Police data shows 401 vehicles were stolen in Inala, placing this suburb among the areas with the highest car theft totals in Queensland and drawing attention to the scale of vehicle-related offences affecting residents.
The figure comes from Queensland Police Service crime statistics referenced in statewide reporting, which examined trends in unlawful use of a motor vehicle across the state.
Police data showed 1,797 victims of unlawful use of a motor vehicle were recorded across Queensland in November 2025, making it one of the highest monthly totals since records began in 2001.
Across the first eleven months of 2025, there were 16,805 victims of vehicle theft statewide, according to publicly available Queensland Police statistics. The number was slightly lower than the same period in 2024 but had been trending upward since August.
Vehicle theft figures are recorded by the location where the offence occurs, meaning suburbs with larger populations or higher numbers of parked vehicles can record higher totals.
With a population of more than 15,000 residents, Inala is one of the larger suburbs on the statewide list of areas recording the most stolen vehicles.
Police have said they continue to target property offences such as vehicle theft through enforcement operations and prevention strategies aimed at reducing victim numbers.
Community groups supporting crime victims have also reported increasing numbers of people seeking assistance after having vehicles stolen, with some incidents involving threats or confrontations during the offence.
The transformation of the 5.6-hectare site follows a development application recently lodged for several properties located across Kraft Road, Laxton Road, and Trivior Street.
This project marks a shift from the area’s traditional large-lot identity toward a more suburban feel, mirroring the steady growth seen throughout Brisbane’s southern corridor. By merging five separate land parcels, the proposal creates a unified space for families looking to move into the district.
The plan focuses on providing a range of choices for future residents, ensuring the new community is accessible to different types of households. The majority of the site will consist of mid-sized lots, while a selection of smaller blocks and several larger pieces of land exceeding 450 square metres will also be available. This variety is intended to support a balanced mix of housing styles and garden spaces, allowing for a diverse streetscape once construction begins.
To stop urban sprawl from destroying Brisbane’s green spaces, planners are proposing to pack more housing into the existing footprints of Algester, Pallara, and Heathwood.
The proposed changes are currently open for community feedback until Friday, 20 March 2026. This review of low-medium density residential zones is a response to a massive housing shortage, with the city needing roughly 210,800 new homes over the next two decades. Local leaders want to hear if residents support these shifts or have concerns about how the updates might change the feel of their specific neighbourhoods.
Planners are looking to increase building heights from the current two-storey limit to three storeys in many residential pockets. In certain spots, particularly those within walking distance of major shopping centres or high-frequency bus and train lines, buildings could even reach four storeys.
This strategy aims to place more people near the services they use daily, potentially reducing the time residents spend sitting in traffic during their morning commutes.
Smaller Lots for Smaller Households
Along with taller buildings, the Council is suggesting a major change to how land is divided. Minimum lot sizes could drop from 260 square metres to just 120 square metres for properties located within 400 metres of public transport. This shift reflects a changing Brisbane where more than half of all households are now made up of single people or couples without children.
Currently, the city lacks enough one- and two-bedroom options to house these smaller groups, leading to a mismatch between the types of houses available and what people actually need.
These local changes are part of a much larger plan called the Sustainable Growth Strategy. Brisbane is attracting thousands of new residents from interstate and overseas every year, putting pressure on the rental market and house prices.
By allowing for more diverse housing types like townhouses and small-lot homes, the Council hopes to provide more affordable options for young buyers and older residents looking to downsize. This approach is intended to protect the city’s outer green spaces by focusing development in areas that already have the roads and pipes to handle more people.
The strategy also considers how the city handles major challenges like floods or future health crises. By creating well-designed, compact communities, the goal is to keep Brisbane a functional and vibrant place to live even as the population spikes. Residents are encouraged to view the highlighted maps of the affected precincts to see exactly where these height and size changes might occur before the consultation period ends later this month.
Route 131 from Parkinson recorded a 64 per cent increase in passengers in the first seven months after Brisbane’s mid-2025 bus network overhaul, following its merger with route P129.
