Dear and Mark Bell bought their home in Redcliffe 13 years ago, and they’re surprised it’s taken so long for the bayside suburb to be discovered by the rest of Brisbane.
“We purchased in around February 2012 … for $330,000,” Ms Bell said. “It’s quiet, very calm and the waterfront is amazing. It’s sometimes surprising why it’s not as busy, considering how beautiful it is.”
Redcliffe is one of only a five beach suburbs in Brisbane where you can still buy for under $1m.
Dear and Mark Bell are selling their home at 39 Sportsground Street, Redcliffe: a bayside suburb with a median still less than $1 million.
With a median house price of $925,806 as of June 2025, Redcliffe’s distance from the CBD is one factor keeping prices low, along with the nearby suburb of Clontarf.
But Redcliffe was hundreds of thousands of dollars cheaper a decade ago, when it was one of the few places the Bells felt they could afford.
“Back when we were just apprentice mechanics, we worked for Qantas and the heavy maintenance facility in Melbourne shut down,” she said. “We had to be relocated. With an apprentice wage, that was challenging as well.”
39 Sportsground St, Redcliffe, up for sale with Belle Property Redcliffe. The Bells bought the home for $330,000 more than ten years ago, with prices having spiked since then.
The couple had met in trade school, and had been together for around 4 years before moving up to Queensland. When they found their home in Redcliffe, they actually managed to get it for $10,000 cheaper than the last owner, who had bought it in 2009.
Since then, the two have renovated the house with changes to the kitchen as floor, as well as the addition of a garden.
In that time, Redcliffe has seen infrastructure changes and a popularity spike that has quickly driven people to the suburb. Belle Property Redcliffe agent Jonathan Koleszar said the expansion of the Redcliffe Hospital, as well as the Dolphins joining up with the National Rugby League, helped to give the area a big boost.
“We’re already seeing doctors buy investment properties,” he said. “They obviously see the potential to get transferred to the new sector when it’s complete.”
When they bought the home, the pair felt it was one of few available to them on two apprentice’s salaries.
The home for sale is a three-bedroom property at 39 Sportsground Street. Mr Koleszar added that renovated three-bedroom homes for less than a million were now a rarity, including in Redcliffe itself.
“We didn’t expect Redcliffe to be where it was today so quickly,” he said. “I think it was one of those hidden gems for so long, and now the secret’s out.”
Recent additions to the suburb, such as its hospital expansion and higher NRL activity, are driving up its popularity.
The Bells are now moving to be closer to work and their kids’ high school, but said they were glad to raise their children where they did.
“It’s quite a safe neighbourhood,” she said. “A lot of the kids walk to school together.”
“In general, Redcliffe is just a very tight community … we still come back here every weekend, because we love it so much.”
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