A development application has been lodged for a multiple dwelling with 13 storeys at a prime development site in Kangaroo Point.
The application proposes a total of 127 units, composed of 11 one-bedroom apartments, 95 two-bedroom apartments, and 21 three-bedroom apartments.
Located on a 2581-sqm parcel of land at 470-480 Main Street, the proposal includes two levels of basement parking with car stackers. There will be 167 car spaces (148 for resident and 19 for visitors).
In addition to car spaces, the applicant seeks to include a total of 143 bicycle spaces, of which 18 spaces will be for visitors and 125 will be for residents.
Designed by Bates Smart, the residential tower has an ‘innovative overall concept’ which resembles an urban resort. It will have a rooftop recreation area with a combination of enclosed and open spaces.
In submissions lodged to the Council’s website, nearby residents cited traffic congestion and the density of the building as some of the reasons they are opposing the development.
A resident living in 450-452 Main Street said the multiple dwelling should be in the height restriction of 7 storey as per the Main Street, Kangaroo Point restriction.
“The people won’t be able to travel down Main Street as with another 127 units there will be another 167 more cars coming out of 470 Main Street, Kangaroo Point. There is currently a bad traffic congestion in Main Street and River Terrace now in the mornings and afternoons every day,” the concerned resident wrote.
In their development application, Aria highlighted that Kangaroo Point has been undergoing a dramatic evolution with the construction of numerous new residential developments.
“This has resulted in an increased height and density to the area which has high levels of amenity and good proximity to the Brisbane CBD,” Aria said in the DA.
Residents can still lodge their submissions regarding this proposed development. For more information, see the Full DA – A005187516.
A group of scientists, students of science and enthusiasts are meeting up in Kangaroo Point and 11 other Brisbane bars and pubs to discuss the latest in science over beer.
Dubbed the Pint of Science festival, this annual event opens a platform for a fun and free-flowing discussion about research, discoveries, and other science-related topics.
Pint of Science in Kangaroo Point will be brewing from Monday, the 20th of May 2019, to Wednesday, the 22nd of May 2019, at the Sea Legs Brewing on 89 Main Street. Head to this bar from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to hear local experts talk about all the great things developing in the world of science with a glass of your favourite social drink and a plate of beer grub.
Topics for discussion at Pint of Science Kangaroo Point include:
How Machines Think – Dr. Yoni Nazarathy, University of Queensland
Big green donuts in the Great Barrier Reef – Mardi McNeil, PhD Candidate, Queensland University of Technology
Five ways your brain is screwing you over – Dr. Diane Harner, CleverMinds Consulting
There are no requirements to join this event, for as long as you love to talk about science and you enjoy beer. You must, however, register and pay the $6 fee.
Other bars in Brisbane are also hosting Pint of Science events simultaneously. Some of these bars and pubs may even offer special drinks.
Fortitude Valley
Waterloo Hotel
Milton
Newstead Brewing
Newstead
Newstead Brewing Co
South Brisbane
Fox Hotel Acadia Room Fox Hotel Veranda Room The Charming Squire
West End
Catchment Brewing The Burrow
Woolloongabba
Brewhouse Brisbane Red Brick Hotel The Norman Hotel
The annual scientists’ bar meet began in 2012 among researchers at the Imperial College London. The first topics they discussed were studies on about motor neuron diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
A year later, the same group of scientists officially established Pint of Science across three cities in the U.K. Today, the event takes place every May in at least 300 cities around the world.
In a story that has spanned eight decades, Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge has helped shape the way of life of people in Queensland’s River City, particularly those in Kangaroo Point and New Farm.
The idea of constructing the bridge can be traced back to 1925 when the Cross River Commission assigned by the Greater Brisbane Council included the Story Bridge in their recommendation of major public works projects.
Before that, ferries ruled the day.
During the mid-1800s, people used horses and rowboats to ferry people or goods across the river.
In the 1860s, more ferries crossed the river and residents started to ride on steam ferry by the 1880s. The first steam ferry commenced operation between Charlotte Street and Kangaroo Point in 1883.
When the idea of a bridge was first broached, the State Government refused to fund it, finding it too expensive and frivolous.
Because of sectarian interests, the Story Bridge did not become a reality until after 10 more years.