The express service departs from Algester Road at Parkinson East and travels through Algester, Sunnybank Hills, Sunnybank, Nathan and Griffith University before terminating at Alice Street at George Street in Brisbane City.
The surge was part of a wave of growth recorded across Brisbane’s newly redesigned bus network.
Brisbane’s growing bus network
Photo credit: BCC
Route 131’s strong showing reflected a city-wide upswing in bus patronage since the network was overhauled. Brisbane City recorded more than 51.2 million bus and Metro trips in the first seven months following the mid-2025 changes, which is a 10 per cent rise compared with the same period the year prior. Zooming out further, Brisbane bus trips have grown by 27 per cent since the start of 2024.
Brisbane translated that growth into road terms, putting the figures at the equivalent of 3.9 million fewer private car trips, which is a calculation based on an average of 1.2 occupants per vehicle.
Cr Adrian Schrinner said the benefits extended beyond bus passengers, noting that every additional person on a bus or Metro removed one car from peak-hour traffic, easing congestion and improving travel times for everyone on the road.
How other routes fared
Photo credit: Google Street View
Route 131 was far from the only service to post gains. Across Brisbane, a number of redesigned routes drew significantly more passengers in the wake of the shake-up.
Route 107, converted to an all-day service running between Yeerongpilly and the city via Boggo Road busway station and South Bank, topped the network with a 190 per cent increase. Route 171 through Mount Gravatt, bolstered by higher frequency and longer hours, was up 115 per cent.
Route 205 from Carindale Heights, which moved from peak-only to all-day operations, saw ridership climb 97 per cent. The 185 from Upper Mount Gravatt, like the 131 the product of a route merger, matched its 64 per cent gain. The 116, extended to Upper Mount Gravatt, rounded out the list with a 47 per cent rise.
Where the changes fell short
Strong overall figures did not tell the full story for every passenger. Some residents say the revamped network created new problems for those who rely on buses outside standard hours.
One Moorooka resident pointed out that the 116, despite its extension to Upper Mount Gravatt, was restricted to every 30 minutes during peak hour, with Saturday services running hourly and finishing at 7pm, and no services on Sundays at all. They said the redesign had left non-drivers worse off, and flagged the 125 and 110 as similarly falling short, with neither running late enough to be useful.
The network redesign was one of a series of public transport shifts that have unfolded over the past two years. The state cut fares to 50 cents in August 2024. Brisbane’s first Metro service became permanent in January 2025. The overhauled bus network rolled out in mid-2025, and the Adelaide Street tunnel opened its doors in September 2025.
Brisbane City’s bus network moves around 80 million people a year and makes up more than two-thirds of the city’s total public transport usage.
Hypersonix Launch Systems, the aerospace company based at 2 Ron Boyle Crescent, Carole Park, has successfully completed the first flight of its Australian-made scramjet-powered hypersonic aircraft, reaching speeds greater than Mach 5 in a mission that marks a landmark moment for Australia’s sovereign aerospace capability.
DART AE, Hypersonix’s 3.5-metre autonomous hypersonic aircraft, lifted off at 7pm US Eastern Time on Friday 27 February, which was 11am AEDT on Saturday 28 February, from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch window had originally opened on 25 February but a brief delay pushed the flight to 27 February. The mission, named “That’s not a knife” by Rocket Lab and Cassowary Vex by the US Defence Innovation Unit, was conducted on behalf of US defence innovation authorities.
How the SPARTAN Scramjet Engine Works
The mission centred on the SPARTAN scramjet engine, Hypersonix’s proprietary propulsion system manufactured entirely through 3D printing and containing no moving parts. SPARTAN is designed to propel aircraft to speeds of up to Mach 12, the equivalent of 12 times the speed of sound, or 14,500km/h. At the planned deployment point, DART AE separated from the Rocket Lab HASTE rocket and SPARTAN ignited, powering the aircraft through its hypersonic flight profile and gathering technical data for the team to analyse in the coming weeks.
