Families visiting Rocks Riverside Park were met with fencing and warning tape instead of water play, after a multimillion dollar upgrade was shut down only days after reopening, following reports of children slipping and getting injured.
The closure occurred on the 14th of December, just days after the upgraded water play area reopened, during the peak school holiday period. Parents reported children falling on wet surfaces, with images shared online showing scratches and grazes. Some families said the area felt unsafe within minutes of entering.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Parents who arrived with children in swimmers said they were surprised to find the water play area closed without warning. Several families had travelled specifically to visit the upgraded space.
Some parents reported seeing multiple children slip in a short period of time, raising concerns about surface grip once water was running. Parents questioned how the surface passed safety checks before opening, given the number of incidents reported so quickly after reopening.
Council Response And Investigation
Brisbane City Council confirmed it received complaints about slippery surfaces in the splash zone. Council stated it is investigating the issue and working with the contractor responsible for the upgrade. The area was closed as a precaution while further checks are carried out.
Council advised that slip testing was completed before reopening and met required Australian safety standards. Despite this, the water play area remains closed, with no confirmed date for reopening.
Impact On Community And Summer Plans
The water play area was closed for nearly six months before reopening as part of a major upgrade costing about $3.5 million. For many local families, the space is a key summer attraction, especially during hot weather and school holidays.
We’ve combed Darra and Wacol for the best reviewed restaurants in the area where people waxed lyrical about their dining experience and what they love most about it. Here’s our list!
Tuitana 1990 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A little on the pricey side but the food is bomb & well worth it. Husband always gets the brekie wrap & the chicken burger. I can recommend their chicken Caesar pasta salad also. Will return to try other items on menu. It’s like a lunch bar for local workers in the area
Jagrit Sinha ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The big brekky is always great, and the hot box food is never too dry
John McNeill ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best value for money I’ve found in the wacol area so far. $10 fir a Turkish full of lots if chicken, avo, cheese, tomato and lettuce. Only slight negative was chicken was so thick it didn’t heat all the way through. Potato scallops are the best I’ve found in the area. Well most if Brisbane. Real home made, thin cut and battered.
B Jaleen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Visited the shop after lunch so there were no other customers. The food was great. The people there were very friendly and kind. The lady on the counter had a very nice aura and an overly sweet smile 😃. She asked me what I wanted. I asked for the menu, and she jokingly said, “Here’s the menu” (*pointing to herself*), then we both laughed. 😅. She said she could make all the vietnamese food, so I ordered their rice paper roll. It was delicious, especially with their hoisin sauce. I also tried the fried dimsim, and it was also good. The lady was super kind and gave me a piece of the pork crackle. It was tasty and crispy. I love this take-away shop and I will recommend this to my colleagues. There are plenty of parking spaces outside the shop and outside the gate of the compound. I just wish they had bigger and clearer sign boards that you can see even on a distance (this is for new customers 🥰). Overall experience was superb!
Curtis Faulkner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great food choices. I like their spring rolls. Healthy and fresh. I pair them with coffee and I’m good for the day.
rob s ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great service fantastic food and friendly staff
Strogo Strogo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Couldn’t imagine any better place to have breakfast, – it’s just amazing having animals around, being around people that truly love and care for animals. The menu is fantastic, it has full breakfast options as well as quick bites. The coffee is beautiful, the atmosphere is fantastic and the staff are passionate and caring. Very clean place, fast service and the opportunity to get a furry friend for yourself or become a foster carer for an animal. Even coffee for the dogs is! available Highly recommended!!!!
Russell Egan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ As cat lovers, our family ventured to Black Cat Café in search of cute cats, pats and cuddles. Unfortunate BCC doesn’t offer any of this. It is part of the RSPCA which predominantly houses dogs. There is a cat play area which was not occupied on our on visit. Notwithstanding, the food is delicious, reasonably priced and staff friendly. A great cause to support.
Chantel Charchalis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love coming here for vegan options, although they seem to have changed their menu (shown in pic) and now have a few less items (no big vegan breakie), but had the avo on GF toast, add hash browns, which was yummm. Vegan banana bread is delish too.
Morgan G ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Such yummy food and really delicious hot choccies 😍 The cafe is situated in a really lovely quiet spot. The cafe is a little dated, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The only feedback I really have is please update your serving boards, they look a little worse for wear.
