Located north of Brisbane’s CBD, Kelvin Grove is an inner-city suburb on land once known as “Three Mile Scrub”. It was settled in 1865 by the English doctor, Joseph Bancroft, who named it after a park along the River Kelvin in Glasgow’s West End.
Things to do in Kelvin Grove
Coincide your visit to Kelvin Grove with a performance by La Boite Theatre Company at the Roundhouse Theatre. Established in 1925, La Boite is one of Queensland’s largest theatre companies and presents an inspiring program of local and international plays. The Roundhouse is also unique in being the only purpose-built theatre in the round in Australia.
The Roundhouse Theatre forms part of the Kelvin Grove Urban Village on the site of the Australian Army’s heritage-listed Gona Barracks. In addition to buildings belonging to the Queensland University of Technology, it includes apartments, retail stores and eateries. You can grab a bite to eat at Southern Seoul, Boba Chicken and Siam Spice or browse the shelves at the Village Centre Community Library.
Sprawling east of Kelvin Grove is the 64-acre Barrambin Parklands, which occupies the site of a former golf course. Its rolling lawns offer magnificent views across the city of Brisbane and provide plenty of space to relax with a picnic or kick a ball around. You can let the kids run loose in the adventure playground or dine on modern Australian cuisine at the Victoria Park Bistro.
Getting around Kelvin Grove
Kelvin Grove is around 10 minutes’ drive from the centre of Brisbane and 15 minutes from Brisbane Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Trains connect to the Roma Street railway station on the southern edge of Kelvin Grove while buses travel throughout the suburb.