapidly the suburb has grown since the Goodstart centre was built.
Griffin’s growth story is not slowing down
Griffin sits roughly 23 kilometres north of Brisbane’s CBD and has been one of the faster-growing suburbs in the Moreton Bay region for the past decade.
Population forecasts put growth in the immediate area at more than 61 per cent between now and 2046, a trajectory that makes infrastructure assets with long lease terms particularly attractive to investors looking for passive income in a growing catchment.
The suburb currently has a new Woolworths-anchored retail centre under construction approximately 450 metres from the Goodstart site, and is within 1.2 kilometres of Westfield North Lakes.
What Goodstart is, beyond a property investment
Goodstart Early Learning is Australia’s largest not-for-profit early learning provider, operating more than 677 centres nationwide and supporting around 64,000 children each year.
In the 2025 financial year, Goodstart delivered a solid surplus of $28.9 million, which it reinvested into quality improvements, safety upgrades and centre network expansion rather than distributing as profit.
The Griffin centre’s structure as a net lease means Goodstart pays rates, insurance, general repairs and maintenance, and land tax, keeping the investment fully passive for the new owner.
For enrolment enquiries at the Griffin centre, contact Goodstart here or on 1800 222 543.
A purpose-built Goodstart Early Learning centre on Wesley Road, Griffin is heading to auction later this month, listed as part of a national commercial property portfolio campaign.
The 110-place centre at 60 Wesley Road, Griffin, has been listed by commercial real estate firm Stonebridge Property Group as part of its March National Portfolio, with the auction scheduled for Wednesday, 25 March at 11am (AEDT).
Goodstart Early Learning will continue operating the centre under its existing lease arrangements. The not-for-profit childcare operator holds a 15-year net lease running through to 2035, with further options that could see it remain in place until 2055, according to the listing.
Photo credit: Stonebridge
The listing highlights a combination of factors that have been reshaping Griffin over recent years.
The suburb’s population is forecast to increase by more than 60 per cent by 2046, making it one of Brisbane’s fastest-growing residential catchments. That growth is visible on the ground — Griffin State Primary School, which sits directly opposite the Wesley Road childcare centre, underwent a $22 million expansion in 2020 and now enrols more than 1,159 students. A new Woolworths-anchored shopping centre is also under construction in close proximity to the centre.
Against that backdrop, the childcare numbers are telling. Griffin currently has a demand ratio of approximately 3.3 children aged zero to five for every available childcare place, according to data cited in the Stonebridge listing. That means for every available childcare place in the suburb, there are more than three children aged zero to five in the catchment — a ratio that points to significant unmet demand.
Photo credit: Stonebridge
Stonebridge Partner Tom Moreland described the listing as a rare opportunity, saying it is “extremely rare for a newly built Goodstart childcare freehold to hit the public market.” He noted that Goodstart had identified Griffin as an under-supplied metropolitan growth catchment and selected a site directly opposite the primary school.
His colleague Thomas Proberts pointed to the broader investment picture, noting that recent sales of metro childcare centres had demonstrated sustained demand for well-located assets in South East Queensland’s growth corridors. “South East Queensland in particular continues to benefit from strong population growth,” Proberts said, singling out Griffin’s projected 60 per cent expansion over the next two decades as a key drawcard.
The auction is being managed by Stonebridge’s Tom Moreland, Michael Collins, Thomas Proberts and James Freemantle, and forms part of the firm’s wider March National Portfolio campaign.
For the local community, the transaction raises a question that goes beyond property investment: as Griffin continues to grow, will childcare supply keep pace with demand? The centre at Wesley Road was completed in 2021, purpose-built for a suburb already experiencing rapid population growth. With population forecasts pointing sharply upward, and a demand ratio that already leans heavily against families seeking a place, it is a question worth asking.
Thanks to government allocation to build new schools in Queensland, the wish of parents to have a new school or campus in the North Lakes area could become a reality soon.
The state government is investing $200 million for the Advancing Queensland State Schools program, which is intended to fast-track state school infrastructure projects. The investment includes a $45-million fund to acquire new school sites in the state.
Chris Whiting, MP for Murrumba, is pushing to get funding for a new high school site in the North Lakes area. Whiting said that since he was elected, parents in the area have been urging him to push for a new local high school or campus. He believes that the Advancing Queensland Schools fund is an excellent opportunity for the booming region to finally get its wish.
Parents from North Lakes, Mango Hill and Griffin have been asking the Department of Education and Training to give locals another option for their kids.
The residents’ demand found support in an independent proposal by Building Queensland in December 2016 indicating a need for a secondary school in North Brisbane. The Building Queensland report states that the current schools in the North Lakes area may not be able to handle future enrolment demand.
The region has seen strong growth over the years and the population has grown significantly. Parents believe that the educational infrastructure needed to meet the region’s growth must be built the soonest time possible.
