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Tenders Sought for Stage 4 of North Brisbane Bikeway Project in Kedron

The North Brisbane Bikeway from Price Street to Kedron Brook is a step closer to completion, now that the project has reached its fourth stage.

With the bike project approaching the next phase, the Department of Transport and Main Roads is seeking tenders for the project.

Like the earlier phases of the project, Transport and Main Roads Minister Bailey said in a media statement that stage four will include a separated bikeway as well as priority cycle and pedestrian crossings.

“Riders have told us they want the North Brisbane Bikeway to continue along Dickson Street, and that’s the design we’re sticking with,” said Mr Bailey.

Mr Bailey said Stages One to Four of the North Brisbane Bikeway will provide almost 4.5 km of safer, separated bicycle lanes that will link with Brisbane’s broader network of bike infrastructure once complete.

One of those who welcomed the tender offer is Bicycle Queensland CEO Anne Savage, who believes cities that invest in healthy travel enjoy the benefits, with five dollars gained for every dollar spent.

“Bikeway growth is essential to our economic prosperity and will position Brisbane to achieve the vision of a healthy, safe, and sustainable travel future, reducing congestion and promoting healthy urban development,” Ms Savage said.

Bicycle Queensland commends the State Government and its investment in the North Brisbane Bikeway, which will provide a missing link in the bikeway network to help shorten travel times, improve safety, and get cyclists home sooner to their families.

About the North Brisbane Bikeway Project

The North Brisbane Bikeway Project is is part of Brisbane City Council’s Better Bikeways for Brisbane program, creating dedicated bikeways and active travel options with a $100 million investment from 2016 to 2020.

Located in Price Street, near Kent Road at Wooloowin, to the entrance to Kedron Brook Bikeway off Brook Road, the aim of the creating the bikeway is to improve safety and connectivity for cyclists.

It will be delivered by BCC in partnership with the Queensland Government. For further information about the bikeway project, visit the Council’s website.

Spend a Carefree Doggy Day Out at Kedron Brook Floodway Dog Park

Considered as one of the most carefree dog off-leash areas in Brisbane, the Kedron Brook Floodway Dog Park is a long stretch of unfenced grassy land where dogs could run, play, explore, swim, and socialise.

Beginning from Gilbert Road bridge and walking downstream to the east, just before reaching Lutwyche Road, Kedron Brook Floodway Dog Park spans about a couple of kilometres.

The whole northern side of the creek is declared off-leash by the Council and is one of the most popular spots and a great place for dog-walking and catching up with other dog lovers.

Weekdays are not as crowded during weekends, so if you want to meet and chat with other paw-rents who usually gather around Montrose St Bridge, the best times to drop by with your furry friend are evenings and Sunday nights.

Scattered along the 2-km path are doggy bags and water tap/bowls, so your dog will have a spot to get rehydrated as you walk along. There are picnic shelters along the way too, for you to rest and enjoy barbecuing.

Dog Park Courtesy

Pick up after your dog. Make sure to have bags to dispose off in the designated bins.
Make sure that your furkid is up to date on vaccinations.
Don’t bring a female dog in heat.
Always keep an eye on your dog and make sure he/she is well-mannered at all times.
If you have a small dog, find a suitable area where your dog can interact with similar-sized pets.
It is advisable not to bring a puppy that is less than four months old.

Parcel of Land Around St Andrew’s in Lutwyche Offered for Redevelopment

Photo credit: Ray Ray White Special Projects

The Anglican Church of Southern Queensland is looking for market interest for approximately 2,500-sqm to 3,000-sqm of land forming part of the historic St Andrew’s Anglican Church grounds at 673 Lutwyche, Brisbane.

A lease by marketing agents Matthew Fritzsche and Andrew Burke of Ray White Special Projects reveal that the owner is seeking all opportunities for the site, including joint venture, lease, and partial sale.

Anglican Bishop of the Northern Region Jeremy Greaves confirmed the St Andrew’s Church will remain.

