Read: Hertford Street Transformation: 199 New Apartments Headed to Mt Gravatt

The hotel has arranged for a variety of interactive stations to keep younger residents busy throughout the working week. From Monday to Friday, children can visit specifically designed craft tables intended to encourage creativity while parents relax in the nearby dining areas. 

These daily sessions provide a structured way for families to enjoy the outdoors without leaving the suburb, making use of the venue’s open-air beer gardens and communal spaces.

As the holidays move into the weekend, the style of entertainment shifts toward live performance and interactive art. Professional face painters and balloon artists will be on-site to provide free entertainment for visiting families during the Saturday and Sunday sessions. 

Read: Police Statistics Show 375 Stolen Vehicles in Upper Mount Gravatt

To accommodate the expected increase in local visitors, the venue has moved to an all-day dining schedule on these days, serving traditional pub meals from morning through to the evening. These additions are part of a broader effort to provide local parents with accessible options for holiday childcare and family bonding.

Published Date 01-April-2026

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Read: A Build-Your-Own Cake Bar Is Coming to Westfield Mt Gravatt on 28 March

Two further stores at Chermside and Carindale will follow later in the year, bringing Haigh’s total national footprint to 26 stores across Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. The three-store rollout represents the brand’s most significant expansion since it entered the Sydney market, and for Brisbane chocolate lovers who have spent years relying on online orders or interstate trips to get their hands on Haigh’s product, the arrival of a local store feels genuinely overdue.

A Brand Built on Over a Century of Craft

Haigh’s Chocolates was founded on 1 May 1915 by Alfred E. Haigh in Adelaide, South Australia, making it Australia’s oldest family-owned chocolate maker. What began as a small confectionery shop at the Beehive Corner on King William Street has grown across four generations of family ownership into one of Australia’s most recognisable premium food brands, with a loyal following that stretches well beyond its South Australian home.

Haigh’s has maintained its primary manufacturing operations in Adelaide since its founding, where it produces its range of chocolates using a bean-to-bar approach, roasting its own cocoa beans to create its milk and dark chocolate blends from ethically sourced ingredients. That commitment to in-house production from bean to finished product distinguishes Haigh’s from most other chocolate retailers operating in Australia, where the majority of premium brands import finished chocolate rather than manufacturing it locally.

In September 2025, Haigh’s opened a new $120 million state-of-the-art facility in Salisbury South, spanning 18,000 square metres and incorporating advanced European-made equipment for production, warehousing and online fulfilment. The new facility increases Haigh’s production capacity from 1,100 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes of chocolate per year, providing the manufacturing headroom needed to support both the Brisbane expansion and the company’s broader national growth strategy.

Haigh’s Chocolates – Bean to Bar Process:

• Haigh’s Chocolates, established in 1915, is Australia’s oldest family-owned chocolate maker focused on premium, small-batch chocolate production.
• The process begins with sourcing high-quality, ethically produced cocoa beans from regions like Ghana and Peru, with most coming from Rainforest Alliance certified farms.
• The beans are cleaned using sieves, magnets, and airflow systems, then roasted at about 120°C for 30–90 minutes to enhance flavour and remove moisture.
• Roasted beans are crushed and winnowed to remove the outer shell, leaving cocoa nibs, which are ground into a bitter liquid cocoa liquor.
• The cocoa liquor is mixed with cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla, and sometimes milk powder, then refined through rollers to create a smooth texture.
• The chocolate undergoes conching, where it is heated, aerated, and mixed for several hours to develop its flavour and silky consistency.
• Tempering follows, where the chocolate is carefully cooled and reheated to achieve a glossy finish and stable structure.
• The tempered chocolate is moulded into shapes or hand-dipped to create products like truffles and other specialty chocolates.
• Small-batch production methods are used to maintain freshness and ensure high-quality output across a wide range of products.
• Finally, chocolates are hand-finished, carefully packaged, and continuously improved through new product development released during special occasions.

