Big commercial developments are attracted to the region. The number of supermarket and grocery stores have reached 271. There are also 256 cafes and restaurants at present. The Westfield Shopping complex, which opened in 2003, has more than 4,900 car parks and 80 specialty shops. It is also the location of both the only Costco and the second IKEA flagship store in Queensland.

Credit: Westfield AU/YouTube

The firms behind Fortitude Valley’s James Street and Southport’s Brickwork developments are also working on the Laguna North Lakes just opposite the Westfield. It is slated to become the retail and entertainment destination in the suburb. It is designed with an outdoor shopping precinct, alfresco restaurants, office spaces that are for lease, a lagoon style pool, aquatic facilities, and a hotel with 140 rooms.

Lifestyle destinations are booming in the suburb as well. The Fruit and Deli Co. will celebrate its second year at North Lakes Westfield in November.

The SkinKandy, a safe piercing shop for the whole family, has just opened this week at Westfield.

The Hairhouse Warehouse, run by professionals in cutting, styling and caring for all types of hair, opens on 28 October.

There are currently 5,914 families in North Lakes, more than half of them with children. Family-friendly events are held regularly and enjoy a healthy attendance among the community.

• Every first Thursday of the month, for instance, North Lakes Library welcomes kids, ages 9-12, to share and discuss books among themselves.
• Families are welcome to attend a free CPR class every last Monday of every month.
• Every Saturday in Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, children can learn traditional Chinese culture through workshops on lantern making, paper cutting, and Metaphysica collages.
• Adult members of the families are treated to live music performances every Sunday afternoons at the North Lakes Resort and Golf Club.
• On Monday and Friday mornings, with the exemption of public holidays, free specialist advice is given at Embrace Life’s Child Health Clinic.

All these are not surprising given the continued boom in the suburb. According to the recently released ABS Census, there are already 21,000 people in North Lakes at present. This is a 40 percent jump from the statistics back in 2011. The data also reflects a diverse background among North Lakes residents. The demographics indicate settlers from New Zealand, England, South Africa, India, and the Philippines. The most spoken language, aside from English, is Afrikaans, followed by Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, and Tagalog.

Among the northern suburbs of Brisbane, North Lakes seems truly one of the places to be.

The post North Lakes Continues to Bloom appeared first on North Lakes Today.