Bishop Greaves emphasized that the project should complement the church’s ongoing use. He said that it should respect the heritage value of the site.

A spokesperson from the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane added that the organization would be keen to speak to interested project partners if there’s an opportunity to make better use of part of St Andrew’s Anglican Church.

Photo credit: Ray White Special Projects

The site is located 5-kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD and a short drive to schools, shopping centres, and hospital.

It is zoned “CF4 Community Facilities (Community Purpose)” under the current Town Planning Scheme for the Brisbane City Council.

The purpose of the Community Facilities zone is to provide for community-related activities and facilities whether under public or private ownership.

Community-related activities and facilities may include the provision of municipal services, public utilities, government installations, hospitals and schools, transport and telecommunication networks and community infrastructure of an artistic, social or cultural nature.

Expressions of interest for the Lutwyche site is open until Thursday 4 April 2019, 4:00 pm.

Stafford Heights: Among Most-Affordable Suburbs for Houses in Brisbane

Demand for houses in Stafford Heights is very high with 1,230 average visits per property as compared to the state average of 381, according to realestate.com.au data from 1 February 2018 to 31 January 2019. Also, Stafford Heights house median price grew from $475,000 in 2010 to $602,500 in 2018.

Queensland suburbs took all but the top two spots in the list of 10 suburbs in Australia to hunt for bargain houses, according to property researcher Riskwise. Victoria’s Norlane and Lovely Bank may have taken the first and second spots, respectively, but the rest of the list is QLD all the way.

Stafford Heights has also made the list, with a house median price of $603,149 or a 12-month growth of nine percent and 30% five-year growth.

The top 10 bargain suburbs in Australia according to RiskWise/CoreLogic are:

				Capital Growth
State	Suburb	Median Price ($)	12 months	3 Years	5 Years
VIC	Norlane	370,931	26%	63%	74%
VIC	Lovely Banks	455,868	26%	48%	51%
QLD	Hollywell	786,614	13%	25%	35%
QLD	Mount Ommaney	852,729	13%	14%	28%
QLD	Sinnamon Park	747,272	13%	14%	25%
QLD	Gaven	748,366	12%	24%	28%
QLD	Doonan	871,189	12%	23%	32%
QLD	Gordon Park	835,513	10%	12%	39%
QLD	Stafford Heights	603,149	9%	11%	30%
QLD	Twin Waters	852,843	8%	29%	38%

RiskWise CEO Doron Peleg noted that buying at a bargain does not mean you are buying a “cheap” house. Whilst there are many “well-priced” houses on the market, Mr Peleg said, these are not considered the best buy unless they offer future capital growth.

The suburbs listed were identified as best places to find bargain houses because they are expected to grow in value regardless of possible future reforms that could negatively impact housing market. These suburbs are all within 100 kilometres of their capital city. They have good public transport and infrastructure, and have enjoyed strong buyer demand amidst lending restrictions.

Police Encourages Stafford Locals to Prioritise their Own Safety

To ensure the safety of all locals passing through the bike way of Kedron Brook in Stafford, the Gateway Crime Prevention Team went out for a little walk in early February 2019 to speak amongst the daily users of the said bike way.

A number of locals pound the pavements of Kedron Brook every day for either work or fitness purposes. Because to this, the local police encouraged everyone passing through the area to always be vigilant of their surroundings and to always be more aware of what is going on around them.

According to the police, it is always best for locals to carry their mobile phones with them whilst they do their day-to-day activities at Kedron Brook. By having their mobile phones in their pockets, locals can easily and immediately dial Triple Zero 000 or the Policelink 131 444 for any situation that needs to be reported, such as a crime or an emergency.

Another important reminder from the police is for the locals to listen, trust, and act on their instincts especially if they are placed upon an unsure situation.

