David Jones is set to close shop in Mt Gravatt after SCentre Group, which owns Westfield Garden City, lodged a development application to restructure its retail tenancy.
Under DA A006144550, lodged on the 8th of November 2022, the Scentre Group proposes to demolish and reconfigure two levels of David Jones and turn these sections into seven “mini-major tenancies” and four specialty stores.
The restructure will also entail the removal of the travelators on levels 1 and 2 whilst the facade by the mall entrance will be refurbished and refreshed with a terraced area to take advantage of the natural light.
Photo Credit: DA A006144550/BCCPhoto Credit: DA A006144550/BCC
The parking area will also be reconfigured “to accommodate a new plant room and a connection to a fire corridor egress.”
The plans come years after the operators of the popular department store said they need to restructure and keep pace with its online shopping competition. During the pandemic, David Jones also decided to close its Toowong outlet after 36 years. It shifted its Fortitude Valley site to a smaller store as well.
Despite this, David Jones apparently continues to enjoy strong sales growth post lockdowns, per Woolworths Holdings, which bought the brand in 2014. Shoppers have slowly returned to the stores when the restrictions were eased off.
Woolworths Holdings, however, is said to be reassessing David Jones’ future after paying off the retailer’s debts and turning the company into a self-funding business.
Elon Musk’s popular electric vehicle brand has opened its third location in Queensland! Mt Gravatt Tesla on Logan Road is a one-stop shop with everything that owners need — a showroom, a service shop, and a delivery centre all in one location.
Mt Gravatt Tesla took over the former site of Southside Toyota and had its grand opening on the 5th of November 2022 with over 150 guests. The site is still accepting applications for staff members to join its team.
Photo Credit: Dennis Brown/Tesla Owners of Australia/Facebook
The third Queensland location is accessible and offers more to many local electric car enthusiasts who do not have to go to Fortitude Valley to purchase or have their vehicles serviced, per Arran Blomfield of the Tesla Owners’ Club of Australia in Queensland.
Photo Credit: Dennis Brown/Tesla Owners of Australia/Facebook
Mr Blomfiled already owns two Tesla vehicles and plans to purchase a third unit. He is also the owner of ReGen EV, an electric vehicle charger installer.
It comes as Tesla Australia has released a recall order for 1,012 vehicles due to a steering wheel defect that may put the driver at a risk for accidents. Tesla Model S and Model X bought between 2017 to 2020 are covered in the recall, per the Australian Department of Transport.
Tesla owners are advised to visit the dealer or download software that will fix the problem.
“Owners of affected vehicles may also contact their authorised Tesla dealer to make an appointment to have the firmware updated, free of charge. No further action is necessary from owners whose vehicles are equipped with firmware release 2022.36.5 or a later firmware release,” the recall order stated.
In the lead up to World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2022, residents of Mount Gravatt are being encouraged to take action to prevent diabetes-related vision loss.
Based on the Australian Diabetes Map, there are around 2,400 Mt Gravatt residents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It’s estimated that around half are at risk of diabetes-related vision loss or blindness.
World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization, in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
Photo credit: Klaus Nielsen/Pexels
It’s being observed every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
Preventing Diabetes-Related Vision Loss
Photo credit: Ksenia Chernaya/Pexels
Experts recommend getting regular eye exams to help prevent vision problems. Bupa Optical, which has a location in Mt Gravatt, said regular eye tests can help detect early signs of diabetes or help detect emerging issues for those already living with the disease.
Bupa Optical Optometrist Karen Makin said symptoms often don’t emerge until the later stages of the condition when people suffer vision loss, experience giddiness or unexpected changes to their weight.
Ms Makin said conditions like diabetic retinopathy – a condition affecting the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye inside the retina, often give no visual symptoms and can be undetected under normal conditions as changes to eyesight happen slowly over time.
They developed a technology called EyeInspect, an Artificial Intelligence enabled testing, which compares a patients eyes with a database of more than 10 million retinal images, with many different health conditions.
“Technology such as EyeInspect was developed with the knowledge that the eye is a window into the heart and enables our team to provide people with more information about their general health which they can discuss with their doctor if and when recommended,” said Ms Makin.
Bupa Optical Mt Gravatt is located at Shop 1368 Westfield Garden City Cnr Logan & Kessels Rd, Upper Mt Gravatt.
A major revamp of Brisbane’s bus network is happening soon and Mount Gravatt residents are being asked to weigh in on the plans for the new bus network.
