To reduce interactions between operators and riders, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is asking the State Government to consider not allowing cash fares to be collected on public transport.
It’s one of the highlights of the Lord Mayor’s announcement via Brisbane City Council’s official Facebook page on Thursday, 17 March 2020. The Lord Mayor said buses, ferries and CityCats are all running to standard timetables and are being sterilised nightly.
“In relation to concerns about cleaning and hygiene measures on Council buses, we’re following guidance provided by Queensland Government. Council has already escalated cleansing of its bus and ferry fleet, which includes daily sanitising of both buses and ferries, which exceeds the recommendations made by Queensland Government,” BCC added.
In the short video, Mr Schrinner assured residents that Council services will continue to be delivered as usual. This means household waste, green waste and recycling collection services all remain in effect and there are no plans for this to change in the near future.
With regard to the novel coronavirus, TransLink said: “To ensure we are taking all steps possible to minimise the risk onboard our services, our delivery partners have been instructed to increase their cleaning regimes to including daily sanitising. Queensland Rail trains, G:link trams and Transport for Brisbane buses will have these regimes in place from this week and we are working with other delivery partners to implement this across the TransLink network.”
TransLink is encouraging riders to make use of their go cards. Registering the go-card comes with a handful of benefits, such as being able to top up online and over the phone, auto-activating auto top up so you always have money to travel, and viewing your balance and travel history.
“A Brisbane with more street trees is a cleaner, greener and more liveable Brisbane!” Fighting words from Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner who has pledged a massive $9.1 million tree planting drive across Brisbane, with Riverhills as one of the first round of beneficiaries.
Mr Schrinner has long dreamed of doing the “largest tree planting drive in our city’s history.”
“We did grow-up with a real appreciation for nature, wildlife and Brisbane’s incredible outdoor lifestyle,” Mr Schrinner said. “It’s one of the reasons why I am 100% committed to making the largest investment in greenspace and parks our city has ever seen.”
Apart from Riverhills, suburbs like Algester, Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Kelvin Grove, Manly West, Milton and Petrie Terrace are also included in the first tree planting project, if the Lord Mayor is re-elected at the end of the month.
Mr Schrinner envisions that the investment will deliver a greener and cooler suburb that will appeal to both humans and animals. Trees, plants and gardens in the neighbourhoods can also improve Brisbane as one of the great places to visit.
This planned project is already on top of the 13,000 street trees that the current council’s standard tree planting program. Under Greener Suburbs, Greenslopes, Murrarie, Zillmere and Lutwyche are all set more plants, trees and gardens this year.
The Ipswich Motorway Upgrade Rocklea to Darra Stage 1 project reaches a major milestone with the completion of a major traffic switch that will allow for the old westbound bridges to be demolished.
It is estimated that more than 85,000 daily motorists will shift onto raised, wider lanes which Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said “will boost the motorway’s flood immunity by being built to current standards.”
Queensland Premier and Member for Inala Annastacia Palaszczuk echoed Mr Tudge’s statement, saying that the $400 million project will make the Ipswich Motorway more flood resilient.
“As a local I’ve seen how devastating floods can be for our community, and the impacts on the Ipswich Motorway,” the Premier said.
“What this traffic switch means is attention can now turn to building the new higher westbound lanes and bridges over Oxley Creek.”
“This is a huge win for our community, with new bridges to be two metres higher than the old ones,” Member for Mt Ommaney Jess Pugh said, recalling the 2011 floods that submerged the old bridges that lead to the closure of the motorway that time.
Ipswich Motorway Upgrade: Rocklea to Darra – Stage 1 project Video Credit: TMRQld / YouTube
About Rocklea to Darra – Stage 1 Project
The Rocklea to Darra – Stage 1 is a 3km upgrade project on the eastern end of the Ipswich Motorway between Granard Road in Rocklea and Oxley Road in Oxley and is set to be delivered in stages. The project is aimed at improving travel time, traffic flow, safety on the motorway, connectivity, and flood immunity.
The upgrade works will include:
upgrading the motorway from 4 to 6 lanes
higher bridges over Oxley Creek, including 7 new bridges
new 1.5km Boundary Road Connection Road linking Boundary Road, Rocklea across the Oxley floodplain through to the Blunder Road intersection at Oxley
new northern service road over the Oxley Creek floodplain
new traffic signals at the Suscatand Street intersection.
“I’m proud the Palaszczuk Government is delivering this Ipswich Motorway upgrade which is good news for our local freight industry and businesses,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said.
“As we enter the home stretch, I ask motorists to remain vigilant, be aware of the changes to traffic conditions, and drive safely.”
