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Plant Shops Struggle To Survive: Nundah’s The Plant Lounge Among Those Forced To Close

The Plant Lounge, an established plant shop in Nundah, was among the plant shops in Brisbane compelled to shut down permanently despite doing well during the Covid pandemic.

Read: Mirvac Reveals Outcomes of Community Consultation for Its Toombul Renewal Plans

The Plant Lounge, a boutique nursery which opened at Buckland Road in 2019 has announced its closure in social media, leaving some of its patrons feeling disheartened.

“When we started, we were excited to bring indoor plants into your lives, and that enthusiasm is still with us. However, owning a retail business in these times of instability has been challenging,” the post reads.

“We will miss our community dearly, and we hope you will continue to support small businesses. Unless you make use of your locals, they will keep disappearing,” owners Rhiannon and Dave Meertens shared on a Facebook post.

“It pains us to say it, but YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS! Otherwise, we will end up with a monopoly on pricing and no point of difference,” they added.

The reasons behind the closure of many plant shops in Brisbane include concerns about interest rate hikes and other issues affecting small businesses.

The Plant Lounge revealed that their current earnings are approximately one-tenth of what they were making two years ago.

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a surge of customers for plant shops as people spent more time indoors, had more disposable income, and were motivated to enhance the comfort of their living spaces.

With the closure of their beloved Nundah plant shop, the owners are now shifting their focus to their full-time jobs.

A survey during the Covid-19 pandemic suggests 75 percent of respondents were spending more time in their gardens, with many embarking on new projects.Around 98 percent of all the respondents say spending time in the garden improved their mood.

Read: What’s The Story Behind The World War 2 Ammunition Found Near Nundah Years Ago?

Customers are encouraged to take advantage of their final sale by visiting the store before it closes on 30 April 2023. Gift vouchers will be accepted.

The Plant Lounge is located at 90 Buckland Road, Nundah. They are open daily, except on Mondays.

Published 17-April-2023

Toombul Shopping Centre Update: Mirvac Lodges Plans for Demolition

Mirvac will soon proceed with pulling down the Toombul Shopping Centre more than a year after it was shut down due to severe flooding damage.

In a statement on the Toombul Renewal site, Mirvac announced that it has lodged the development application (DA A006248810) for the demolition. The developer expects the demolition to take place in late 2023 and will span 12 months to complete.

“We will provide updates as our DA progresses, including a demolition start date,” the company announced. “Residents will receive advance notice of the start of works, and ongoing updates thereafter. If you would like to receive direct updates by email about the future demolition program, please register online at toombulrenewal.com/register

Mirvac also said that future plans for the site have yet to be finalised and a masterplan will be out for review by the community at the end of the year. However, speculations point to a possible mixed-use site with a residential precinct.

The company bought Toombul Shopping Centre in 2016 for $223 million and adopted a $35-million upgrade in 2019. The February 2022 flooding, however, brought down the site’s value to $90 million because of the extent of the damage. In May 2022, the company said that the building was beyond repair.

“The Council Planning team will be working closely with Mirvac to assess this application and provide a prompt response. This will allow Mirvac to commence demolition activities as quickly as possible to support renewal of the Toombul site,” Cr Adam Allan, the Council’s City Planning chair said.

Meanwhile, the bus interchange and park and ride will remain open during the demolition, but with safety measures in place.

Published 13-April-2023

What’s The Story Behind The World War 2 Ammunition Found Near Nundah Years Ago?

Did you know that around 20 years ago, some World War 2 ammunition was found buried near Nundah during the early site works for the Airport Drive Roundabout? Here’s a brief history of those ‘hidden weapons.’

Read: Nundah: A Sought-After Suburb for Singles

The pieces of World War 2 ammunition were dug up near the Airport Roundabout off-ramp, located at 18 Navigator Place, Hendra in 2003. Supervising engineer Jason Harley and his team discovered the expended rifle cartridges and mortar rounds packing rings.

The cartridges they found were .303 bullets, which were believed to be used during the Second World War.

The WW2 ammo found at the site (Photo credit: Jason Harley/ozatwar.com)

Interestingly, the Small Arms Ammunition Factory in Rocklea, which operated from 1942 to 1945 is just a 30-minute drive away from the spot where the old weapons were discovered.

At the time, the Australian government ran ammunition manufacturing plants, with nearly all of the production for domestic use by the military, the police forces, and government-appointed agents.

