Icarus Greek Restaurant, located on Goggs Rd in Sinnamon Park, is best known for its traditional Greek dishes, with a menu loaded with must-try, feel-good classics such as lamb moussaka (ground meat cooked in tomato sauce) and pastitsio to Keftedes (lamb meatballs with house-made tomato sauce) and haloumi salad.
The standout on the menu is their souvlaki, a Greek specialty made with tender cuts of meat. At Icarus, a souvlaki platter consists of chicken, beef, lamb or smoky chorizo served with “Greek salad & Pilaf” or “Fries & Tzatziki.”
In addition to souvlaki, the place is getting a lot of raves for their house-made mezes and fresh salads. If you’re crazy for Greek food but do have dietary requirements, this restaurant is definitely your place because they do offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
As with a usual Greek meal, there are delicious dips to go with the pita bread. There’s their famous hummus, Tzatziki (Greek yoghurt, garlic, cucumber, and dill), kapoto (Greek carrot dip with walnuts, garlic & yoghurt), Skordalia dip (potatoes, garlic, lemon juice, walnuts & extra virgin olive oil), and Crete dip (grilled capsicums, eggplants, garlic & walnuts) among others.
Photo credit: Icarus Restaurant/Facebook
With its simple yet cosy, Mediterranean-inspired interiors, Icarus Greek restaurant is a wonderful meeting place for family and friends. They are child-friendly and do offer outdoor dining, too.
Icarus is open for both dine-in and takeaway seven days a week. You can follow them on Facebook or on Instagram @icarusmygreek for updates.
The median house price in Mount Ommaney rose by over 30 per cent during the 12-month period ending September 2021. Mt Ommaney, dubbed the “unofficial retirement community for the moderately wealthy” by locals, is benefiting from strong demand and low inventory, as people spend more time at home and look for larger properties and a suburb offering a more laid-back lifestyle.
Highlights
The median house price in Mount Ommaney showed a 32.96 per cent uptick between the period of October 2020 to September 2021, at $1,250,000 with only 31 properties sold within the period.
The unit market, however, is down by 1.83 per cent with just 14 properties sold during the 12-month period.
House Price Growth
According to Property Market Updates, Mount Ommaney experienced a 32.98 per cent growth from October 2020 to September 2021, resulting in a remarkable median house price uptick to $1,250,000, up from $940,000 in the previous period. Thirty-one homes were sold during this period within an average of 48 days on market. Among these houses sold, 17 of them were five-bedroom properties in the million-dollar range.
Off an elevated section on Becker Place, a five-bedroom house standing on an expansive 1,348-square metre lot pulled the highest sale, changing hands for $1,850,000.
Designed as a modern Tuscan villa, this house has the Mount Ommaney Bushland Reserve in its backyard, the home to kangaroos and many of Australia’s rich wildlife.
Buyers are seeing the value of houses in the western corridor, where the homes set on larger blocks of land are now more desirable, as buyers look towards more spacious homes outside Brisbane’s inner-ring area.
Unit Price Growth
Mount Ommaney’s unit market, however, has gone down by 1.83 per cent for the period October 2020 to September 2021. Both stock and demand are down, as the median year-on-year remains largely flat. Only 14 properties were sold during this 12-month period with listings going for an average of 79 days.
Granted, the majority of dwelling options in Mount Ommaney are detached homes while townhouses and serviced apartments, mostly for occupancy by downsizers and retirees, make up just under one per cent of the stocks.
About Mount Ommaney
Mount Ommaney is located 13 kilometres southwest of Brisbane CBD. Developed as a part of the Centenary Suburbs residential project in the 1960s, Mount Ommaney has attracted residents who love the area’s natural diversity with the Brisbane River by its doorstep.
Dubbed the “unofficial retirement community for the moderately wealthy” by the locals, this suburb has a large, protected forest and stone quarry that both lend a unique beauty to the surroundings. The air and atmosphere around Mount Ommaney’s neighbourhoods deliver the countryside vibe, where residents live in solitude and have much more space to work, live, and play.
However, Mount Ommaney locals also have everything they need within their reach as its sole, massive shopping centre has over 170 specialty shops and some of Australia’s largest chain stores.
