For the next five years, a man from Mount Gravatt will receive $1,000 a week, or $260,000 in total, after confirming that he has the top prize Instant Scratch-Its winning ticket.
The unnamed winner purchased his $5 Live the Life ticket at Sunshine News inside Mt Gravatt Plaza on Creek Road. The man said that he waited for weeks to scratch his ticket and could not believe his luck when he realised he has the winning numbers.
“I probably only buy scratchies every once in a blue moon,” he said. “I had it at home for 14 days before I scratched it.”
He bought two Instant Scratch-Its tickets from his recent “small win on Lotto” and is now looking forward to having “such nice security” every week.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Sharon Jiang, the owner of Sunshine News, said that they had two top prize winners in recent weeks and hopes that the streak continues with their customers.
“I feel like we’re on a roll at the moment,” the shop owner said.
Some 177 individuals across the country won the Instant Scratch-Its top prize in 2020, which grossed over $16 million. According to The Lott, players have collectively won more than a quarter of a million dollars of Instant Scratch-Its every day.
Instant Scratch-Its have different ranges and prizes with over a million tickets per category distributed across all participating outlets in Australia. To learn more about this game of luck, visit the official site.
Construction of a new general learning facility at the Upper Mount Gravatt State School, which has been underway since October, is estimated to finish in May 2021.
In October 2020, Upper Mount Gravatt State School announced that a new facility was in the works, setting itself up to provide the school with 10 new classrooms on top of shaded learning and play areas.
The construction of the new facility, a general learning centre that would serve as an extension of the main campus, will be spearheaded by the project delivery company Wiley, who have been working on site since October. Completion of the project is expected to finish in May 2021.
This new facility came about to replace the temporary classrooms the school had brought in using a crane following a fire on the 14th of June 2019 which ravaged the campus, destroying the books, possessions, and artwork of over 200 students.
Through the combined efforts of six fire crews, the fire was under control in 90 minutes. Despite the swift response, much of the building had been destroyed, which led to the implementation of the aforementioned temporary classrooms to replace what had been lost in the fire.
It only took the school two days to get classes up and running again. To this day, the cause of the fire remains a mystery, and both the police and the fire investigators have deemed it suspicious.
The Upper Mount Gravatt State School is located at 1899 Logan Rd. For more information, visit their website here. Likewise, learn more about the project manager Wiley here. Follow the Facebook pages of both the school and Wiley for the latest updates and announcements concerning the new building.
Wishart, one of five Carinity-owned retirement communities in Queensland, recently hosted two separate morning tea parties at the Carinity Wishart Gardens community pavilion in order to accommodate all the participants to its 25th anniversary bash.
Throughout the festivities, numerous special events were held, such as celebratory cake cutting to commemorate the establishment’s 25-year milestone, or a special video presentation about the history of the Wishart area as well as the retirement village. Those who attended were given cupcakes and gift packs.
Carinity has supported elderly people in Australia for over 70 years by providing them with a home and a community to belong to. Wishart Gardens in particular is home to around 80 residents between the ages of 70 and 100.
Carinity Wishart Gardens can be found at 15 Glasford St, Wishart. For more information visit their website here. Follow Carinity’s social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates and announcements.
Dr Greg Thomas, the Principal Dentist at Bupa Dental Garden City, explained that providing mouthguards is the most direct and effective way they could support their local sports club.
“AFL is a physical sport and players can be at risk from dental trauma as a result of collisions or other mishaps. A custom-made mouthguard is an essential piece of personal protective equipment that can safeguard against unforeseen dental injuries incurred while playing the game.” says Dr Thomas.
Mouthguards play an important role in the safety of all football players, acting as shock absorbers for their mouths and teeth. If a player is hit in the face with a ball or through colliding with another player, the blow sends shockwaves through their teeth, jaw, and skull. A mouthguard effectively minimises the damage by capturing those shockwaves, diffusing them, and then dispersing them.
The Bupa Dental team, which has sponsored the Mt Gravatt Vultures Football Club for three years, has also taken this opportunity to inform and educate its players and members of staff on some of the dental issues caused by sports drinks. These drinks have the potential to cause tooth decay, which in turn influences sporting performance and general health.
With their new mouthguards, the Mt Gravatt Vultures will be able to protect themselves from potential injuries such as broken teeth, or mouth and tongue injuries.
The Mt Gravatt Vultures Football Club can be found in Dittmer Park, 40 Klumpp Rd, Upper Mt Gravatt. To learn more about Bupa Dental Garden City, visit their website or follow their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates and announcements.
An analyst from CSIRO reveals that the planned 1,700-kilometre Inland Rail, which would see the rehabilitation of a disused quarry in Mt Gravatt East, could result in annual transport cost savings of $170 million.
Dr Andrew Higgins, the senior principal scientist determining the benefits of the country’s largest freight rail infrastructure project to move goods from Queensland to Victoria and NSW, said that they have devised a TraNSIT logistics analysis tool to map out existing routes with the National Trunk Rail (NTR) to make a cost comparison.
