News and other stories about real people, places, and events in Mount Gravatt and nearby suburbs.
The REIQ recently reported the latest housing market statistics which showed Mount Gravatt median house price at $651,000, up 3.3% over the last 12 months and 31.5% over the last 5 years. In the 2nd quarter of 2018, there were 7 homes sold in Mount Gravatt.
Prepare to get a wave of nostalgia with the Old School Cool event at Westfield Upper Mt Gravatt.
From 24 September to 7 October 2018, you can enjoy playing your favourite arcade games whilst listening to the iconic tunes of the 80s and 90s.
Westfield Upper Mt Gravatt will have a floor-to-ceiling neon arcade where you can show off your arcade games skills.
Just like the old times, enjoy a game of pinball and air hockey as well as the greatly missed Dance Dance Revolution, Donkey Kong, Pac Man, and more. There will also be a dedicated zone where you can play the OG Mario Kart.
Apart from the highly nostalgic games, there will also be a pop-up sneaker museum from Foot Locker. They will be showcasing a selection of vintage kicks from the 80s and 90s during the school holidays.
The exclusive Sneaker Museum will be located at the Centre Court, Level 2 of Westfield Upper Mt Gravatt.
Talking about awesome kicks, you can bring your own sneakers and have them customised by Gyst for Kicks and Before Customs. The customisation station will be located on Level 2, near Starbucks.
Have your sneakers customised from Tuesday, 2 October to Sunday, 7 October 2018, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., every half hour. Bookings are essential for the sneaker customisation.
For more information, you may visit Westfield Garden City’s official website.
The Mt Gravatt East community is taking a firm stand against the proposed townhouse development on Carrara and Nurran Streets .
More than 800 residents have signed a petition against the proposed 32-unit development.
Locals are sending a strong message to the council that they don’t want the townhouse development, even before the developer could lodge a DA.
“Developers are getting away with reckless clearing and inappropriate development and the Council does not appear to be listening or supporting residents. As mere residents, we would never get away with what they have done. Remember, if they can do this here, they will do it near you. Its [sic] important to note that we are not anti-development we are against inappropriate development and reckless senseless clearing of natural habitats,” Mount Gravatt East Townhouse Development Action Group said in their Facebook page post.
“There has also been another serious fallout from this reckless and mismanaged clearing and that is the impact on wildlife. We have been left to deal with returning Koalas and other wildlife to a habitat that is now destroyed. We have had to deal with the heartbreaking killing of Koalas that were needlessly left stranded. This is why we have been updating you so much about the urgent local Koala situation.”
“The new Council biodiversity map had deemed 68 Nurran protected as it was designated for protection under 2017 Draft Amendments to the City Plan but this has been delayed for more than a year by the Council. Gee, wonder why there was such a rush to clear the land!”
Whilst the council is moving forward with plans to ban townhouses and apartments developments in areas designed for single homes, some residents remain skeptical. They are particularly concerned about possible small lot subdivisions, as a result. Planning experts, on the other hand, are concerned that such a ban could push house prices even higher.
The Player Street Connection project is set to improve traffic conditions in Upper Mount Gravatt as part of the Mount Gravatt Corridor Neighbourhood Plan.
The project involves the construction of a new section of road between Pickworth Street and Kessels Road to connect Player Street to MacGregor Street.
According to Councillor Steven Huang of MacGregor Ward, the Player Street Connection will significantly improve traffic flow on Kessels Road. The project will also improve access to streets off Cremin Street.
“These streets house hundreds of families, as well as provide an access point to the Upper Mount Gravatt State School,” Cr Huang said.
According to a Council report, access to the residential area north of Kessels Road via Cremin Street is currently limited. The area is less accessible because the right turn into Cremin Street from Kessels Road is prohibited in morning and afternoon peak periods.
The location also has a significant crash history with a total of 24 crashes recorded on site between 2007 and 2011.
As of now, signals at the intersection of Kessels Road and Cremin Street currently provide access to the local area. However, these traffic signals are located too close to the Logan Road intersection with Kessels Road. This causes congestion and safety concerns for motorists and pedestrians.
Plans for the Player Street Connection involve the acquisition of four properties to allow the extension of Player Street to Kessels Road.
Council will resume properties at 652 and 654 Kessels Road as well as 8 and 10 Pickworth Street. Because of this, the owners of 8 Pickworth St and 652 Kessels Road have lodged objections to the resumption of their property.
Another part of the plan is the removal of traffic lights at the intersection of Kessels Road and Cremin Street. Access to the street will also be modified to left-in and left-out turns only and a median strip will be built on the road.
Brisbane City Council has committed $4.8 million to the Player Street Connection project. The Council is hoping that the project will:
For more information or comments on the Player Street Connection project you may:
Player Street Connection Feasibility investigation
City Projects
Brisbane City Council
GPO Box 1434
Brisbane Qld 4001.
A proposal for a new mixed-used dual-tower development at 1478–1484 Logan Road, Mount Gravatt has been submitted by Makro Pty Ltd.
The project, under DA number A004980066, will have one tower developed as a commercial tower for office use with a separate entrance lobby and lift service. The second tower, comprising 47 apartments, will be for residential use.
This Peddle Thorp-designed project also proposes a ground floor café with outdoor seating and healthcare tenancy via a new public plaza thoroughfare.
Fronting onto Bothwell street and located partially below ground will be a retail shop tenancy. The three-level basement parking will have a total capacity of 134 park spaces.
Mt Gravatt became the pilot location when Netball Queensland decided to bring Walking Netball over to Brisbane. The pilot was so successful that spots for the Hibiscus Stadium trial were immediately filled-up.
Walking Netball is a modified version of netball; There is no running or jumping involved. The game can be played by anyone, regardless of their physical ability, fitness level, or age. Walking Netball is a perfect way for senior men and women to get reacquainted with the sport and get physically and socially active once more.
Credit: Active Northumberland/YouTube
Being a low-impact sport, walking netball’s modified rules minimise the risks of injury. The sport also easily fosters friendship amongst its participants.
“The hardest part about Walking Netball is being brave enough to walk through the door, but once you do, you will be welcomed by lots of smiles and a bunch of new friends. I encourage people of all ages to come and try Walking Netball,” said Walking Netball Coordinator Rhonda Newton.
“Walking Netball is all about the laughter, participation and friendships.”
The pilot program was enthusiastically received by Mt Gravatt locals and the Walking Netball fever has now spilt-over to the Northside with three new locations, Morayfield, North Lakes, and Brendale.
The five-week trial at the Hibiscus Stadium started 30 July. If you have questions about the program you may contact Rhonda Newton at 0439 706 077 or email at walkingnetballqueensland@gmail.com
Last year, Australian supermarket giant ALDI announced that it will invest significant funds to refurbish its aging stores. In Mt Gravatt, the company has just opened a revamped ALDI store earlier this month.
On 8 August, Mt Gravatt’s ALDI store reopened with upgraded facilities that feature better shelving, energy-efficient chillers, and expanded wooden produce bay. It also boasts of new energy-efficient LED lighting based on the supermarket’s key priority, which is efficient energy management. Upgrades have also been implemented on the point-of-sale displays and storage signage.
In 2016, ALDI trialled this updated store format that features clearer signage, redesigned shelving, LED lights, extended chillers, and expanded wooden produce bays. The success of that trial paved the way for these changes to be included in the designs in all of their stores across the country. Currently, ALDI has over 400 stores nationwide, with the newer ones already in the modern format.
The supermarket also announced last year that they will add more products that the stock. They have over 1,300 product lines and they aim to continue adding new and exciting products to their stores.
After winning The Griffith University Jack Pizzey Regional Principal of the Year Award, Wishart State School Principal Yolanda Tognini is now in the running to become Principal of the Year in the 2018 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools.
State Member for Mansfield Corrine McMillan MP congratulated the Wishart State School Principal on her regional win and said that Ms Tognini demonstrates excellence in education, innovation, and leadership.
Ms Tognini and Michael Kiss of Avoca State School are both vying for the Principal of the Year award. The two exemplary principals have now made it to the state finals of the 2018 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools.
This year, 23 exceptional Queensland state schools and educators have been recognised and were named as state finalists in the Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools.
According to Education Minister Grace Grace, the Showcase Awards were Queensland’s most prestigious award program for state school education.
Each state finalist will receive a $7,500 development grant in recognition of their outstanding work. Furthermore, the state winners would receive an additional development grant of $30,000 each for the school award categories, or $15,000 each for the teacher and principal award categories.
“These grants are designed to support schools in delivering current education program, as well as encourage the development of new programs to support opportunities for students,” Ms Grace said.
State winners of the 2018 Showcase Awards will be announced at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday, 26 October 2018, just in time with Queensland’s celebration of World Teachers’ Day.
“World Teachers’ Day is the perfect opportunity to shine the light on the outstanding achievements of our dedicated teachers, principals and school communities,” said Ms Grace.
To learn more about this prestigious award and for the full list of the finalists, visit the official page of the 2018 Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools.
Bronwen Healy of The Hope Foundation and the director of The LoveWell Project has another passion project coming to Mount Gravatt. Ms Healy is pursuing a creative initiative, Music on the MountainTop.
The initiative is a live local music at the LoveWell Project held fortnightly at the Mt Gravatt Lookout. Music on the MountainTop starts at the kiosk from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., whilst live music begins at 6:30 p.m. The artists who play at the event are friends and “connections” of Ms Healy.
The Hope Foundation is a charity organisation based in Brisbane helping to change the lives of women who have suffered from addictions or worked for the sex industry.
Ms Healy herself was once a drug addict and a sex worker. She launched the foundation in 2006. Her healing journey started in 1999 and this journey also brought forth a book of her own, titled “Trophy of Grace” in 2004.
Upon the launch of her foundation, a “drop-in space” called Hope Haven was also established in the suburb. Hope Haven became the starting point for women trying to rebuild their lives. After this, they are sent to the cafe to work and start anew.
Today, Ms Healy continues to help women through various initiatives. The Music on the MountainTop is to send a message to everyone that they are loved and valued. The LoveWell Project is their cafe that runs their charity’s social enterprise.
A residential developer is planning to build townhouses on three adjoining properties on Carrara and Nurran Streets in Mt Gravatt East. Upon learning this, residents formed a local action group to express their opposition against the development.
According to Mark Winters, the spokesman for the Mt Gravatt East Townhouse Development Action Group, the locals are against higher density dwellings in the neighbourhood. In fact, the tree-clearing onsite has angered locals who pointed out that the site is a wildlife habitat. Locals have also been feeling disempowered as they feel they have not been given the chance to speak up about the development.
An online petition has been put up, detailing all the reasons why locals are against the development. Their concerns include:
Residents are urging the local government and the council to stop all work on the site until the DA is lodged with the council and approved. Also, they are calling for the council officers to assess and report the impact of tree clearing. The local community also wants the owner of the development to engage with them.
Just last month, a public meeting regarding the development was held. Labor for Bonner Jo Briskey and MP Corrine McMillan also expressed their support to residents.
However, a consultant for Ray White Holland Park said that their proposed development has gained great support from local businesses as it will help them get more customers. He also said that this development will give first-time home buyers an affordable way to buy a residential property in the area.
Still, the dissent continues, fuelled by recent social media activity and reactions to the online petition.