“I have lived in Mount Ommaney for 7 years now. I chose it because the homes were on larger blocks and it has a medium sized shopping centre close by with the major department stores. It’s a short drive to Indooroopilly if you are looking for more upmarket shops. The CBD is within 15km. There are good playgrounds, three closeby primary schools including an excellent Lutheran private school.”
Fionaw15
“I moved here when new houses were still being constructed, there was no high school, no police station and Mount Ommaney Centre was a strip mall basically with a small Coles. It’s grown up since then. It’s safe, kids still walk to school and ride bikes. The trees have grown to form an impressive canopy which supports an ever expanding assortment of wildlife and birdlife. I’ve seen echnidna in my yard a few times. It is important to identify the streets with traffic noise though. One end of Mount Ommaney Drive is quite busy, the other end towards Jindalee is very quiet. I live in one of the private Courts, it’s so quiet at night that the only thing that disturbs my sleep are the possums running across the roof. Be warned though, lots of trees and vegetation means lots of gardening tasks. If you’d rather not be in the garden, there are other suburbs that might better suit.”
Ms Ford, who has spent 33 years in early childhood education, will commemorate her anniversary with Staverton Kindergarten on Friday, 5 November 2021. As someone who strives to make a difference every day, Ms Ford has shaped hundreds of young thinkers and doers to create, discover, problem-solve, and explore what’s around them.
Whilst well-loved by the students, Ms Ford has also built strong ties with local families. As a testament to her influence and impact on her students, some of the kids she used to guide and mould have returned to seek her advice as they become early childhood educators themselves.
“Judy is well respected by her work colleagues and the community. We are so happy to congratulate her on her dedication and love for the Staverton Community,” said Kate Beutel, Staverton Kindergarten‘s supervisor.
Photo Credit: SuppliedPhoto Credit: Supplied
Ms Ford studied Bachelor of Education Studies (Early Childhood) and a Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood) more than three decades ago and started working as a preschool teacher. In 2001, she joined Staverton Kindergarten as a pre-kindy teacher and moved up the ranks to become its co-director.
Her years of experience have given her a wealth of knowledge to help children develop and blossom as they prepare for their journey into school life and beyond. This special milestone comes after Queensland observed World Teacher’s Day.
Established in 1944, Staverton Kindergarten has achieved an “exceeding” overall rating by the ACECQA.
DFO Jindalee has plenty of reasons to celebrate the season following the end of its $15-million redevelopment. Not only has the shopping centre been recognised for a Master Builders Award, it has also achieved fully-leased site status after two years of improvements.
According to Mr Laycock, it was not common to remove the building’s massive roof structure whilst the centre remained operational. With temporary engineering solutions in place, the challenge was to finish the project on time with limited distractions to the tenants.
Mr Laycock said that the judges were quite impressed because of the level of finish delivered to the project. DFO Jindalee manager Jeff Litte is also proud of the outcome because the former outlet shopping centre could now deliver premium choices for its customers.
Photo Credit: Master Builders AwardPhoto Credit: Master Builders Award
Construction was conducted in two stages beginning 2019 but Stage 2 of the development, with the addition of Reading Cinemas, fresh food retailer Amazons Family Fresh Markets, and more green spaces and landscaping, raised the value and prestige of the shopping centre.
In September 2021, DFO Jindalee signed up its final seven new tenants to complete the line-up of retail shops, cafes, and restaurants. Establishments like The Yiros Shop, Coco Bliss, Jindalee Cafe, Sushi Paradise, In Tea, BMT Viet, and Noodle Street are set to open in the next few months. They will join long-term tenant Coffee Club, Nike, BCF, Goodlife and more than 50 other shops.
Homebuyers scouting for a stable investment that won’t break the bank can look towards the tree-lined streets of Westlake within the Centenary suburbs, an understated, attractive neighbourhood that offers some peace and quiet by the riverfront.
Between the period of July 2020 to June 2021, Westlake has attracted 68 home sales with deals closed within 39 days on market, per data from Property Market Updates. Healthy buying activity has pushed Westlake’s property growth upwards by 8.62 per cent with the house median price now at $806,500.
