A Darra indoor golf venue has issued lifetime bans after a guest was accused of damaging a vending machine and a wall during a late-night visit to the 24-hour facility.
Hooked on Golf in Darra has responded after security footage from its 24-hour indoor golf and gym facility appeared to show a guest interfering with a vending machine during an overnight visit on 26 June.
The venue operates as a member-only indoor golf simulator and gym in south-west Brisbane. It uses camera coverage and an AI-enabled security system to monitor activity inside the facility.
The venue owner said the person involved was not a member, but a guest brought in by a member. Footage shared by the business showed a young man moving and shaking a large vending machine inside the premises.
The owner said the vending machine had not been working properly at the time of the incident. Despite that, most of the machine’s contents were allegedly taken after it was repeatedly shaken.
A wall inside the facility was also damaged during the same incident.
The owner said the venue’s security set-up was designed to alert the business to unusual activity inside the unmanned facility. The business later said those involved had been banned for life, and their images had been logged in the venue’s AI security system.
Photo Credit: Hooked On Golf/Facebook
Member Offers To Pay Costs
The venue said the member who brought the guest into the facility later apologised for his friend’s actions.
The member offered to cover the costs connected to the damaged wall and vending machine items if the guest did not resolve the matter directly with the venue and the vending machine owner.
The incident attracted attention after the venue posted about it on social media. Some commenters criticised the behaviour, while others joked about the effort involved, given the vending machine was inside a venue that also includes gym equipment.
Copper theft across Centenary and Darra has disrupted junior sport, damaged field lighting and left local clubs managing costly repairs, including major disruption at Centenary Stormers in Darra.
Sporting clubs and community facilities across Brisbane have been dealing with damage from copper theft, with wiring, lighting systems and electrical infrastructure targeted at fields, pathways and club sites.
The impact has reached several Centenary suburbs, including Jindalee, Mount Ommaney, Jamboree Heights, Middle Park, Riverhills and Westlake. Darra has also been directly affected through damage at Centenary Stormers soccer club at Atthows Park.
For junior sport, damaged lighting can limit access to fields after dark. When electrical systems are stripped or switchboards are damaged, facilities may need inspection and repair before regular training and games can resume.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Darra Club Faces Repairs and Relocated Games
Centenary Stormers has been hit multiple times by copper theft.
In one incident at the Darra club, about $3,000 worth of copper was stolen, but the damage and disruption cost more than $60,000. Training sessions and games had to be moved to other venues for almost a month while repairs were completed.
The club also faced increased insurance premiums after the thefts.
The disruption affected families, young players and volunteers, with the club needing to keep teams on the field while usual facilities were unavailable. Volunteer time was also diverted to managing the disruption and arranging alternative venues.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Other Centenary Sites Affected
Other local sites have also been targeted, including Rocks Riverside Park at Seventeen Mile Rocks, Jindalee Bowls Club, Western Districts Baseball Club, Warren Ritchie Sports Complex at Carole Park and the Centenary bikeway.
The Centenary bikeway has been regularly affected by thefts involving lighting infrastructure. Loss of pathway lighting can leave shared routes dark at night, creating safety concerns for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
Forest Lake Magpies Rugby League Club has also been heavily affected. The estimated cost to reinstate damaged electrical infrastructure at the site is about $2.4 million, adding to efforts to reactivate the facility after the club’s closure.
Across Brisbane, 40 copper theft incidents were recorded last year, with many in the Centenary suburbs.
Reports Sought Around Sporting Facilities
A Copper Theft Campaign launched on 26 March is encouraging residents to report suspicious activity around sporting clubs, lighting towers, electrical cabinets and other community infrastructure.
Residents have been asked to watch for suspicious vehicles near sporting grounds late at night, people interfering with electrical systems, or unusual activity around community facilities.
Emergencies or crimes in progress should be reported to Triple Zero. Suspicious activity can be reported anonymously to Crime Stoppers Queensland on 1800 333 000 or through crimestoppersqld.com.au.
A development application lodged in April seeks approval for a five-storey modular apartment building at 21, 23 and 25 Largs Street in Darra, proposing 26 units specifically targeted at singles, couples, downsizers and essential workers looking for a well-located, transit-oriented home without a large price tag.