Why Brisbane, Why Now

The Brisbane move is driven by clear commercial evidence. Queensland customers currently represent 18 per cent of Haigh’s total online sales, making the state a significant and demonstrable market despite having no physical retail presence to date. For a brand that sells exclusively through its own stores and website, that level of online demand from a market with no bricks-and-mortar outlet signals a substantial untapped opportunity.

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Chief Executive Peter Millard confirmed that the combination of strong Queensland online demand and the newly expanded production capacity at Salisbury South made 2026 the right moment to enter the Brisbane market. The three-store strategy reflects confidence in the city’s appetite for premium chocolate, with Westfield Mt Gravatt anchoring the initial launch before Chermside and Carindale extend the brand’s reach across the northern and eastern suburbs later in the year.

Westfield Mt Gravatt draws shoppers from across a wide catchment spanning the southern and south-eastern suburbs, and the arrival of a Haigh’s store adds a genuinely distinctive retail experience to a centre that already serves as a significant southside anchor.

Haigh’s Chocolates will open at Westfield Mt Gravatt in August 2026, with Chermside and Carindale to follow later in the year. Further information about Haigh’s products and the Brisbane openings is available at haighschocolates.com.au.

Read: Upper Mt Gravatt Centre Precinct Plan Opens for Community Consultation

Published 27-March-2026.

The post Haigh’s Chocolates to Open Its First Queensland Store at Westfield Mt Gravatt appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.

Read: High-Density Zones Approved for Upper Mount Gravatt Shopping Centre Precinct

Brisbane has launched the Upper Mt Gravatt Centre Suburban Renewal Precinct Plan, and locals have until Sunday, 12 April 2026 to have their say. Whether you live nearby, run a business in the area, or simply use the centre regularly, your input will help shape what the suburb looks like for years to come.

Why Upper Mt Gravatt?

Upper Mt Gravatt is one of Brisbane’s major centres, servicing southern Brisbane and beyond with shopping, entertainment and employment opportunities. It is well connected to Brisbane’s city centre and the broader region via road, public transport and active travel networks. The Upper Mt Gravatt Busway and the V1 Veloway, which runs along the Pacific Motorway, are key parts of the area’s transport and active travel network.

The area is also home to the Upper Mt Gravatt Library, sporting fields and the nearby Mt Gravatt Outlook Reserve. 

What the Plan Aims to Do

The plan aims to increase housing choice close to services, employment and business, while maximising connections between residences and businesses along the busway and veloway corridors.

New buildings would be encouraged to embrace the area’s outdoor lifestyle and subtropical character by incorporating landscaping, shade and climate-appropriate design. On the economic side, the plan seeks to expand local opportunities by identifying an appropriate mix of business, retail, personal and community services and facilities.

A Long-Term Process, Starting Now

This is not a rushed process. Brisbane is using technical investigations, community feedback and Queensland’s input to develop the plan, with the draft expected to go to public consultation in mid-to-late 2026, and final approval anticipated around mid-2027 before being adopted into Brisbane City Plan.

That means the feedback gathered now will directly inform what goes into the draft plan. This is one of the earliest opportunities for the community to influence the plan’s direction, before a draft is prepared.

Read: 2026 College Captains Named At Upper Mount Gravatt School

How to Get Involved

Residents can complete an online survey or add comments directly to an interactive map at Brisbane’s Have Your Say portal.

For those who prefer to engage by phone or in writing, Brisbane can be reached on 07 3403 8888 or by post to Neighbourhood Planning, Brisbane City Council, GPO Box 1434, Brisbane QLD 4001.

Consultation closes Sunday, 12 April 2026. If you’ve got thoughts about where Upper Mt Gravatt is headed, now is the time to speak up.

Published 27-March-2026

The post Your Suburb, Your Say: Help Shape the Future of Upper Mt Gravatt appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.