Whilst the full report is still awaiting release, CSIRO’s analysis has pushed the government to greenlight this project so that the industries involved could start making plans. A part of this plan may include the rehabilitation of the Mt Gravatt East quarry over two decades with minimal disruption to Brisbane’s southside suburbs.
NTR believes this could be possible by launching tunnel boring machines from the disused quarry. The tunnel boring machine, commonly used in underground infrastructure projects, is expected to take up to 250,000 trucks off Brisbane’s roads during construction.
Photo Credit: Inland Rail
The Inland Rail will link to the Brisbane Port from the day it opens via existing rail lines. The Australian and Queensland Governments are canvassing options on how best to improve the connection between the port and Inland Rail over the long term.
In late 2019, the Prime Minister announced the Australian Government would provide $20 million for planning a Port of Brisbane connection with funding to flow from 2020-21 as part of a broader commitment to the Queensland economy. The Queensland Government will provide an in-kind matching contribution.
BMI group, the company that now owns the site after acquiring it from Boral in 2012, believes they can use the spoil from digging the ‘Missing Link’ freight tunnel to fill the quarry.
The owners of the quarry, now known as Pine Mountain Road Quarry, have big plans for the site, including building 500 residences on it once it’s rehabilitated. BMI confirmed they had preliminary approval to develop the old quarry into a housing estate and that could be brought forward if the tunnel is built there.
Pine Mountain Road Quarry features a large lake in the pit and measures 34.57ha. Around 20ha of the total land area will be allowed to be developed for residential purposes.
When BMI acquired the site years ago, the quarry was filled with murky and slightly acidic water. They conducted a draining operation in March 2020 and worked with a wastewater consultancy to treat the quarry void water, removing its metal content and bringing its pH levels back in line.
“A discharge structure was constructed into a concrete-lined portion of Salvin Creek and downstream erosion protection measures were established to facilitate draining. The company also organised for the installation of a polishing system that could detect the water quality and halt pumping if those attributes fell outside of pre-set parameters,” BMI stated on its website.
NTR believes the plot of land was ideal for tunnelling because it’s large and relatively free of any conflicting infrastructure. They also added that tunnels through this site would avoid the community issue of noise and dust.
The Brisbane Metro Depot, Brisbane City Council’s new Rochedale project, will be providing storage and power for the new fleet of Brisbane Metro vehicles, offering advanced charging infrastructure on top of maintenance and staff facilities.
It will also generate 170 new jobs throughout construction, with many more to follow after its completion.
Over 10 hectares large, the depot will be one of the biggest and most technologically advanced facilities in all of Australia. The fleet itself will facilitate travel across Brisbane by giving the community a new mode of transport which shares the busway with existing bus services.
Upon completion, the depot will be able to house up to 60 fully electric Metro vehicles — all of which will be produced by the world-leading vehicle manufacturer HESS, in partnership with the Brisbane-based manufacturer Volgren and the electric infrastructure company ABB.
Each vehicle utilises an advanced battery fuel source with zero tailpipe emissions, and they will be able to carry up to 150 passengers. HESS and its partners will build and test the electric vehicles in Europe within the year, and they are expected to be available for local operating testing in Brisbane by 2022.
Major construction of the Brisbane Metro Depot, located along School Rd, Rochedale, is expected to begin in mid-2021. Construction of the facility is estimated to finish in 2023, just in time for the delivery of the Brisbane Metro vehicle fleet.
To celebrate their reopening on the 11th of March, 2021, barbershop Just Cuts Mt. Gravatt is offering free haircuts to 30 of their inaugural customers as they open their new venue on the ground floor of Westfield Garden City.
Following the drastic changes to the business landscape brought about by the pandemic, the Mt. Gravatt branch of Just Cuts salon has decided to relocate.
“We’re moving to a premium site right next to the food court,” says Michael Mercer, owner of the Just Cuts franchise. “It’s more attractive to me because our no appointments, just walk in business model suits higher foot traffic locations.”
COVID-19 has been particularly problematic for local businesses based in shopping centres such as Westfield Garden City as people are keen to spend less time in public indoor areas.
“Thursday night business has dropped 50% and weekends have dropped overall,” adds Mr. Mercer.
Despite Just Cuts’ apparent decline in customers, their weekdays have also become busier as customers would prefer to get in and out of salons as quickly as possible to follow COVID-19 guidelines and safety measures. In order to adapt to the new environment, a change of venues was necessary to increase engagement with the Mt. Gravatt community.
For the first time since the salon first set up ten years ago, Just Cuts Mt. Gravatt will change venues in order to adapt while the Queensland economy recovers. There will be no shutdown period between salon transfers, and Just Cuts’ priority will remain on hygiene and delivering quality haircuts to their customers.
“We want to maintain the confidence our clients have in our salon,” adds Mr. Mercer.
With a team of eight local artists, Just Cuts Mt. Gravatt is expected to reopen on Thursday, March 11, 2021, at 9:00AM. The new shop will be located at Westfield Garden City’s ground floor opposite Boost & Kathmandu, near the southern food court.