What sets this development apart from a standard apartment application is its construction method. By using prefabricated modular components, the developers expect to bypass standard construction delays and lower overall delivery costs in a sector heavily dominated by traditional builds.
A different approach to apartment construction
Darra is an industrial and residential suburb 13 kilometres south-west of central Brisbane, situated on the Ipswich to Brisbane railway line opened in 1876.
Queensland Cement Ltd began production here in 1916, and Darra grew steadily through the postwar era as affordable working-class housing, with its railway access and proximity to the Centenary Highway making it practical for both residents and industry.
That legacy of affordability and connectivity has never left the suburb, and it is precisely what makes a project like this one fit the neighbourhood’s character.
The Darra-Oxley District Neighbourhood Plan envisions the suburb becoming a prosperous area which responds to changing community needs and supports a diverse mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses, with the upgrade of Darra Railway Station and its bus interchange identified as a key contributor to the precinct’s ongoing growth.
Largs Street’s close proximity to the platforms anchors the project’s transit-oriented design, putting commuters within walking distance of the upgraded interchange.
A closer look at the proposed building
The five-storey building reaches approximately 17.5 metres and provides a gross floor area of 1,911 square metres across its 26 units. The mix covers three three-bedroom apartments, 17 two-bedroom apartments, four one-bedroom apartments and two studio apartments, a configuration that leans heavily toward the two-bedroom format while offering entry-level options through the studio and one-bedroom units.
Photo Credit: DA A006993834
Twenty on-site car parking spaces are proposed alongside 33 bicycle parking spaces, a ratio that reflects the project’s deliberate positioning around lower car ownership and proximity to public transport.
Planning material states the lower parking rate is justified by the transit-oriented location and the target demographic of residents less likely to rely on private vehicles.
Photo Credit: DA A006993834
The landscape concept has been designed to contribute to Darra’s subtropical character, providing amenity for future residents while addressing the microclimate of the site and contributing positively to the Largs Street streetscape.
The case for modular in Brisbane’s affordability conversation
The use of prefabricated modular construction is the most distinctive aspect of this proposal. Planners at Planning Initiatives described it as an innovative construction method designed to reduce construction timeframes and improve the ultimate affordability of the finished housing while still achieving a high standard of amenity for future residents.
Modular construction involves assembling significant building components off-site in controlled factory conditions before delivering and connecting them on-site, reducing weather delays, labour costs and construction waste.
In Brisbane’s current building environment, where labour shortages and material costs have extended timelines and pushed prices upward, the approach has genuine relevance to the affordability outcomes the project targets.
The application remains under assessment. The full documentation is available under reference A006993834.
With red crayons and careful words, students at Darra State School are among 190 Queensland primary schools taking part in the RSL’s Postcards of Honour program ahead of Anzac Day, sending handwritten and hand-decorated cards directly to local veterans and serving Defence members.
For Year 5 student Van Reuben, the postcard he is making carries a meaning that goes beyond the classroom. His father served in the Australian Army in Afghanistan, and as Van draws poppies across his card, that personal history sits close to the surface.
“It makes me feel glad that he fought for all the people and for our country,” Van said. “Anzac Day is special to me because I get to commemorate all those people who fought for me and I get to commemorate my dad.”
Van is one of thousands of Queensland children for whom Anzac Day is not a distant chapter in a history book. For him, and for many of his classmates, it is something lived at home, at the dinner table, in the silences between stories. The Postcards of Honour program gives that feeling somewhere to go.
The Story Behind the Postcards
The choice of a postcard as the program’s centrepiece is not incidental. Throughout World War One, postcards were one of the primary means by which soldiers on the Western Front and at Gallipoli stayed connected to the people they had left behind. They carried drawings, brief messages and fragments of everyday life between the trenches and the families waiting at home, often the only tangible evidence that someone was still there.
The RSL built Postcards of Honour around that history deliberately, asking students to participate in the same act of reaching across distance and uncertainty that defined communication for the Anzacs.
Now in its fourth year, the program has grown from its 2023 launch into one of the most widely adopted Anzac Day educational initiatives in Queensland, at various points reaching more than 270 schools and over 24,000 students across the state. This year, 190 Queensland schools are participating, with each school receiving a visit from a local RSL sub-branch volunteer who delivers a presentation about Anzac Day’s history and significance before students create their postcards.
