Latest Land Valuations Show Centenary Suburbs’ Median Land Value Increased

Land values in the Brisbane City Council area increased by 6.8 percent overall since the last valuation in 2017. This overall land value increase is also reflected on Centenary suburbs, notably Jindalee and Sinnamon Park, according to the latest land valuation report published by the State of Queensland.

The latest land valuations report shows median land value in Jindalee increased 20.7 percent to $350,000 and Sinnamon Park’s climbed 20 percent to $420,000. Other Centenary suburbs also recorded moderate median land value increase: Mount Ommaney – $590,000 (9.3%), Middle Park – $365,000 (10.6%), Jamboree Heights –  $350,000 (9.4%), Westlake – $410,000 (5.1%), Riverhills – 305,000 (10.9%), Sumner – $255,000 (10.9%), and Seventeen Mile Rocks – $340,000 (9.7%).

Queensland property is showing continued signs of strength in some areas, according to the recently released Valuer-General’s 2019 Property Market Movement Report. Based on the economic indicators, Queensland Treasury advise “dwelling investment in Queensland is entering a ‘recovery phase.’” This follows a 4.8 percent decline in 2017-2018, Queensland’s Valuer-General Neil Bray said.

“While approvals and construction have declined, the substantial amount of work remaining in the pipeline indicates dwelling investment is headed for a ‘soft landing’ compared with previous housing cycles,” he said

A total of 18 local government areas, representing 1.03 million properties, received new valuations this year: Brisbane, Burdekin, Cairns, Etheridge, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Longreach, Moreton Bay, Noosa, North Burnett, Redland, Somerset, South Burnett, Sunshine Coast, Weipa, and Western Downs.

Of the 18 local government areas that have been valued, 16 recorded an overall increase ranging between 4.9 (South Burnett) and 42.5 percent (Etheridge). There were nine LGAs with increases of 0-10 percent, five areas with increases of 10-20 percent, and two areas with more than 20 percent increases. Burdekin and Longreach, on the other hand, recorded overall decreases of 2.9 percent and 14.8 percent, respectively.

Photo Credit: J Brew [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)] / Wikimedia Commons

Majority of suburbs across Brisbane have recorded increase in residential land values, with most showing increases between five and 15 percent. Residential sector is the largest market sector in Brisbane, about 304,000 valuation. The median residential value has risen 7.1 percent as the overall median value increased to $455,000 from $425,000.

Thirty-seven residential suburbs remained unchanged, whilst 126 increased by up to 15 percent and 16 suburbs increased by more than 15 percent. Inner-city suburbs Woolloongabba (26.1%), Auchenflower (19.6%), Paddington (19.4%), and Milton (19.2%) have the largest median valuation increases.

The new valuations will become effective 30 June, however, landowners who have additional or new evidence to justify the need to alter the new valuations should provide such information through the online objections process via www.qld.gov.au/landvaluation or at the address shown at the top of their valuation notice, by 7 May 2019.



Bellbowrie and Jindalee Homes Win Big at the 2018 4KQ Best Christmas Lights Competition

This year, Bellbowrie and Jindalee homes were amongst the big winners of the 2018 4KQ Best Christmas Lights Competition.

Grabbing the top spot of the West category is the lights display by Evan and Myfanwy Jones of 45 Church Road, Bellbowrie. Their family’s magnificent Christmas lights display is truly one-of-a-kind. Their winning display features a swan lake, gingerbread man, polar bears, and more.

Check out the photos below and see why the Bellbowrie residence is the Best West winner.

Photo credit: www.4kq.com.au

The runner-up for this year’s West Category is a family who has already made the  4KQ Best Christmas Lights Competition an annual tradition. Shane and Debbie Horswill from 20 Curragundi Road, Jindalee started joining the Christmas lights competition 15 years ago.

Photo credit: www.homely.com.au

Apart from being the runner-up, their creative Christmas lights display is also a strong contender for the People’s Choice Award.

