Kangaroo Point Archives - Page 11 of 16

Heavenly Hideaway: St Mary’s Rectory In Kangaroo Point For Rent

Did you know that for $1,300 per week, you can live at St Mary’s Rectory in Kangaroo Point, where two of the most notable women in Queensland’s history once lived?

Read: St Mary’s: Explore a Beloved Treasure in Kangaroo Point

The rectory, located next to St Mary’s Church, was once home to Lillian Cooper, the State’s first female doctor and her longtime partner, philanthropist Josephine Bedford. In fact, the stained-glass windows at the rectory are a memorial to Cooper’s legacy.

In its 150-year history, it’s been only three times that the rectory has been up for rent. The property, located at 447 Main St, Kangaroo Point, has remained vacant since Rector Gary Harsh retired in 2021.

St Mary’s Rectory — Photo credit: mcgrath.com.au

In the listing, real estate group McGrath described the property as a “classic and unique residence that offers some of Brisbane’s most expansive and unobstructed panoramic views of the city, river and surrounding suburbs that will remain a permanent fixture of the significant home.”

“This residence stands as one of Brisbane’s most prestigious and historic addresses and represents the final word in exquisite and stunning riverside living,” the listing reads.

The four-bedroom property features two bathrooms and two car spaces, an updated kitchen, formal dining room and living room, as well as an oversized master bedroom with updated ensuite.

About the Rectory

St Mary’s Rectory was constructed in 1889, after the completion of the church hall in the same year.

In 1926, it was purchased by Cooper and Bedford, who renovated it by including a consulting room for Cooper, and a study for Bedford which features a personal library well stocked with books.

The rectory is a large single-storeyed brick residence with verandahs on three sides. It stands on brick piers with honeycomb infill and the entry is through a gabled frontispiece. The verandah has timber posts and balusters. A number of bays on the rear verandah add to the complexity of the corrugated roof which is a series of hips and gables.

Read: Meet Lilian Cooper And Josephine Bedford, Notable Women Who Once Lived In Kangaroo Point

The rectory, along with the hall and grounds have been nominated for listing by the Trust and Heritage Commission.

Brisbane Trials Bicycle Awareness Monitors in Kangaroo Point

The first-ever trial of the Bicycle Awareness Monitors has launched in Brisbane to improve safety and accessibility for cyclists, e-scooters, and e-skateboards using the Kangaroo Point Bikeway.

Two new signs were installed along the Kangaroo Point Cliff stairs and the Riverlife Adventure Centre. The signs work just like the smiling Speed Awareness Monitors, alerting riders if they have exceeded the speed limit of 15km/h.

With more than 3,000 people using this pathway daily, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said that the BAMs will allow shared paths for pedestrians, cyclists, or scooter and skateboard riders to remain safe for traveling.

“It’s important everyone uses our shared paths considerately and safely,” he said. “Travelling at the correct speed is an important part of this.”

“If you trigger a slowdown message, please do so as it’s important for your own safety and those travelling around you.”

Photo Credit: Bicycle Awareness Monitors/BCC

The Bicycle Awareness Monitors are solar-powered so it’s cost-effective and better for the environment.

“If these signs prove to deliver a positive change in behaviour during this trial, we will explore options to install them on other pathways across Brisbane,” Mr Schinner added.

Whilst Brisbane West Bicycle User Group welcomes the trial, an issue along the Kangaroo Point Bikeway remains unaddressed, where some of the paths are often blocked by cars going to the businesses in the area. The group’s co-convenor, Chris Cox, however, acknowledges the challenges of the said bikeway thus it is ideal for the trial. Mr Cox hopes that BAMs will not prevent better solutions to improve shared paths across Brisbane.

Anna Campbell of Queensland Walks also agrees that BAMs are not enough but it’s also an indicator of a “pinch point” in the shared paths. Ms Campbell wishes Council to be open about sharing data from the BAMs with the transport community to find other solutions.

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.”

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.”

15-Storey Development Beside Shafston House Unpopular with Kangaroo Point Locals

Plans to develop a 15-storey residential development beside Shafston House, Brisbane’s third oldest heritage home, have become unpopular with Kangaroo Point locals.

The proposal for the revamp, from Burgundy Group Property Development Pty Ltd, was filed in January 2022 (DA A005933994) but has since been met with hundreds of submissions opposing the plans. The application is not subjected to a public notification since the location of Shafston House is code assessable.

However, residents, including members of the Kangaroo Point and Districts Historical Society have filed their comments in the said application. According to Christa Gerard from the heritage group, the 15-storey plan “would dwarf the beautiful historic house and dominate the site.”

Burgundy Group Property Development Pty Ltd bought Shafston House in one of the biggest auctions in late 2020. The group said it will work with Council to restore the heritage-listed property to its former glory.