The veterans then return for a show-and-tell once the cards are finished, and the postcards are hand-distributed to veterans and serving members in the community on or around Anzac Day.
A Soldier from Down the Road
Darra RSL Sub-Branch President Grant Hartigan is the veteran who visited Darra State School this year. He joined the Australian Army as an infantryman in 2014 and later deployed to Iraq, giving him a perspective on service that connects directly to the world Van Reuben and his classmates are learning about. Standing in front of a room of primary school students and explaining what that experience means is something Hartigan takes seriously, and what happens when veterans receive the finished postcards stays with him.
“Seeing some of the veterans’ faces when they receive these postcards is just indescribable,” he said. “Especially when they realise kids from the local school were thankful for older Australians and veteran service. It’s pretty touching.”
For Hartigan, the program does something that formal commemorations alone cannot: it creates a two-way exchange rather than a one-way ceremony. Students do not just observe Anzac Day, they participate in it, in a way that produces something real and personal for the person on the receiving end.
“It really gets engagement from the younger generation where they get an opportunity to show remembrance and also give a tangible token of gratitude to servicemen and women,” he said.
How It Changes the Way Students See Anzac Day
Darra State School Principal Tracy Freeman has watched what happens to students when a veteran like Hartigan walks into the room and speaks plainly about service, sacrifice and the weight of what Anzac Day represents. The shift in how students engage with the history, she says, is genuine.
“Listening to Grant really helps our children to connect with their feelings and empathise how the soldiers may have felt back in the Anzac period,” Freeman said. “The students are able to learn, they’re able to connect and they’re able to show gratitude to the servicemen before us, and it’s just across generations.”
That phrase, across generations, is the thread running through everything the program does. Darra is a suburb that holds multiple generations of families, many of them with direct connections to military service across different conflicts and different countries. In a classroom like Van’s, the history of Anzac Day is not one single story but many, and the Postcards of Honour program makes space for all of them.
Schools and RSL sub-branches interested in taking part in future years of the program can find out more here. Darra’s Anzac Day Dawn Service takes place at the Darra RSL Sub-Branch on 25 April.
Queensland Police are calling on the local community to help identify the owners of a Ford SUV and several individuals who may have information about an alleged theft at a Darra business.
Mount Ommaney Police are investigating an incident that occurred on 13 January at a business along Ipswich Road. According to Sergeant Tony Maras, officers are working to locate people who were seen in the area between 8.57am and 9.02am that day, around the same time the business reported items missing.
The investigation has revealed that the vehicle and individuals in question may be connected to multiple alleged thefts across the region. Police have indicated that the number plates on the Ford SUV may be false.
Anyone who recognises the vehicle or the people pictured in the police appeal, or who has any information that could assist investigators, is encouraged to contact Mount Ommaney Police Station directly on (07) 3712 5222.
Members of the public can also provide information through Policelink using the online suspicious activity form, which is available 24 hours a day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
Minor pedestrian safety works are underway in Darra at the intersection of Lee Road and Darra Station Road, next to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.
The works aim to improve safety and accessibility for all road users by providing dedicated crossing points for pedestrians, including school students, children attending the early learning centre and their families.
The project also aims to encourage slower vehicle movements in the area and improve visibility between pedestrians and oncoming traffic.
The project includes installing a pedestrian island on Lee Road at Darra Station Road, installing yellow no stopping lines at the new pedestrian crossing, and repainting general line marking on the road.
Timing And Work Hours
Construction is scheduled from mid-January to early February 2026, pending weather and site conditions.
Works are planned between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, subject to weather and site conditions.
People living in or travelling through the area may notice increased noise, dust, vibration and vehicles during construction.
Traffic conditions may change, including minor delays, lane closures, detours and reduced speed limits, with traffic controllers and signage onsite. On-street parking within the works area will not be available while construction is underway.
The Safe School Travel Infrastructure program delivers safety and accessibility improvements on roads near schools, with a focus on pedestrian access. Separately, Queensland’s SafeST program provides resources to help school communities identify and address local road safety concerns through agreed actions and monitoring over time.
