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Love Jazz? Don’t Miss This Year’s Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival In Kangaroo Point

Whether you love a capella music, a budding jazz singer, or simply enjoy listening to powerful vocals, the Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival in Kangaroo Point is not one to miss. Here’s what to look forward to in this upcoming four-day festival!

Read: New Bubble Tea Shop In Brisbane CBD Will Leave You Wanting ‘Moo’-re

Jazz Singer’s Jam Nights

August 4

The festival will kick off with the 21st Anniversary of the JAZZ SINGERS JAM NIGHT, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with performances from Tom pegler, Jessica Spina, Stu Fisher, Liam Keates-Ryley, Robyn Brown, June Garber, and many more.

Kings and Queens of Jazz

August 5

Back by popular demand, following on from their sell-out previous Kings and Queens of Jazz concerts, this year in 2022, the club pays homage to some more of these greats with the help of a number of local artists and a brilliant rhythm section.

Dorian Mode Organ Trio’s Grooy Gravy

August 6

A winner of three ABC music Awards, Dorian Mode will be back this year to present ‘Groovy Gravy,’ a mixture of funky originals and hard swinging standards.

Gregg Arthur’s Jazz & Cocktails

August 6

Sydney’s Gregg Arthur is all set for his delectable show featuring songs from his latest acclaimed ABC Music CD release “Jazz and Cocktails.”

Nicki Parrott’s Trio

August 7

Celebrated as an instrumentalist and a vocalist, Australian artist Nicki Parrott has earned acclaim as one of the most engaging talents who became a first-call bassist for many mainstream jazz players in New York, as well headlining as a vocalist at jazz venues and festivals worldwide

About the Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival

Photo credit: Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival/Facebook

Launched in 2016, The Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival was created due to the popularity of the club’s Jazz Singers’ Jazz Night, which demanded a more visible platform with a wider audience.

Artistic director Ingrid James initiated it with a team of jazz-loving volunteers.

In 2022, Brisbane Jazz Club celebrates its 7th anniversary, reaching beyond the jazz community to both mainstream and specialist audiences.

For tickets and more details about the festival, visit the Brisbane Jazz Club’s website or follow the event page on Facebook.

Two Dining Destinations Planned for Kangaroo Point Green Bridge Site

Two dining destinations have been planned and major opportunities have opened up for entrepreneurs and restaurateurs to provide a novel experience that local foodies can look forward to, at a unique location in the heart of the CBD: the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge.

Colliers, on behalf of the Brisbane City Council, announced that there are two leases for waterfront dining opportunities, pegged to become dining destinations, at the upcoming Kangaroo Point Bridge.

The restaurant is set above water with a gorgeous viewing area of the river, the CBD, Story Bridge, and Kangaroo Point Cliffs. It’s estimated to be 380 square metres with both indoor and alfresco seating.

On the other hand, the cafe will be by the CBD landing of the green bridge, close to a new urban plaza that will be built where Edward and Alice streets meet the Brisbane River. It’s approximately 90 square metres.

Per the Council, “The two waterfront food and beverage opportunities will deliver something truly unique to Brisbane and a dining destination that becomes a quintessential part of Queensland.”

“The plaza will be located at the entrance to the City Botanic Gardens and the start of the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, providing a gateway for residents and tourists to the CBD and riverside boardwalks.”

Interested parties may phone Colliers for queries via 0431 772 510 or 0421 170 033 (during business hours).

Kangaroo Point Property Market Exhibits Over 50% Median House Price Growth

The sun continues to shine in the Sunshine State capital as the property market in over half of the suburbs in Brisbane, including Kangaroo Point, sustained rising trend and sales activity for the period April 2021 to March 2022, contrary to some expectations.

Kangaroo Point House Price Growth

In Kangaroo Point, the median house price exhibited a 52.20 per cent rise for the period of April 2021 to March 2022, assuring buyers of the sound performance of their investments in this tightly-held market. According to Property Market Updates, Kangaroo Point’s median house price now sits at $1,660,000 for the said period.

Kangaroo Point property market — Photo Credit: Property Market Updates

About 30 homes were sold for this period within an average of 102 days on market. Despite the market time, property punters have predicted that houses across Brisbane, especially in the inner cities, will experience a price hike of over 30 per cent, triggered by the confirmation of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

In June 2021, a prestige waterfront home with an impressive scale and sleek contemporary design netted the highest deal for the period.

Kangaroo Point Unit Price Growth

Kangaroo Point’s unit price growth might not be as astronomical as the house price growth but it is holding steady. With a modest 4.60 per cent rise, the unit median price is currently at $580,000.

For this period, Property Market Updates logged 527 units sold for an average of 71 days on market. There were 205 two-bedroom units sold, highly-coveted by buyers.

Amidst all the speculation in the market, industry experts are confidently betting on the inevitable increase of the unit market in Kangaroo Point, leading up to the 2032 Olympics.

Vertical living, with its proximity to universities and sports complex, as well as the heaps of burgeoning infrastructure projects nearby, such as the Cross River Rail, Queens Wharf, and Eagle Street, will keep Kangaroo Point very attractive, especially for first-home buyers.