Women bundling ammunition in a Commonwealth Small Arms Ammunition Factory, circa 1944 (Photo credit: Collection Database of the Australian War Memorial, ID Number 043969)

The one in Rocklea, also known as the Small Arms Ammunition Factory No. 5, manufactured .303 rifle ammunition, .380 Enfield and .455 Webley revolver ammunition, .45 ACP submachine gun ammunition, smoke shells for 2-inch mortars and machined 25-Pounder Q.F. gun shell casings.

During the 1940s, the nearby Eagle Farm housed military camps and served as training grounds for the Royal Australian Air Force. During the war, the site became part of the planned airports and fields nationwide, intended to provide a launching pad for the allied military forces back into Asia.

Read: Australia’s Oldest Person Born in Nundah, Dexter Kruger, Dies Peacefully at 111

When the Second World War ended, many unused or unwanted weapons and machinery were buried and scrapped.

Published 30-March-2023

Chemical Leak at Virginia Factory Forced People to Evacuate

Photo credit: Facebook / Queensland Fire and Emergency Services - QFES

Police declared an emergency declaration under the Public Safety and Preservation Act (PSPA) on Thursday afternoon, 9 March 2023, due to a chemical leak at a Virginia factory forcing the evacuation of people within the exclusion zone.

At 2.35 pm, an emergency declaration was declared due to a chemical spill at a factory located on Newton Street in Virginia. People within the exclusion zone were asked to evacuate and police asked the members of the community to avoid the area while emergency services responded to the emergency.

The exclusion zone included the intersections of Newtown Street and Robinson Road, Hadley Street and Robinson Road, Bilsen Road and Robinson Road, Lisgar Street and Pritchard Road and Newtown Street and Pritchard Road.

Eight crews from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services attended the scene. A QFES spokesman said that a scientific team also conducted air monitoring tests to determine what type of chemical leak it was and what caused it.

The police revoked the PSPA declaration at around 4 pm and declared the emergency situation no longer exists with no injuries reported.

QFES advises people to always call Triple Zero (000) first for any life-threatening emergencies.

Some of the types of emergencies, according to QFES’ guidelines for hazardous industry, include:

Fire (including the generation of toxic combustion products)
Explosion (including BLEVE)
Spill (of hazardous solids and liquids)
Gas leak (flammable, toxic, asphyxiant, pressurised or refrigerated liquid)
Structural failure
Natural events (including floods, earthquake, storms, storm tides, etc)
Impact event (road vehicles, railways, aircraft, ships)
Subversive activities (bomb threat, vandalism, sabotage)
Transport incident

Published 13-March-2023

Wood-fired Barbecues To Be Phased Out From Brisbane Parks

Wood-fired barbecues will be phased out from parks throughout Brisbane, in favour of gas barbecues or electric ones, like the one recently installed at Ross Park on Sandgate Road in Nundah.

Read: Speed Limit Reduction Applied in Sections of Melton Road

In a meeting in February 2023, the LNP majority passed a vote to remove wood-fired barbecues, encouraging the use of electric/gas barbecues because of its convenience for residents.

Tracy Davis, Civic Cabinet Chair of the Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee, highlighted that many residents now prefer electric/gas barbecues because they don’t need to carry logs around a local park or attempt to keep a fire alight.

According to Brisbane City Council’s website, there are barbecues in over 420 parks and natural areas throughout Brisbane and they are either electric or gas. However, there are only a few wood-fired barbecues left, which can be seen mostly in the western and middle ring suburbs.

Whilst there have been electric replacements, Opposition thought these replacements are not keeping up since the total numbers are reportedly at its lowest since 1973. There have also been claims that it’s killing an Australian tradition.

Labor Councillor for Deagon Ward Jared Cassidy revealed there were more than 300 wood versions removed from Brisbane in less than 10 years and the electric/gas replacements are not keeping up.

From 410 barbecues throughout Brisbane parks in 2014, there were allegedly 288 left as of 2019, according to Cr Cassidy.

Read: Mirvac Reveals Outcomes of Community Consultation for Its Toombul Renewal Plans

In response to the alleged declining numbers of barbecues in parks, Cr Davis claimed there are 734 barbecues throughout the city, some of which are newly installed, including the ones at Nundah’s Ross Park, Alderley’s Grinstead Park and Stones Corner’s Hanlon Park.

Published 4-March-2023

Speed Limit Reduction Applied in Sections of Melton Road

Heads up, North Brisbane motorists! The speed limit on a busy section of Melton Road has been reduced to 50km/h from 60km/h.