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💯😁
The program was announced in early October 2025 and will be delivered across the 2025–26 financial year. Confirmed recipients include the Scouts Association – West Centenary site in Darra, the Western Districts Baseball Club at Atthows Park on Sumners Road in Darra, and the Taringa Rovers facility operating from a Wacol address on Grindle Road.
Photo Credit: Taringa Rovers/Google Maps
Each will receive new solar infrastructure ranging from around 6 kW to more than 18 kW in size. These upgrades are part of a wider rollout across 26 Brisbane community facilities in the current stage.
Program Aims To Lower Costs For Local Families
Brisbane City Council has stated the initiative is focused on easing cost pressures for families and volunteer-run community groups. Savings generated from lower power bills are expected to be redirected to programs, facility maintenance, and member services.
Photo Credit: Western Districts Baseball Club/Google Maps
Brisbane Sustainability Agency provided statements supporting the program, which aligns with Council’s emissions reduction strategy.
Part Of A Broader Clean Energy Rollout
Council has already installed more than seven megawatts of solar capacity across its facilities, with the total set to reach 7.5 megawatts after this stage is complete. The city has a target of cutting its carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2031–32.
Photo Credit: Canva / For Illustration Purpose Only
Council has framed the initiative as both an environmental and community cost-of-living measure rather than a political announcement.
Direct Local Relevance To Centenary Residents
With Darra and Wacol sites in the rollout, Centenary-area clubs such as Scouts and local sports will see neighbourhood-level benefits.
These organisations are expected to see immediate improvements in operating costs once the systems are switched on, reinforcing Council’s focus on helping grassroots clubs remain sustainable.
Australia Post has begun deploying citronella spray to Posties in Darra as part of a national response to the rising number of dog-related safety incidents.
Australia Post has recorded a surge in dog-related incidents across the country, with 1,150 incidents reported in just six months between November 2024 and May 2025. Darra, alongside Bundamba and Toowoomba, has been identified as one of the most impacted locations in Queensland, which recorded a total of 388 cases during this period.
Despite previous public appeals urging dog owners to contain their animals, these efforts have not led to a decline in aggressive encounters. Many incidents have required medical attention and have prompted internal reviews of current safety protocols.
To address the rising threat, Australia Post is issuing a water-based citronella spray to all delivery personnel as a defensive measure. The initiative began with a two-phase trial in high-risk areas, where the spray was found to be effective in 80% of trials, causing dogs to retreat and allowing the worker time to move to safety.
The rollout prioritises suburbs like Darra and will expand to all delivery staff by late July, including parcel delivery drivers. All staff will receive training on proper use, with a focus on deploying the spray only as a final line of defence.
Delivery-Related Risks Explained
Data shows that 40% of dog-related incidents occurred on private property, with half of those triggered when a front door was opened during parcel delivery. Street-based incidents made up 57% of cases, with roaming or escaped dogs accounting for the majority. Australia Post has also flagged 35,000 dog-related hazards in its digital systems, representing a 20% rise since late 2024.
Alternatives and Prevention Campaigns
Australia Post has reinforced its dog safety campaign through a prevention-based program called “PAWS for Delivery,” encouraging dog owners to contain their pets using a three-step process: sit, stay, and secure. The organisation also recommends the use of 24/7 Parcel Lockers or local Post Offices as safer alternatives when pet containment is not guaranteed.
Worker Feedback on Safety Tools
A Postie and former veterinarian nurse shared their experience of being bitten during a routine delivery, resulting in injury and prolonged physical impact. They stated the citronella spray offers added peace of mind, particularly when working in suburbs with high incident rates like Darra.
Following the full distribution of the citronella spray, Australia Post will monitor incident data and continue reviewing risk protocols. The goal is to balance safety measures with proactive engagement from the community to reduce hazards.
On April 3, 2024, emergency services were called to an Ashridge Road residence in Darra after reports that an infant was unconscious and not breathing. The baby was declared deceased at the scene.
The Inala Child Protection and Investigation Unit established Operation Whiskey Nocturne to investigate the death. After a year-long investigation, police have charged the Darra woman with manslaughter.
The accused is scheduled to appear before Richlands Magistrates Court on June 4, 2025.