Kangaroo Point Property Market Post-Flooding

Kangaroo Point was deeply submerged during the recent flooding but many experts agree this will not dampen the property market’s performance all that much.

Whilst some price falls could be expected, Brisbane’s inner cities remain more affordable than other Australian cities. Buyers also tend to overlook the risks of the opportunity to acquire a property overlooking the Brisbane River.

During the 2011 flooding, the hardest-hit suburbs took three years to recover but those in the inner cities improved at a faster rate or at least 50 per cent above the prices pre-flooding. More high-end homes in Kangaroo Point have been selling than ever before, according to one property agent.

The Pineapple Hotel: Now for Sale After Three Decades

Photo Credit: Orderinchaos, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

For the first time in more than three decades, heritage-listed Pineapple Hotel hits the market and experts expect the Kangaroo Point sale to break records.

The 2,947sqm property, touted as one of Brisbane’s last “independently owned A-Grade hotels”, offers expansive redevelopment and value add opportunities. The two-storey hotel is a top 200 gaming venue with 35 machines – current value estimated to be about $10 million – and the ability to increase to 45.

The Singleton family who has owned the Pineapple Hotel for more than thirty years has decided to offload the property, offering it either as a leasehold or freehold going concern. Pundits predict the sale could break the record set when the Stock Exchange Hotel was acquired by the Australian Pub Fund in 2013 for $35 million.

Bars, steakhouse, function rooms, onsite and detached bottle shops and a glass house beer garden comprise the well-balanced mix of trades featured at the hotel.

heritage-listed Pineapple Hotel — Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council / heritage.brisbane.qld.gov.au

First opened in 1864, the Pineapple Hotel was built as a wooden house fronting the formerly Ipswich Road. The house was replaced by the currently existing building between 1886 and 1887 which was designed by John Hall and Sons. The hotel is situated near Raymond Park which then was a pineapple plantation, thus aptly naming it Pineapple Hotel.

Given its proximity to the Gabba Cricket Ground, the hotel became a popular spot for sports enthusiasts and served as a home base for a number of sporting teams.

The Pineapple Hotel has changed hands and underwent alterations and renovations several times over its 158-year history. The Singleton family acquired the asset in 1990 and also made extensive renovation and restoration of the hotel.

The Expression-Of-Interest campaign closes on 30 June 2022.

Story Bridge Restoration Project in Kangaroo Point to take More than 10 Years

The budget and timeline for the ongoing restoration of the Story Bridge in Kangaroo Point have expanded from $80 million to $120 million and from five years to more than 10 years.

Infrastructure chairman Councillor Andrew Wines confirmed in a radio interview that work on the restoration is ongoing around the hotel. Whilst initially pegged as a small-scale painting project, Council made the changes to ensure that the bridge will remain safe for the public’s use for decades.

“This will be a 10-year process. The really extensive and difficult part comes after, which is the structure over the water,” Mr Wines said.

“This is the most important and iconic piece of engineering in the city and we want to make sure that this last the distance. I consider this [project] expensive but also necessary.”

Photo Credit: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The restoration project will now include strengthening and repairs, upgrades of the footpaths, re-coating of the steel beams, installation of a scaffolding (access) system including a specialised containment system that will work to protect the people from the lead paint of the old bridge, recoating of steel members (blasting and painting), and concrete repair and strengthening works.

“At the moment we are working underneath the bride and on the pillars to work on the metal surfaces of the structure itself, to strip them back, clean them, repair them if necessary and then repaint them.”

Story Bridge is 82 years old. Its full repainting job was announced more than three years ago.

The ongoing work is being delivered in a number of stages, with two stages on the southern approach to minimise impacts on the local community and all bridge users. Stage 1, which started in July 2020, is expected to be completed in June 2022. Stage 2, which started in August 2021, is going to move forward along Holman Street this June and will be completed by 2024.

Per the Council: “A site compound has been established in Captain Burke Park directly beneath the Story Bridge, between the bridge piers. This area has been fenced, with the rest of the park available to the community. This compound will be used as a lay-down area to store equipment and materials for the restoration project and other upcoming maintenance projects planned for the bridge.”

New Bubble Tea Shop In Brisbane CBD Will Leave You Wanting ‘Moo’-re

Photo Credit: Milksha Australia / Facebook

Originating from Taiwan and boasting of more than 200 locations globally, this bubble tea brand has finally opened in Brisbane, its first-ever Queensland-based store.

Milksha opened its new location on Albert Street last April 2022. The milk tea shop is the second location after its Australian flagship store in Melbourne which debuted in 2019.

Milksha Brisbane — Photo Credit: Milksha Australia / Facebook

Milksha distinguishes itself from other bubble tea stores by ditching powdered creamer in its list of ingredients in favour of fresh cow’s milk which is creamier and richer in flavour. The Brisbane shop sources its milk from Maleny Dairies whilst the Victoria site uses milk from St. David Dairy.

For those who are new to Milksha, their signature drinks are a must-try which include Earl Grey Latte with honey pearl, Fresh Taro Milk, Japanese Matcha Milk, Valrhona 100% Cocoa Milk and Ice Blended Orange Green Tea.