Dogs on Patrol

Part of the Queensland Police Service initiative is the Dogs on Patrol program. Dogs on Patrol encourages dog walkers within the community to take the responsibility of reporting to the police any spotted suspicious activity. All members of the Dogs on Patrol program are also encouraged to always stay connected within other walkers when they are out and about the neighbourhood.

Earlier this February 2019, as the police walked around the pavements of Kedron Brook, all residents who were out on their daily walks with their fur babies were quickly approached by the police to join the Dogs on Patrol program.

The walkies of the local police along Kedron Brook bike way focus on encouraging more members of the community to always prioritise their own safety and also the safety of their entire community. Given the number of people passing through Kedron Brook daily, the local police needs everyone’s help and support in preventing any crime that may happen in the area in order to safeguard the neighbourhood’s overall security.

Also, feel free to say hello if given the chance you see any friendly local police having walkies again along Kedron Brook bike way.

Bring Back the Platypus in Kedron Brook

There is plenty of wildlife to see in Kedron Brook since the waterway is surrounded by lush bushland. Yet, the last reported sighting of a platypus in the area has been more than 13 years ago.

Characteristics of Platypus

The platypus is an animal that is found only in Australia. It has a duck-like bill, broad flat tail, webbed feet, and thick waterproof fur. The male has bony spurs on both hind legs for defence. The spurs are connected to a venom-producing gland in the thigh.

Territorial and solitary, platypuses do not live in social groups.

platypus swimming — *Photo credit: pen_ash/Pixabay*

Natural habitats are freshwater streams, lakes or rivers. The platypus is known to migrate to reach new home waterways. It generally travels up to 1 km along a stream but can travel up to 7 km.

Platypuses are big eaters and consume 15-30 percent of their total body weight in a day. They feed mainly on bottom-dwelling prey in the water. The carnivorous diet consists of fish eggs, worms, insects, crustaceans, molluscs, tadpoles, plus larvae of caddisflies, mayflies, and shrimps. Foraging platypuses stay underwater for up to one minute, but all food is eaten on the surface.

Kedron Brook

Kedron Brook is a watercourse that flows through the northern suburbs of Brisbane. When the new Brisbane Airport was built in the early 1970s, a part of the waterway was filled in, and the brook was diverted into a specially built floodway, which was re-dredged in May 1997 to assist in flood mitigation.

The brook is now polluted by urban runoff and combined sewer outflows. River bank erosion, chemical pollution, and garbage may have had an impact on the habitat and food sources of the platypus.

The brook near Kalinga Park — *Photo credit: Kedron Brook Catchment Network/Facebook*

Also, the sandy substrate and relatively flat ground of the brook makes it an unsuitable habitat for platypuses since a platypus needs stable earthen sloping banks for their burrows.

There has been no sighting of the platypus in Kedron Brook since 2005. Scientists may have found no conclusive evidence of platypuses, but being such an elusive animal, it doesn’t mean they are not there.

We need to build community awareness to rehabilitate Kedron Brook and adjacent habitats. By initiating action now, we can help ensure the survival, and perhaps the return, of an animal that is uniquely Australian – the platypus.

Miss Sophia’s Gelateria Opens in Kedron Just In Time for Valentine’s Day

Photo Credit: Pixabay/picjumbo_com

Romantics in Kedron looking for ways to sweeten Valentine’s Day with their loved ones can celebrate at the newly-opened Miss Sophia Gelateria. A cone or cup of gelato will surely satiate the sweet cravings, if not relieve you from the uncomfortably afternoon heat.

Miss Sophia Gelateria offers classic favourites like Caffe Latte, Blueberry Yoghurt, and Pistachio. It also has unique flavours like Toasted Coconut and Strawberry Pavlova.

The menu also has vegan and gluten-free ice cream choices. Sometime in March, the gelateria will be introducing sugar-free flavours as well.

Diners can choose from three cup sizes: piccolo, medio and grande. The waffle cones, on the other hand, are available in gluten-free variant and if you’d like more indulgence, you can top up your gelato with homemade biscuits or chocolate sprinkles.

*Photo Credit: MissSophiasGelato/Facebook*

Most of the ice cream ingredients come from local farmers and producers like Tommerups Dairy Farm. The mangoes and macadamia come from crops grown in Queensland.

Miss Sophia Gelateria is located at the former site of Farmer Joe’s Fruit Market. Locals may fondly recall this place as a produce store managed by an Italian family ten years ago.

The new gelato store brings special recognition to this corner’s Italian roots. Miss Sophia Gelateria, however, is owned and managed by the Scott family, who has other foodie shops in Brisbane, such as the Continental Cafe in Fortitude Valley and the Milk Cafe in Ashgrove.

Miss Sophia Gelateria is open Mondays to Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

High-Risk Kedron Intersection Gets Combined Red Light and Speed Cameras

After being tagged as one of the high-risk intersections in Queensland, Lutwyche Road at the intersection with Kedron Park Road in Kedron has been installed with a combined red light and speed camera system.

The new system aims to minimise the incidence of speeding and red light violations at the Lutwyche Road intersection. The combined red light and speed cameras can detect both red light and speeding offences.

Violators can be fined for both offences if they get caught by the system, which runs 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Speeding motorists can also be detected whether the traffic light is green, red or yellow.

Potential Crash Area

The Lutwyche Road and Kedron Park Road intersection has been selected after the Department of Transport and Main Roads investigated intersections with the worst crash and potential crash data.

Data revealed 42 people died and over 3,000 figured in injuries due to crashes at signalised intersections around Queensland in the last five years.

Motoring club RACQ lauded the move by the State Government to install the new combined red light and speed cameras. The group recognises that T-bone crashes are some of the most dangerous crash types, possibly leading to death or serious injury.

Steve Spalding, RACQ Head of Technical and Safety Policy, believes that the red light and speed camera system would help reduce serious crashes.

“Research has shown a 30 percent reduction in serious crash risk at locations where this technology is already used,” said Mr Spalding.

Aside from the Kedron intersection, the combined red light and speed cameras have also been installed at the following intersections, selected based on crash history:

Glenlyon Street, Gladstone Central at the intersection with Tank Street
Anzac Avenue Road, Kippa-Ring at intersection with Boardman Road
Morayfield Road at the intersection with Caboolture River Road, Morayfield
Lutwyche Road at the intersection with Norman Avenue, Lutwyche
Old Cleveland Road at the intersection with Cavendish Road, Coorparoo
Smith Street at the intersection with Kumbari Avenue, Southport
Bermuda Street at the intersection with Christine Avenue, Burleigh Waters

The Colour Nine Cafe in Stafford Heights is One of the Must-Visit cafes in North Brisbane

If you are looking for a child- and pet-friendly cafe around North Brisbane, The Colour Nine cafe in Stafford Heights is a must-visit for you.

Located in a quiet Stafford Heights neighbourhood, The Colour Nine is a charming cafe that became a local-favourite for its flavourful food and friendly staff.

Interestingly, this cafe is a partnership between two friends, a dream 10 years in the making.

The Colour Nine owners’ passion for great food is reflected on their menu which boasts healthy food options inspired by flavours around the world. This is also probably why the cafe is one of the best in the suburb.

The Colour Nine’s World of Flavours

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A post shared by The Colour Nine (@thecolourninecafe) on Jan 4, 2019 at 12:22am PST

One of their newest offers is a Thai-inspired dish. It comes with house-made Thai fish cakes, Asian salad with Nam Jim dressing, and crispy noodles.

Another foodie-favourite dish from the cafe is their Korean Fried Chicken Burger. It comes with crispy fried chicken, choice of sweet chilli or soy garlic sauce, daikon radish, baby cos lettuce, and sriracha mayo with a side of sweet potato crisps.

