Location
Burpengary is located about 38 kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD within the Caboolture Shire. The suburb benefits from excellent access to the M1 Highway linking the area to Brisbane, the international and domestic airports and the Sunshine Coast. The city is also linked by rail to Brisbane and other important centres.

Burpengary is a key area within Caboolture- itself consistently one of the top ten fastest growing cities in Australia. On going population growth, and ambitious infrastructure planning suggest the area will remain a prominent growth area into the medium term.

Retail and recreation
Burpengary is well served for retail needs, housing Burpengary Plaza, anchored by Woolworths, a new Aldi Supermarket, and has new centre incorporating a Coles Supermarket and further specialty stores under construction. Burpengary also adjoins Morayfield, which is home to the LEDA 58,000m2 Morayfield Shopping Centre which accounts for nearly half the Shire’s total retail space. This centre is the Shire’s entertainment and leisure hub accommodating cinemas and restaurants, and is currently undergoing a $50 million expansion.

Burpengary and Caboolture also abound with public recreational spaces and facilities, including parks, sporting fields and pools. The Burpengary Sports Activities Centre is located in the heart of the suburb and offers facilities for football, cricket, netball, baseball and skating.

Employment and Industry
Burpengary is located between is also bordered by two of the Shire’s most significant employment generators, the Narangba Industrial Estate, home to a diverse range of major manufacturing and general industry enterprises, and the Caboolture Corporate Park which features more light industrial and commercial development. In total, it is estimated there are in excess of 3,700 businesses operating in the Shire, largely in the retail trade and construction industries. In 2005, the Council established a Corporate Plan 2005-2009 to further expand the economic base of the Shire. Eight specific projects have been instituted to capitalise on the locational, access and cost advantages of the area to foster logistics, tourism, aquaculture, marine and further rural and manufacturing industry development. The employment market in Caboolture continues to perform strongly with employment just above record lows. Job advertisements across the shire in January 2006 were 11% above the previous year’s result.

Education
There is a rich range of educational institutions in the Shire, including state and private facilities, from pre-school to University level. This includes 29 primary schools and 8 high schools, the Caboolture Campus of QUT and the Brisbane North Institute of TAFE. Burpengary offers both state and private schools.

Population and Population Growth
Over the five years to mid-2005, Caboolture has emerged as a growth hot spot of south-east Queensland. Over this time the Shire has enjoyed population growth of over 3% or over 3,500 residents per annum, outstripping the 2% growth rate achieved across greater Brisbane over the same time. Over the same time, Caboolture has become more popular as a growth centre within the Brisbane urban fringe. Since 2000, Caboolture has contributed about 17% of the population growth in this region, with growth over the year to 2005 a stronger 21%.

Population growth in the Shire has slowed over the last year though still remains 15% above the long term average. Based on population growth and changes to household formation it is estimated that there is demand for some 1,350 new homes across the Shire each year. The growth rate of Burpengary has exceeded the Shire’s performance, with an average of 3.1% and the last year recording 3.5%.

Burpengary is a major destination for much of this population growth, with nearly 950 residents or over one quarter of the Shire’s total growth occurring within the suburb. This translates into annual demand for some 340 homes.

New Housing activity
The Caboolture market has seen the market average 1,270 land sales per annum over the 5 years to September 2005, with the market recording an equivalent 1,300 new house approvals over the same time. The last four years have seen 324 homes approved on average in Burpengary per annum. In 2005, just under 200 homes were approved.

Burpengary House market
The median house price in Burpengary has increased by 17.6% per annum since 2001. Despite greater Brisbane suffering a softening over the last year, prices in Burpengary continue to rise, growing by 4.5% over the last year. This is almost twice the rate of price growth experienced in Caboolture (2.7%). The demands of strong population growth combined with a modest degree of new building activity, have seen the underlying land value in the area increase by an average 19.5% per annum over the last five years.

New homes for sale in Caboolture Shire reflect an average in the order of $355,000. New homes currently on the market range up to $440,000.

Rental Market
Indicative analysis suggests that with 32 homes for rent in Burpengary, from an assumed pool of jus over 1,000 dwellings, the market is currently reflecting a vacancy rate of about 3% Rental growth in Burpengary has been strong, increasing by an average of 10.5% since 2002. The median rent for Burpengary, applied to the median house price shows a yield of 4.3% per annum, a superior result compared with the Caboolture Shire average.

New houses for rent in Burpengary are particularly scarce. The limited stock available ranges between $320-$345 per week and suggests that not only does new housing enjoy a significant price premium, but commands a superior rental yield. Based on the median price of $355,000, new house rentals, based on the limited available stock suggest yields of 4.9% per annum.