HIP HOOD
What’s hot in Stafford, Qld
JUST EIGHT KILOMETRES NORTH of Brisbane, sleepy suburban Stafford is undergoing a makeover. Combining past with present, it’s now emerging as a foodie and coffee haven as industrial roots are re-imagined and succulents, crafts and artisan cheeses fill warehouse spaces, drawing fans from near and far.
Originally known as Happy Valley, Stafford began life in fairly inglorious circumstances. A rural area in the 1800s, it was known for dairy farms, Chinese market gardens and agistment for livestock. Stafford’s proximity to Kedron Brook also meant it was well located for tanneries, wool scours and fellmongeries – places that washed and processed sheep skins. Unfortunately, those activities didn’t do much for the health of the water and, by 1896, concerns were raised about pollution of the brook.
As employment grew, people, churches and schools moved in and residents mingled with trades. Most heavy industry was eventually replaced by housing and a new shopping centre opened where Gibson’s Tannery, one of the original large employers, once stood.
Now Stafford is shirking its toxic past and a new-look suburb is flourishing. The network of parkland and bike paths along Kedron Brook is being embraced as a community and wildlife resource, while the abundance of gyms and yoga studios suggests the locals are an active lot with exercise a priority. It seems coffee is, too.
Patricia, co-founder of The Soul Pantry, loves the neighbourhood’s green areas as well as the larger spaces offered for businesses, including their own airy premises, which once housed taxis. “It’s fantastic now, but it took a solid 30 days to clean it,’ she recalls with a grin and perhaps a slight grimace. She also loves the area’s strong sense of community. “We get to know a lot of people through our workshops and on the first Friday each month we have locals’ night and stay open late for dinner and get-togethers,” she says.
It’s a sentiment echoed by Lachlan Hosking across the road at Q Roasters. “Community is really important to our business. Not just the communities that produce the beans but the one here as well. These people are our friends.”