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.
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
Photo credit: mypolice.qld.gov.au
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Photo Credit: MissSophiasGelato/Facebook
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.
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
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.
Photo credit: mustdobrisbane.com
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.
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.
Photo credit: The Colour Nine/Facebook
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.
Photo credit: The Colour Nine/Facebook
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.
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.
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.
The detailed design for the $53-million Northern Transitway from Kedron to Chermside is underway, with the final design expected to be delivered in mid-2019.
The project is being touted as a cost-efficient solution to support high-frequency bus services along Gympie Arterial Road. The project is part of the government’s effort to encourage more people to use public transport, thereby decongesting the roads.
Starting from Sadlier Street in Kedron to Hamilton Road in Chermside, the Northern Transitway will be a 2.3-km public transport corridor delivering targeted bus priority.
Photo credit: Department of Transport and Main Roads
a safer and more efficient public transport system for northern Brisbane customers, by separating buses from general traffic
improved and more reliable travel times along the corridor for bus customers
a facility to support high-frequency bus services, encouraging more people to use public transport
greater capacity on the public transport system
assist in managing congestion along the corridor and broader northern Brisbane transport network
improvements to footpaths along some sections of the alignment, improving pedestrian capacity and safety
an average of 88 direct jobs over the life of the project.
The Queensland Government will shoulder the cost of the project as part of its Passenger Transport Infrastructure Investment Program. This program targets critical infrastructure to build a connected and integrated network that will make public transportation the commuting choice of residents.
Community consultation will happen in early 2019 and construction is expected to start in early 2020.
To have your say on the Northern Transitway project, contact TMR at:
Festive Christmas carols will blend with church bells ringing when St Andrew’s Anglican Church Lutwyche hosts its pre-Christmas celebrations on Sunday, 16 December 2018.
As part of the festivities, the church will be presenting their community carols from 5:00 p.m. which will also include the Brisbane Symphonic Band and the BSB Swing Band. Don’t miss the chance to meet these talented musicians. Some of them have already performed with Opera Queensland as well as a number of cabaret-style concerts.
Photo credit: CC-BY/bertknot/Flickr
Christmas carols will not only come from musicians but will also be heard from the church bells.
Blessed with 13 bells in the belfry capable of playing Christmas carols, St Andrew’s Anglican Church Lutwyche will also have a 30-minute Carols on Church Bells.
Apart from the sounds of Christmas, a sausage sizzle and various market stalls will also be available at the event. Don’t forget to bring your own bags for your shopping needs.
This festive celebration is open for all ages so feel free to come along with your family and friends. Parking will be available in Kedron Park Hotel Carpark.
An alternative route for the North Brisbane Bikeway Stage 5 has been revealed by the Council. The revised plan seemed to be BCC’s response to an uproar over the loss of parking spaces in the previous plans for the bikeway.
BCC had previously announced its plans for an on-road separated bikeway at Price Street, Wooloowin that will link the North Brisbane Bikeway to Kedron Brook. However, residents and business owners in the area were unhappy. This is primarily due to the loss of around 100 parking spaces as part of the original plan.
North Brisbane Bikeway – Price Street to Kedron Brook Plans. Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Because of this, BCC has prepared an alternate route that will connect the State Government sections to Wellington Street from Bridge Street to Chalk Street. This will then be connected to Kedron Park Road (instead of continuing north along Dickson Street to Price Street).
Map comparing parking loss between the previous and the new route. Photo credit: Tim Nicholls MP/Facebook
Council’s proposed new route will use Wellington Street, going under Lutwyche Road through an existing tunnel to Bradshaw Street. It will further connect to the Kedron Brook Bikeway via Thistle Street.
Since parking loss is a big concern in the original plans, the revised plan will only require the loss of around six parking spaces.
The alternate route would mostly be a combination of a shared street and two-way cycle track along Wellington Street and Bradshaw Street. It would also link in with Lutwyche Bus Station and Lutwyche Centro.
Moreover, the new proposed route would still provide a connection from Herston via Albion to the Kedron Brook Bikeway.
Reactions from Cyclists
Photo credit: CC0 Public Domain / Max Pixel
The move in redesigning the plans seemed to be beneficial for residents and businesses who want to avoid parking inconveniences, however, cyclists are not in favour of the decision.
According to Space for Cycling Brisbane, a coalition of Brisbane’s grass root cycling advocacy groups, cyclists support the original plan since it offers a fully separated cycleway along the busiest streets. It also passed a number of local businesses which would have benefited from being on a family-friendly cycleway.
Cyclists have also expressed their reactions on social media saying:
“It’s a useful east west link. It is not the north Brisbane bikeway. A direct north south route from Shaw Road to Bridge Street is essential and this is a complementary solution. Not a replacement.
Like it or not, street space is not best served for parking. Council and MPs have a responsibility to change this invalid perception that parking private property on public land should take priority over the movement of hundreds of people by bicycle.”
“Far inferior design outcome. Doesn’t actually provide a proper direct route for North and airport bound cyclists (which should be along Dickson, Dawson and Shaw Rds). Storage space for private vehicles should never take precedence over the safety and lives of humans.”
Project Updates
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Whilst the revised plans were already unveiled, the State Government has not approved it yet.