India’s most widely celebrated festival is back for a fourth year in Seventeen Mile Rocks. The Holi Festival of Colours brings together people from all walks of life, beliefs and communities to unite in joy and to celebrate inclusiveness.
Happening on Saturday, the 29th of February 2020, Brisbane Holi 2020 is returning to the Rocks Riverside Park for an exciting night of music, performances, Bollywood dance battles, Matki phod competition, sports competitions, kids activities, heaps of Indian food, and colour — of course!
This event is primarily organised by the Indian Cultural and Sports Club Inc. but Australian and Asian communities are also welcome to join as part of Brisbane City Council’s month-long BrisAsia Festival this February.
Set from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., the Holi Festival continues the tradition enjoyed by people of all ages. Throwing wonderful colours at each other for fun is the highlight of this festivity to foster camaraderie and build better ties with the community.
Photo Credit: Ecutas Productions/Eventbrite
Similar to past events, the Holi Festival is expected to welcome thousands of participants this year. Guests are encouraged to purchase their colours online and onsite as bringing their own is prohibited.
As the event slogan goes, “Let’s colour everyone equal!”
Check Eventbrite for the colours and ticket reservations. This is a no alcohol, zero tolerance event. For enquiries, phone 0449 700 428 or email paviter@ecutas.com.au.
The Sinnamon Rd onramp and all inbound lanes of the Centenary Highway have reopened, after the completion of repairs to a burst sewer pipe and related road restoration works.
Northbound traffic on the Centenary Highway had been reduced to one lane for two days, after a sewer main burst that resulted in a sinkhole in Jindalee. One inbound lane of the highway was reopened at around 9:00 a.m. of 7 February. The Sinnamon Road onramp was opened at 7:00 a.m. although diversions remained in place until the road restoration works were completed before midday of 8 February.
In a statement, Urban Utilities revealed that the
Jindalee repair is a complex job as it involves a large pipe under the medium
strip, 7.1 metres below the ground.
It's a traffic nightmare if you're travelling to the city from the western suburbs this morning! Lots of congestion in the suburbs due to the Centenary Highway closure. Please allow extra travel time. #RACQTrafficAdvice#BneTrafficpic.twitter.com/pI8cZHLi99
Despite the ongoing repairs, Urban Utilities said that there is no interruption to sewerage services and that customers can continue to use their toilets and showers as normal.
“We’re managing flows by diverting wastewater through other local sewer pipes and are supporting the network with tankering.”
Overnight torrential rains may have contributed to the sewer main burst beneath the Centenary Highway, although authorities are also looking into other possible causes to help prevent similar instances from occurring in the future.
Curious Planet, the famous hobby store and bookshop formerly known as the Australian Geographic, is shutting down its doors for good. The outlet located just right outside of Woolworths at the Mt Ommaney Centre is folding its business, affecting all of 19 stores across Queensland and 63 other shops all over the country.
Once the haven for bargain textbooks for students in the early 1990s, Curious Planet was struggling to stay afloat in 2019 as it searched for new investors and pay off its $15-million debt to suppliers. Despite discussions with interested buyers, its owner, The University Co-operative Bookshop Limited or the Co-op Bookshop, failed to close a good deal.
Curious Planet outlets are currently conducting a stock fire sale across its chain of stores until mid-March. A banner on its online store indicates that the e-commerce shop is “now closed” whilst advertising its closing down sale in-store.
Photo Credit: Curious Planet
However, the outlets that have depleted their stocks have actually shut down in mid-January, leaving dozens of workers without a job. Despite the Christmas rush, the business failed to meet its sales target by over 40 percent in 2019 across all of its shops, including Mt Ommaney Centre.
Meanwhile, the Co-op Bookshop is also up for sale and is currently in the advanced stages of its discussions with a potential buyer. This is a separate business deal from the sale of Curious Planet.
What do you do to nip a boring, lazy Sunday in the bud? Here’s a suggestion that could potentially become the highlight of your weekend — why not visit the Sundayz Market at The Jindalee Hotel?
On the 2nd of February 2020, the Sundayz Market is kicking off the year with more bargains, old favourites and new finds. Open from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Sundayz Market is where you can score some amazing arts and crafts items, fresh produce, plants, and heaps of gift items for yourself, your family and your friends.
Nazy and her team do face art, body painting, temporary tattoos, pregnancy belly art and other designs for all ages and backgrounds. They’re a hit at parties and events and they will be returning to the Sundayz Market at the kickoff.
