The key to understanding the present is to understand the past. Studying history can provide valuable insights and awareness to the origins of cultures and communities and you can have this privilege of learning the history of Albany Creek in an enriching free event at the Albany Creek Library.
On Monday, the 3rd of February 2020, the library on Ferguson Street is running a history lesson about the origins of the suburb. Happening from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., this event is free to anyone who may be curious about the first settlers of Albany Creek or the significance of the street names.
Knowing your history can help answer why the world around you is what it is today. A look into the cultural trends of yesteryears can provide a reasonable projection of what may happen in the future. It can also spark inspiration and motivation for your next big ideas and projects.
Studying history is also a worthy mental exercise to sharpen your critical thinking skills. It goes without saying that critical thinking applies to all aspects of your life.
A trip to Hawaii is definitely on this Strathpine couple’s wishlist to enjoy their Gold Lotto winnings, but first, they’re celebrating by splurging on upsized coffee.
“I said to my wife this morning that when we go out for our daily cappuccino instead of getting it in a cup, I’ll splash out and get it in a mug,” the husband said revealing their modest way of celebrating after winning the division one prize of $1 million.
“I might also get a piece of cake too!”
The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, held the only division one winning entry across Australia in Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto draw 3936 which was drawn on Monday 6 January 2020.
The husband said his wife was still out when he checked his ticket after his morning walk and thought that he had won. He wasn’t sure at that time “whether to text her and tell her to come home immediately or to wait.”
“When she walked in the door the first thing I said was ‘there is something you need to see here’. We couldn’t believe it!
“I’m just so glad it’s true and it has been confirmed.
Photo credit: 2018 The Lott / mediacentre.thelott.com
The couple has been playing the same numbers every week since the game started and just chose them at random all those years ago.
“We’ve never won anything more than $100! This is our year!
The couple said that they’ll start writing their wishlist now that they are sure that they indeed win, and that includes a trip to Hawaii.
“My wife wants to go to Hawaii and with this win, I think we’ll be able to manage that!
“We’ll be travelling at the front of the plane too – bloody oath we will!
“We’ll probably have to buy a shipping container for all the shopping my wife will do while we are there!”
The winning 12-game marked entry was purchased at Nextra Strathpine. The winning numbers were 16, 35, 5, 43, 26 and 11, while the supplementary numbers were 24 and 6.
The financial year, the Lott’s division one winning tally has so far totalled 212, including 53 won by Golden Casket customers.
The magic of dinosaurs and dragons have always fascinated young children’s imaginations. To parents who’d like to sustain their child’s interest, Pine Rivers Art Gallery on Gympie Road, Strathpine is hosting this FREE fun-filled dinosaurs- and dragons-themed activity for two days this January.
Studies have shown that children who have a keen interest in dinosaurs and dragons develop higher intelligence in their formative years. Unfortunately, researchers also discovered that this obsession for prehistoric and folklore animals slowly diminish by the time the kids start formal school.
To foster this interest, Pine Rivers Art Gallery will be hosting the dinosaurs and dragons activity at these dates and times:
DAY
TIME
Monday 13 Jan 2020
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday 14 Jan 2020
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Suitable for four years old and above, the dinosaurs and dragons children’s activity is a self-paced recreation and learning experience. Here, children can colour, construct and create dinosaur and dragon forms and images to spark their imagination and improve their motor skills.
It’s recommended that parents or carers allow the children to immerse themselves in the activities for a full hour. Usually, however, many families stay longer.
For further inquiries, phone Pine Rivers Art Gallery at (07) 3480 6941.
Once you walk into Eden Gardens, you’ll begin to understand how it got its name. This lush nursery, located in Carseldine, is a paradise for budding horticulturalists amidst the busy Gympie and Beams Roads.
Eden Gardens offers heaps of plants native to Australia and there’s a wide variety to choose from — bedding plants, shrubbery, herbs, vegetable plants, fruit trees, and indoor decorative greens, among others.
