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Nudgee Recreation Reserve to Become a District Sports and Recreation Park

A development application has been submitted to turn the Nudgee Recreation Reserve into a sports and recreation park based on designs made by the City Projects Office of the Brisbane City Council.

For use among residents of Nudgee, Banyo and Virginia, the planned precinct will be upgraded to allow the community to play cricket, football and soccer. The park will also have a BMS track and paths for cycling or running whilst a corner will be set up as an outdoor gym. Lights will be installed to improve the park’s visibility, especially if there are games extending up to sundown.

A building with changing rooms, canteen, toilets and meeting rooms will also be constructed for community use. The sports and recreational park will be open for all ages and abilities as it will have a kids’ playground and a dog off-leash area.

But before the construction, the site will be decontaminated and undergo remediation as Nudgee Recreation Reserve was once a landfill.

According to Council, investigation and testing on the site were done in late June 2020 to check the compaction to mitigate potential risks. Until March 20201, stockpiling works were undertaken to prepare the ground.

Work is expected to start in 2021, once the development application has been approved (DA A005685740). The DA was lodged in mid-March 2021.

“While the Nudgee Recreation Reserve will remain open throughout these works, some areas will need to be fenced off temporarily for safety reasons while works take place,” Council stated. “Access through the Nudgee Recreation Reserve via Elliott Road to Railway Street will continue to be accessible at all times.”

Newstead Brewing Co to Open New Branch at Brisbane Airport

Renowned Brisbane brewery and restaurant Newstead Brewing Co has set their sights on opening a branch at Brisbane Domestic Airport in July 2021.

The new venue, which is estimated to open later in July 2021, can be distinguished from the other Newstead Brewing Co venues in Newstead and Milton by the audience it caters to.

It will be solely available to travellers who are about to depart from the airport. The branch was originally scheduled to open in the middle of 2020, however complications brought about by COVID-19 forced a delay.

The new airport venue will be able to accommodate approximately 100 people with furniture and decals that adhere to the brand’s signature industrial aesthetic. 12 different beers will be available via tap, however none of their liquor will be brewed on-site.

Customers can expect to see classic options from their menu like their smoky grilled beef burger with butter lettuce and tomato, their chicken parmigiana made with smoked mozzarella, as well as their share plates such as lamb rump with carrot puree, or their smoked short rib made with bourbon glaze and creamed corn.

Photo credit: Instagram/Newstead Brewing Co

The Newstead Brewing Co branch at Brisbane Domestic Airport can be found at Airport Dr, Brisbane Airport. For more information, visit their website. Follow their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on drinks, meals, deals, and other special announcements concerning the upcoming branch.

Nundah State School Receives $5,000 for New Students’ Kitchen

How can children learn to appreciate nourishing and delicious meals whilst avoiding obesity? It starts with teaching them how to cook good food. Lucky for the students at Nundah State School, they now have a brand new kitchen space where they can experience the joys of cooking.

With a pizza oven, a dehydrator and a range of kitchen essentials and equipment, the new student’s kitchen at Nundah State School will allow the kids to prepare meals using fresh ingredients. The school transformed a former dental clinic and a section of a grassy slope into the students’ Village Green and The Treehouse Tinkering Studio.

This project was made possible by a $5,000 donation from Coles Toombul and a three-year membership subscription to the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden cooking program.

“We are thrilled with the recent donation as it has allowed us to resource the space, and work with our classes and Coles to bring the curriculum to life,” Nundah State School Principal Deb Cox said. “Students are encouraged to explore the space and investigate different produce to grow, make and share in this outdoor learning area.”

Thomas Hunt of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation said that they are also happy to deliver this fruitful partnership with Coles Toombul and Nundah State School. Mr Hunt said that it always gives them pleasure to impart food education and to help kids understand where food comes from.