Three more homes captivated the judges this year. The following participants in the West Category got the Judges Commendation:

  • Let It Snow Christmas Lights, 1 Moncrieff Court, Mount Ommaney
  • Melanie and Len Watson, 5 Kaputar Close, Riverhills
  • Michael Mader, 207 Graceville Avenue, Graceville


Christmas Lights Tours

A total of 23 homes joined this year’s 4KQ Best Christmas Lights Competition in the West. If you want to have a look at these bright and colourful display of Christmas lights, check out the line-up of the Council’s Christmas lights bus tours.

The tours will be running until Friday, 21 December 2018.  Take note that each tour departs at 6:45 p.m. sharp and will go for approximately three hours. Refreshment stops are included.

You may also opt to have your own Christmas lights trip. Check out the list of the complete participants for this year’s competition and make the most out of your trip.



 

Kerbside Collection Coming to Jindalee: Getting Organised The Minimalist Way

Kerbside Collection is coming to Jindalee on Monday, 28 May 2018 which means that it’s time to get organised.

Organising is probably one of the most daunting tasks especially if you have acquired tons of stuff over the years. Organising and decluttering are considered to be the first steps in living a happier life in a minimalist lifestyle.

Photo credit: CCO Public Domain / pxhere

Kerbside Collection is one of the best ways to get rid of large items lying around the house. It is particularly helpful for people wishing to switch to a minimalist way of living.

The idea is simple, own less and spend more time on things that matter while living comfortably in your home. Whilst the idea may be simple, it may be easier said than done.

Getting rid of things might be tough especially when you are surrounded by stuff that you have bought with your hard earned money. This is where The Minimalists comes in.

The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn (left) and Ryan Nicodemus (right) Photo credit: Facebook/The Minimalists

The Minimalists, founded by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, helps millions of people around the world live meaningful lives with less. The duo devised fun decluttering methods to help people jump-start their road to minimalism. These are the 30-Day Minimalism Game and the Packing Party.

30-Day Minimalism Game

Decluttering may be intimidating for some but this game makes it a fun experience. To start, find someone to play the game with, either a family member or a friend, who also want to get rid of their excess stuff.

Photo credit: CC-BY/Serene Vannoy/Flickr

In the first day of the month, each of you must get rid of one thing. On the second day, both of you must get rid of two things, followed by three on the third day and so on. You can get rid of anything from clothes, furniture, electronics, excess tools, etc.

You can choose to donate, sell, or throw away the things you have discarded as long as these things are out of your house by midnight each day.

Photo credit: CC-BY/_DJ_/Flickr

It is easy in the first week but it gets more challenging as weeks come since you would need to get rid of more than a dozen things from your home each day. Whoever can keep the game going the longest wins.

If you decide to play the game, you can use the #MinsGame to share your story or follow other people’s journey.

Packing Party

Photo credit: CC-BY/Lars Plougmann/Flickr

This is quite an extreme method for decluttering and is very helpful if you are planning to move anytime soon. Whilst it is labour intensive since it requires a lot of preparation, it can be really effective if you practice it.

In this method, it would be great to have some friends over to help you pack all your stuff into boxes as if you’re moving. In the next few months, only take out those items that you use and after about three months, the items left inside the boxes should either be donated or sold.

Photo credit: CC-BY/Nicolas Huk/Flickr

This method can help you zero-in on what you truly need and help you decide on which stuff can go away. You are less likely to miss whatever is inside those boxes since, as they say, out of sight, out of mind.

Decluttering this way can help you save room when you are planning to move-in to a new home since you would only be left with the essentials.

These methods can be handy for those who require a bit of help in cleaning up their home from excess stuff. It is no surprise as to why the popularity of Minimalism is growing so fast around the world. In Brisbane alone, there are already 600+ people who are adopting this lifestyle.

If you want to get started on being a minimalist, check out the Minimalist.org: Brisbane Local Meetup Group on Facebook.

4074 Rocks Rockin’ Jindalee & Centenary Suburbs

Have you seen random decorated rocks in Jindalee and across other Centenary suburbs?

Blame the 4074 Rocks. Members of the group paint and hide rocks as a random act of kindness to bring an unexpected smile to the someone face and pass it on. Each painter posts photos of their rocks as well as the finders.