The new Queensland Labor Government permitted the establishment of a Bridge Board in 1933 to plan a government-constructed toll bridge at Kangaroo Point.
Finally in 1935, the construction of the bridge commenced under consulting engineer Dr John Bradfield.
Dr Bradfield also designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the largest bridge in Australia. Evans Deakin-Hornibrook Constructions, known for their works in bridge building and enterprise, signed for the construction of the bridge.
The design of the bridge was inspired by the Jacques Cartier Bridge, a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island in Montreal. Mr Bradfield, dubbed as the most likely person to handle the project based on his experience, recommended a steel cantilever bridge.
The construction of Story Bridge took five years, a year longer than what was planned due to shortage in steel. It used 12,000 tonnes of structural steel, 1,650 tonnes of reinforcing steel, 8,200 truck loads of concrete, and 1.5 million rivets.
Majority of the materials were manufactured in Brisbane, except for the steel that came all the way from Newcastle. The contract for the project cost around £1,154,000.
The bridge was considered a massive employment-generating scheme because more than 400 local residents were employed to work on site, office, and in the workshops. There were four deaths during its construction.
Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland led the opening of the bridge on 6 July 1940. The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by more than 37,000 people, equivalent to 10-percent of the entire Brisbane population at the time.
Behind the Name
Inspection of works by Bridge Board – Mr Story, Mr Brigden, Dr Bradfield, Mr Kemp and Mr Holt in 1936 (Photo credit: Queensland Government)
The bridge was first referred to as the Central Bridge during construction. Later, it became known as the Brisbane River Bridge, based on the tender documents for the project.
Before it was renamed Story Bridge, it was also known as the Jubilee Bridge for King George V. It was named after John Douglas Story, a public servant and one of the advocates of the bridge.
Story was born in Scotland and migrated to Queensland when he was a child. He worked for the establishment of the University of Queensland and was a government representative on the University senate. He was Under-Secretary for the Department of Education between 1906 and 1920.
A Heritage-Listed Bridge
In October 1992, the bridge became a part of the Queensland Heritage Register because of its significance to the Queensland community, as a symbol of Brisbane and as the largest steel bridge designed, fabricated and constructed in Australia by Australians.
Its association with the life of a particular person, namely its significance as a major work by Queensland contractors Evans, Deakin & Co. Ltd and Hornibrook Constructions Pty Ltd, was also deemed a significant aspect of its heritage listing.
Today, the bridge is more than just a vehicle and pedestrian crossing. You can now enjoy the stunning panoramic views from the top by joining the Story Bridge Adventure Climb.
It’s a journey of almost a kilometre up over the bridge’s superstructure with a viewing platform 80-metres above the Brisbane River as it flows past the city heart.
The two-and-a-half hour climbing experience is a unique way to get to know more about the history of the Story Bridge and Brisbane’s transition from a 19th century penal settlement to a 21st century metropolis.
The bridge has undergone various restoration work most of which involves stripping old paint and cleaning it, scraping and blasting off the old paint and then completely repainting the bridge the same colour.
The five-year restoration of the bridge, currently ongoing, is expected to require more than 33,000 litres of paint, at a cost of around $80 million.
To this day, it remains a vital part of everyday life in Brisbane. Not bad for an 80-year-old.
New Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has big plans for Brisbane and among these are the five new green bridges for the city, including the long-discussed Kangaroo Point to CBD bridge.
The four other proposed bridges will link Toowong to West End, Bellbowrie to Wacol, St Lucia to West End, and Hamilton to Newstead across the Breakfast Creek.
The five green bridges are estimated to cost more than $550 million and will be delivered within the next five to 10 years.
Brisbane City Council committed to fund at least two-thirds of the project and will allocate the initial funding in the next budget in June 2019.
Kangaroo Point Bridge Timeline
The pedestrian and cyclist bridge connecting the CBD and Kangaroo Point has long been anticipated but did not happen due to issues in funding.
2013
Former Lord Mayor Graham Quirk launched the Brisbane City Council’s 2013 Draft City Centre Master Plan which included the Kangaroo Point Bridge as one of its six priority projects.
Based on the information supplied by the Council, a bridge in the location was first proposed as early as the 1800s and a design was developed by 1890.
However, it was never constructed and the Council believed it was due to the severe economic recession of the 1890s and the costs of the 1893 flood.
BCC released a design concept by Richard Kirk Architects.The Council believed the double curved suspension design would add an elegant form to the city’s skyline, have minimal impact on the river’s edge.
The community feedback released by Council revealed the following insights:
general support for the concept and embracing active travel
bridge should accommodate cyclists as well as pedestrians
bridge should provide shade and seating
design should include safety hand rails
additional vehicle bridge crossings should be considered
2018
The State Government offered funding to the Council to develop a business case. Cr Schrinner, who was the public transport chairman at the time, revealed the Council was supportive of the bridge but did not have the funds to build it.
The Council’s forward estimates allocated $32 million for the pedestrian and cycling bridge but it did not appear in the succeeding budgets.
Cr Schrinner said the construction of the Kangaroo Point bridge would cost more than $100 million and the more detailed design will be around $5 million.
Present
The new Lord Mayor promised he will commit to the new bridges regardless of the upcoming election in March 2020.
“These bridges will accommodate, in some cases, public transport but they will also accommodate walking and cycling to get people out of their cars, to reduce traffic congestion and create a cleaner, greener Brisbane,” Cr Schrinner said.
Plan your day ahead this 14th April as a number of temporary road closures, including Kangaroo Point and Story Bridge, are scheduled across Brisbane for the much-awaited Tour de Brisbane inaugural.
To make way for the event and keep riders and spectators safe, temporary road closures, detours, and diversions will be implemented on major roads in the area and then progressively reopened throughout the day. A team of traffic controllers and police from the Queensland Police Service and Altus Traffic Control will be on duty for this event.
Kangaroo Point and Story Bridge road closures are scheduled to be in operation between 6:00 am and 8:30am, whilst general traffic on Merivale Street will be diverted onto Glenelg Street and Gladstone Road.
Westbound motorists will be permitted to use Vulture Street between Stanley Street and Gladstone Road. On the other hand, pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to use the footpaths during the road closures.
Tour Full Reveal | Video Credit: Tour de Brisbane / YouTube
Road Closure Details for Kangaroo Point
Road
Between
Closure Time
Reopen time
Lower River Terrace
Dock Street and Kangaroo Point Cliffs
6.00am
8.30am
Amesbury Street
Main Street and end of street
6.15am
8.30am
Anderson Street
Holman Street and end of street
Annie Street
MacKenzie Street and Wicklow Street
Baildon Street
Deakin Street and Main Street
Bell Street
Main Street and River Terrace
Bright Street
MacDonald Street and end of street
Ellis Street
Leopard Street and Lower River Terrace
Hamilton Street
Bright Street and MacDonald St
Holman Street
Anderson Street and End of Street
Leopard Street
Vulture Street and River Terrace
6.15am
8.30am
Llewellyn Street
Main Street and River Terrace
Lockerbie Street
Main Street and River Terrace
MacDonald Street
Bright Street and Annie Street
MacKenzie Street
Annie Street and Main Street
Main Street
Holman Street and Thornton Street
Main Street
Pearson Street and Story Bridge
Mark Lane
Main Street and Lahey Lane
Paton Street
Main Street and River Terrace
Pixley Street
Thornton Street and end of street
River Terrace
Leopard Street and Main Street
Rotherham Street
Deakin Street and Main Street
6.15am
8.30am
Scott Street
Main Street and end of street
Shafston Avenue (inbound)
O’Connell Street and Story Bridge
Shafston Avenue (outbound)
Story Bridge and Deakin Street
Story Bridge
Main Street and Kemp Place
ThorntonSt
Pixley Street and Main St
Walmsley Street
Main Street and River Terrace
Wharf Street
Main Street and end of street
Wicklow Street
Annie Street and Main Street
Wild Street
Leopard Street and end of street
Road Closures Map
Diversion Routes Map
Northbound travel on CLEM7 between 6:00 am and 9:30 am and southbound travel between 6:00 am and 10:30 am, will be free on 14 April 2019. Also, Tour de Brisbane ride participants will access the South East Busway from South Brisbane to Eight Mile Plains, so there will be temporary changes to the bus services operating on the busway between 5:00 am and 2:00 am.