Local Schools Leading the Way

While the local area is a focal point for this cultural mix, the broader Brisbane Catholic Education system supports nearly 80,000 students across 146 schools. St Augustine’s College in Augustine Heights currently holds the title for the most linguistically diverse school in the system, with 56 languages spoken. During Harmony Week, held from 16 to 22 March 2026, these schools are focusing on how different backgrounds help students learn. 

At St Thomas More College in Sunnybank, which is the third most diverse school in the group, leaders noted that having many different perspectives in a classroom actually helps children improve their grades and learning growth.

New Career Paths for Refugees

A major part of the local effort involves the Work and Welcome programme, which helps people who have moved to Australia find steady jobs. At the college in Upper Mt Gravatt, a refugee from the Republic of Burundi named Douce began working in the school canteen this year. This programme allows migrants to practice their skills in a supportive environment. 

Douce is using this experience to learn how to run a hospitality business, with the goal of eventually owning a café in Australia. During the recent celebrations, students also participated in a project where they marked their birthplaces on a massive world map to show how many parts of the globe are represented in one suburb.

Strengthening First Nations Connections

The focus on identity extends to First Nations students through a series of dance workshops and cultural days held between 24 and 26 March. These events are led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Team and take place across the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast. A new session is also planned for the South Burnett region on 1 June. 

These workshops are designed to be safe spaces where over 200 students can connect through traditional storytelling and music. The initiative is part of a larger plan for 2026 and 2027 that focuses on wellbeing and helping young Indigenous people become leaders in their communities.

Read: Upper Mt Gravatt Centre Precinct Plan Opens for Community Consultation

Training for Staff and Future Growth

To ensure teachers and staff understand these diverse backgrounds, many participate in learning days at the Ngutana-Lui Cultural Studies Centre. These sessions cover topics like spiritual traditions, weaving, and the history of different cultures. This training helps staff follow the system’s Reconciliation Action Plan and brings more cultural awareness into daily lessons. As these school communities continue to grow, new buildings like the Giramee Hall are being finished to make sure there is enough space for everyone to gather and share their stories.

Published Date 26-March-2026

The post How 51 Languages are Shaping the Future of Upper Mt Gravatt Students appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.

Read: A Build-Your-Own Cake Bar Is Coming to Westfield Mt Gravatt on 28 March

The Suburban Renewal Precinct Plan for Upper Mt Gravatt covers the stretch of the suburb anchored by Westfield Mt Gravatt and extending through Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road to Newnham Road, taking in the mix of retail, commercial and residential land that makes up one of southern Brisbane’s busiest suburban centres. What gets built there, how tall, and what kind of neighbourhood it becomes are exactly the questions the plan is designed to settle, and right now, before any draft is written, is the moment when community input carries the most weight.

Feedback gathered during this initial phase goes directly to planners as they prepare the draft plan, which will come back to the community for a second round of input before anything is finalised. Planners expect to put the draft plan back to the community for review in late 2026 or early 2027, with the final version likely to be etched into the city plan by mid-2027.

A Centre Under Growing Pressure

Upper Mt Gravatt already carries a lot of weight for southern Brisbane. It draws shoppers, workers and service-seekers from well beyond its own suburb boundaries, and the infrastructure surrounding the centre, including the Upper Mt Gravatt library, nearby sporting fields, Mt Gravatt Outlook Reserve and Brisbane Metro turn-up-and-go services along the corridor, gives it a foundation that many suburban centres elsewhere in the city simply do not have.

Under current planning settings, landmark sites within the precinct can already reach up to 15 storeys. The precinct plan will work through whether zoning across a wider range of sites should be updated to allow more housing and mixed-use development in the locations best placed to handle it, while protecting the residential streets that surround the commercial core from inappropriate intensification.

Upper Mt Gravatt sits within a broader programme of suburban renewal plans across Brisbane that has already delivered adopted plans at Stones Corner, with work underway at Wynnum, Alderley, Mt Gravatt and Chermside. The approach across all of them centres on finding the best use of underutilised land within established, well-connected centres rather than pushing growth outward into areas that lack the same infrastructure base.