The rocks are hidden just about everywhere – from parks, to somebody else’s backyard, you can simply find a decorated rock under a bush or along the street. Each rock also comes with a “4074 Rocks” tag.

The craze is catching on and The Jindalee Aged Care Program (JSACP) will be joining! The kids will start painting their own rocks and hide them.

Tracy Schandendorff, the program director, said it all started when their teacher found a decorated rock. This gave her a brilliant idea to involve the kids in the program.

The Centenary Landscapes will be donating rocks for the little artists as well to support the kids’ creativity.

Rainbow Coffee At Piggy Back Cafe In Jindalee

Piggy Back Cafe, a part of the Venzin Group has kicked things up a notch as it changes the cafe scene in the Jindalee shopping strip.

White tables and chairs are situated outside the cafe, ideal for customers prefer to be al fresco whilst enjoying a cup of coffee. Once inside, you’ll marvel at how the rustic styled furniture perfectly blends with the dark blue walls, exuding a calm and cozy ambiance. The large windows surrounding the cafe let in an abundance of natural light whilst whimsical hanging bulbs light up the cafe at night.

The cafe serves an all-day breakfast menu ranging from their red velvet french toast, avo and matcha green tea bagel to a hearty breakfast burger on brioche with fried egg, bacon, avo, spinach, cheddar, smokey mayo, and beetroot relish.

Photo credit: Piggy Back Cafe

For lunch, have a bite of their Piggy Back Po Ham, which contains provolone cheese, ham, and sweet pickle relish on toasted baguette, and it comes with sweet potato fries.

Health-conscious customers can also choose from a selection of salads and healthy meals such as the slow-roasted baby beetroot or the Piggy Back salad. There are also vegan and gluten-free items on the menu.

Photo credit: Piggy Back Cafe

There’s something for everyone and your kids have meals to choose from as well. The Ham and Cheese soldiers is a popular choice. Bring along your four-legged friends and they will be provided with water bowls outside the cafe.

Rainbow in a Cup

What makes the cafe even more popular is their selection of rainbow latte. Their coffee is from Fonzie Abbott. In 2016, Emily Columbis, a barista of the cafe was featured in a news outlet for her creation of colourful coffees.

Photo credit: Piggy Back Cafe

Emily uses food dye and the help of YouTube to hone her creative ideas and just like magic, they became known for rainbow coffee. It is one of the most requested items at the cafe.

YouTube/Insider

Aside from the rainbow coffee, they also have a selection of smoothies, teas, and milkshakes.

Address: 88 Carrugindi Rd.

BUG Calls For Support as New Proposal May Improve Centenary Cycleway Access

The Brisbane West Bug is enthusiastic over the development application submitted by Westpoint Autos on Sinnamon Road in Jindalee. The development could provide cyclists with better bicycle access and improve the safety of riders.

Photo credit: Chris Cox for South West Brisbane

Chris Cox, BUG’s spokesman has said that the bicycle access to the Centenary Bikeway via Sinnamon Road is troublesome during peak hours with vehicles blocking the path.

Should this new development be approved, a new bridge will be built across Jindalee Ck for site access. The cycling group thinks that this is a great opportunity to include an off-road cycle way connected to that bridge that links to the Centenary Bikeway.

The site is zoned as sports and recreation, which means that it must be re-zoned as commercial use hence needing public consultation.

The group has already put in a submission. An excerpt:

“(We) request additional requirements added to this development that any new bridge to provide access to the development site must provide off road cycle access to connect to the Centenary Cycleway and signals located at Sinnamon Road/Centenary Highway intersection, avoiding the current conflict situation with general traffic on Sinnamon Road.”

They also submitted a photo of the site that includes their cycle path suggestion, which they posted on their Facebook page.

Photo of the site from above and a vague suggestion of where a cyclepath could be put through. Photo credit: Brisbane West Bug / Facebook

The group thinks this is the perfect opportunity for the local cyclists to lodge a submission via the PD Online website before it closes on 7 February.