Jo will be selling special crocheted Super K (Koala) stuff toys to help raise funds for WIRES. Her adorable creations come with a removable cape and mask.
If you’re crazy over accessories, buttons, pins and knick-knacks, look for the Stomping Elephants Brisbane South for some uniquely designed pieces. Their items are all handmade and fitted with hypoallergenic surgical steel.
A new addition to the Sundayz Market, Carmi’s Creations delivers gorgeous quality succulents and garden decorations. This up-and-coming business has a really talented person behind it — a great reason to support local!
Photo Credit: Carmi’s Creation/Facebook
In addition to shopping, you’ll be able to try delightful food trends as stalls serving food like burgers, grills, pizza, sandwiches, as well as gluten-free options, will be setting up at the Sundayz Market. Some buskers are also going to provide music and entertainment whilst you shop.
Seniors can avail of their 20 percent benefit if they present their card upon payment.
Sundayz Market happens every first Sunday of the month. For interested stallholders on succeeding market day, send an email to sundayzmarkets@gmail.com for inquiries.
A $40-million dollar contract to supply concrete tunnel segments for the Cross River Rail has been awarded. The project will see the precast segments manufactured at a facility in Wacol.
Cross River Rail Minister Kate Jones announced on 20 December 2019 the awarding of the contract to Wagners, a Toowoomba-based construction company. For a period of nine months, Wagners will manufacture all the precast concrete tunnel segments at its facility in Wacol.
The segments will be installed in the 5.9km of twin tunnels of the rail line under the Brisbane River and CBD.
“Cross River Rail is a world class project that demands the very best and this is a great example of how we already have globally-recognised companies right here in Queensland that can rise to the challenge.”
“Wagners are really proud to be associated with the Cross River Rail project, which is going to deliver incredible benefits for the South East Queensland passenger transport network, along with the creation of job opportunities for many throughout the region,” Wagners CEO, Cameron Coleman said.
“We have been following this project for a long time now, and we are very excited to be able commence production from our precast manufacturing facility at Wacol next year.”
Manufacturing of the precast concrete tunnel segments will commence in late 2020. Wagners is expected to deliver the first supply in January 2021.
Ms Jones described the awarding of contract as “just the beginning’ of opportunities for Queensland-based companies; this was echoed by Cross River Rail Delivery Authority CEO Graeme Newton.
“We have awarded contracts for three major works packages and construction. Consortiums that have been awarded those contracts are now sub-contracting works to a wide variety of companies as workforces are established at sites right across the city,” Mr Newton said.
It isn’t Christmas in a German household unless there’s delicious and elaborately-made fruit and nut cake-like bread on the table. Called by many names — Streizel, Dresden Stollen, Wiehnachts Stollen, Christstollen or simply Stollen — this traditional Christmas cake may be purchased from King of Cakes, a traditional European bakery located in Seventeen Mile Rocks.
This moist, buttery soft, brick-shaped bread is doused with fruit, nuts and marzipan (almond and sugar) at the centre, and then dusted with a generous amount of granulated sugar coating as the final touch. They say that a bite of this bread brings all that warm holiday feelings, especially when paired with a cup of coffee or tea.
Before you pick a batch of this Christmas treat, though, here’s a rich tale of how the Stollen came to be.
Photo Credit: King of Cakes/Facebook
Stollen Used to Be Hard and Tasteless
The earliest versions of the Stollen bread, made around the 1400s, consisted of basic ingredients like flour, yeast, water and oil. These were hard in texture and bland in taste but people during the medieval period needed this bread to sort of carbo-load and energise themselves for the rest of the day during the Advent season, a period of fasting.
In the 15th century, the Catholic Church banned the use of butter and milk whilst fasting. To use these “luxury items” at a solemn time leading up the birth of Jesus Christ was against the teachings of the Church. The ban was supposed to suppress people’s gluttony for rich, sweet-tasting food so that they can properly reflect on the meaning of the season.
However, two noble brothers from Dresden in Saxony in central Germany wrote a letter to the Pope in Rome to overturn the ban on butter and milk on behalf of local bakers. Their first appeal was denied.
Stollen “Butterbrief”
It took five popes some 40 years later for the appeal to be granted but for Dresden alone. It was approved on the condition that anyone using butter and milk during Advent season should also make an annual contribution for the construction and upkeep of a new cathedral, which would later become the Freiberg Minster.
This agreement would be known as the “Butterbrief.”
Once the ban was lifted, Dresden’s vastly-improved Stollen recipe ushered a new baking tradition that would be passed on from generation to generation. The original Stollen recipe, post-ban, was filled with raisins but variations now included adding bitter almonds, lemon peel and zest, candied orange, poppy seeds, as well as some spices and spirits.