“It’s fantastic we’re able to support Nundah State School through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and provide students with new skills in cooking and gardening,” Coles Toombul Store Manager Justin McLoughlin said. “Helping to sustainably feed all Australians so they can live healthier and happier lives is a fundamental part of why we do what we do at Coles, and it’s exciting to see that in action.”

Meanwhile, Coles Toombul recently unveiled its makeover with wider aisles, better layout and the addition of a coffee station and a special section for dog food.

Detector Dog Ulf Declared Top Dog By The Aussie Government

Ulf, a Brisbane Airport-based detector dog for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, has been given the 2020 Top Dog award for his outstanding performance in keeping the country’s agriculture safe.

Ulf, one of 42 biosecurity detector dogs working across Australia’s international airports, is a six-year-old yellow labrador who works hard to keep the country safe from products that could harbor disease, viruses, or even invasive species of bugs and flora.

According to his 2020 statistics, he boasts over 400 recorded detections, spotting over 80 different commodities such as fruits and meats that could have potentially been biosecurity risks.

Over the past year, Ulf has been hard at work at Brisbane airport, Brisbane mail facilities, and Port of Brisbane. Throughout his career, he’s managed to sniff out a series of strange discoveries such as the seeds of foreign plants hidden away inside a booklet, brown marmorated stink bugs living inside an imported forklift, and even cactus seeds.

Thanks to his efforts and reliability, Ulf has been declared “Top Dog of 2020” by the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Ulf posing for the camera as he receives his Top Dog award.
Photo credit: Facebook/Australian Biosecurity

Biosecurity detector dogs play an important role in keeping the country safe from contagious foreign diseases. David Littleproud, the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management has stated that any of the 13,500 risk items these dogs detected over the past year could have threatened Australia’s environment, agriculture, and community health.

In 2020 alone, detector dogs were able to screen 15,706,488 mail items nationally. “There are currently 42 biosecurity detector dogs working across our international airports, mail facilities and wharves to screen incoming passengers and goods for potential biosecurity risks, including those that carry exotic pests and diseases” says Mr Littleproud, who adds that dogs are both man’s best friend, and that detector dogs are therefore agriculture’s best friend.

Throughout his career, Ulf managed to detect 27 different cases of African swine fever, a contagious and viral disease that was fatal to pigs and boars. Thanks to his help, biosecurity was able to issue infringements, sparing swine across the country from a potential epidemic.

Given his expertise, Ulf has been described as “reliable” and an “allrounder”, and his adaptability and diligence earned him the title of Top Dog 2020.

Jabiru: Nundah’s Most Popular Mediterranean-Inspired Cafe and Bar

Featuring a variety of curated Australian-Mediterranean inspired dishes, Jabiru Nundah offers an exotic breakfast and lunch experience unlike anything Nundah has ever seen.

Rocking a Mediterranean-inspired menu with an Australian twist, Jabiru Nundah offers a wide range of brunch fare. One of their signature dishes is Eggs Benedict and it is available in six different ways. Local favourites include ham and sauteed mushroom, baby spinach and bacon, and smoked salmon and avocado, all served with turkish bread and their custom ‘Jabiru’s Own Hollandaise Sauce’.

Burgers, sandwiches, and salads are also popular with the cafe’s patrons. There are vegetarian and vegan options for those with dietary restrictions. Bread used in sandwiches and breakfast dishes can also be replaced with gluten-free substitutes. Add-ons are available to complement each order, with a variety of sides including corn and zucchini fritters, eggs, smoked salmon, and off-the-bone ham.

Coffees, milkshakes, and frappes are also available. The café sports a distinct colour palette that puts a heavy emphasis on blue and green, playing into its Mediterranean influences.

Reviews on Facebook are overwhelmingly positive, with many mentioning the cafe’s delicious meals and superb service, raving over the friendly staff and how it was “a great addition to Nundah.”

However, food and service aside, Jabiru’s biggest takeaway from the locals was that it was the perfect place to go for breakfast. Patrons also liked that it’s a pet-friendly café.

