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Ferry Rd is the latest apartment offering from Stockwell, who have a long history of successful developments in Brisbane’s West End.
Ferry Rd features large apartments with high quality fittings targeted at predominantly owner occupiers in the under $1,000,000 market. The project fills a gap in the market that currently exists between investor stock and super high end apartments, both of which are in plentiful supply at the moment in West End.
The building is located in no-through road which makes it quiet in terms of traffic. However, there will be a few hundred apartments built in the vicinity in the coming years, so you should expect ongoing construction activity for some time.
The facade of this building is quite interesting. The left and right sides of the building have a different design, which should look interesting from the street.
Ferry Rd Entrance Artists Impression
The front side of the building is where all of the three (3) bedroom apartments are located. These will have a view over the street to the other apartment buildings in the area.
The two (2) bedroom apartments are located on the rear of the building. These look towards the apartment buildings behind Ferry Rd.
The two (2) bedroom apartments at Ferry Rd are 88m² internally and have 19m² balconies. These are all priced between $580,000 and $630,000 which is more expansive than many 2 bedroom apartments available to buy in West End at the moment, but is reflective of the larger size of Ferry Rd 2 bedders and also the higher quality of finishes included.
The three (3) bedroom apartments range from 117m² internally to 128m² internally and have balconies that range from 27m² to 30m². The cheapest of these apartments is $795,000, whilst the most expensive is $975,000.
Ferry Rd has a rooftop deck that serves as an entertainment space and BBQ area for residents. There is also an outdoor cinema and swimming pool on this deck.
Ferry Rd Podium and Pool Artists Impression
Car parking at this development is provided by several levels of secure basement parking. All apartments come with at least one car park, whilst some of the larger three (3) bedroom units have two spaces.
All apartments have a separate laundry and pantry, both of which many buyers will value greatly. They also all have kitchen islands and linen cupboards. The master bedrooms come with walk-in wardrobes of various sizes as well, with many of them a decent size.
We quite like the overall floorplan designs. They are simple but will work in our view to create a good living area that is functional and quite expansive. The large balcony doors which open to integrate the indoor and outdoor space is a nice feature as well.
One feature we could not see is any privacy screening, which may be an issue given that you will have neighbouring apartments on all sides.
Location:
Ferry Rd is located at 50 Ferry Road in West End. Ferry Road is a quiet, no-through road that is close to Montague Road. It is 100m away from the Brisbane River. The building is bordered on all sides by apartment buildings that are approximately the same height as Ferry Rd.
Ferry Rd And Its Neighbours. Photo Taken 27/07/2016.
There is a development site directly across the street from Ferry Road is a planned development called Breeze which is yet to begin construction. This is a 12 level building of 110 apartments. Next door to Breeze is another building called Virtuoso which is due to begin construction soon. Although Ferry Rd is a quiet street, there will be a considerable amount of construction noise over the next few years.
Breeze Construction Site Across The Road. Photo Taken 27/07/2016.
These are being marketed as quiet owner-occupier apartments, which they are. However, they are located in the heart of one of Brisbane’s highest-density apartment precincts and buyers need to be aware of this. This is an already highly populated area that is predicted to grow faster than pretty much any other part of Brisbane.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though and will be appealing to many buyers. With the influx of new apartments to the area has come new retail. Within walking distance of the Ferry Rd buildings is an Aldi (5 minute walk) and ‘The Stores’ (3 minute walk) which is a new complex that has the London Fields Gastropub and The Source Bulk Food Store. There are also gyms and yoga studios within 5 minutes walk from this project.
Residents will also be very close to the many kilometres of riverside walkways and bike paths that West End has to offer.
West End is a small suburb in Brisbane’s Inner South. Over the past 12 months, the median apartment price in West End has softened by 2% to settle at $565,000. The median rent is $495 per week. West End has one of the fastest growing populations of any suburb in Brisbane. This is due to the construction of high density residential in the area, as well as the availability of transport and employment nearby. Over the five years between the 2006 Census and the 2011 Census, the population of West end increased by 30% to register a total of 8,068 residents.
Quality and Finishes:
As we mentioned above there are hundreds of apartments for sale in West End at the moment, so differentiating your project from your competitor can be challenge for many Developers. Ferry Rd had definitely pursued a strategy of providing apartments that are larger than standard and have a higher quality finish that average, without pushing into the luxury apartment category (of which you can find next door, and right on the river, at Virtuso).