That propulsion technology traces back to Dr Michael Smart, Hypersonix co-founder, former chair of Hypersonic Propulsion at the University of Queensland and former NASA research scientist. Smart said the mission allowed the team to test propulsion, materials and control systems in real hypersonic conditions, and that the results would directly shape the design of future operational hypersonic aircraft. At the speeds and temperatures involved, he said, there is simply no substitute for flight data.
Photo Credit: Rocket Lab
Hypersonix chief executive Matt Hill described the flight as confirmation that an Australian company could design, build and operate technology in one of the most demanding flight regimes on Earth, and an important step toward delivering hypersonic systems that are operationally relevant for Australia and its allies.
A Carole Park Operation With Global Ambitions
The Hypersonix Launch Systems team operates from its Carole Park facility across aerospace engineering, advanced manufacturing and flight testing. The company currently employs more than 50 staff in Brisbane, positioning it at the forefront of Australia’s emerging hypersonic industry and making South-East Queensland a genuine hub for what has historically been a domain dominated by a handful of major powers.
That local base has attracted significant international confidence. Hypersonix raised $46 million in a Series A capital raise, led by UK-based investor High Tor Capital with support from European defence company Saab and Polish investment firm RKKVC. The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation and Queensland Investment Corporation also participated, reflecting strong backing from both domestic and international investors in the technology’s commercial and defence applications.
What Comes Next: The VISR Platform
The successful test flight accelerates more than the SPARTAN engine’s development. The capital raise is also fast-tracking Hypersonix’s next reusable hypersonic platform, VISR, short for Velos Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, while expanding advanced manufacturing capacity in Queensland.
The Hypersonix Launch Systems model positions the company to serve both civil and defence markets as hypersonic technology matures from experimental to operational. With the Carole Park facility serving as the primary engineering and development base, the work to apply the lessons from DART AE’s maiden flight begins here.
Further information about Hypersonix Launch Systems and its programmes is available at hypersonix.com.au. The company operates from 2 Ron Boyle Crescent, Carole Park QLD 4300.
The numbers don’t lie — Forest Lake and its neighbouring suburbs are holding firm at elevated price levels. Resilience defines this market right now — and the median figures across Forest Lake, Ellen Grove, Doolandella and Pallara prove it.
House prices across the Forest Lake corridor remain firmly anchored at elevated levels. Forest Lake continues to lead the established suburbs, with four-bedroom houses holding around the $1.2 million mark and five-bedroom homes reaching $1.4 million or more. Pallara is also performing strongly, with four-bedroom houses sitting around $1.15 million and reinforcing its position in the upper tier of the local market.
Doolandella is tracking closely behind, with four-bedroom houses also holding near $1.2 million and larger homes moving into the low $1.2 million-plus range. Ellen Grove remains the more accessible entry point, with four-bedroom houses sitting near $1 million while still benefiting from the strength of surrounding suburbs. Overall, the data points to a market consolidating at higher price floors rather than showing sharp volatility.
Data reflects sales from November 2025 to February 2026 (as of presstime).
Meanwhile, the market for apartments/townhouses and units across Forest Lake, Ellen Grove, Doolandella and Pallara tells a slightly different story from detached housing, with prices sitting within tight bands and buyer demand remaining steady.
Overall, the figures suggest that townhouse prices across the four suburbs are remarkably consistent, generally clustering between $750,000 and $775,000, reinforcing their role as the key entry point for buyers seeking family-sized accommodation in the area.
Trend Direction
What stands out most over the last three months is not volatility, but resilience. Detached homes are holding steady across all four suburbs, and townhouse pricing is tightly grouped with little sign of downward pressure.
Pallara and Forest Lake continue to command the upper end of the market, Doolandella shows strong liquidity in its townhouse segment, and Ellen Grove maintains its position as the value-driven alternative.