Jacqui D ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Firstly the staff were really friendly,polite and helpful . There are lots of vegetarian options that were beautifully presented. The cakes looked genuinely home made and my lemon brownie tasted yummy. Excellent coffee art and a lovely big mug! I liked that organic coffee beans were for sale too! A few more plants in the outdoor area would be nice to screen the road. Will definitely return for the food and coffee.
Ganu k ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Friendly team and quick service. Pricey menu but lot of options to choose from Nice outdoor seating and heater is nice touch
Katie Golding ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Crispy honey chicken and special fried rice was really really good – no complaints. The chicken to batter ratio was perfect and so much chicken in the container. The fried rice had a nice ratio of meats/egg/etc. We ordered takeaway and it took less than 15minutes. The owner/worker was very friendly and happy. Brought our meal to our car. I’d recommend and will be back !
Shelley ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My brother took my son and I to dinner to Kim Khan’s on Sunday, the food was just beautiful. I’ve been coming here since the 90s when I was a little girl, and the flavours are still just as good today. The meals are always fresh and tasty, The lady owner is always so kind and pretty flowers and the deep-fried ice cream is the best my boys love it now just like I did growing up.
The Guv’nor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Let’s talk about the service..how many places do you go where the staff see you,open the door for you and greet you as if they’ve known you for years,well this happened. First time visitor so took my time choosing(takeaway) placed my order,waited about 8 minutes then was on my way home..nearly went back to get more because it was that bloody good💯😁
A fire that claimed the life of a 44-year-old man at a Durack charity warehouse last Friday is now being investigated as suspicious by Queensland Police.
Emergency services responded to the blaze at Citipointe West Marketplace on Freeman Road shortly before 7am on 28 November, with flames engulfing the facility that housed community supplies and hundreds of Christmas hampers prepared for local families.
Firefighters successfully extinguished the fire during the morning, but structural safety concerns prevented police from entering the building until approximately 6pm that evening. It was then that officers made the grim discovery of human remains inside the destroyed warehouse.
The deceased has since been formally identified as a 44-year-old man. According to Acting Detective Inspector Leah Godfrey, the man was not employed at the facility and had not been reported missing prior to the discovery.
“We’re keeping a very open mind at this stage and our investigation is just progressing,” Acting Detective Inspector Godfrey told media. “We’re trying to work through everything to try and ascertain [the source of the fire].”
Police are treating the circumstances surrounding the fire as suspicious and are appealing to the community for assistance with their enquiries.
Investigators are particularly interested in any information, CCTV footage, or dashcam recordings from the early hours of Friday morning. Acting Detective Inspector Godfrey emphasised that footage captured between midnight and 6.45am on 28 November could prove vital to the investigation.
“The adjoining streets are extremely busy with cars, so we’re hopeful that maybe some member of the community has some information that can assist us,” she said.
The warehouse served as a storage facility for the community marketplace, and its destruction has resulted in the loss of supplies intended to support local residents during the Christmas period.
The new northbound Centenary Bridge in Jindalee has opened to traffic, marking a major milestone in the multi-year upgrade of the river crossing on the Centenary Motorway.
The new northbound Centenary Bridge in Jindalee has opened to traffic, marking a major step in the multi-year upgrade to the Brisbane River crossing. The shift onto the new structure began today as part of a staged traffic switch that will allow rehabilitation works to begin on the existing bridge.
Construction began in early 2023 after the award of the main contract in December 2022, and the full upgrade is expected to be completed in 2027.
The project will expand the crossing from four to six lanes by introducing a new three-lane northbound bridge and converting the existing structures into a three-lane southbound bridge.
Photo Credit: QLD Gov
Project Scope and Key Features in Jindalee
The upgrade includes longer and safer entry and exit ramps, improvements to active transport connections, and better links to the Western Freeway Bikeway. The Jindalee Skate Park and Amazons Place Park remain in place under the current design.
The new separated active transport path is planned to be about 5 metres wide, with increased physical separation between pedestrians, cyclists, and motorway traffic. Additional shared path upgrades will occur under the bridge and towards Sinnamon Road.
Jindalee Traffic Changes
More than 85,000 vehicles use the Centenary Bridge each day. Current traffic modelling shows daily demand may reach around 152,000 vehicles by 2036.
Temporary speed limits and changed traffic conditions will remain throughout construction. The permanent 80 km/h speed limit will return once works are completed.