Properties with four to five bedrooms fetched the most interest from buyers looking for a spacious house in a quiet neighbourhood to raise their kids, amidst the changing preferences of the people, post-COVID, to live in a house surrounded by nature. Since interstate or overseas travel are limited, many locals now value larger spaces and backyards and are willing to pay a premium for them.
A mansion on Westlake Drive sold the highest price for this time period at $1,850,000. Featured with modern yet practical architecture, this property comes with its own backyard pontoon perfectly fitted for a 45’ cruiser.
About Westlake
Westlake, bounded by Mount Ommaney, Middle Park and Riverhills in the western part of Brisbane, includes a mix of houses, as well as large-scale properties close to the river. Most of the houses in this peaceful locale are owner-occupied thus the vacancy rate is quite low. There are no unit constructions in town as nearly 97 per cent of the houses are detached whilst the rest are townhouses or terraces.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
The majority of people living in Westlake are families with one or two children. While abundant in green spaces for the kids to use for their recreational activities, there are no schools in the suburb itself. The nearest schools are in neighbouring suburbs like Middle Park, Jamboree and Jindalee. The bus transport access in Westlake is efficient and there is a commercial precinct where they can easily buy the essentials.
“Absolutely beautiful suburb, wide tree-lined streets, big beautiful houses that are well maintained, peaceful and quiet streets, safe and friendly neighbourhood. The new restaurant and cafe precinct is lovely and once a year the jacaranda trees turn our streets the most amazing light purple colour when they drop their flowers, it’s very pretty! Absolutely love it here.”
Kyryas
“I’ve lived in Westlake for 5 years and wouldn’t dream of moving anywhere else. It’s a very quiet area and you feel quite safe here, especially with a family. Three parks are only a stone’s throw away, there are shops nearby without the noise and traffic, a scenic walking track along the river and an off-leash area for dogs. It’s only a half-hour drive to the city on a good run. If you prefer suburbia over inner-city living, then this is the place.”
PCoffey
“Westlake has an abundance of facilities available to the area which allows us to live in such a great suburb. Beautiful… 4 years ago when I first came to Australia, Brisbane I was about to get depressed but since I moved to Westlake about 2 years ago everything changed. It’s absolutely a beautiful place to leave. I am quite happy to drive 30 min each way to work every day but live in Westlake.”
Located at the Jindalee Boat Ramp in an area with lots of shady trees to sit under and access to easy parking, Licketysplit Cafe is a mobile coffee van that serves delicious brew and sweet treats, with a relaxing river view.
Family founded and run since 2019, Licketysplit Cafe serves coffee, frappes, cold-pressed juice, fruit smoothies, fruit and acai smoothie bowls, donuts, pastries, bagels, and sorbet at the boat ramp on weekends.
Photo credit: Licketysplit Cafe/Facebook
The donuts, which are popular among kids, come in a variety of flavours such as rocky road, chocolate chip, strawberry glazed, white choc & marshmallow, salted caramel, hazelnut, and Boston cream.
Photo credit: Licketysplit Cafe/Facebook
They use organic coffee from Merlo, Eagle Farm’s famous roasters known for their premium coffee beans. Customers are loving the taste of the unique blend, perfect for chilling on the hill overlooking the river.
Photo credit: Licketysplit Cafe/Facebook
Just recently, they also started offering delivery services via Menulog. So far, the most popular items on their online menu are the classic acai bowl and the berry heaven smoothie bowl.
“Came down to the Jindalee boat ramp with my kids this morning & got myself a ‘Refresher’ juice & it’s the most satisfying drink to wake up to! Going to be making it a routine to come here. The most lovely service, a perfect way to start our morning,” shared one local.
Photo credit: Licketysplit Cafe/Facebook
You can also find them by the playground at the end of Curragundi Road and Mt Ommaney Drive, Jindalee. Check out their Facebook page for more information on their opening hours and daily specials.
Located on Boundary Road, the new facility spans 2,390 square metres, where more than 70 percent of the building will be dedicated to the manufacturing of conveyors, unloaders, bulk bag fillers, bulk bag conditioners, manual dumping stations, weigh batching systems, and drum/box/container tippers. The remaining spaces are for conference rooms and offices of the administrative personnel, the engineering team, and sales staff.
