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February 23, 2026 — 6:00am
Our Life in the ’burbs series highlights the good, bad and beautiful of Brisbane suburbs. Writers from across the city are penning love letters (mostly) to their suburbs every week.
A new school year beckoned, and we were running out of time – where would we settle, put down our roots? With spiralling house prices and school catchment complications, it felt like a big decision. We had it narrowed down to two suburbs, Moorooka and Apollonia (not the suburb’s real name). We took a drive through each.
My wife asked the universe for a sign. Superstitious? Perhaps. But as we cruised slowly down that Apollonian street, a furious man came stalking out of a house and began smashing a parked car with a crowbar, as if playing a demented game of whack-a-mole.
I can’t tell you why he was so angry with the vehicle. We didn’t hang around to find out. I floored it. Once we were out of there, my wife turned to me and said: “You know, I’ve always loved Moorooka.”
Nestled in the foothills of Toohey Forest Park, with its tranquil bushland and nature walks, Moorooka has proved a comfortable, unpretentious, and welcoming home. Well, maybe a bit pretentious – there’s Poet’s Pocket, a street grouping named after English romantic poets like Keats and Chaucer, presumably in an attempt to add high-culture overtones to a then working-class neighbourhood.
But there was no need to impose culture. Moorooka’s community life has taken care of itself, evolving into a vibrant, multicultural hub. In addition to the beloved African restaurants, there’s Thai, Chinese and Mediterranean cuisine, plus an Acai cafe that’s open until midnight.
Community spirit flared with a vengeance when one of the suburb’s institutions, the Moorooka Bowls Club, closed and could have fallen into disrepair. This was the green that played host to Queen Elizabeth during the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Today, the rebranded Clubhouse Moorooka is staffed by volunteers and, best of all (for my generation), features vintage arcade games and pinball machines.
The Clubhouse forms part of a long continuum of green space leading up to Pegg’s Park. For four years the park has played host to Brisbane Festival’s Moorooka Block Party, a celebration of culture, music and community. This free event features live music and showcases First Nations and globally influenced artists, along with food stalls and a craft market. It’s a must on my annual calendar.
Just up the road, a roundabout sports a large “Moorooka” sign. Locals do an awesome job decorating and augmenting it for seasonal occasions such as Easter and Halloween, the letters turned into Easter eggs or Dracula fangs. When we drove past it to show my visiting mother-in-law, some wag had attached an appendage to two of the “O”s. She saw the funny side.
Moorooka is an unsung hero in the history of Australian rock ʼnʼ roll. In 1956 at the age of 10, pioneering rocker Billy Thorpe was discovered by a TV producer while playing guitar in his parents’ Moorooka convenience store.
The suburb also played a role in World War II, with many of the workers from a major munitions factory in nearby Salisbury housed in a Moorooka estate. Their cottages stand to this day. The grounds of a local school were also turned into military camps for the US army.
Today, industrial sites are increasingly being converted into eateries, cafes and microbreweries. I live near the Amber Triangle of the Ballistic, Hiker and Slipstream breweries. Meanwhile, in an industrial estate just off Ipswich Road, I get my morning brews and coffee supplies from Renegade Roasters. Secret Minions are hidden around the shop, and the kids have a great time finding, then re-hiding, as many of the little toys as possible.
Renegade is right in the heart of Moorooka’s most famous feature, the Magic Mile, a stretch of Ipswich Road devoted to vehicle sales and mechanics. For more than 50 years, the Mile has been the best place to access Australia’s major dealerships and second-hand sellers.
All of this is up for grabs. The Brisbane City Council has a new neighbourhood plan that aims to harness the large tracts used by car yards and industry. High-density living and eight-storey residential buildings might bring major upgrades and a revolution in transport and infrastructure, with the suburb poised to become a major Brisbane hub.
Transformation will bring with it new opportunities and facilities. The council seems committed to integrating with existing culture, not erasing it, and there are plenty of locals who will work to find the right balance. We do want a vibrant, modern lifestyle, but not at the cost of our connection to a rich and storied past.
In our first week in Moorooka, my wife and I pushed the pram up to the local shops for coffee and muffin at Botanicafe, soon to become one of our favourites. We immediately felt right at home. Three different strangers said hello, asked if we were new to the area, and bid us welcome. They admired our baby, and an older man called me “sport”. Everyone was up in our business, but in a good way – not a crowbar in sight.