Signs along Melton Road, specifically between Toombul Road in Northgate to Buckland Road in Nundah, have been installed informing of the speed limit changes, effected February 2023, so that all motorists can slow down and keep the roads safer.

Cr Adam Allan said that the change was adapted to keep the speed consistent and “suitable for the road and the surrounding usage,” especially following the completion of the Melton and Hows Roads.

Per Council, the said intersection is accessed by over 15,000 vehicles, 35 cylists and hundreds of pedestrians a day. Its volume has been projected to increase, especially during peak hours, by 2031. Thus, the new roundabout had to be built, alongside a new pedestrian crossing and shared paths. It has also prompted a need to change the speed limit.

“This will be consistent with the remaining southern section of Melton Road that is already 50km/h and remove confusion where the speed limit currently varies,” Mr Allan said.

“My request for this change was approved via the Speed Management Committee which is comprised of representatives from the State Department of Transport and Main Roads, the Queensland Police Service and the relevant local council.”

Mirvac Reveals Outcomes of Community Consultation for Its Toombul Renewal Plans

Photo credit: Facebook / Leanne Linard MP

Locals do not want to see Toombul dominated by high-density residential development, nor do they want a much larger retail centre at the site, the outcomes of the Mirvac Toombul Renewal community consultation revealed.

In November 2022, Mirvac sought feedback from the community on what they would like to see for the future of the Toombul site. Members of the community were invited to participate in an online survey or at one of the four drop-in sessions held in Nundah, Wavell Heights and Clayfield.

The engagement program aims to identify the community’s needs and ensure that they remain informed on any updates or redevelopment plans for the Toombul site following the closure of the centre in 2022 due to flood damage.

The outcomes of this community consultation, along with planning outcomes and commercial considerations will inform decisions about the future of the Toombul site.

Highlights of the Toombul Renewal community consultations include:

96 per cent of stakeholders who participated in the online consultation identified as former Toombul customers
More than 85 per cent of respondents were from local postcodes
88 per cent of respondents said they visited Toombul once a week or mor

Meanwhile, the community wants a mix of retail and services, flood resilience and mitigation, a mix of dining and entertainment options, enhanced open green and recreation space, and improved connections to public and active transport.

“The community want to see retail return, with loyalty to the former Toombul, while many are open to change and other complementary uses to extend community benefit at the site, including well-considered mixed-use.” Mirvac

Leanne Linard MP in a social media post said that “the results showed what we locals already know: we loved Toombul, and we want to see a mix of retail, services and green space back on-site.”

“We also want to know what’s next, and when.

“The key issues I raised on behalf of our community were the need for Mirvac to deliver ongoing communication of their forward plan, and the safety of local nearby residents when demolition commences.

“Next month will be one year since the loss of Toombul. We will continue to ensure our communities voice is represented in future decisions for the site.

Published 10-February-2023

Authorities Give Tips To Prevent Break-ins Following Cases In Nundah, Other North Brisbane Suburbs

Authorities continue to remind the public about the importance of tightening up the security of their properties, following a spate of home robberies in Nundah and other suburbs north of Brisbane.

Read: Teens Attempting to Steal Vehicle From Banyo Residence Tracked by Dog Squad

According to S/Con Kim Richter, there were around 23 reported cases of break-ins or enter with intent offences across North Brisbane from January 18 to 25.

Around four of these cases happened in Nundah with the majority committed overnight and in the early hours of the morning with most offences occurring between Monday to Wednesday.

Photo credit: https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/

Queensland Police Service said unit complexes including secure car parks and storage cages have also been targeted over this period with property stolen from vehicles and storage cages.

“When it comes to high-rise residential buildings and apartments, security is essential. Most break-ins are opportunistic, especially when there is evidence of quick and easy entry and unsecured valuables are visible,” said S/Con Richter.

“Diligence in maintaining and monitoring building rules around parking, storage, maintenance and common areas is very effective in preventing crime. A lapse in security of communal areas including garages compromises the security of the whole building.”

Here are some tips from QPS to prevent break ins

Always lock the doors even when you are home.
Use quality locks for all external doors and internal garage door.
Make sure that security screen doors are designed to Australian Standards.
Equip your home with a door viewer so you will be able to see the person before you open the door.
Make sure shutters and security grills are properly installed, but allow for an exit in case of emergency.
If you don’t have it yet, consider having an alarm system and security camera.