Photo credit: Facebook/Jabiru Cafe & Bar – Nundah

Jabiru can be found at Shop 7, 89 Buckland Road, open on weekdays from 7am onwards. For more information, visit their website. Follow their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on meals, deals, and upcoming dates and events.

Coles Toombul Trials New Dog Food Pick ‘n’ Mix

Supermarket chain Coles is trialing a new method of selling dog food to its customers in Nundah by allowing them to purchase pick ‘n’ mix bags of treats via special snack dispensers.

With the new addition of special pick ‘n’ mix snack dispensers, the Coles branch at the Toombul Shopping Centre allows dog owners to mix and match some of their pet’s favourite treats. Following the pandemic, many Queensland residents found themselves stuck at home. Given the complications that came with spending time with friends and family, people opted to stave off loneliness by taking on canine companions.

As a result, the pet market has boomed, and Coles aims to cater to dog owners by providing them with more convenient ways of purchasing the food and products necessary to keep their pups pampered and happy.

Some of the food items up for grabs at these dispensers include kangaroo tails and crocodile sausages, as well as a variety of training treats to facilitate dog training sessions. Training treats in particular play an important role in teaching dogs new behaviours, and having a variety helps owners discover their favorites while simultaneously preventing the dog from getting tired of having the same old snacks.

Pick ‘n’ mix pet food was previously trialed at one of Coles’ branches in Melbourne in 2019. Following its success, other pet food dispensers were set up at select venues — with Coles’ Toombul being one of the first in all of Queensland.

For more details on Coles, visit their website. Follow their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on deals, dates, and other special announcements.

Aether Brewing’s Beer Declared ‘Champion Strong Beer’ and QLD’s Best

Aether Brewing‘s “Hop, Skip & Jump” garnered back-to-back awards as “Champion Strong Beer” and “Best Queensland Beer of Show” at the recently concluded Royal Queensland Food & Wine Show (RQFWS) held at the Brisbane Showgrounds on the 3rd of March, 2021.

According to RQFWS Beer Advisory Group member and judge Steve Henderson, “IPA is a style of beer with many components that need to come together to create a balanced drinking experience,” which makes creating a particularly masterful and award-winning IPA a difficult task.

Aether Brewing’s award-winning IPA, “Hop, Skip & Jump”.
Photo Credit: Facebook/Aether Brewing

“…the Aether team is laser focused on improving their product with each batch they brew,” Mr. Henderson adds. “I look forward to seeing Aether Brewing’s beers distributed nationally as the whole of Australia needs to see how good Queensland craft beer is.”

Earning a grand total of 18.0 points in the Strong Beer category, Hop, Skip & Jump beat out 22 other submissions to win a Gold award — one of the 39 given out amongst 485 different entries.

The Aether Brewing brewery can be found at 340 Melton Rd, Northgate. They’re open from 3:00PM to 7:00PM on Friday and 12:00PM to 7:00PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Follow their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. For more details, visit their website.

This New Cafe In Banyo Offers A Nice Little Spot for Outdoor Dining

Photo credit: The Ole Dairy/Facebook

Banyo is one of the lovely areas in Brisbane, and its cafes, emerging at a vast rate, provide some of the best opportunities for fun and relaxation. One of the newly opened cafes in the suburb is The Ole Dairy, a family-friendly cafe that opens for breakfast and lunch.

With its stunning view of the fields, it’s probably one of the best places to stop in and get some work done or just have a breather. They offer a seasonally rotating menu of sweets, ice cream, malted milkshakes, and sliders.

One of the highlights here is crab sandwich, served fresh with lettuce, Marie Rose sauce, and lemon and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee courtesy of Fox. The Fraser Island Spanner Crab sandwich, the cafe’s signature dish, also comes with a gluten-free version.

If you feel like dining outdoors, you can enjoy your breakfast or lunch in their new dining area outside, which is socially distanced, pet friendly, and shady.