A community information session will be held for Mount Gravatt residents on Saturday, 19 November 2022 at the Mount Gravatt Showgrounds, Upper Community Hall.
Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport Ryan Murphy said Brisbane’s New Bus Network will ensure Brisbane, which population is expected to grow by almost 25 per cent by 2041, will have the services in place to meet future demand. The decision to invest in the fully electric, high-capacity Brisbane Metro will give Council greater flexibility to deliver more services, more often during peak periods.
Some of the key changes to Brisbane’s bus network include the addition of three new routes:
Route 26 – Griffith University station to RBWH station
Route P109 – Acacia Ridge to City
Route 182 – Upper Mt Gravatt station (Garden City) to Holland Park West
The redesign will also make the network more efficient by combining 27 routes and removing two due to duplication and low patronage, particularly Routes 145 and P151.
“We’re backing this up with record investment in public transport to support services throughout Brisbane’s suburbs,” Cr Murphy said.
Photo Credit: LinkedIn / Ryan Murphy
“Brisbane’s New Bus Network redesigns services to connect customers to the two high-frequency Metro lines between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the University of Queensland.
“There is also significant scope to expand the Metro further into Brisbane’s north and east through investment into the dedicated bus network.
Councillor Murphy added that Council will increase its public transport subsidy for bus services by 84 per cent to 183 million over the next few years to ensure that Brisbane can invest in additional services where they needed most.
Council is inviting Brisbane residents to have their say on the new bus services by attending one of the Council’s 22 community information sessions or going online to use the interactive map or play the Brisbane Metro Game.
“We want residents to join the conversation and provide their feedback to help us create the best possible transport network.”
Council will finalise the network following public consultation and will seek Translink’s approval on the changes. The new network plan ahead of bus network changes and metro services will be released starting in late 2024.
Visit the Council website here for more information on how to have your say on Brisbane’s New Bus Network.
Coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mount Gravatt Mazda’s pink Mazda CX-5 Boobmobile will be hitting the streets of Brisbane to help raise awareness of the need for early detection.
As part of its Wellness Program, Mount Gravatt Mazda will soon be rolling out its eye-catching pink SUV to spark conversations around the importance of early detection and screening.
“As a local family-owned business in Brisbane, we feel very close to this campaign. Our owner and Dealer Principal, Julian Mason has been on his own personal journey with his family,” MGM said.
MGM Dealer Principal Julian Mason’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 but won the battle due to early detection | Photo credit: Mount Gravatt Mazda / mountgravattmazda.com.au
Julian’s mother, Carole, was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 2018. As part of her treatment, she underwent two lumpectomies along with four rounds of chemotherapy and daily radiation. Carole was able to win the battle against the disease owing to early detection.
However, his Aunty Jill who was also diagnosed in 2019 wasn’t as lucky. She had a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy. She lost her three-year battle at the age of 43.
“We all know someone whose life has been affected by breast cancer, and it is our turn to stand up and join the fight. Our goal is to promote awareness and early detection of the disease in our community.” – Julian Mason | Dealer Principal
And in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness this month of October, MGM will also be supporting Brisbane-based breast cancer charity, Be Uplifted. All funds raised will go towards the charity’s efforts to extend support services and financial assistance to local women and men who are seriously ill with breast cancer and their family.
Australian-owned specialty coffee franchisor, Zarraffa’s Coffee, opened its latest drive-through location in Mt Gravatt. Taking over the space at 3/1329-1339 Logan Road, the store owned by franchisees Melissa Sanagan and Lachlan Sherrington was launched in late September 2022.
Melissa and Lachlan opened their first Zarraffa’s Coffee franchise in 2019 in Tweed Heads South, NSW. Three years later, the couple decided that the time to explore Mt Gravatt for expansion opportunities was ripe.
Photo Credit: Zarraffa’s Coffee / Facebook
“We plan to become more involved in the community, through local schools, businesses and sporting associations,” Mrs Sanagan said.
“Supporting businesses in our backyard has always been a core part of what Zarraffa’s stores do and we’re keen to start forging local relationships through coffee.”
“Opening the Mount Gravatt location is another chapter in our journey with Zarraffa’s. We’re looking forward to serving the local community handcrafted coffee for years to come.”
Melissa added that with their years of experience owning the South Tweed franchise, they “were really pumped to hit the ground running and deliver on the overarching Zarraffa’s experience.”
Photo Credit: Zarraffa’s Coffee / Facebook
“It’s really exciting to be able to open our second store and set our standards early,” she said.