Tour de Brisbane is aimed as a fundraiser for Amy Gillett Foundation’s “A Metre Matters” campaign, and will be bringing in thousands of local and international participants as part of the Brisbane Cycling Festival. The inaugural Tour de Brisbane will feature 8km, 45km, and 110km courses which will start and finish at South Bank.
For more information about the event and road closures, visit the Tour de Brisbane official website.
Brisbane’s restaurant scene continues to liven up with bars and diners opening almost every week, like this new restaurant in Kangaroo Point that will surely please every seafood lover out there.
One Fish Two Fish just launched in February 2019, but is already receiving heaps of good feedback from the community. The Great Day Out’s Alastair McLeod approved the restaurant and included it to his favourite new Brisbane restaurants and bars.
If this restaurant got you curious enough, step into their restaurant at 708 Main St, Kangaroo Point and feast your eyes on a range of seafood dishes right from the classic fish and chips to the sophisticated Amalfi-inspired seafood risotto.
The laid-back atmosphere is perfect for bringing your family and friends, be it on a weekday or on a weekend because it’s open seven days a week.
Start things off with their seacuterie platter featuring tiger prawns with finger lime mayo, nam jim dressed kingfish sashimi, salt and pepper calamari, and flounder goujons.
Then devour on the crowd-favourite Quarter Flounder burger, an amalgam of panko-crumbed flounder goujons, lettuce, cheese, house-made tartare and fries. Finish it off with a sip of wine, like their sweet and fortified drinks, the ‘Sweet Pea’ and ‘Old Codger.’
One Fish Two Fish is open Mondays from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and from Thursday to Sunday, 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
For bookings and more information about the new seafood restaurant, check out their website or follow them on Facebook.
A development application has been lodged for an eight-storey mixed-use development at 624 Main Street Kangaroo Point.
Based on the application lodged by Urban Strategies on behalf of developer Peter Yang, the multi-residential tower will feature ground floor retail tenancies and will replace the old Kangaroo Point motel currently on the site if approved.
Designed by Red Door Architecture, the tower would have 52 two-bedroom units and 16 three-bedroom units, a total of 68 apartment units in all. The design plans showed there will be 88 carparks and an 85-bicycle parking.
The building will adhere to Brisbane government’s “Buildings That Breathe” design guideline, which calls for provision of lush landscaping, shade and comfort in new buildings that will be built in the city.
It’s been a while since a major application like this was proposed in the riverside Kangaroo Point. If approved, this will likely accommodate the increasing number of people in the suburb.
Kangaroo Point is the most densely populated suburb in Brisbane, according to the 2018 report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The latest data revealed there are 9152 people living within just 1.3 square kilometres in the suburb.
Due to the growing population in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane City Council is planning to allow developments that can go up to 20 storeys. The existing Kangaroo Point Peninsula Neighbourhood Plan limits buildings in the peninsula to 10 storeys.
The Story Bridge has stood the test of time but as it approaches its 80th year in 2020, Brisbane City Council has initiated a 5-year, major restoration to continue to help residents get home quickly and safely.
With an aim to prolong the life of the 79-year-old bridge connecting Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point, BCC is planning to blast bare, paint and restore it.
Planning for the Story Bridge restoration began in February 2019, wherein the Council will discuss stripping old paint, cleaning it and giving it a 105,000-square-metre face lift.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the restoration will require more than 33,000 litres of paint. The Story Bridge’s steely-grey colour will be retained but they will scrape and blast off the old paint and then completely repaint the bridge the same colour.
Cr Quirk said it was vital that the Council continued to maintain the Story Bridge to ensure it continued to stand as an iconic figure on Brisbane’s skyline.
“Works are expected to commence after Riverfire and will be carried out in stages over a five-year period to ensure the Story Bridge can continue to be used by traffic and feature in some of our city’s favourite festivities,” Cr Quirk said.
The Story Bridge will not close during the paint job but some lanes will be closed during some stages.
Story Bridge History
The bridge’s construction, which lasted for more than five years, began in May 1935. The design for the bridge was based heavily on that of the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal, completed in 1930. John Bradfield, the appointed consulting engineer to the Bureau of Industry, recommended a steel cantilever bridge.
Kangaroo Point during construction of the Story Bridge Brisbane, 1938 (Photo credit: slq.gov.au)
Back then, 400 people were employed to build the bridge at the height of the construction, making it one of Queensland’s main employment-generating projects during the 1930s Depression.