Owned by Katrina Matthews, a former international flight attendant and Benita Orwell, a 2017 MasterChef contestant, this cafe was born out of the two ladies’ passion for cooking.

Team Ole Dairy (Photo credit: The Ole Dairy/Facebook)

“I’m currently on maternity leave, and because of what Covid is throwing at us I decided that I would follow my passion of owning a café and now here I am,” Matthews shared. Now, The Ole Dairy has received many good reviews, and her co-owner Beni can’t get more excited to welcome visitors to their new cafe.

The Ole Dairy is open every Wednesday to Sunday from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. Friday trading hours extend up to 3:30 pm. Do note that on some days, customer parking is plentiful both onsite and in the nearby streets.

Luxe Health Hub Function Well to Open at Toombul Shopping Centre

Function Well, Newstead’s five-star health hub and luxury gym, is expanding to a second location at the Toombul shopping centre in Nundah and it has started pooling its membership.

Eyed for an April 2021 opening, the wellness centre will occupy Toombul’s third floor, right below the former site of Sizzler and accessible through the UPSTAIRS dining and entertainment hub.

Construction work has been steadily ramping up for Function Well to meet its targetted opening date whilst the club has recently been accepting sign-ups for over 95 classes a week.

As with the Newstead venue, this fully-equipped 24-hour gym will have yoga, pilates, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), metabolic conditioning (METCON), crossfit training, and boxing.

Members may also indulge and restore their body after a fulfilling workout in the steam room, infrared saunas and ice baths, red light therapy or meditation zone.

After working out or restoration, they may also re-energise at the Be Well Bar and order a bowl of nutritious salads, or a glass of smoothie.

ATHLETIC ZONE	GYM ZONE	RESTORATION ZONE
Crossfit	HIIT	Yoga and Pilates classes
MetCon	MetCon	Meditation Space
Gymnastics	Boxing	Ice Bath
Weightlifting	Strength and Conditioning	LED Therapy Lights
	Personal Training	Sauna and Steam
		Infrared Sauna
		Wellness Education
		Hypervolt Recovery
		NormaTec Boots

Darren Bain is the man credited for Function Well. The former Wynnum-Manly Seagulls captain travelled around the world to gain insights about fitness and wellness and to learn about the Chinese Yin and Yang philosophy that drives balance and high performance, which served as the tenet of his health hub.

Virginia’s Big Girls Don’t Cry to Come Back as Curvy

A Virginia plus size lingerie store has gotten a second wind barely a month after announcing it has shut down the business. Big Girls Don’t Cry (Anymore) will soon be joining the Curvy family from Lane Cove, NSW.

Big Girls announced the latest development, saying that the online store will be back in operation “very soon.”

“Big Girls has changed ownership and will be joining the Curvy.com.au family. We’re working around the clock to resume the online operations in the coming days.”

Karen Mason, Big Girls’ founder, decided to close her store in December 2020 after a year of struggle. Her husband, Keith, passed away in May and her liquidator Jarvis Archer said she could no longer sustain the business despite trying to keep it going with the help of her staff.

Ms Mason started her business in 1992 and soon expanded online as BrasToGo. Her suburban outlet in Virginia also serves as the warehouse. A recent expansion has been impacted by the pandemic as boxes of orders could not be delivered in time, resulting in cancellations.

Meanwhile, Curvy owner Wes Blundy started his business as a joint partnership with Bras N Things. Inspired by the system of Amazon.com, Curvy went solo in 2014 with the goal of providing plus-size pieces for the whole of Australia.

Mr Blundy believes that Big Girls and Curvy have gone through similar paths in the last year and felt that Mason’s store, now iconic, should thrive.

Curvy is working with Big Girls for the transfer of the business’ intellectual property (IP), inventory, as well as other related records and assets. Reopening the store in Virginia is still up for consideration.