In Dresden, Stollen-baking is marked by an official festival that started during the time of King Augustus II in the 1700s. He was said to have a sweet tooth and always liked to celebrate so he ordered the bakers’ guild to prepare a giant Stollen cake for a big festival.
The Dresden Stollenfest takes place on a Saturday prior to the second Advent Sunday. Three hundred years later, this Dresden tradition is still attracting locals and tourists from around the world.
Photo Credit: King of Cakes/Facebook
Making the Perfect Stollen
To make Stollen is a balancing act. To the untrained and impatient baker, it’s tricky to get that texture, quality and blends of flavours of an old-fashioned, traditional recipe right.
Filled with copious amounts of alcohol-soaked nuts and fruits with a marzipan centre, Stollen requires several steps and a hefty list of items to prepare. If you’ve got at least 48 hours to dedicate to baking this bread and you carefully studied the process, then your family and friends can enjoy this medley of fruit of nuts come Christmas day.
Adding preservatives and flavouring, as well as using margarine, is a violation of the process.
Stollen in Queensland
But if baking this bread sounds taxing, it’s a good thing you can get it at the local bakery, King of Cakes. The biggest mistake people make about making the perfect Stollen is to never have the bread on their Christmas table — even if it’s store-bought!
King of Cakes is run by a culinary expert and Master Pastry Chef Wolfgang Kelke. Born in Munich, where his family operated a cafe, Mr Kelke trained and developed his culinary excellence with some of the finest restaurants around the world.
Photo Credit: King of Cakes/Facebook
In 1990, Mr Kelke and his family moved to Brisbane in Taringa, where he opened his first cake shop. Though now proudly Australian, he never forgets his roots and influences, which continue to reflect on his products and creations.
King of Cakes in Seventeen Miles Plain is the head office but the store has two other outlets in Taringa and Clayfield.
If you’re planning on going around West Brisbane to see some of the best Christmas light displays, then you shouldn’t skip a visit around the neighbourhoods in Jindalee and Westlake. Every year, residents from these suburbs set up the most colourful, impressive and magical Christmas display that it’s no surprise Jindalee and Westlake were big winners of this year’s 4KQ contest.
2019 Best Lights Display in West Brisbane
The annual 4KQ contest cited the house of Shane & Debbie Horswill at 20 Curragundi Road in Jindalee as the Best Display in West Brisbane for 2019. The Horswills are not first-timers in this competition as they also won the People’s Choice Award in 2018. Incidentally, the family is also vying for the same recognition this year, which is awarded by 7News. You may vote for the Horswills online.
2019 Best Neighbourhood Display
Meanwhile, a number of houses on Everard Street in Westlake were also big winners for the overall Best Neighbourhood Display. According to realestate.com.au, Everard Street is a popular strip for weekend cyclists. For years, however, Everard Street turns into a Christmas Wonderland filled with astounding light displays.
Here are the complete names and addresses of the 2019 4KQ Contest Winners from Jindalee and Westlake:
WHO
WHERE
AWARD
Shane & Debbie Horswill
20 Curragundi Road, Jindalee
Best Lights Display – West
Ian Wright
18 Mankinna Street, Jindalee
Judges Commendations
Shaun McFadder
28 Raeside Street, Westlake
Judges Commendations
Timothy Evans
2 Gillen Close, Westlake
Winner Neighbourhood Westlake Wonderland
Riley Mackenzie
18 Everard Street, Westlake
Winner Neighbourhood Westlake Wonderland
Laurence Cole
17 Everard Street, Westlake
Winner Neighbourhood Westlake Wonderland
John Milner
16 Everard Street, Westlake
Winner Neighbourhood Westlake Wonderland
Jeannette Watson
21 Everard Street, Westlake
Winner Neighbourhood Westlake Wonderland
Dannielle Robson
20 Everard Street, Westlake
Winner Neighbourhood Westlake Wonderland
Reid Moran
14 Everard Street, Westlake
Winner Neighbourhood Westlake Wonderland
Christmas Lights Tour Bus
You can still view these Christmas lights display by joining the tour bus organised by Brisbane City Council. Secure the tickets online and then head to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre (Stop C) before 7:00 p.m. The Christmas Lights tour bus will be servicing the public until the 20th of Dec. 2019.
If the tour bus isn’t the best option and you’d rather arrange your own trip, download these resources below to map out your drive carefully. These includes all the other participants and winners of the 2019 4KQ Christmas Lights Competition:
