Work has begun on the transformation of vacant student rooms at Griffith University in Mt Gravatt into a housing complex, with more than 200 beds set to be repurposed as small living areas for short-term stay.
With shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, the former student rooms will provide a safe and suitable temporary home for Queenslanders still looking for private rental accommodation.
The Department of Communities and Housing is in talks with potential service providers to run the operations of the housing complex once the construction is completed in mid-2023.
“This facility will provide a buffer for Queenslanders doing it tough in the current housing crisis before they can get back into the rental market,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.
“It will mean a roof over the heads of more Queenslanders when they need it most. The plan to repurpose unused student beds came out of our housing roundtable, showing what can be achieved by working together.”
“This facility is another example of our commitment to work across government and the private sector to house more vulnerable Queenslanders sooner,” Minister for Communities and Housing Leeanne Enoch said.
“Once complete, the complex will provide vital short-term housing for adults as they are supported into longer-term, more secure accommodation.”
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.
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.
Lenny Catalano of Spuds and Plums in Mt Gravatt was on the road one early morning on the week of Brisbane’s worst flooding in a decade. With the distribution of fruit and vegetables disrupted by the flooding for at least 48 hours, Mr Catalano wanted to make sure that his customers will not miss out on their essential supplies. Now that’s dedication!
On that day, Mr Catalano and several other independent fruiterers, who also operated as wholesalers at the Brisbane Markets® in Rocklea, worked above and beyond to get everything up and running again.
“We were lucky as we had quite a bit of stock on hand before the floods hit,” Mr Catalano said.
“We were able to manage the situation well, but it took a big effort to make this happen. I was on the road at 4 a.m. to try and source produce and fight the heavy traffic due to flooded streets, but I wanted to make sure my customers could get what they needed.
“With the supermarkets not having much produce at all, we ended up being very busy.”
“The floods are a great example of how local fruit and veg shops and their suppliers did not give up during difficult times. We came together, rolled up our sleeves, and did what we had to do to get the supply chain going and to get stock onto shelves.”
Photo Credit: Glenn Batten/Google Maps
With their efforts, Brisbane Markets® was ready to operate within 24 hours of cleaning up.
Despite the great work done to get trade back up and running, there is much still to do, and consumers can help by buying locally. Supporting independent fruit and veg providers, such as Spuds and Plums in Mt Gravatt, also means supporting the businesses that operate from the Brisbane Markets®, most of which have suffered significant losses from the floods.
Local, independent fruit and veg shops provide customers with a better choice of quality, freshness, and service. They give customers the opportunity to shop as close to home as possible while supporting their local community.
Limited inventory and competition among buyers have driven the Mt Gravatt property market upward 19.22% from October 2021 to September 2022, putting the median house price at just under $800,000. Sellers and investors have been enjoying the luxury of making strong offers amid a tight market where transactions are moving at a brisk pace.
Highlights
The Mt Gravatt property market enjoyed a 19.22 per cent growth for October 2020 to September 2021, pulling the median house price at $798,778.
This suburb’s unit market also exhibited an increase at 5.82 per cent with a median unit price of $500,000.
Both houses and unit market listings stayed an average of 20 days on the market although stocks have remained low only 50 sold for houses and 39 for units during this 12-month period.
House Price Growth
Data from Property Market Updates has shown that Mt Gravatt’s property market grew by 19.22 per cent for the period covering October 2020 to September 2021. The median house price in this eastern Brisbane suburb is now sitting at $798,778, up from $670,000 in the previous year.
There were 50 properties sold in Mt Gravatt for the said period with more demand for three-bedroom and four-bedroom homes. House listings stayed an average of 20 days on the market, with fast turnover in a tight market.
According to Property, Research and Development (PRD) Australia, Brisbane’s middle-ring suburbs, which includes Mt Gravatt, have been enjoying significant growth and high demand in the last five years but it has outperformed all inner city and outer rings during the third quarter of 2021 in terms of fast sales and asking prices. Driving the price increase is a perfect combination of low interest rates, better income, and a shift in priorities due to the pandemic.
Mt Gravatt’s unit market has swung upward by 5.82 per cent, with the median unit price settling at half a million. As with houses, units were listed for an average of 20 days on market, with 39 apartments sold for the 12-month period.
Sales of one-bedroom apartments moved the fastest at just 12 days on market. However, most buyers have been looking for two and three-bedroom units.
In early 2020, investors feared that the pandemic would quash the unit market as more buyers sought detached homes with more liveable spaces and the space to work from home. However, Brisbane’s general unit market is expected to trend upward in view of the border reopening.
About Mt Gravatt
Mt Gravatt is a suburb that has a mix of everything that residents need for their convenience and essentials — good schools, great transportation access, thriving dining and shopping scene, wonderful recreational and sports facilities, and proximity to hospitals. Located within the 10- to 15-kilometre radius from the CBD, this area has been flourishing and appealing to families and young professionals who want to live a little further away from the bustling hub of the city.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Given its prime position and the kind of lifestyle Mt Gravatt offers, the suburb is seen to be fairly affordable, compared to other markets, especially for first home buyers. It’s also a viable option for second and even third home buyers who are keen to invest in the property market.
“I have lived in Mt Gravatt for 8 years. Have to say I have hit gold moving here! Have fantastic neighbours and there is a real good community vibe here. If you like nature, greenery, lots of trees and wildlife and community-minded people, this is the place for you! We are within walking distance to all the Mt Gravatt Mountain and Toohey Forest bushwalking trails which we enjoy on a daily basis.”
ShaneTaylor
“Well, what can I say has lots of local restaurants Pizza, pasta, Thai food and coffee club etc local shops have Target and a few specialty shops but just down the road is Westfield Garden City Shopping Centre and we have two Uni’s near us Griffith Mt Gravatt campus and Nathan. The freeway is easily got to for travelling up or down the coast and into the city on the Busway which has Holland Park Busway and Mt Gravatt Busway close by. Bushwalks in the forest. There is plenty of choice for schools in Primary and High schools for Public and Private. Not much more to say really. Enjoy our suburb.”
Olympic medallist Kelsey-Lee Barber recently visited the budding athletes at the Mt Gravatt Little Athletics Centreto help the Centre celebrate some good news and provide inspiration to the young, up-and-coming talents at the facility.
Mt Gravatt Little Athletics Centre is one of the grant recipients of the Coles Little Athletics Community Round. The $3,600 grant will be used for the purchase of sports equipment for the centre.
Coles’ allocation of sports equipment grants has been stretched to $2 million, thanks to the incredible sales of reusable community bags designed by Aussie kids. Sales of bananas at Coles supermarkets on National Banana Day in May 2021 also contributed to the fund.
Photo Credit: Supplied
“Our centre has been providing Little Athletics to the community for over 40 years and some of our equipment are well past their use-by date,” Mt Gravatt Little Athletics President Emma Munro said.
“The Coles grant will enable us to upgrade our line marking equipment thus significantly reducing the hours it takes for our volunteers to mark our fields.”
Ms Barber, who is the reigning world javelin champ, said that the funding boost will allow the children of Mt Gravatt Little Athletics Centre to realise their full sporting potential.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time for athletics in Australia off the back of Tokyo 2020 and with Brisbane 2032 on the horizon,” Ms Barber said.
“I know how important it is for athletes like myself to support the next generation so that our sport can continue to grow and thrive. It’s fantastic for Athletics Australia athletes to have a chance to do this through Coles Little Athletics Community Round.”
Photo Credit: Supplied
Statistics demonstrate the importance of having an early interest and involvement in athletics and sports. Seventy-five per cent of the Australian track and field team, who represented the country at the Tokyo Olympics, and 23 per cent of para-athletes in the Paralympics, started their sports training at a Little Athletics facility.
“That’s why support like this from Coles is so important,” Coles Little Athletics Australia President Andrew Pryor said. “The grants will help ensure little athletes of today have all the resources they need to develop into Olympians of the future if that is the pathway they choose.”
