Darra Archives - Page 2 of 2

Ipswich Motorway: $400-Million Widening Upgrade Completed

Thousands of commuters in the southwest corridor should now have an easier travel experience along the Ipswich Motorway (M7) after the completion of the $400-million upgrades.

Driving the three-kilometre stretch between Granard Road and Oxley Road, from Rocklea to Darra, has become a breeze with the addition of two more lanes on what used to be a four-lane motorway. The upgrades also included a network of additional roads and bike paths on both sides of the major thoroughfare.

Work on the Ipswich Motorway was four years in the making, with over 500 tradies employed by a combined effort between the State and the Federal Government to deliver the following key features:

A four to six-lane upgrade between Granard Road and Oxley Road
Seven new and higher bridges over the Oxley Creek floodplain to improve flood immunity and local connectivity
A new 1.5km Boundary Road Connection missing link across the Oxley Creek floodplain through to Blunder Road intersection, including a new signalised intersection at Factory and Boundary Roads, Oxley
A new northern service road connection over Oxley Creek floodplain
New traffic signals at an upgraded intersection of Suscatand Street and the existing service road.
New one-way left-turn only connection from Granard Road to Ipswich Road service road, Rocklea
Over 6.5kms of active transport paths

Photo credit: Department of Transport and Main Roads

“Today’s opening of the upgraded Ipswich Motorway is great news for the more than 85,000 vehicles using this stretch of road every day,” Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP said.

“This has been a significant project that has required an exceptional amount of planning and logistics carried out over the last four years, all while keeping the traffic flowing.

“Importantly, these upgrades will provide a range of benefits for the local community for years to come, including improved safety, travel times and traffic flow, and flood immunity.”

Banjo’s: Darra Baker Giving Away a Year’s Supply of Pies

Can’t get enough flaky, tasty pies? Banjo’s Bakery Cafe, which has an outlet in Darra, is running a contest that promises a delicious reward for the lucky pie-lover who can guess the cafe’s new limited-edition pie flavour and become its very first Pie Master!

The contest is online and doesn’t take a lot to win as long as you love pies and you’re ready to take the title of Banjo’s Bakery Cafe‘s first Pie Master. You simply have to guess the cafe’s upcoming pie flavour and submit your entry online.

Entries will be accepted until 3 May 2021, whilst the winner will be confirmed on 10 May 2021. Read the Terms and Conditions carefully to win a year’s supply of pies.

Not too confident to make a guess just yet? Maybe a quick trip to the Darra outlet of Banjo’s Bakery Cafe might give you some hints on the kinds of pie they make.

Banjo’s Bakery Cafe is a well-known, longtime bakery chain from Tasmania, which opened its newest Brisbane outlet at the corner of Ipswich Road and Acanthus Street in early 2020. It’s popular and highly-patronised for its wide choices of pastry-filled goodness with inventive flavours that are both savoury and sweet.

The Darra outlet has a full-service cafe and a drive-thru area, which has been much-needed in this contactless economy post-pandemic. The drive-thru facility is also very convenient for families or individuals with busy schedules. Need a quick breakfast or dinner option? Just drive and line up Acanthus Street to buy pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches or pita.

“Our full menu is available via the drive-thru, so you’ll never need to leave the comfort of your vehicle!”

What’s even better is Banjo’s Darra opens seven days a week for as early as 4:00 a.m. The shop also has a convenient app for advanced orders, which can be picked up at the Darra outlet.

For more about this bakery cafe, its menu and opening hours, follow the store’s Facebook page.

Darra’s Connectwest Industrial Park Secures CEA for New $20 Million Site

The growing Connectwest Industrial Park in Darra, a joint venture by Charter Hall and ESR Australia, has secured a long-term tenant in leading machinery distributor and retailer Construction Equipment Australia (CEA).

CEA has entered into a 10-year precommitment for the $20 million state-of-the-art logistics facility on 25 Kiln Street, joining other tenants like Goodman Fielder, Wildbreads and Cascade at the Connectwest Industrial Park.

Covering 1.85 hectares, the new site will have a servicing workshop with 20 work bays, a distribution facility, a 1,240 square metre showroom, office spaces and a 4,300 square metre machinery storage yard. The new warehouse and industrial office are expected for completion by the third quarter of 2021.

CEA company is part of the CFC Group of Companies and the distributor of brands like Atlas Copco, Ditch Witch, Dynapac, Komptech and JCB. The company has been operating in three separate areas in Brisbane. This new Darra site will consolidate all of its operations to “create a greater experience for CEA customers and dealers across Queensland,” the project developers said.

TM Insight negotiated CEA’s lease and designed the new facility with sustainable elements like a rainwater harvesting re-use system and a PV solar system. TM Insight will also serve as the project manager and will collaborate with BPG Projects.

Singapore Developer Eyes Residential Community for Darra

A subsidiary of a Singapore-based property investor is planning to develop a residential house and lot community in Darra.

Huon Property Group, a subsidiary of Singapore developer RunningStream Group, announced plans to build the residential community after it completed the acquisition of a seven-hectare vacant residential site in Darra for $20 million.

The company intends to turn the site at 242 Englefield Road into a multi-staged residential community. The site is zoned for low to medium density residential development. Around 6.5 hectares is developable.

Good Potential

RunningStream Group has been engaged in property investment all over Australia for more than 10 years. The company considers Darra a valuable destination where it can develop significant projects that will benefit the local community.

The site is located just about 16 kilometres from Brisbane CBD, making it an attractive location for low and medium density residential development. This appears to be the more viable investment for the company as the market for apartment development weakens.

The location’s proximity to public transport, shopping places, schools and recreational facilities highlights the strong potential of the development project.

Location of the proposed development site.

Upgraded Darra Park Boasts Suburb’s First Public Toilet

Residents in Darra and the Centenary suburbs welcome the upgrade of the Ducie Street Park in Darra as it incorporates facilities that the community has been demanding.

While the Darra park has a new playground inaugurated on April 29, the community is much happier about the provision of a public toilet facility, which happens to be the only stand-alone public toilet in Darra.

Councillor Matthew Bourke (Jamboree Ward) had consulted residents in the area to get their wish list for the suburb. One of the top requests of the community is the inclusion of a public toilet block at Ducie St Park.

Locals have been complaining about the lack of public toilets in the suburb. The only toilets for public use were at the train station and the shopping mall on Monier Rd, located more than half km from the park. The distance makes them inconvenient for park users to access. Most of the time, park visitors ended up going home when they needed to use a toilet.

Among the improvements done to the park is the new playground with six new slides, landscaping upgrade and enhanced accessibility.

The park upgrade is part of the various projects to beautify Darra. Aside from Ducie St Park, the reinvigoration of Darra also includes upgrades to Balfour Street Park, adding a new playground and picnic shelter.

Find out more about public parks in Darra at the Brisbane City Council website.