What Residents Are Being Asked

The ideas phase is deliberately open. Residents, business owners and anyone who uses the Upper Mt Gravatt centre can share what matters to them about the area as it stands, what they feel is missing, and what they want the precinct to look and feel like in the future. There are no set options to choose from at this stage. The aim is to hear from the people who actually live and work in and around the centre before planners sit down to draft anything formal.

That covers everything from the types of housing and services the community wants to see near the centre, to the quality of streets and public spaces, to how the plan can protect the character of the established neighbourhoods that border the precinct.

Why This Matters to the Community

Brisbane is growing fast, with around 600 people arriving in the city each week and a projected need for more than 210,000 new homes by 2046. Well-serviced centres like Upper Mt Gravatt, with their transport connections, community facilities and existing employment base, are exactly where that growth is likely to be directed. The precinct plan is not about whether change happens. It is about whether the community shapes it or watches it happen around them.

For residents of Upper Mt Gravatt, Mt Gravatt, Mansfield, Rochedale South and Eight Mile Plains, getting involved now, at the ideas stage rather than the objection stage, gives the best chance of seeing local priorities reflected in whatever is ultimately adopted. Once a precinct plan becomes part of the city plan, it sets the rules for development for years to come.

Residents can share their ideas by clicking this link or by writing to Neighbourhood Planning, Upper Mt Gravatt Centre Suburban Renewal Precinct, Brisbane City Council, GPO Box 1434, Brisbane QLD 4001.

Read: Route 171 Through Mount Gravatt Sees Passengers More Than Double in Brisbane Bus Shake-Up

Published 17-March-2026.

The post Upper Mt Gravatt Centre Precinct Plan Opens for Community Consultation appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.

Read: High-Density Zones Approved for Upper Mount Gravatt Shopping Centre Precinct

The concept fills a gap that sits between the impulse dessert market — think Yo-Chi, which already operates at Garden City — and the traditional custom cake bakery, where lead times and minimum orders put the experience out of reach for a spontaneous weeknight craving or a last-minute birthday. The Cake Bar plants itself squarely in between: a fresh cake, assembled to order, available in the time it takes to walk from the carpark to the food court.

A Custom Dessert Experience

Customers kick things off by picking a cake base from a solid lineup of flavours. From there, the build branches out across premium fillings, frostings, and toppings, with a menu ranging from decadent chocolate to childhood throwbacks like raspberry jellies, sherbet, and sour straps. Crucially, the range is built for everyone, offering gluten-free and vegan options to ensure those with dietary requirements don’t miss out on the sugar hit. The model is deliberately open-ended—the same counter can whip up a clean, frosted red velvet for the traditionalists or a stacked, sprinkle-covered creation for the kids.

The kitchen assembles the order fresh, on the spot, from premium ingredients. Nothing sits pre-made in a display fridge. That distinction matters operationally: it means the quality of a custom-ordered cake without the custom-order wait.

A Sweet Addition to the Food Scene

Westfield Mt Gravatt is one of Brisbane’s largest shopping centres, located approximately 12 kilometres south of the CBD, with more than 400 retailers, three supermarkets, Event Cinemas, and a food and dining offer that spans two indoor food courts, an outdoor dining precinct and an Asian street food strip called 8 Street. The centre draws shoppers from Mt Gravatt, Macgregor, Wishart, Mansfield, Rochedale South and across Brisbane’s southside.

The dessert category at the centre already includes Yo-Chi, alongside a broader entertainment and dining precinct that includes Timezone, Holey Moley, Cloud 8 Karaoke and Hijinx Hotel. The Cake Bar adds a format that none of the existing operators cover: a made-to-order, whole-cake dessert experience priced and positioned for everyday shoppers rather than special-occasion pre-orders.

For families doing the weekly shop, the model is simple enough to be a spontaneous stop rather than a planned event. For parents with kids in tow — and Garden City’s family-heavy southside catchment means there are plenty of them on any given Saturday — the interactive build-your-own format offers more engagement than a standard dessert counter.