Photo Credit: QLD Gov
Benefits for the Jindalee Corridor
The upgrade aims to improve safety, increase capacity, and enhance travel-time reliability. Longer merge lanes, updated road surfaces and wider shoulders form part of the configuration.
The bridge upgrade also supports future stages of the broader Centenary Motorway Upgrade, which may include additional improvements along the corridor between Darra and Toowong.
Active Transport and Local Connectivity
Pedestrians will be positioned closest to the river, while cyclists will have a wider lane on the inside. The Spinkbrae Street shared path will remain, with temporary detours during construction.
Lighting upgrades and new path alignments will be delivered in the Sinnamon Road area, while access will be maintained as works progress.
Rehabilitation of the existing bridges will continue, along with ongoing works on vegetation, environmental management, and local access improvements. The project team will continue issuing traffic updates and notifications as work advances.
A number of homes in the Jindalee flood catchment area would be among thousands across Brisbane to be added to a revised flood risk map after new creek catchment studies reshaped hazard zones.
Thousands of residents will soon see their properties listed on Brisbane City Council’s updated flood risk map after new studies identified more homes at risk from creek and waterway flooding. Some households will appear on the overlay for the first time, while others will have their risk category changed.
The update, based on studies of the Jindalee, Breakfast Creek, and Lota Creek catchments, will be added to the City Plan on 19 September 2025. Citywide, 17,246 properties are affected, with 10,129 newly listed, about 2,000 upgraded to higher risk, and more than 400 removed.
The Jindalee flood catchment includes the suburbs of Jindalee, Sinnamon Park, and sections of Middle Park. These suburbs are prone to flooding because they sit within the Brisbane River catchment and its tributaries.
The updated flood overlay covers only creek and waterway flooding, not Brisbane River or overland flow. In the Jindalee catchment, it reflects local creek systems rather than past river flood events, with scenarios ranging from common floods to rare 1-in-2,000-year events.
Council will notify affected property owners before the changes, detailing whether their property is new to the map, has a revised risk, or has been removed. Once live, the online Flood Awareness Map will let residents view their risk and plan for preparation, renovations, or development.
Calls For Fair Treatment From Insurers
Council has urged insurers not to increase premiums unfairly as a result of the updated mapping, especially in cases where the flood event probability is very low.
In previous updates, some residents in other suburbs saw sharp rises in premiums, prompting concern in the community. The city’s message to insurers is to consider the context of the data and apply changes reasonably.
Part Of A Broader Flood Preparedness Program
The Jindalee study is part of a rolling program that has delivered 29 flood studies across Brisbane over the past decade.
Each study feeds into Council’s planning scheme to improve community awareness and resilience. The aim is to provide accurate, location-specific flood risk information so residents can better prepare for the future.
Recent monitoring has shown that platypus populations are still present in Wacol, with eDNA results confirming activity in the area as regional studies continue.
Platypus monitoring across Ipswich and surrounding waterways intensified after the 2022 floods raised concerns about severe population loss. In June 2022, early post-flood eDNA sampling across 22 known sites detected only one tentative positive sign at Wacol.
A follow-up survey in December 2022 produced similar results, indicating platypus had not yet returned to many Ipswich waterways. These findings highlighted the scale of habitat damage, including bank instability, sediment influx, and overall decline in water quality across creeks such as Woogaroo and Opossum.
Photo Credit: Australian Museum
Expanded Monitoring Across South East Queensland
From 2023 onward, eDNA sampling in the region continued under Ipswich City Council’s annual program. Results released in 2025 showed improvements, with multiple positive detections across Bundamba, Six Mile and Sandy creeks.
While some waterways recorded limited detections, Wacol remained significant as a location where platypus DNA had been consistently identified since the floods.
The broader regional effort now forms part of the $1.2 million Resilient Rivers SEQ program launched on 3 November 2025. The initiative spans more than 200 sites across Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, using eDNA to study species including platypus, rakali, freshwater turtles, lungfish, frogs and Mary River cod.
Habitat Pressures and Long-Term Challenges
Research outlined in previous monitoring reports identified ongoing habitat degradation as a major threat. Increased sediment loads, bank erosion and waterway connectivity issues continue to affect platypus burrows, which rely on stable, vegetated creek banks for survival.
The 2022 floods delivered sediment levels far above recommended objectives, contributing to the decline of known populations across Ipswich’s waterways.