Follow their Facebook page for the latest news on deals, dates, and general updates.
“It is only a small school but it is making a big difference,” so goes the battle cry of the advocates to save Seton College in Mount Gravatt, following the announcement that they have hired legal representation in the fight to prevent the school’s closure in 2024.
It comes as a former staff member, who resigned in 2020, warned that the closure will have a long-term outcome on its remaining students who will have to move to a mainstream school and could likely struggle with the curriculum and the new environment.
The staff said that there’s nothing like Seton in terms of adjusting to the children’s abilities and needs, as assessed by their teachers, especially among those with developmental challenges. For many of these kids, Seton is not just an educational centre but it’s also a home where they can “have a place in society” and never have to fear expulsion from school.
In early 2020, Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) confirmed the closure of Seton College due to the dwindling number of enrollees. But concerned parents and students have challenged this decision by claiming that it is the school that hasn’t accepted new students.
BCE appointed representatives to assist parents and students in the transition. One parent said that a representative told them there are more than 140 schools in Brisbane’s southeast that could be suitable for special needs students from Seton. However, based on their experience, four of the five potential schools approached by BCE representatives turned down their child.
In the meantime, SOS is holding Zoom meetings regularly to update each other on the progress of their fight to save the school. For more information about the group, follow the Facebook page or visit the official site.
Photo Credit: Instagram
“The impending closure of Seton College by 2024, will leave an enormous gap in the schooling options available to Brisbane families. There will no longer be a contemporary Catholic, coeducational Secondary College purpose-built for personalised learning on the south side of Brisbane,” the group said.
Looking for the perfect place for next week’s date night? Or simply want to try a new restaurant across Brisbane? If you’re fancying Mexican cuisine, drive all the way to the newly opened South Austin in Mt Gravatt.
This Tex-Mex Cantina is the latest project of Barbecue Mafia owners Gareth Dosser and Andrew Walliker, who drew much inspiration from the Tex-Mex restaurants they visited in the United States in 2018. After landing in the Top 10 at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, the duo decided to celebrate their win through this new business venture.
Photo credit: South Austin Tex Mex Cantina/ Facebook Photo credit: South Austin Tex Mex Cantina/ Facebook
All dishes in South Austin are inspired by the tastes of Mexico and Central Texas, with items like handmade tortillas and smoked brisket. Everything, from the meat to the salsas are made inhouse. They smoke meat and hand-press tortillas everyday to ensure freshness. Chef Ryan Marstella, who’s also the head chef of Barbecue Mafia, makes the salsas, queso, and guacamole.
But the huge hit here is the beef birria taco – it’s smoked and braised beef shin and ribs in rich chili broth. The tortillas are dipped in the rich broth before grilling with melted cheese, onion, and coriander. It’s best paired with frozen mango and watermelon margaritas or locally made beers courtesy of Ballistic Beer Co and Stone and Wood.
If you’re vegetarian or want something gluten-free, Chef Marstella could serve roasted cauliflower taco blue corn tortilla. But if you’re okay with gluten, you can simply ask for their flour tortilla that’s also vegetarian and just as delicious and fresh as their blue corn tortilla.
South Austin Cantina is located at Cenzo’s Bar and Cafe and is open for dinner from Thursday to Saturday, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. They have limited walk ups and takeaways, so bookings through https://southaustincantina.com.au/ are highly recommended.
Who doesn’t enjoy sharing stories over coffee? Well, here’s one interesting and sweet tale behind the new Mount Gravatt East hole in the wall cafe, Story Behind The Coffee.
Owner Danilo Ramon Jovero Jr opened Story Behind The Coffee in September 2020 with his partner as their first business venture together. Mr Jovero followed the love of his life in Australia in April 2019.
Mr Jovero said that he’s passionate about his five-year relationship as much as he’s passionate about coffee and he’s roasting only the best coffee beans at his cafe — the award-winning Coffee Mentality.
Mr Jovero and the Coffee Mentality group work with sustainable and ethical coffee growers from the Philippines.
Photo Credit: FacebookPhoto Credit: Facebook
Quality coffee and quality service are what drives the owner to come to his store every day and hear other people’s stories. Aside from selling bags of specialty coffee beans to take home, this cafe also has a variety of syrups — in white chocolate, butterscotch or Irish cream — to mix with a hot or cold cup.
Story Behind The Coffee took over the spot of a former grocery store on Broadwater Road and turned the fit-out into a classic black and white cafe.
Photo Credit: Facebook
To learn more about their opening hours and coffee blends, follow the Facebook Page.
“Open at good hours ie 6 am on a weekend. Coffee is really nice tasting and the barista is super lovely. Decor lovely- would be nice in winter when the weather isn’t hot n humid!”
Edwina L
“Fantastic coffee shop. Some of the best coffee I’ve ever had and the owners are super warm and friendly people, “the story” behind the coffee is really cute too. 10/10 recommended”
Winston Timmermans
“Great to have a local hole in the wall! Dog friendly is a big plus as well.”