Good News for Sweet Tooths

Brisbane’s dessert and specialty food market has expanded significantly over the past five years, with concepts built around the build-your-own model proving durable in both food courts and high-street locations. The Cake Bar represents the format applied to one of the few categories — fresh cake — that had not yet made the transition from pre-order to impulse. This adds a locally accessible version of an experience that previously required either a custom order from a bakery or a trip into the CBD.

The Cake Bar is at Westfield Mt Gravatt, Logan Road, Upper Mt Gravatt. More information is available here ahead of the 28 March opening.

Read: Route 171 Through Mount Gravatt Sees Passengers More Than Double in Brisbane Bus Shake-Up

Published 12-March-2026.

The post A Build-Your-Own Cake Bar Is Coming to Westfield Mt Gravatt on 28 March appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.

Read: Mt Gravatt Outlook Reserve Gets New Fixed CCTV in City Safety Push

The figure comes from Queensland Police Service statistics referenced in statewide reporting on trends in vehicle theft.

Police data shows 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, police recorded 16,805 victims statewide, according to publicly available crime statistics. While the total was slightly lower than the same period in 2024, monthly figures had been rising again since August.

Upper Mount Gravatt’s total stands out because the suburb functions as a major activity centre on Brisbane’s southside, attracting large numbers of visitors, workers and vehicles each day. The suburb is home to one of Brisbane’s largest shopping centres and sits near major transport routes, meaning large volumes of vehicles are parked in the area throughout the day and evening.

Upper Mount Gravatt has also appeared in other police reports connected to broader property crime investigations across South East Queensland, including incidents where stolen vehicles were allegedly used during business break-ins.

Queensland Police record offences such as unlawful use of a motor vehicle based on where the incident occurs, meaning suburb totals reflect the location of the theft rather than where offenders may live.

Police say operations targeting vehicle theft continue across the state as part of broader strategies aimed at reducing property crime and improving community safety.

Read: Local Teen Arrested Over Property Crimes in Mt Gravatt

Published 10-March-2026

The post Police Statistics Show 375 Stolen Vehicles in Upper Mount Gravatt appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.

Read: Brisbane Metro: Service’s Permanent Launch Anticipated to Bring Fast, Reliable Transit to Mount Gravatt

The result came as Brisbane’s redesigned bus network recorded strong patronage growth across the city.

A city-wide transformation with local impact

The 171’s gains were part of a broader network redesign that has driven significant ridership growth across Brisbane. Brisbane reported more than 51.2 million bus and Metro trips in the first seven months following the mid-2025 overhaul, which is up 10 per cent on the same period the previous year. Across a longer timeframe, Brisbane bus trips have risen 27 per cent since the beginning of 2024.

BCC puts the impact in road terms too, estimating the ridership growth represents the equivalent of 3.9 million fewer private car trips, calculated on an average of 1.2 people per vehicle.

Cr Adrian Schrinner pointed to the flow-on benefits for all road users, saying that every additional bus or Metro passenger meant one fewer car in peak-hour traffic, resulting in less congestion, safer roads and shorter travel times for everyone.

Other routes posting strong numbers

Route 171 wasn’t the only route to benefit from the redesign. Several others recorded substantial patronage increases across the network.

The 107, realigned to run all day between Yeerongpilly and the city via Boggo Road busway station and South Bank, led the network with a 190 per cent increase. The 205 from Carindale Heights, shifted from a peak-only to an all-day service, was up 97 per cent. The 131 from Parkinson and the 185 from Upper Mount Gravatt — both products of route mergers — each grew by 64 per cent. The 116, extended to Upper Mount Gravatt, recorded a 47 per cent rise.

A bumpier ride for some

The strong numbers have not been felt equally across all areas. Some residents say the network changes have made getting around harder, not easier, for those without a car.