Photo Credit: Kangaroo Point and Districts Historical Society

Apart from the 15-storey residential tower, the developer has detailed future uses for the property:

Shaftson House proper as a luxury private residence
Orderlies building as communal recreation facilities
Wards building for residential dwellings
Postal Depot building as ancillary space for the residential dwellings in the estate
Northern riverhomes
Communal recreation area to the north-west of Shafston House proper

“The proposed development ruins the remarkable and historical property. It is hideous and will overshadow Shafston house. The property should not be zoned for development up to 15 stories. The land is heritage protected but the development makes a mockery of that. For one of the oldest and most significant houses in Brisbane to be developed into apartments is embarrassing,” one submission stated.

“Shaftson House is a much-respected and treasured piece of our colonial history. This development would be a shockingly distasteful and irreversible blight on an important landmark, and sets a precedent for more of our city’s heritage to be crammed away into the recesses between buildings such as the one described in this proposal,” another local said.

On 11 April 2022, the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) notified the developer of a couple of preliminary approvals for Material Change of Use for future Multiple Dwelling on the site of a Heritage Place and Filling and/or Excavation within the Coastal hazard and the waterway corridor overlays.

However, SARA has extended the assessment period for May 2022 for the following requests:

Building work for a Multiple dwelling on the site of a Heritage place and
within the Waterway corridor overlay
Multiple Dwelling on the site of a Heritage Place
Operational work on the site of a Heritage Place involving changes to
landscaping or natural features

Earlier, SARA has also notified the developer that it cannot support the future plans for Shafston House as it “does not clearly articulate the intent or relevant impacts of these proposed uses on the significant natural and built elements across the Queensland heritage place.”

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge Project Commences, Receives Additional Funding Support

Work on the proposed Kangaroo Point Green Bridge has already started and the project is slated to receive an additional $190.2 million in funds as a priority initiative.

Demolition of the roundabout on Edward and Alice Streets commenced in early 2022. Construction by the river has also started and mooring areas for the sailboats and yachts have been closed off.

The new green bridge is expected to be completed in late 2023.

Kangaroo Point Green Bridge — *Photo Credit: Artist’s Impression/BCC*

Additional funds for the project will be made available through a newly inked SEQ City Deal worth $1.8 billion.

“The SEQ City Deal will provide the platform for SEQ to become one region that is connected locally and competing globally.

“This connectivity will drive productivity for our businesses, improve the liveability of our communities and lift the global competitiveness of our region.

The bridge will be named in honour of the Olympic Games as it has been seen as the element that will define Brisbane prior to the 2032 Olympics.

“When people around the world start considering coming to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I am sure one of the drawcards will be images of this spectacular pedestrian bridge,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“Not only will pictures of the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge help convince people to venture to our corner of the world, but it will also be a critical piece of infrastructure during the games, helping spectators get to the Gabba Stadium.

“For Brisbane residents, this bridge will deliver a link that people have talked about for years while improving connectivity and being a destination in its own right.”

Meanwhile, also included in the landmark SEQ City Deal are the following projects:

The SEQ City Deal will be implemented in late 2022 between the Commonwealth of Australia, the State Government of Queensland, and the Council of Mayors of South East Queensland with connecting infrastructure as the priority.

Interpreter Training Boost Program Launched at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Kangaroo Point

Interested in a career as an interpreter? About 120 spots will soon be filled following the launch of the interpreter training boost program at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Kangaroo Point.

This is open for people who want to undertake interpreter training in new and emerging languages and will ultimately provide better communication for Queensland’s multicultural communities. Those who are familiar with in-demand languages such as Arabic, Chin languages, Farsi, Hmong, Karenni, Kinyarwanda/Rwanda, Kirundi/ Nyarwandwa/ Rundi, Kiswahili and Kurdish may become part of the program.

Applications will close by 21 March 2022.

TAFE will conduct a 12-week online Interpreting Skills course endorsed by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI), whilst a 20-week English Language Bridging Course will also be offered to interested participants who may need to complete the next round of Interpreting Skills course.

The Queensland Government has invested $730,000 in these programs, in partnership with TAFE, 2M Language Services and the NAATI, to provide jobs for much-needed interpreters.

“Interpreters are very important for those Queenslanders who are not proficient in English. There is no doubt we need more interpreters, across a wide range of languages and I would encourage anyone considering a career as an interpreter to find out more,” Minister for Multicultural Affairs Leanne Linard MP said during the launch at the Queensland Multicultural Centre.

Photo Credit: 2M Language Services/Facebook

“While this training is about jobs, it is also about delivering better services to our multicultural communities and ensuring they have the most up-to-date information as we move through this global pandemic,” she added.

“We need to ensure everyone can access services and information in an equitable and timely manner. We hope to see up to 120 Queenslanders gain jobs as a direct result of undertaking this training.”

“The collaboration between government, private sector, and training organisations are the first of its kind in Australia,” Mark Painting, NAATI CEO, said.

“NAATI looks forward to working with all the stakeholders and hopes to see this type of initiative replicated in other states.”

To apply or to learn more, visit 2M Language Services or email interpreterboost@2m.com.au