Ferry Rd has good quality finishes that are a cut above the majority of new apartments in West End. The interior of these apartments would definitely be considered entry level luxury. There are several other apartment buildings on the market today that have nicer finishes (again we can use Virtuso as an example which is right next door), however the price point of these projects is much higher than Ferry Rd. So all in all we were impressed with the quality of the finishes given the asking price for the apartments.
Kitchen As Seen At The Display. Photo Taken Onsite 27/06/2016.
As with most new developments, there is a choice between light and dark colour schemes at Ferry Rd. Property Mash did not see finishes boards at the display, but one half of the display is in the light scheme and the other half is dark. This project has quite a good sales display which really gives a feel for how these apartments will look and feel when they are complete and we strongly recommend going in for a visit.
Dark engineered timber floors at the display suite. Photo taken 27/07/2016.
The most noticeable feature of these apartments is the timber flooring. Particularly in the display suite, the dark colour scheme has nice dark timber which really looks quite striking. These are not solid timber floors however, they are engineered timber floors which are more affordable, but all the same it is a good look. The dark coloured timber flooring is uncommon in the Brisbane market, with most Developers electing to go with a bamboo or light colour wood finish. The dark colour definitely provides a more luxurious feel.
The kitchen bench top and splash back is a hard-wearing stone that has a marble-like pattern to it, but is not marble. Like the timber floors, this looks great and continues the luxury feel the Developer is going for. Having the same finish on the benchtop and the splash back is another nice element.
The kitchen appliances are Smeg. There is a 5 burner gas cooktop and rangehood. The three (3) bedroom apartments have fully integrated dishwashers, but the two bedroom units do not. Ferry Rd apartments also come with Smeg ovens. The kitchen cabinetry has a matte finish.
Bathroom vanity. Photo taken 27/07/2016.
The bathroom vanity has the same stone bench as the kitchen and has floor to ceiling Eurpoean wall tiles. There are large floor tiles in the bathroom. The showers come with two shower heads which is a great addition. One is wall-mounted and the other is over-head.
Double shower head. Photo taken onsite 27/07/2016.
Other features in Ferry Rd apartments include ducted air conditioning throughout and 2.7m high ceilings, which is above average ceiling heights. with the extra ceiling height and above average size, the apartments should feel quiet spacious.
It is important to talk briefly about the Kurilpa Riverfront Renewal that is currently underway. This precinct is just over 1.5km to the north of Ferry Rd, towards the CBD. It is a large renewal project that covers a total area of 25ha. This plan is quite complex and covers a lot of details. It will completely regenerate that area, effectively extending Brisbane’s CBD across the river. It is envisioned that Kurilpa will be home to a new cultural facility, a new City Cat terminal, more public transport, high density developments, new commercial space and more riverfront parkland. Residents of Ferry Rd will be able to enjoy the extra amenity that this precinct brings to the area.
West End is seamlessly linked to the CBD by the Go Between, Goodwill, Victoria and Kurilpa bridges. The Eleanor Schonell Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge connects the suburb to the University of Queensland from Dutton Park, and the Goodwill Bridge allows pedestrian access to QUT from South Brisbane.
Public Transport is readily available. There are two train stations at South Brisbane and
South Bank that allow direct access to the CBD, Roma Street Transit Centre and beyond. There is a City Cat stop just 500m from Ferry Rd that provides regular services along the Brisbane River – to the CBD and UQ. Bus stops are littered throughout the region at regular intervals. There is also the major bus interchange at South Bank Cultural Centre that serves as an integral hub within the Brisbane Bus Network and provides access to wider Brisbane.
These apartments are predominantly targeted at owner occupiers, however rental appraisals are available from the sales agents upon request. Full body corporate rates are also available on request.
West End is currently seeing an unprecedented level of development, particularly in the area near this development. There are several new apartment buildings on every street. Buildings that are similar to Ferry Rd include Breeze and Soko.
The developer for this project is Stockwell. They are a large private property developer with a 60 year history. Other projects that they are currently working on include Virtuoso, Muse and Habitat – all of which are in West End.
The display suite is located onsite at 50 Ferry Road, West End. The sales agents are Bob Lidster and Natalie Poteri. The office is open from 10am until 4pm daily.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this project.
Have you visited this project recently, or perhaps you live nearby or bought in a neighbouring building? Tell us what you love about this project, or perhaps what you don't.