One Moorooka resident noted that the 116, despite being extended to Upper Mount Gravatt, only runs every 30 minutes during peak hour and hourly on Saturdays, with the last city-bound service at 7pm and no Sunday timetable at all. They said residents who don’t drive had been left worse off by the changes, and that the 125 and 110 routes were also not much better, not running late enough.

Read: Brisbane Metro Depot in Rochedale to Provide New Eco-Friendly Transport

Broader shifts driving the change

The network overhaul was one of several significant public transport changes rolled out across the past two years. The state Labor government introduced 50-cent fares in August 2024. Brisbane’s first Metro service became permanent in January 2025. The new bus network launched in mid-2025, followed by the opening of the Adelaide Street tunnel in September 2025.

Brisbane’s bus network carries around 80 million passengers annually and is responsible for more than two-thirds of the city’s public transport trips.

Published 6-March-2026

The post Route 171 Through Mount Gravatt Sees Passengers More Than Double in Brisbane Bus Shake-Up appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.

Read: Abandoned Griffith University Mount Gravatt Campus Goes on the Market With Community Protections

A New Chapter for Hertford Street

The proposal involves three separate buildings ranging from two to seven storeys in height, positioned at 30, 34, and 36 Hertford Street. If the plans move forward, the project will replace existing lots with a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom homes. 

Tower B is designed to be the largest of the trio with 84 units, while Tower A and Tower C will house 40 and 75 units respectively. This layout aims to distribute the population across the site rather than concentrating everyone into a single high-rise block.

Balancing Density with Nature

Developers have focused on keeping the ground level accessible, with roughly 20 per cent of the total site area dedicated to deep planting and landscaping. While the buildings will cover about 75 per cent of the land, the inclusion of significant greenery is intended to help the project blend into the surrounding neighbourhood. 

Residents will also have access to various outdoor areas, including individual rooftop recreation spaces for each tower and a large shared garden located on the central podium level.

Read: Alleged Refund Machine Misuse Under Investigation In Mt Gravatt

Infrastructure and Neighbourhood Fit

To manage the influx of new residents, the plan includes two levels of underground parking providing 370 spaces, with 50 of those specifically set aside for visitors. The planning team from Urbicus has indicated that the scale of the towers fits within the current expectations for the area’s growth and infrastructure. 

They suggested that the extra height and size are supported by a genuine need for more housing and economic activity in this part of Brisbane. Access to the entire complex would be managed through a primary entrance on Hertford Street to keep traffic flow organised.

Published Date 28-February-2026

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 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 (Whites Hill Reserve – Holland Park Hawks FC – Field) – FQPL1 – Men – Round 1
• Holland Park Hawks 2  |   Logan Lightning 0

Sat, February 21, 2026 (Whites Hill Reserve – Holland Park Hawks FC – Field 1) – Kappa Pro Series – Women – Regional Round 1
• Holland Park Hawks 1  |   SWQ Thunder 3

Sat, February 21, 2026 (Underwood Park – Rochedale Rovers FC – Field 1) – NPL – Men – Round 1
• Rochedale Rovers 0  |   Wynnum Wolves 3

Sat, February 21, 2026 (AJ Kelly Park – Peninsula Power FC – Field 1) – NPL – Men – Round 1
• Peninsula Power 1  |   Eastern Suburbs 0

Sun, February 22, 2026 (Meakin Park – Field 1) – NPL – Men – Round 1
• Brisbane Roar B 1  |   Brisbane City 3

Sat, February 21, 2026 (Heath Park – Eastern Suburbs FC – Field 1) – NPL – Women – Round 3
• Eastern Suburbs 4  |   Brisbane City 2

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

Sat, February 14, 2026 & Sat, February 21, 2026 (2 Day – Ian Healy Oval) – Queensland Premier Cricket – Men 1st Grade – Round 14
• Northern Suburbs Mens 1st Grade 6-293d  |   Wynnum-Manly Mens 1st Grade 217

The post East Brisbane Sports Results Feb 20-22 appeared first on Mount Gravatt News.