For those who are eating extra healthy this year, you can grab The Colour Nine’s Winter Bowl. This is a combination of turmeric quinoa, shredded beetroot, sauerkraut, avocado, hummus, poached egg, and spiral zucchini with a chimichurri dressing, all topped with dukkah.

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A post shared by The Colour Nine (@thecolourninecafe) on Jul 23, 2018 at 7:16pm PDT

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A post shared by The Colour Nine (@thecolourninecafe) on Feb 25, 2017 at 2:33am PST

The Colour Nine Cafe in Stafford Heights is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays and 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Gympie Road: Top Car Crash Hotspot, Data Revealed

Motorists driving down Gympie Road beware! The said road that runs through Chermside, Aspley, and Kedron is where motorists are likely to crash, reveals the latest insurance claims data.

The latest report from the State’s peak motoring body, RACQ, revealed the list of 20 most accident-prone areas. The 20 car crash hotspots list ranked Gympie Road, which runs through Chermside, Aspley, and Kedron as the top car crash hotspot.

“Unfortunately, the top 20 list is made up of a lot of the usual suspects. Gympie Road took out the top three spots, with Mains Road at Sunnybank and Logan Road at Eight Mile Plains rounding out the top five,” RACQ spokesperson Kirsty Clinton said

Roads that made the list, Ms Clinton said, are the typically heavily congested, high volume, and multi-lane roads with many intersections and locations for interactions between multiple vehicles.

Gympie Rd, Brisbane QLD, Australia

The top 20 most accident-prone locations in Brisbane (1 January 2015 – 31 October 2018) :

Gympie Road, Chermside
Gympie Road, Aspley
Gympie Road, Kedron
Mains Road, Sunnybank
Logan Road, Eight Mile Plains
Moggill Road, Indooroopilly
Sandgate Road, Clayfield
Ipswich Road, Annerley
Anzac Avenue, Kippa-Ring
Anzac Avenue, Rothwell
Sandgate Road, Virginia
Milton Road, Milton
Pacific Motorway, Greenslopes
Logan Road, Mt Gravatt
Hamilton Road, Chermside
Coronation Drive, Milton
Beaudesert Road, Calamvale
Ipswich Motorway, Oxley
Old Cleveland Road, Carindale
Ipswich Motorway, Darra and Gateway Motorway, Nudgee

“A large portion of the crashes will be rear-end crashes which happen during congestion and at traffic lights and sideswipes and crashes when drivers have failed to give way properly.”

“As always when behind the wheel, but even more so on busy roads, drivers need to avoid distraction, obey traffic signals, give way correctly, travel at a safe following distance and carefully check blind spots and indicate when merging or change lanes,” advised Ms Clinton.

Some road rules for everyday driving according to the Queensland Government website:

Changing Lanes

Give way to any vehicle in the lane you are moving into, even if your lane is ending and you have to cross a lane line.
Before you change lanes, you must indicate for long enough to give warning to other road users
You must turn off your indicator after you have changed lanes or merged.

Merging

On roads where there are lanes marked on the road—if your lane comes to an end, you must give way to traffic already in the lane you are moving to.
On roads where there are no lanes marked on the road—when lines of traffic merge, you must give way to any vehicle that is ahead of you.

Queensland Road Rules – merging

Video Credit: TMRQld/YouTube

Giving way

You need to give way if:

the rules say that you must
there’s a give way or stop sign
there are stop or give way lines on the road
you’re turning right across the path of an oncoming vehicle at an intersection
you’re turning left or right at a T-intersection
you’re moving onto a road from a driveway or land next to a road
you’re moving off from being stopped on the side of the road
you’re doing a U-turn
you’re turning left at an intersection with a ‘left turn on red after stopping’ sign.

Queensland Road Rules – giving way

Video Credit: TMRQld/YouTube

Safe Following Distance

Drive at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front during ideal conditions.
When driving a vehicle towing a trailer or caravan, you should add 1 second extra for each 3m of trailer length.

Queensland Road Rules – safe following distances

Video Credit: TMRQld/YouTube