Ice blended Valrhona Mocha, Japanese Matcha Milk, Orange Green Tea | Photo Credit: Milksha Australia / Facebook

Earl Grey Latte with Honey Pearls | Photo Credit: Milksha Australia / Facebook

Exploring their full menu, their Fresh Milk offerings include Genmaicha, Brown Sugar Milk, Herbal Jelly and Winter Melon Milk. For those who prefer non-dairy drinks, there are the Specialty options available such as Mango Green tea, Orange Green tea and the Winter Melon Lemon Juice.

Tea Lattes area also on offer here. Options include Barley latte, Jasmine Green and Oolong Latte. Other drinks to try are Cloudy Jasmine Green Tea and Cloudy Cream Earl Grey Tea as well as St. Ali cold brew coffees and Premium teas.

Oolong Tea Latte with Honey Pearls and Taro Ball / Mango Green Tea | Photo Credit: Milksha Australia / Facebook

Full menu

Milksha also turned more eco-friendly with the introduction of reusable straws along with their biodegradable paper bags and bamboo fibre straws.

Eco-friendly reusable straw — Milksha’s eco-friendly reusable straw | Photo Credit: Milksha Australia / Facebook

Milksha is located at 2/115 Albert Street, Brisbane. Trading hours are from 11 am to 8 pm, Sunday to Thursday; and from 11 am to 9.30 pm, Friday and Saturday.

MIlksha | 2/115 Albert St, Brisbane City QLD 4000, Australia

Critically Acclaimed Play ‘Control’ Coming To Kangaroo Point

Road to 10,000 Signatures to Save Raymond Park in Kangaroo Point

A group of concerned locals has been aiming to gather 10,000 signatures to save Raymond Park in Kangaroo Point from becoming an Olympic training ground.

The petition, created by Melissa Occhipinti of the Friends of Raymond Park, has secured over 2,700 signatures so far. It cites the potential disruption and reduced usability of the green space if Raymond Park is converted into a temporary training ground for the 2023 Brisbane Olympics.

The Kangaroo Point green space was chosen as the temporary warm-up ground for the athletes due to its proximity to The Gabba, one of the central Olympic venues. As it stands, there are not enough green spaces for residents in inner city locations.

If the park becomes an Olympic training ground, the residents said they will lose their off-leash dog park, fitness spaces, basketball and cricket grounds, as well as outdoor recreation sites including children’s parties.

Photo Credit: Friends of Raymond Park/Facebook

“Raymond (Pineapple) Park is a crucial green space and vital to the mental health and wellbeing of the local Kangaroo Point and Woolloongabba community. It is effectively our backyard,” the petition stated.

In a separate interview, Ms Occhipinti said that installing Olympic-ready training tracks will likely remove the dog park, and impact the century-old fig and palm trees, as well as the picnic grounds and community gardens. The residents also believe that there could be a resumption of houses.

Instead, the petition recommends constructing the Olympic training ground at the Coorparoo Giffin Park precinct, located 2.1kms away from The Gabba.

Per Ms Occhipinti, this will create more positive outcomes compared to the Kangaroo Point site since Giffin Park is also the site for many sporting activities from local clubs and schools.

Friends of Raymond Park are also urging locals to email MP Terri Butler to present the concerns of Kangaroo Point residents and oppose the planned training ground in Parliament.

In mid-2021, Lord Mayor Adrian announced a $50-million plan to upgrade parks before the Olympics. Raymond Park will get $287,000 while Giffin Park will receive $750,000. Also receiving upgrades are Emerson Park in Grange ($459,000), and the Chelmer Sports Grounds ($1.2 million).

New sports parks will also be built across the city for a budget of $19 million, whilst the rest of the funding will be used “for maintenance and improvement works at existing sporting clubs.”

Wesfarmers, Cleanco Team Up For Renewable Energy Efforts In Hundreds Of QLD Retail Stores

Restaurant Operator Sought For Kangaroo Point Green Bridge’s Unique Dining Destination

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge commercial opportunity view of main mast and CBD (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Flickr)

Other smaller food and beverage outlets are also proposed at viewing platforms along the length of the bridge, providing opportunities to pause and enjoy stunning river views.

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge dining — Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Flickr

With viewing platforms along the 460-metre span, the green bridge will also have a 100sq m cafe site, with panoramic views of the city, Story Bridge and Kangaroo Point cliffs.

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge restaurant — Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/Flickr

“The Kangaroo Point Green Bridge won’t just be a bridge. It will be a destination,” said Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.

“When this bridge is complete, it will be one of the best vantage points to take in Brisbane with panoramic views of our city and the campaign to secure an operator is expected to attract significant interest,” he said.

Construction Update

As of April 2022, construction activities at the Kangaroo Point site will continue in preparation for major works starting in May 2022.

Works include construction of a new shared path in C.T. White Park and site office sewerage connection works in C.T. White Park and Hamilton Street.

Based on the projected timeline, construction of the green bridge is expected to be complete by late 2023.