Photo Credit: Australian Museum
Habitat Restoration Efforts in Wacol
In January 2025, a platypus habitat restoration project was launched at Bullockhead Creek in Wacol. The site is regarded as an important refuge for Brisbane’s remaining platypus, with only 35 sightings reported across the city the previous year.
The project received $1.9 million in funding to rehabilitate 4.5 hectares of creek habitat. Key works include weed removal, habitat repair and revegetation using native species to stabilise banks and improve ecological conditions.
Ongoing research into platypus movements forms part of this strategy, supported by DNA sampling at 100 sites in Brisbane.
Community and Stakeholder Involvement
Local environmental groups and researchers have expressed support for the restoration work at Wacol. Community-led monitoring efforts such as PlatyCount continue to contribute data, complementing formal eDNA surveys undertaken across South East Queensland.
Outlook for Platypus Conservation in Wacol
Monitoring under the Resilient Rivers SEQ program will continue over the next two years, informing habitat restoration, waterway management and long-term biodiversity planning.
In Wacol, early-2025 restoration works are expected to improve local conditions, supporting the survival of remaining platypus populations and guiding future conservation efforts.
When a severe hailstorm hit the Queensland town of Esk, rescuers arranged for almost 120 injured flying foxes to be taken to theRSPCA Wildlife Hospital in Wacol, many suffering smashed faces and broken wings. Volunteers helped rescue the animals after they were battered by giant hailstones, some larger than cricket balls.
Over the weekend, days of severe thunderstorms impacted the east coast of central and southern Queensland, bringing intense rain, damaging winds and giant hail. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, hailstones up to 10 centimetres in diameter were reported in numerous locations, including Esk, where a local flying fox colony suffered heavy injuries.
Volunteers from Bat Conservation and Rescue Queensland and other vaccinated wildlife carers collected injured bats from the ground and trees before transporting them to RSPCA Wacol for treatment. David Zammit, an Esk local and RSPCA animal rescue officer, said carers vaccinated against Australian bat lyssavirus worked together to gather the injured animals. He said the hailstorm injured both adult and juvenile bats, including black, little red and grey-headed flying foxes. The event left around 60 pups orphaned on Saturday night, many of them very young.
Inside the Wacol Wildlife Hospital
At the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital, veterinarians began triage immediately, warming the bats and providing fluids. Dr Emily Drayton, lead clinical vet at the facility, said the bats had suffered severe injuries consistent with hail impact. Most were euthanised because their injuries were too extensive for recovery. About eight adults and ten pups survived and are now being hand-reared.
Wildlife carers are using teats coated in glucose gel to feed the pups, as many arrive with low blood glucose. They are wrapped in blankets to stay warm and supported, helping them maintain a natural hanging position. Rehabilitation can take several months, with carers providing fluid therapy, pain relief and assisted feeding before the animals can be released back into the wild.
Community Guidance and Conservation Context
The RSPCA has urged residents not to handle sick, injured or orphaned bats. Because only vaccinated carers should handle them, people who find distressed flying foxes are advised to call a wildlife rescue service rather than attempt care themselves.
This incident shows how a single severe storm can devastate a flying fox colony in Queensland. While the Flying-Fox Roost Management Local Government Grants Program focuses on managing roost impacts and community concerns, it does not fund emergency wildlife rescue work like the response to this hailstorm.
Police were called to the address around 9.50am on Sunday, where Mr Leavers was located. Authorities have confirmed his death is not being treated as suspicious, with investigations continuing.
Mr Leavers held the position of Queensland Cross-Border Commissioner at the time of his death. He previously served as President of the Queensland Police Union of Employees for more than 15 years and was a former member of the Queensland Police Service.
Queensland Police Service Commissioner Steve Gollschewski APM paid tribute to Mr Leavers, acknowledging his significant contribution to the organisation and its members.
Commissioner Gollschewski said Mr Leavers led with dedication and purpose during his tenure as union president, building strong relationships across the service and advocating tirelessly for frontline officers.
The commissioner highlighted Mr Leavers’ role in introducing policy improvements and better working conditions for police members, particularly during challenging periods.
Mr Leavers’ death is expected to have a considerable impact across the police service and the wider community due to his longstanding connections and advocacy work.
Support services are available for anyone affected. Lifeline can be contacted on 13 11 14 or at www.lifeline.org.au, whilst Beyond Blue is available on 1300 22 4636 or at www.beyondblue.org.au.
A simple idea to bring foster dogs to visit lonely family members has grown into a Wacol-based national charity changing thousands of lives, both human and animal.