Read: Police Team Up With Youth Justice Workers To Guide Young People In Banyo, Other Northern Suburbs

Police advised using a layered approach when reviewing your home security. Here’s a video demonstrating how to apply the layered approach to your own home.

Nudgee Golf Club to Host Queensland Junior Amateur Championship

Photo credit: Nudgee Golf Club / nudgeegolf.com.au

Nudgee Golf Club will host the Queensland Junior Amateur championship for the next three years beginning this 2023. The venue, recently redesigned, also played host to the 2022 QLD – PGA Championship in November 2022.

The next Queensland Junior Amateur will see 162 players comprising 81 boys and 81 girls in action on Nudgee from June 27-30, 2023. This Golf Australia Order of Merit Event is conducted by Golf Australia Queensland for players under the age of 18 and is played over 72-hole stroke play.

Nudgee Golf Club general manager Darren Richards expressed his excitement over the announcement last November 2022. He stated that showcasing the course to these young players and providing them with a platform at their best is something that the club is passionate about.

Photo credit: Nudgee Golf Club / nudgeegolf.com.au

The club also had the opportunity to host the QLD PGA last year, and by having to host the Queensland Junior as well, Richards said, the club can show the course is bringing golf full circle. He added that the Queensland Junior Amateur is a fantastic event to host and that he hopes it will produce some future major champions.

The last time the Queensland Junior Amateur was held was at the Bargara Golf Club which hosted the event in 2018. The four-day tournament played from 28 June to 1 July 2022 saw Dujuan Snyman and Haruhi Nakatini winning their respective championships.

Between 2014 to 2018, the 8 hectares (7 holes) of one of the club’s golf courses were resumed to facilitate the Gateway Upgrade Project. As a result, the Nudgee Golf Club underwent a two-year redevelopment which redesigned the course and turned it into two 18-hole courses.

The two courses namely The Kurrai and The Bulka offer unique challenges with the former being a championship course and the latter being a modern links-style golf course.

Published 22-January-2023

Get To Know the Man Who Lent His Name to Nicholson Place Parkland

Photo Credit: Public Domain - John Henry Nicholson, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Neg 195834

Born in England in 1838, teacher and writer John H. Nicholson was the first headmaster of the German Station National School (now known as Nundah State School). Get to know the man after whom the Nicholson Place parkland was named.

British-born John Henry Nicholson was the eldest son of theologian and Orientalist Dr John Nicholson and Anne Elizabeth Waring. He was educated privately and likewise attended the Croft House Academy, Brampton, Cumberland.

In 1854 at the age of 16, he emigrated to New South Wales and tried various occupations including whaling and gold prospecting. He then took a brief trip back to England in 1859 before settling in Queensland later that year.

He married German-born Anna Wagner in 1860. The couple did not have children but adopted a daughter. That same year, he opened a private school at Toowoomba and not long after moved to Warwick where he tutored until he started another private school there in 1863.

In May 1865 he joined the Board of General Education as an assistant teacher. He later had charge of a number of county state schools including German Station National School at Nundah – later named Nundah State School (1865-68), Springsure in (1870-76) and Enoggera National School (1877-85).

*Nicholson Place Park on Gympie Street | Photo credit: Facebook / Nundah & Districts Historical Society Inc.*

Whilst working as a teacher, Nicholson published three short books of miscellaneous prose and verse, between 1867 and 1878, the first two of which were under the pseudonyms of ‘Tadberry Gilcobs’ and ‘Salathiel Doles’.

In 1882, The Adventures of Halek, a book inspired in part by Pilgrim’s Progress, was published. His work is an allegory focusing on a man’s development from sinful worldliness to ideal goodness. It was considered by some critics as a masterpiece and later had further editions published in Brisbane in 1896 and 1904.

Nicholson resigned from the Education Department in April 1885 and established a private school at Enoggera. He would later suffer from bouts of melancholia and spend time in the mental hospital at Goodna for the most part of 1891.

He rejoined government service and was a head teacher at Cambooya between 1893 and 1894 before he was appointed Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths at Nundah in 1898.

His wife died in 1901 and four years later remarried. His second wife is German-born translator and scholar, Anna Cordes, who reportedly had become attracted to Nicholson whilst translating Halek for publication.

John Henry Nicholson died on 30 June 1923 at the age of 85 and was survived by his wife and daughter.

Published 1-January-2023