Jindalee Included in Top 10 Sweatiest Suburbs

Queensland is getting hot and certain areas in the state are becoming even hotter than ever. The Queensland University of Technology has just released the Top 10 Sweatiest Suburbs and Jindalee is one of them.

A study by QUT faculty of health associate shows that people in these Top 10 suburbs are at a higher risk of heat-related hospital admissions. This list is affected by several factors such as the average age in the suburb, income and landscape.

The Top 10 suburbs are:

  • Bowen Hills
  • Northgate
  • Brisbane City
  • Jindalee
  • Deagon
  • Archerfield
  • Robertson
  • Camp Hill
  • McDowall
  • Kuraby

The study also shows that suburbs with lower risk of heat-related illnesses have a lot of green space whilst wealthier suburbs can afford air conditioning units to combat the heat.

Queensland Ambulance Service reminds locals to keep cool and stay indoors away from direct sunlight. Children and elderly are the most vulnerable to the summer heat, which is why they advise locals that with any signs of heat exhaustion seeking medical attention right away is important.

Signs of heat exhaustion include headaches, nausea, dizziness and cramping.

Save Jindalee’s Waterways & Creeks by Taking Photos at The Monitoring Post

The Brisbane Catchments Network in collaboration with Brisbane City Council and local group Wolston and Centenary Catchments (WaCC) is encouraging locals to take photos to save Jindalee’s creeks and waterways.

Jindalee Boat Ramp 2002 Photo credit: Queensland Government

They have recently installed a new monitoring point at a pedestrian bridge at Jindalee Recreation Reserve on Wongaburra St., which can help save the local environment. This is why they are encouraging the locals to take photos and create a time-lapse digital record of the waterway.

Jindalee Boat Ramp 2017 Photo credit: Google Maps

According to the network, the photos provide a visual representation of vegetation change over time.

The other monitoring post has been installed on Osborne Road, Mitchelton. This project allows locals to contribute towards the ongoing care of local catchment groups and Habitat Brisbane Bushcare Groups restoration works by taking photos.

You can email your photos at bcn_monitoring@outlook.com

Herd of Deer Roams Jindalee Neighbourhood At Night To Feed

Deer seem to be roaming the night in Jindalee. A resident spotted a herd of deer snacking on her neighbor’s gerberas.

It seems like the deer hopped over the fence and just started feasting on the neigbourhood lawns. Residents are not actually surprised because this dry season has urged deer to take advantage of watered lawns.

However, they are concerned with the damage that the deer can bring to their properties. The deer are known to destroy foliage and spread a seed of weeds as well as trample on seedlings.

According to the Glen Alchin, the director of All Critter Pest Control, trapping is the best option and there’s little one can do to prevent the deer from coming, especially when they are hungry.

The Brisbane City Council has also set some guidelines to control deer from coming into people’s property. They urge residents not to feed or attempt to befriend them. Also, collecting fallen fruit from trees from around your property as well as the removal of bird feeders will help prevent deer from getting inside your property.

Exclusion fencing will also keep them out. Lights can also deter deer especially the ones that flash a red light strobe but this has to be moved frequently so the deer doesn’t get used to it.

Centenary Meeting at Jindalee to Discuss NBN ‘Crisis’

Concerned citizens experiencing problematic NBN service are gathering at a meeting at Jindalee Bowls Club on Tuesday, 29 August 2017.

The promise of NBN connection was for superfast broadband connection allowing users to browse the web, stream movies and do other activities online all at one time. But the current experience of users in the Centenary area falls short of the promised superfast connection.

The event will be hosted by Oxley MP Milton Dick, who said he organised the meeting due to significant demand from Centenary locals complaining about the NBN rollout.

A number of residents in the western suburbs have been reporting drop-outs and poor customer service from the NBN service provider. This is the second meeting of its kind. The first was one held at Springfield Lakes last month and attended by around 100 people.

Steven Jones MP, Shadow Minister for Regional Services, and State Labor candidate for Mt Ommaney, Jess Pugh, will also be at the meeting.

The meeting will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided during the meeting.

Signify intention to attend here.