Happy Paws Happy Hearts (HPHH) has been honoured for its work, receiving a Special Mention for the Hutchinson Builders Social Enterprise award category at the 2025 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards. Help Enterprises took home the Social Enterprise Award.
The Lord Mayor’s Business Awards, now in their 20th year, celebrate the visionaries and innovators shaping Brisbane’s $200 billion economy. HPHH was named one of 44 finalists recognised for driving the city’s success.
The organisation was created to find a single solution for two major problems: the 1.1 million Australians experiencing social exclusion and the more than 124,000 animals waiting for adoption in shelters like the RSPCA every year.
Happy Paws Happy Hearts partners with animal shelters to create a safe space for vulnerable people. Participants join programs, both online and inside the shelters, where they share a love of animals, learn new skills, and give back to the community in a powerful way.
The organisation’s unique approach moves participants out of traditional training rooms and gives them “hands-on” opportunities to care for and train the rescue animals. This interaction provides a pathway for people to overcome their own emotional and physical isolation.
According to the organisation’s mission, this method helps rebuild confidence in stages and often results in a new outlook on life. It is a purposeful approach focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for both the people and the animals, helping to prepare the pets for their future adoptive homes.
The national charity started from a simple observation. In 2014, co-founders Zoe and Grame brought their foster dogs to visit socially isolated family members. They witnessed an immediate connection, bringing smiles to faces and wags to tails.
From that first visit, Happy Paws Happy Hearts has expanded across Australia. It continues to craft programs that support both people and animals, backed by partners who help it reach more isolated individuals and provide much-needed human interaction for shelter animals.
With average life expectancy now stretching into the mid-80s, many Australians are realising that the family home—once a symbol of success—can quietly become a source of work and worry.
Nearly three-quarters of over-75s still live in houses larger than they need, while about 30 per cent are considering a move that fits their lifestyle today rather than the one they built decades ago.
Those themes will be be at the heart of Coffee & Conversations on 12 November 2025, where locals can hear about Somerset Indooroopilly—a new village that allows locals to downsize in the area they know and love.
Set beside the Indooroopilly Golf Club, Somerset is a series of light-filled apartments around shared gardens, terraces and a café rather than cul-de-sacs and fences. The aim is to make life simpler without making it smaller.
Designed by Cox Architecture and built by Woollam Constructions, the whole complex is shaped around the concept of rightsizing: a lifestyle that trades maintenance for meaning, routine for connection, and isolation for ease.
The shift speaks to a broader cultural change. Retirement communities are no longer seen as endpoints but as extensions of an active life. Research shows residents in such settings are physically healthier, more socially engaged and report higher overall happiness than those ageing alone. It’s less about giving things up than gaining back time—the chance to travel, volunteer or just enjoy an unhurried morning coffee.
Research shows that residents of well-designed retirement villages are more active, more socially engaged and less likely to need hospital care than peers who continue living alone.
People living in retirement communities can experience a reduction in patterns of hospitalisations, have the potential to reduced need for GP visits, and can stay healthy living independently.
Increasingly, people are choosing communities that give them freedom and flexibility, not just a smaller footprint. In practice, that means more time spent walking, reading, travelling—or simply enjoying a catch-up with friends—without the endless to-do list that comes with a large property.
At Somerset, that philosophy is built into everyday life, capturing that balance through thoughtful design. Apartments open onto gardens and shared terraces; the café hums with conversation; and facilities like the pool, gym, and library encourage activity without pressure.
Each home includes a 24-hour monitored EEVI system for peace of mind, while a Village Manager and Wellness Advisor ensure help is close by but never intrusive. “Knowing the place is managed, looked after and secure—that’s a big factor,” one resident said. “It’s lovely knowing you’re in a safe area, surrounded by good people.”
The community is pet-friendly, the gardens maintained, and the atmosphere quietly sociable. “Moving here gave me freedom,” said another resident. “I can just close the door and go.”
For many, that’s the essence of rightsizing—choosing a space that fits this stage of life as comfortably as the last one did. “When you make the choice sooner rather than later, you give yourself the gift of freedom and the chance to enjoy more of what matters,” Aura Director Mark Taylor said at a recent Somerset event.
And for anyone curious, participating in Coffee & Conversations on 12 November 2025 offers the simplest introduction: a walk through the gardens, a cup of coffee, and a conversation about how less maintenance can make room for more living.
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