Doolandella has always been considered the younger brother to Forest Lake. On average the properties are newer and since the Woolworths moved into the area 10 months ago, it feels like Doolandella has become more attractive. The store on the corner of Blunder Road and Crossacres Street has an 8 bay direct-to-boot service which is convenient for time-poor couples.
As the auction for
123 Bagnall Street in Ellen Grove
moves nearer, it will be a great test of what 10,000+ square metres is worth in an area that is evolving rapidly. The house is unliveable but with over a hectare of land, this property will sell very well and as i write, I am delighted with the interest shown so far and we will be hoping to sell under the hammer on March 7.
Our recent sale at Panda Close in Doolandella was a complex record, it sold after 2 Open Homes for $780,000, $50,000 more than the previous highest price achieved in the complex. Surprisingly it sold to an investor, I say surprisingly because the first home buyer market has really taken off since October last year when the 5% deposit scheme was introduced for first home buyers. This has had an immediate impact on increasing house prices under the $1m mark.
We recently sold 2 properties off-market in Ellen Grove and 1 in Seventeen Mile Rocks. It’s an interesting case study for people who are constantly mising out on a purchase. We know a lot of properties that may sell soon and it’s always worth letting us know if you are in the market and pre-approved for finance.
I hear a lot of vendors say they would like to move but they have a list of things they want to do to their house first. Sometimes that list is not the same list that would get the best price on the market, we have a team of trades that work with us, and so it’s really easy to create the right to-do list and have it priced in preparation for sale, saving you money and hopefully doubling or trebling your return on that spend. Depending on the property, new carpet and paint for $10-15,000 can generate $50,000 in this market. I’m a big fan of red mulch and colour in a garden bed, it can make a big difference in the photography of the property.
What’s My House Worth?
Properties for Sale – Recent Listings
Below is a snapshot of recent listings on Forest Lake, Ellen Grove, Doolandella, and Pallara, revealing a diverse market with varied price points and configurations. While broader trends suggest price growth, these listings demonstrate the actual inventory available, from family homes to high-value estates.
A Deeper Dive Into the Numbers
Over the past six months, the Forest Lake corridor property market has shown steady, disciplined growth rather than rapid price spikes. Comparing three-month medians with six-month benchmarks reveals a pattern of gradual upward movement across both houses and townhouses.
Detached homes in Forest Lake, Pallara and Doolandella continue to anchor the market at higher price tiers, while the townhouse segment is tightening into a narrow pricing band driven by consistent buyer demand. The data suggests a market that is consolidating at stronger price floors, with modest gains of roughly $10,000 to $30,000 across many segments rather than sharp volatility.
Below are the median comparisons between houses and apartments, 3 months vs 6 months.
Some Development Applications in Forest Lake and Surrounds
Click on the pins to view the details.Click +/- to zoom in/out.
Published 27-February-2026. Data obtained from publicly available sources as of presstime.
Forest Lake is one of 18 Brisbane suburbs where planning rules for low-medium density residential zones may change under the More Homes, Sooner initiative, but local residents are making clear that their support for new housing hinges on whether schools, roads and public transport can keep pace with any growth the changes deliver.
The proposed changes to the LMR zone affect pockets of Forest Lake close to public transport stops and the Forest Lake Shopping Centre on Forest Lake Boulevard. Community consultation is open until Friday 20 March 2026. Forest Lake residents have delivered a pointed and practical response, cutting through abstract planning language to ask a question local families face every day: what comes first, the homes or the infrastructure to support them?
A Suburb Already Under Pressure
Developers master-planned Forest Lake from the ground up in 1991 as Brisbane’s first purpose-designed community, creating 7,700 house lots, 120 hectares of parks and the 10.9-hectare recreational lake that defines the suburb’s identity. That deliberate design gave Forest Lake its community character, but it also created fixed infrastructure and a fixed school catchment that is now under genuine strain.
Forest Lake State High School introduced an Enrolment Management Plan in August 2025, meaning the school is operating at or near capacity and is now restricting out-of-catchment enrolments. Families already living in Forest Lake say the suburb’s secondary schooling infrastructure cannot currently absorb significant additional enrolments. Community members have raised this directly in response to the More Homes, Sooner proposals, with the concern that more dwellings means more families, and more families means more pressure on schools that are already full.
The transport picture adds to that concern. Forest Lake has no train station within its boundaries. The suburb’s main public transport connections to the city are the Route 100 CityXpress from Forest Lake Shops to the city, and the Routes 460 and 461 via the Centenary Highway and Western Freeway. For the More Homes, Sooner framework to designate areas near bus stops as Key Locations eligible for four-storey development, the frequency and reliability of those services matters enormously to residents who would rely on them.
What Is Being Proposed
The changes focus on Low Medium Density Residential LMR zones, typically located near transport corridors and shopping centres rather than across entire suburbs. The proposal would lift the base building height to three storeys across all LMR land. Properties within 400 metres walking distance of a shopping centre or a bus stop with services at least every 20 minutes during the day would qualify as Key Locations and could rise to four storeys on lots of 800 square metres or more.
Photo Credit: BCC
In Forest Lake, only areas close to high-frequency routes would meet that threshold, while streets served by lower-frequency services would remain subject to the three-storey limit.
Minimum lot sizes would reduce to 120 square metres in some circumstances, enabling small freehold houses and terrace-style homes on compact blocks in well-serviced locations. The proposal would adjust on-site car parking requirements, reducing the requirement for two-bedroom units from two spaces to 1.5 spaces citywide and to 1.2 spaces in Key Locations, reflecting declining car ownership and the significant cost car spaces add to new homes.
Design safeguards are part of the framework, including minimum setbacks from freestanding houses, maximum building footprints and requirements for street tree planting.
Affordability: The Real Question
Beyond the infrastructure debate, Forest Lake residents have raised a point that goes to the heart of why the housing crisis persists regardless of what planning rules say. More dwellings do not automatically mean affordable dwellings. Builders and developers face rising costs for labour, materials and financing, along with the tax embedded in every new build, which pushes the price of new townhouses and compact apartments in established suburban Brisbane beyond the reach of many buyers on typical incomes.
Community members have noted that easing planning controls is only one part of the equation, and that without addressing the underlying cost of construction and the viability gap that affects smaller infill projects, the number of homes actually built as a result of these changes may be far fewer than the headline figures suggest. That concern has some grounding in recent history: new dwelling approvals across Brisbane’s LMR zones fell from around 1,100 homes per year to just 445 in 2023, not because the planning rules prevented development, but because the economics of building did not stack up.
Planning-aware residents view the initiative’s adjustment of car parking requirements as one of the more practical levers, noting that a single basement car space can add up to $82,000 to the cost of a unit. Whether that alone is enough to shift the economics meaningfully is a genuine question the community is raising through this consultation.
How to Have Your Say
Consultation on the More Homes, Sooner draft amendments is open until Friday 20 March 2026. Residents can share feedback online at brisbane.qld.gov.au by searching “More Homes, Sooner”, by emailing strategicplanninghousing@brisbane.qld.gov.au, or by calling 07 3403 8888. Written submissions can be posted to Strategic Planning (More Homes Sooner), Brisbane City Council, GPO Box 1434, Brisbane QLD 4001.
Sat, February 21, 2026 (Allianz Stadium) – A-League – Men – Round 18 • Sydney FC 1 | Brisbane Roar FC 0
Sun, February 22, 2026 (Spencer Park) – A-League – Women – Round 18 • Brisbane Roar FC 0 | Adelaide United FC 2
Fri, February 20, 2026 (Bulimba Memorial Park – Southside Eagles FC – Field 1) – Kappa Pro Series – Women – Regional Round 1 • Southside Eagles 0 | UQFC 0
Sat, February 21, 2026 (Maroochydore Swans FC – Field 1) – Kappa Pro Series – Women – Regional Round 1 • Maroochydore FC 2 | Annerley FC 3
Sun, February 22, 2026 (Meakin Park – Field 1) – NPL – Men – Round 1 • Brisbane Roar B 1 | Brisbane City 3
Sat, February 21, 2026 (Goodwin Park – Olympic FC – Field 1) – NPL – Men – Round 1 • Olympic FC 2 | Lions FC 1
Sat, February 21, 2026 (Goodwin Park – Olympic FC – Field 1) – NPL – Women – Round 3 • Olympic FC 0 | Lions FC 0
Sun, February 22, 2026 (Wakerley Park – Souths United FC – Field 2) – NPL – Women – Round 3 • Souths Strikers 1 | Gold Coast United 1
Fri, February 20, 2026 (Brisbane Entertainment Centre) – NBL – Men – Round 22 • Brisbane Bullets 77 | Sydney Kings 117
Sat, February 21, 2026 (The Gabba) – One Day Cup 2025-26 – Men – Match 6 • Queensland Bulls 260 | South Australia Men 135
When the nearby Richlands rail extension was completed in 2011, it started a process of evolution for Ellen Grove that the aptly named Matthew Groves believes is turning into a demographic change.
On the border of Ipswich City Council and Brisbane City Council, it had become a forgotten backwater; yet as Forest Lake has burgeoned into the largest suburb in Brisbane, so Ellen Grove is in the process of the next stage of gentrification. First home buyers are starting to discover its relative value, given the access to Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and the Gold Coast.
The house perched on 10,600 square metres is simply unliveable.
“This property has been uninhabited for over 10 years, It is in original condition with plenty of asbestos and termites”, says Matthew Groves.
Who knows where planners will go with future zoning, but there seems to be a wrestling match in Council between tearing up neighbourhood plans and refining them, as an agenda evolves to help build for first home buyers.
“This property is zoned ec –emerging community– and the street has plenty of potential with two neighbouring properties teaming up for a 33-lot subdivision with 20 on one block and 13 on the neighbouring”, says Groves.
Not many houses get condemned these days. Most at worst become fixer-uppers but 123 Bagnall has been declared unliveable, so the property sells for land value, at a time when land prices are going through the roof.
It will be very intersting to see what evolves on March 7.
You can reach Matt Groves of ilookproperty on 0416 252 289.
A popular school lunchbox staple has been pulled from shelves across Coles, Woolworths and ALDI, after pieces of black rubber were discovered in some Milo snack bars, prompting a nationwide recall and health warning for consumers.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) issued the recall notice for selected batches of Nestlé’s Milo Dipped Snack Bars and Milo Original Snack Bars, citing the presence of foreign matter that may pose a risk of illness or injury if consumed.
The affected products were sold at major retailers including ALDI, Coles, Woolworths and independent stores such as IGA across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, as well as through online outlets.
Authorities warned consumers not to eat the products and advised returning them to the place of purchase for a full refund.
“Food products containing black rubber may cause illness or injury if consumed,” FSANZ said in its notice, urging anyone concerned about their health after eating the bars to seek medical advice.
Manufacturing fault behind contamination
Nestlé Australia said the issue was linked to an equipment failure at a contract manufacturing facility, which caused small pieces of black rubber to become dislodged during production.
The company has not reported any confirmed injuries linked to the contamination but said the recall was issued as a precautionary measure to protect consumer safety.
Food recalls are typically initiated when foreign materials — including plastic, rubber or metal fragments — are detected in food products, as they can present choking hazards or cause internal injury.
Products affected
The recall applies to the following items with best-before dates of end August 2026:
MILO Snack Bars Original — 210g box (batches 5323TD15, 5324TD15)
Consumers who have purchased the affected products are urged to check packaging for the specified batch numbers.
Photo Credit: Food Standards Australia
Consumer advice
Authorities say customers should avoid consuming the recalled snack bars and return them to retailers for a refund. Anyone experiencing symptoms or concerned about potential exposure should consult a health professional.
Further information is available through Nestlé Australia’s customer service lines or the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand food recall website.
The recall highlights ongoing food safety monitoring processes designed to identify and remove potentially hazardous products from the market.
