South Brisbane Is Getting Five New Laneways With A Restored Art Deco Restaurant And A Public Park

There was a time when Fish Lane Town Square was just a disused rail underpass. Then, Aria Property Group came along and turned it into a lush playground of long lunches, knock-offs and art installations as the trains rumble overhead.

Now, Aria have set their sights on a new South Brisbane destination, transforming 164–190 Melbourne Street into five new laneways, 12 restaurant and retail spaces, and a new public park fittingly called Sanctuary. 

Image credit: Sanctuary South Brisbane | Supplied

Sanctuary South Brisbane will expand on the bustling scenes that Fish Lane, West Village, South Bank and West End have to offer only a short walk away. The heart of the precinct will be the former Bond’s Sweet Factory—a 1951 Art Deco building that has held court on Melbourne Street for 75 years, and will be restored as Sanctuary’s two-level flagship restaurant. The heritage-listed former Malouf’s fruit shop will also be transformed into an all-day dining venue on the opposite corner, serving your morning coffee just as easily as your evening aperitif. 

Melbourne Lane will serve as the precinct’s spine, lined with restaurants, boutiques and tree ferns to keep the thoroughfare cool and shaded, even during a balmy Brisbane summer. Architects Richards + Spence (who were also behind Fish Lane and The Calile Hotel) have shaped the precinct as a nod to the historic South Brisbane brickworks, incorporating approximately 240,000 red bricks.

Image credit: Sanctuary South Brisbane | Supplied

“Our ambition for Sanctuary is that it should feel as though it has always belonged here, with buildings and spaces designed to age gracefully and grow richer over time,” said Ingrid Richards, co-founder of Richards + Spence.

Landscape architects Subtropic Design have also been brought onto the project, and will work their magic on Sanctuary Park: a public meadow above an underground carpark with sweeping grasses, flowering native plants, shaded seating, and broad steps. Like the Fish Lane Arts Precinct, Sanctuary Park will play host to a year-round calendar of events surrounded by 13, 738 trees and plants.

Image credit: Sanctuary South Brisbane | Supplied

Sanctuary will open in stages ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with restaurant and retail operators to be announced as they are confirmed.

“Sanctuary South Brisbane is a rare legacy project that, due to its scale, ambition and location, simply cannot be repeated,” said development director at Aria Property Group, Brent Liddell.