The garden store carries a huge selection of garden tools and supplies, homeware gift items, rugs, and some arts and crafts. The helpful staff and florists also dish out valuable gardening advice, especially for those just learning to grow their garden.
Photo Credit: Edens Garden/Facebook
Their Carseldine site is the second Eden Gardens location. The other location is on Lane Cove Road in Macquarie Park NSW.
Eden Gardens is more than just a green thumb’s haven. There is also a popular specialty restaurant called Dragonfly Cafe in its gorgeous surroundings. On weekends, the place is packed with people having brunch and shopping for plants. Actually though, you don’t have to love gardening to enjoy the healthy and delicious food that the cafe has to offer.
Dragonfly Cafe serves modern Australian meals with its seasonal menu. The choices are ample enough and cater to different dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten-free), including meals for kids. The servings are generous and bountiful that you might have leftovers to bring home when you’re too full to finish your plate.
Some of the ingredients for preparing fritters, bruschetta, salads and garden bowls are most definitely plucked from the garden. Hence, you can enjoy the farm-to-table freshness of your orders.
Breakfast is served between 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. whilst lunch is from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Refer to its Events Page on Facebook for succeeding workshops. For cafe table reservations, store inquiries and workshop bookings phone 07 3863 9500.
Photo Credit: Edens Garden/Facebook
“Wow I cannot believe I have never visited here before now. Been in Brissy for nearly 13 years!!! Beautiful scenery. Lots of Water Dragons around. Eels in the water. Nice food just a little pricey and surcharge on weekends.”
~ Suzanne Phillips, Google Reviews
“This place has taken it to a whole new level since the last time I visited. Better menu with awesome food, nicer drinks and presentation. The breakfast dishes are fresh with a more innovative take on traditional breakfast options. It’s so nice sitting next to the rail overlooking the pond and have a stroll through the nursery after the meal.”
“Being in the middle of a nursery overlooking a small lake is just the beginning. We each had a light salad with lots of flavor and a variety of ingredients. They were served by attentive and friendly waitstaff. Water dragons are an added bonus! Licensed, as well as good coffee and cakes.”
The time is here to enjoy the sights and sounds of the season to stir up Christmas joy as a magical and musical line-up of activities is taking place at the Pine Rivers Park on Sunday, the 15th of Dec 2019.
Listen – or join in! – as various local groups will be performing Christmas carols at the park. Beginning at 3:00 p.m., community and school choirs will be harmonising familiar holiday tunes that warm the heart and fill the air with the vibe of Christmas.
Pack a blanket for this event so you can set up on the best spot at the park while you watch the following talents perform on the stage:
The festivities will also feature Nickleby the Magician at 3:55 p.m. and the arrival of Santa Claus at 4:25 p.m.
Santa’s Village
Santa will be checking up on who is naughty or nice at the USC Santa’s Village, where there will be a life-sized snow globe and a gorgeous Christmas tree. Children of all ages are welcome to join at the craft activities or face painting sessions that will be set up at the event, whilst the little ones may play to their heart’s content at the jumping castle.
Photo Credit: Christmas Moreton Bay Region/Facebook
Since Santa’s a busy man at this time of the year, those who miss his visit can instead write a letter detailing your Christmas wish. There’s a Santa Mail corner at Santa’s Village.
Twilight Markets
Market stalls will be set up at the park for your last-minute Christmas gift shopping or food cravings. There’ll be much to do as some of the stalls will also carry out activities for visitors.
The Pine Rivers Park Christmas Carols is a free event although some fun rides require tickets to be purchased on-site. Additionally, there will be donation points for the Queensland Bushfire Appeal to support communities and workers impacted by the recent fires.
By the end of 2020, Strathpine locals will be able to enjoy an enhanced dining and entertainment hub as the Strathpine Centre in Gympie Road will undergo a major overhaul at the start of the year.