“We’ve been forming our team for the past few months, employing over 30 locals. We believe when our staff are well trained, happy and confident, we can deliver the best possible service for our customers. My teaching experience has really helped build our team’s skills and knowledge. We thrive on having a fantastic culture in our stores.”
The latest drive-through store expansion is part of Zarraffa’s Coffee’s current expansion plans for its 25-year-old specialty coffee company. The company’s CEO, Marnie Sheldon said it’s hugely rewarding to see Melissa and Lachlan take the next step by becoming a multi-site owners within the brand.
“Growing our footprint can only happen with the great operators. Mel and Lachlan have established a thriving local business in South Tweed and now get to enjoy the next phase in their franchising journey with two bustling drive thru locations,” she said.
“As we head into this next phase of store footprint expansion, we are looking for the right operators to join our team and grow beyond our traditional areas. With major expansion planning across Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, there is plenty of opportunity for commercial growth.”
Zarraffa’s Coffee was established in 1996 by Kenton and Rachel Campbell. Fully Australian-owned and operated, the company has its head office and roastery based in Eagleby.
Originally operating as a roasting house on Southport in Gold Coast, Zarraffa’s Coffee grew into an award-winning enterprise with over 70 locations across Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales. The Company’s drive-through concept was conceived in 2009 which offered a quality coffee experience paired with added convenience.
Zarraffa’s Coffee Mount Gravatt | 3/1329/1339 Logan Rd, Mount Gravatt QLD 4122, Australia
Based on plans submitted to Brisbane City Council, each of the four levels will have six units to accommodate a total of 24 units whilst the ground floor will be constructed as a suspended structure for car parking.
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Red Door Architecture
A total of 49 car parking spaces will be provided on the suspended podium level, where 42 will be for residents, six for visitors and one for shared space.
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Red Door Architecture
As part of the application, developers have proposed to establish a new crossover, with direct access to Hertford St, given that the subject site, at 32 Hertford Street, Upper Mount Gravatt does not currently have a crossover to the street.
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Red Door Architecture
Designed by Red Door Architecture, it will feature a rooftop level which will have its own communal open spaces, featuring a BBQ area, outdoor alfresco and dining area, enhanced by landscaping.
“The design of the proposed development has had regard to the recently adopted provisions to provide a high quality rooftop communal open space for future residents, incorporating generous landscaping that integrates with the overall built form, and enhances the amenity of the rooftop garden,” planners at Town Planning Alliance wrote.
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Red Door Architecture
In the planning documents, it’s stated that the subject site is susceptible to overland flow flooding, and is confirmed to have an overland flow path traverse across the site.
In response, the applicant is planning to construct a wall structure in the undercroft area along the eastern boundary of the site to minimise flood level impacts to neighbouring properties.
“Consequently, the proposed development has been designed to incorporate a suspended podium ground level with an undercroft at an appropriate height to ensure the development does not impact upon the overland flow. A driveway ramp is proposed from the south-eastern part of the site’s frontage to Hertford Street to facilitate access to the site from street level,” planning documents read.
After nearly a year of on-road construction works, the intersection of Newnham Rd and Wecker Rd in Mount Gravatt East is now fully operational for all road users.
A new right-turn lane was constructed on Newnham Rd with a dedicated right-turn arrow to fully control the right turn from Newnham Rd into Wecker Rd.
Brisbane City Council installed an additional right turn lane from Wrecker Rd into Newnham Rd and a signalised pedestrian crossing on the left-turn slip lane on Newnham Rd.
Footpaths, shared paths, and crossing facilities at the traffic lights were also improved as part of the project.
The Newnham Road and Wecker Road intersection is an important junction in Brisbane’s major road network, with approximately 35,000 vehicles, 474 buses, 55 cyclists and 186 pedestrians passing each day.
Councillor Krista Adams, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, Bonner MP Ross Vasta, and Cr Ryan Murphy came to see the finishing touches on the upgrade of Newnham & Wecker Rd (Photo credit: Cr Ryan Murphy/Facebook)
The intersection upgrade was jointly funded by the local government through the Better Roads for Brisbane program and the Australian government, which committed $12 million as part of the Urban Congestion Fund.
The project aims to improve connectivity in the area, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists, whilst reducing traffic congestion and improving travel time reliability.
Following these upgrades, Council is preparing for the construction of a new pedestrian and cycle bridge in Graham Lord Park over the next few weeks, which is also part of the project.
Works for the pedestrian and cyclist bridge is expected to be complete in early 202, weather and site conditions permitting, and will be carried out on weekdays between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
To get the latest update about the upcoming works in Graham Lord Park, visit brisbane.qld.gov.au.