Photo Credit: Flexicon
By the end of 2021, Flexicon in Darra will feature a test laboratory to check the quality and performance of the equipment.
David Gill, Flexicon Corporation president with its head office in Pennsylvania U.S., said that their manufacturing and sales operation more than doubled in July 2021. As demand for Flexicon equipment grew in Australia, the company made a move to a bigger site with more provisions for growth.
Tim Greene, the managing director of the Australian operation, said that the relocation to Darra will help with the company’s market expansion in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific Rim.
The news comes as the headquarters in the U.S. also completed its expansion to meet the demands for bulk handling equipment in July.
Flexicon was founded in 1974 in New Jersey and increased five-fold within a decade. In 1995, the company moved its satellite plant to Pennsylvania, which was followed by the opening of its world headquarters in 2001.
Lifestyle changes and migration from interstate or overseas have driven house prices in Brisbane to record-high numbers, with the property market in Jindalee tripling its growth from 7.11 percent to 21.4 percent within the 12-month period from July 2020 to June 2021.
Latest data from Property Market Updates shows that Jindalee’s median house price increased from $640,000 to $784,000 in 12 months, with the highest sale closing at $1.68 million.
Prior to the pandemic, Jindalee’s median house price was at $587,500 (July 2018 to June 2019) and $597,500 (July 2019 to June 2020).
Highlights
The Jindalee property market posted a 21.4 percent growth from July 2020 to June 2021.
The median house price increased from $640,000 to $784,000. The median unit price went from $505,250 to $567,500 for the same period.
Three Jindalee houses sold above the $1-million mark from April to July 2021.
About 105 properties were sold in the first quarter and 28 in the second quarter, as house listings stayed on the market for 25 to 31 days. Inventory in the $580,000 to $940,000 range moved faster, spending an average of 19 days on the market.
Unit Price Growth
Meanwhile, unit sales in Jindalee exhibited a 12.32 percent growth in the 12-month period ending June 2021. The median price for units was at $567,500 in June 2021, up from $505,250 in June 2020. Some 10 units were sold during the same period, with the highest sale closing at $735,000.
Although prices dropped by as much as 10 percent for houses with severe flood damage, many savvy and educated buyers saw an opportunity for investment, backing up their purchases with insurance premiums to cover their risk.
Kooringal Rd & Burrendah Rd during the 2011 floods. Photo Credit: Geoff SheraKooringal Rd & Burrendah Rd, February 2021. Photo Credit: Google Maps
Jindalee’s steady recovery is a strong indication of continued buyer confidence in the suburb’s liveability.
About Jindalee
Statistics from Experian Australia show that older couples and families make up the largest percentage of people living in Jindalee. The suburb is also slowly attracting a throng of professionals who want to set their roots in a place with plenty of parklands, dog off-leash areas, public swimming pools, and a very long bikeway, all for less the cost it would take to buy a house or unit in Paddington or Indooroopilly.
Though lacking in bars or nightlife, Jindalee has a growing cafe culture for professionals and adults, as well as a good number of good primary and secondary schools. A reliable Neighbourhood Watch group also helps keep the community safe.
Photo Credit: DFO Jindalee
The boat ramp and the shopping centres are popular neighbourhood hubs, along with the newly-opened DFO Jindalee within the Reading Cinemas complex.
In 2019, three students from Good News Lutheran School in Middle Park won a national competition for developing a pollution prevention app dedicated to the reduction of single-use plastics. Two years later, Halle Anderson, Deepika Bogahawatta and Chloe Kyprios, also known as P-Cubed, are still celebrating after Queensland finally started its single-use plastics ban.
The trio felt a sense of accomplishment after the State Government announced the start of the single-use plastic ban on 1 September 2021. This ban covers single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates and unenclosed bowls, as well as single-use takeaway containers and cups made from expanded polystyrene.
The girls’ free multi-platform app, Plastic Pollution Preventers, allows users to record the quantity of plastic used and make better choices when purchasing products and choosing recyclable and reusable plastic bags.