Moreton Bay Council has given the green light to revitalise the shopping centre after its owner, Swordfish Australian Sub TC, submitted a development application in June 2019. After receiving Council approval, the investment group confirmed that construction work will commence in early 2020.
Strathpine Centre will have several dining areas, a ground floor tavern, an upgraded cinema, a childcare area, and a potential hotel. The design submitted to the Council also includes additional carparks and pedestrian connectivity at the northwest side by Gympie Road and Learmonth Street.
The redevelopment will be undertaken in three stages.
The first stage will cover the ground floor eateries and retail stores. Strathpine Centre’s casual dining area will be stylised as an “Eat Street” section that will connect to the cinema and the future hotel.
The second stage will consist of the car park upgrade, as well as the construction of an indoor recreational and play area for kids and adults.
The last stage will be the childcare centre’s construction.
Swordfish Australian Sub TC aims to turn the facility into a high-end shopping and leisure precinct on par with the retail hubs in Queensland’s southeast.
The news comes as the $75 million Super Retail Group office space with 600 employees across the street to Strathpine Centre is almost complete.
Brisbane City Council has reopened the Bracken Ridge Library after nearly 10 months of improvements. The new public structure now boasts features that enhance the library’s services and aesthetics.
The improved Bracken Ridge Library includes an improved children’s section, a reading lounge and a quiet room.
Photo Credit: Brisbane Libraries/Facebook
The 1000-square-metre space also offers new public meeting rooms with audio/video facilities and a kitchenette for private functions and workshops. The setup is convenient for hosting various events with 100 guests, live entertainment and craft activities, among other possibilities.
Apart from the structure changes, improvements were made to the library’s Wi-Fi connections and eight computer internet stations. Its borrowing and return services have also been automated with the latest RFID technology.
Outside, a terrace area and a deck overlooking Ferguson Park were to the Bracken Ridge Library. Landscaping was also enhanced, along with the addition of this new grassed courtyard.
Its new 50-space car park and new bike racks, which found underground or at the ground level by the Community Hall, are expected to encourage more frequent visitors.
The massive and modern redevelopment of Bracken Ridge Library began in January 2019 for $6 million. The library first opened in 1987.
It was a shocking discovery indeed for a Carseldine couple when they realized that their ceiling is harbouring a colony of more than 60,000 bees.
Prior to discovering the uninvited guests, the homeowners claimed that they could hear the bees humming and even seen them coming from the outside and entering the house.
Thankfully, Brisbane Backyard Bees’ Paul Wood was more than happy to handle the removal of the 30-centimetre deep beehive containing about 60,000 to 70,000 bees and about 15 kilograms of honey.
To remove the honeycomb, he had to cut into the roof, carefully extract the bees using a bee vacuum and cut the comb into pieces. Collected combs were placed in temporary hives in Mr Wood’s backyard.
In August, Mr Wood was also able to rescue a beehive from a Bracken Ridge ceiling, carrying a massive 50 kilograms of honey, and another one was removed from a wall in Tingalpa. Early this November, a beehive was also collected from a ceiling in Brighton.
Swarming is a natural process in the reproductive cycle of honey bee colonies.
He said that bees tend to swarm during springtime and because we don’t have enough trees for them to swarm in, finding bees inside ceilings is becoming quite common.
Mr Wood’s advice for homeowners is to call a beekeeper if they see a swarm in their home.
Sealing off holes and cracks that could allow bee entry is necessary to protect your home from swarming. You also need to keep your yard neat and tidy as honey bees could nest in the cavities of old appliances or furniture, for example.
Ditch the gadgets and the internet one weekend this November and bring your kids to the Canterbury Park Family Pest Fishing Competition for a family day out in Bald Hills. This outdoor event hosted by 2 Bent Rods and the Brisbane City Council is guaranteed to be both fun and educational as participants help get rid of the cane toad of the waterways.
Happening on Sunday, the 10th of November from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Canterbury Park Family Pest Fishing Competition enjoins participants to reduce the number of tilapia and other pest fish.