Westfield has just renamed its Garden City shopping centre into Westfield Mt Gravatt. An online petition has been launched to convince Westfield to reinstate the centre’s name.
On 8 August 2022, Westfield announced that Westfield Garden City will be renamed Westfield Mt Gravatt to reflect its location in the community.
“The names of our Living Centres across Australia and New Zealand are reflective of the areas and communities in which they are located. We have renamed our centre to Westfield Mt Gravatt after our suburb,” the announcement on its official website reads.
They furthered that apart from physical and digital signage updates, the centre will remain Brisbane’s “cultural hub for dining, shopping and entertainment.”
Some locals, however, are not happy with the decision prompting them to launch the petition “Don’t change the name of Garden City!”
Photo Credit: Change.org
“For a lifetime Westfield Garden City has been a part of our wonderful community in Mt Gravatt (Upper Mt Gravatt to be exact), which also extended to the greater Brisbane area. Memories have been made here for decades,” the petition reads.
“All those first job feels, first date dinners and last minute Christmas shopping trips. Westfield Garden City transcended from just a regular shopping centre to a home for all.
“This strips Garbo of its entire individuality! You can’t just remove such a pillar of our rich society in the 4122! In a time of such uncertainty, there are things we need to hold sacred.”
Some 1,369 individuals have already supported the petition and indicated their reason for signing. Many questioned the need to change their beloved Garbo’s name when it’s not even located in Mt Gravatt. They described the idea as a waste of money and said that there was no proper consultation prior to the name change.
“Garden City is an iconic name and so many fond memories of going there as a kid with my nanna.” – A. Mak
“No need to change name, particularly when not accurately located. Garden City is geographically located Upper Mt Gravatt not Mt Gravatt. Mt Gravatt already has its own small shopping centre.” – A. Newton
“I’m devastated to think that were losing Brisbane history. First Lang Park, Last Cilento Children’s Hospital, now this!!!
It will always be Garden City to many of us anyway so why the the massive amount of money to be spent to change the name. Donate that money for good use elsewhere if they’ve got surplus funds.” -J. Riley
About three new childcare centres in Mt Gravatt are currently under construction whilst a fourth has been granted development approval but will not be built until 2024.
The number of upcoming childcare centres has raised concerns with Jae Fraser, the vice president of the non-profit Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland, who said that the oversupply may bring about problems and create an unsustainable business.
Mr Fraser said that the issue of oversupply has slowly reared its ugly head as currently operating childcare centres cannot even fill up their occupancy. Across the state, most facilities are just over 70 per cent in capacity.
He also said that these centres cannot keep up with the workforce as there are not enough educators and minders to see through the care and development of the children. Thus, these childcare centres could end up delivering sub-par services.
Under Construction: Childcare Centres in Mt Gravatt
Active Kids Learning Centre 54 Morland St 89 to 91 Newnham Rd A005205206 – Approved in October 2020
From a 56-place centre, Active Kids Learning Centre will double its size and have a state-of-art early education facility. The site is due for completion in 2023.
Perfect Beginnings Child Care 53 Klumpp Rd A005967964 – Approved in April 2022
Perfect Beginnings Child Care is also planning a 2023 opening. Pre-pandemic, the centre recognised the need to expand its site after reaching 98 per cent capacity in 2019.
Former Scurrs Hardware Redevelopment 1437 Logad Rd 18 Gowrie St 50, 52 and 54 Tenby St A005722664 – Approved in June 2022
Photo Credit: DA A005722664
The childcare centre will be located on the first level of this mixed-use facility that also includes a convenience store and health care services/medical centre on the ground floor, and an indoor sports and recreation site with a gym and wellness centre on the second floor.
Creek Rd Child Centre 269 Creek Rd 31 Tantallon St A005959235 – Approved in April 2022 but DA extended until March 2024
Photo Credit: Google Maps
This property is owned by the Greek Orthodox Church.
Government Measures Needed
The ACA is hoping that local and state governments establish a measurement for the supply and demand for childcare centres before the development applications are approved in a certain area. The ACA said approvals must be prioritised in communities with a pressing need for facilities.
Property expert Darren Collins of CBRE said that childcare centres in strategic locations are bringing in billions to the economy. Investors also study the location, including its saturation point, before submitting a plan to build a centre.
Collins said that the population of the suburb and the percentage of double-income parents often factor into the decision as these are indicators of high growth areas, thus the high demand for childcare centres.