“Little Athletics centres and their dedicated volunteers play such a vital role in the local community to help kids keep active and healthy. We want to be better together with the community and we’re proud to play our part by providing nearly $370,000 in sports equipment grants to Little Athletics centres in Queensland over the past three years,” Mr Farrell said.
Brisbane Women’s Club Chair of the Board, Leah Stangle said BWC was delighted to support the Red Bench Project that aligned closely with the club’s ethos, to make Brisbane a better place for women to live and work.
“The BWC board has worked hard with our partners to send a strong message to the community that we want to end the silence around domestic violence,” Ms Stangle said.
Between July 2020 and March 2021, Queensland Police has responded to 113,779 domestic violence cases throughout the state.
Ms Stangle said the bench was installed outside the Lovewell Café, run by the Lovewell Foundation, which works with women who are rebuilding their lives to retake their place in the community.
The initiative is part of the Red Rose Foundation’s commitment to end domestic and family violence-related deaths in Australia.
Red Rose Foundation, Chief Executive Officer, Betty Taylor said they hoped the daring red colour would keep the issue of domestic violence at the forefront of people’s minds generating the much needed, yet often taboo, discussions in our community.
“The benches will encourage people to stop, sit, read the plaques and bring the issue of domestic violence to people of all walks of life, whether they have been affected by DV or not,” she said.
L to R: Jim Boden, Red Rose Foundation, Lady Mayoress Nina Schrinner, Annie Stonehouse, Lovewell Foundation, Leah Stangle, Brisbane Women’s Club and Councillor Krista Adams, Deputy Mayor (Photo supplied)
Lord Mayoress Nina Schrinner graced the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Deputy Mayor Krista Adams. To date, around 270 red benches have been installed mostly in Queensland with eight in New South Wales, two in South Australia, and 30 within Brisbane.
Construction is set to begin in one of the busiest sites in Mt Gravatt, where a used car yard will be transformed into a service station with a few fast-food restaurants with drive-thru service.
The development, which has been three years in the making and also impacts High Street and Creighton Street, is finally pushing through by the end of October. Once completed, the former car yard will boast of a new Hungry Jack restaurant, a Zaraffas Coffee Shop, and a 7-Eleven service station. These establishments are expected to open 24 hours a day.
Photo Credit: Developmenti/BCC
A bus stop along Logan Road will be moved a few metres northward to make way for the new development, which was largely uncontested by the residents. Prior to the filing of the DA, the developers had pre-lodgement meetings in 2016 with members of the Council.
The transformation will provide 36 car parking spaces for all of the tenants and their customers. Approval for this development (DA A005030044) was decided in August 2019.
Photo Credit: Developmenti/BCC
It comes as Hungry Jack has just opened a new outlet at the Rochedale Village whilst a KFC fast food outlet with drive-thru also opened on Logan Road towards the Eight Mile Plains section in April. Another KFC outlet, taking over Mt Gravatt Montezuma, is also awaiting development approval.
Are you a Brisbane business owner who would like to know how the preparations for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics could impact your establishment? Learn what’s in store as the Brisbane Southside Chamber of Commerce (CCIQ) hosts its monthly breakfast with a special guest who can shed light on the programs and policies for the business community.
Happening on Wednesday, 20 October 2021, the Brisbane Southside Chamber of Commerce breakfast will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Mount Gravatt Bowls Club on Logan Road.
The Brisbane Southside CCIQ has invited Deputy Mayor Krista Adams as the speaker, who was appointed the Civic Cabinet Chair for Economic Development and the Chair of Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee.
With these significant roles, Ms Adams will help Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner steer the planning and strategising of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with her focus on small business and international relations.
“Krista will work closely with me to guide the delivery of game-changing infrastructure and a lasting legacy for our city and region,” Mr Schrinner said.
“Anyone who knows Krista will attest that she’s an avid sports fan and her experience managing some of Civic Cabinet’s most complex and challenging roles makes her the perfect choice to lead our Games responsibilities.”
Ms Adams and Mr Schrinner are charting a detailed road map to make Brisbane Olympic-ready and this won’t be possible without consulting business owners. This will also open up more opportunities for local businesses to bid on upcoming projects.