Photo: Supplied
This event is perfect for children to engage in nature and environment activities so that they can learn valuable life skills and understand the importance of sustaining local biodiversity.
The Canterbury Park event is one of several pest fishing events hosted by 2 Bent Rods across Queensland. During their last event in Harold Keilly Park, 387 tilapia with a total weight of 96.278 kg were caught within 4 hours.
Photo: Supplied
The number of participants depends on the site. For the Canterbury Park event, up to 300 participants can join. Usually, about 60-70% of the participants are kids under 10 years of age.
Cane Toad of the Waterways
The main fish caught at the pest fishing events are Mozambique Tilapia, also known as the cane toad of the waterways.
Originally an aquarium fish that was unfortunately released into local waterways, tilapia are mouth brooders and unlike native fish, their survival rate is quite high. Tilapia can survive in many different water conditions, even those with poor quality. They also compete with native fish for food.
Mozambique Tilapia, aka, cane toad of the waterways. (Photo: Supplied)
Once caught, the tilapia are euthanised humanely. They must also be disposed of immediately either by burying them above the high tide mark or by putting them in the bin.
Any native fish that are caught are released unharmed.
The Canterbury Park Family Pest Fishing Competition is a chance for the kids as well as the adults to:
Educate themselves and raise awareness of pest species in the local waterways to help prevent an infestation
Become involved in the community and meet interesting people who share a common goal
Give back and help the waterways replenish its native fish.
Photo Credit: 2 Bent Rods/Facebook
“These types of events are a lot of fun for the kids while also educating the community as well as the entrants,” said Sam Beckmann of 2 Bent Rods.
“Tilapia is prevalent in many of our waterways and people need to be made aware of the best practices for dealing with them. That’s where events like the Canterbury Park Family Pest Fishing Competition comes in.”
Apart from learning how to spot and remove invasive pest fish in Bald Hills, heaps of prizes will be given away to the participants whether they catch one or not. Prizes are courtesy of Alvey Reels Australia, Jarvis Walker, Daiwa Australia, Fishing Monthly Magazines, Jones Tackle and Hookeze.
“Kids always learn more when they are having fun. There will be plenty of prizes up for grabs with kids being split into two age categories plus an adult category. Councillor Sandy Landers will be there to award the prizes,” Beckmann said.
Cold drinks, tea, coffee and BBQ will be available for purchase at the Bald Hills park.
Did you know that the Kumbartcho Sanctuary at the Bunya Pine Circuit in Eatons Hill has an interesting fairy and gnome garden just waiting to be explored? Discover this enchanting playground with your kids when you visit the reserve by the South Pine River.
Amidst this 6-hectare sanctuary is a special Fairytale Trail filled with whimsical fairy and gnome figurines, tiny houses, and whimsical creatures that may spark your children’s imagination.
Sit, relax or play whilst you enjoy the peaceful surrounding with your family and perhaps convince your kids to write a letter to the fairies and post this in their mailbox. Just don’t forget to add a self-addressed and stamped envelope so that the fairies can write back!
Photo Credit: Kumbartcho Sanctuary & Nursery
After you’re done visiting the fairy village, there’s still plenty to explore at the Kumbartcho Sanctuary. It’s also an animal habitat where the residents freely roam around the vast reserve.
For your own safety, stick to the path and try not to get too close or attempt to feed the furry, feathery and even slithery animals you could spot. You’re free to take pictures and videos though, so go ahead and bring your camera when you explore.
The Kumbartcho Sanctuary has a BBQ area if you’d like to enjoy a picnic with your group. You may also purchase plants at the nursery for as little as $2.
This public park and nature hive is managed and cared for by volunteers. Pet animals, however, are banned from the area to prevent disturbance and distraction.
The Kumbartcho Sanctuary is open for exploration seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The nursery, on the other hand, trades from Tuesday to Friday at 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and weekends at 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