The bridge was named after John Douglas Story, a senior and influential public servant who had advocated strongly for the bridge’s construction.
Locals are naturally proud of Kangaroo Point as a suburb with lots of wanderlust potential. Kangaroo Point Cliff, for instance, attracts tourists because it’s a great destination for rock climbing and abseiling. Then there is Story Bridge with its panoramic view of the river.
For locals and visitors alike, there is a lot more to Kangaroo Point than meets the eye. Did you know that Kangaroo Point is one of the oldest suburbs in Brisbane? The city is home to a number of heritage trails, walking trails, and history trails.
When you want to know more about Queensland’s pioneering scientists and researchers, the Kangaroo Point Natural History Trail is worth seeing. It extends from the C.T. White Park up to the Brisbane Jazz Club. At the same time, it’s an opportunity to pack a picnic and bond with loved ones while you walk back in time.
It is the Brisbane City Council’s project in an aim to recognize the contribution of Queensland’s pioneers through a series of interpretative and botanical signs in the parks.
Kangaroo Point During the 1800s
Before the British settlement in early 1800s, it was occupied by Turrbal people. Explorer John Oxley described them as “the strongest and best-made muscular men” he had ever seen in any country.
The first land sales took place in 1843 when the British settled in Brisbane. Surveyor James Warner built the first house at Kangaroo Point in 1844. He was known for his deep religious convictions, his extensive knowledge of botany, and his role of the first secretary and treasurer of the Queensland Institute of Surveyors.
James Warner’s story can be seen when you hop in to the Natural History Trail. Aside from Warner, here are the other personalities features in Kangaroo Point Natural History Trail:
Frederick Manson Bailey
A colonial botanist of Queensland from 1881 to 1915, Bailey contributed his encyclopedic knowledge to the long list of published works on Queensland flora. This helped in the colony’s fledging agricultural and pastoral industries.
Silvester Diggles
His flair for music result in the founding of the Brisbane Choral Society in 1859 and the Brisbane Philharmonic Society in 1861. Aside from being an artist and musician, he was known as one of the notable naturalists during the 19th century.
Harry Oakman
He served as the Council’s Superintendent of Parks from 1946 to 1962. The distinctive subtropical style of many Brisbane parks and streetscapes were all because of his passion for lush tropical foliage and flowering plants.
Cyril Tenison White
White was best known for his expertise on identifying plants by sights. His thousands of illustrations were published in his grandfather Frederick Manson Bailey’s Comprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants. He served as a botanist for the Queensland Government from 1917 until his death in 1950.
Oscar Werner Tiegs
Tiegs, born at Kangaroo Point in 1897, was a world-class entomologist and zoologist. As a child, he had a great fascination with insects and that passion eventually led to his outstanding career in zoology.
Kangaroo Point in the Present
It does not come as a surprise that it was once home to Queensland’s best naturalists. With their beautiful surroundings, parks all over Kangaroo Point are perfect destinations for simple relaxation, family-friendly games, and city cycling.
Motorists driving along the Story Bridge, the nation’s longest cantilever bridge, are urged to “slow down and take care merging.” The heritage-listed bridge that links Kangaroo Point to Fortitude Valley has been top-ranked for having the most crash reports, the latest report revealed.
Between 1 January 2015 and 31 October 2018, insurance claims records show that there have been 36 crash reports on the Story Bridge, the State’s peak motoring body, RACQ reported. Captain Cook Bridge and Gateway Bridge followed with 29 and 14 reported crashes, respectively.
“These bridges are often heavily congested, high volume, multi-lane crossings, making them hot spots for multi-vehicle crashes,” RACQ spokesperson Lucinda Ross said.
“Most are peak hour rear-end collisions, or sideswipes where drivers fail to give way changing lanes. Drivers need to take care merging and leave plenty of room between cars,” she said
Rounding out the top six are William Jolly Bridge (11), Walter Taylor Bridge (10), and Go Between Bridge (4).
Ms Ross suggested that apart from public transport, the government also needs to invest on projects that will provide alternative routes to minimise congestions and offer vehicle access to and from Brisbane City such as upgrading Roma Street, North Quay, Stanley, and Vulture streets.