The app is unique for two reasons; it allows users to track their plastic use, and it has been designed specifically with young Queenslanders in mind.
“We began our mission with our Tech Girls App in 2018 followed, it up with our Technovation entry in 2019 and at 10 and 11 years of age and a little misguided we presented our passionate speech to ban single-used plastic at the Brisbane City Council Chambers in front of a full Council in 2019, only to be told we were lobbying the wrong level of government,” shared the girls in a Facebook post. But it appears the girls’ efforts have not gone to waste.
They encourage everyone to visit the Queensland Government’s website to learn more about the ban and how it would benefit individuals, schools, and even businesses.
The girls also thanked everyone who helped them on their journey to pursue their cause, from their supportive parents to their mentors including Ms Jane Batham, digital learning facilitator at Good News Lutheran School and Jenine Beekhuyzen, founder at Tech Girls Movement.
Single-Use Plastic Ban
Photo credit: Catherine Sheila/Pexels
The ban is part of Queensland’s plan to tackle plastic pollution and follows strong support from the community, retailers and industry organisations. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the ban would help reduce single-use plastic pollution by 20 per cent over the next two years.
“Half of all plastics are only designed to be used once. That has led to more than 75 per cent of the waste removed from our beaches being made of plastic,” the Premier said.
“Preventing this rubbish from ending up in our beaches and waterways will protect animals like turtles, which alone have a 20 per cent chance of dying if they ingest just one piece of plastic,” she added.
Premier Palaszczuk said the ban will also help to protect the Great Barrier Reef, along with the $6 billion and 60,000 jobs it supports.
“We know that these measures work. We’ve already seen the benefits of the lightweight single-use plastic shopping bag ban, with surveys showing a 70 per cent reduction in all plastic bag litter since the bag ban began in 2018,” she said.
William Shakespeare’s words have lent themselves to quite a number of things in the world today. Sometimes, you’ll encounter them in the most unexpected places. To Be or Not To Be, the words uttered by Prince Hamlet in the eponymous Shakespeare play, is the name of a new cafe in Westlake.
To Be or Not to Be is the second act of Method to Madness in Kenmore, a Shakespearean cafe serving an all-day breakfast menu, coffee, and boozy brunch. Since opening in 2018, the cafe has been delighting locals with its leisurely brunch with almost fine-dining breakfast options. In 2020, the cafe even took home AGFG’s reader’s choice award.
Photo credit: To Be or Not to Be/Google Maps
Following the success of Method to Madness, owners Urvik Bhalani and Reagan Nongkhlaw, along with their new partner Sean Donnelly, opened To Be or Not to Be in June 2021 as “a place for family and friends to come together and share a good time.”
“Unlike Hamlet, we don’t ponder whether it is better to live or die. We are loving life and are dedicated to serve you the best coffee you can possibly find in all of Brisbane,” quipped the owners.
Photo credit: To Be or Not to Be/Facebook
Like the first restaurant, the food items pay homage to The Bard, but in a lighthearted way with options like ‘Untam’d Mushrumps,’ ‘To Toast or Not to Toast’ and the witty ‘Shakespeare Dislikes COVID-19,’ which is quinoa toast with beetroot hummus, textured avocado, mixed seeds, goats cheese, poached eggs, mixed herbs, and pickles.
Pastries, which come courtesy of Brasserie Bread, are best paired with their batch brews and cold brews, though they have juices, smoothies, milkshakes for those who don’t like coffee. For a boozy brunch, To Be or Not to Be also offers Aperol spritzes and mimosas.
Photo credit: To Be or Not to Be/Facebook
For lunch, they offer fermented chilli and blue swimmer crab laksa, cheeseburger and lamb shank massaman curry. Then for those who prefer takeaway, they have ‘The Bard’s Breakfast Box,’ which is good for four.
If you prefer something more Instagrammable, try their Hong Kong peanut butter waffle, caramelised bubble waffle served spilling out of a paper cup, with berry coulis, citrus curd and rich chocolate.
The restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast and brunch. For trading hours and more updates about the restaurant, check out the website or follow them on social media.
