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Leafy Bardon Is Among the Five-star Healthiest Suburbs in Brisbane

Bardon joins the list of five-star rated healthiest suburbs in Brisbane in terms of providing health opportunities to its residents, according to a Domain Healthy Brisbane study.

This first-ever study, in partnership with Deloitte Access Economics and Tract Consultants, compares 260 Greater Brisbane suburbs based on 10 indicators that either promote or hinder residents from achieving a healthy lifestyle.

These indicators are grouped into:

Recovery Indicators – indicators that help individuals to recover from illness or injury such as proximity to a hospital.
Hindrance Indicators – elements that hinder an individual from maintaining a healthy kind of lifestyle like easy access to fast-food.
Promotion Indicators – elements of a suburb that encourages individuals to engage in healthy activities like walking and sports activities

Based on these indicators, each suburb is then given a rating from 0.5 to 5 stars with 0.5 being the poorest and 5 being the best.

Promotion Indicators:

Walkability – Measures the urban environment’s capacity for walking combined with safety, efficient and enjoyable walking experience.
Active Transport to Work – Measures the percentage of residents in the labour force travelling to work, through walking or cycling, from their residence. Scores favour those suburbs with close proximity to employment centres or have access to bicycle routes.
Open Space – Measures the proportion of a suburb covered by public open space, providing an opportunity for active recreation and participation in sporting activities.
Tree Cover – Measures the percentage of tree cover of a suburb. Tree cover is known to have calming effects and aids in recovery, as well a reducing air pollution and lowering urban temperatures.
Access to Fresh Food/Supermarkets – Measures the density of supermarket and fresh food retailers in a suburb per 1000 of the population.
Volunteering – Measures the proportion of the suburb’s population involved in volunteer work.

Hindrance Indicators:

Fast Food Stores – Measures the ease of access to fast-food. A high density of fast-food store equates to greater accessibility. The final accessibility score is the average of individual suburb scores plus the scores of neighbouring suburbs.
Liquors Stores – Measures the density of residents per packaged liquor store.

Recovery Indicators:

Hospitals – The average of a suburb’s distance to a hospital and the number of hospital beds per 1000 population.
Allied/Community Health – Combines both the allied and community facilities that are available for residents in a particular suburb.

The study noted, however, that some suburbs have been excluded due to lack of data or for not having large enough population to make a significant statistical analysis. Other indicators were smoothed to account for “boundary effects” such as a road dividing suburbs, where a large park is located just across that boundary.

The study is designed to create a better understanding of the opportunities that suburbs provide its residents that promotes healthy living.

Bardon’s Pride: Voices of Birralee at The International Choir Festival “Astana- the Voice of the World”

Bardon’s Voices of Birralee has been invited to take part in the first International Choir Festival “Astana- The Voice of the World”. Because of this, eight of their choristers went to represent Australia at the event in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan may not have been on the group’s top list of places to go. However, the festival allowed the choristers, with their conductor Paul Holley, to explore its capital city, Astana.

“We’re looking forward to being a part of such a massive event which celebrates choral singing, while also promoting a more peaceful world,” Mr Paul Holley OAM said.

The International Choir Festival “Astana- the Voice of the World”

The International Choir Festival “Astana- The Voice of the World” is a gathering of some of the world’s best choirs.

Astana hosted the event from 5 to 11 October 2018. The choir festival was part of the Sixth Congress of Religious Leaders which is one of the world’s most important religious diplomacy events.

The festival included musical performances and flash-mobs as well as master classes by the world’s leading choir experts and judges. The festival concluded with the Gala concert. It involved 500 young singers from five continents, representing different faiths, performing in support of the world without terrorism.

Voices of Birralee

Voices of Birralee was established by Julie Christiansen OAM in 1995. Since then, they have enjoyed several enriching tours. Some of their destinations included France and Belgium as part of a current five-year commitment to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to sing at WW1 Centenaries. They’ve also been to Canada, Austria, England, Korea, and New Zealand.

Choristers from the Voices of Birralee certainly made Australia proud as they took part in the massed choir pieces conducted by Hungarian, Gábor Hollerung, and Demeyuov Beimbet from Kazakhstan. It wasn’t an easy feat as the choristers worked hard in getting everything right with the Kazakh and Russian pronunciations.

Interestingly, the eight singers, aged 19 –30, are from a range of occupations including students, musicians, surveyors, and marketers, brought together by their love of music.

Koala Survey to Help Create Green Zones in Bardon and Other Koala Habitat

A koala survey is being conducted to help create green zones that will protect bushland in Bardon, Mt Coot-tha, Wishart and other locations with high koala activity.

Brisbane City Council is using sniffing dogs to detect koala presence in 20 sites. The dogs are trained to locate koala scats (koala poo), which they can detect even after several months that the koala has moved away. Aside from detecting koala presence, the research is also studying gender, migration patterns and diseases plaguing the at-risk marsupial species.

“Between May and July, two highly trained detection dogs sniffed out 20 sites that Council has acquired as part of its Bushland Acquisition Program, to provide information on koala health, genetic diversity, breeding and movement behaviour,” said Acting Mayor Adrian Schrinner.

“The survey identified the presence of koalas at 17 of 20 sites explored, of which ten sites registered a significant amount of koala activity.”

Extremely high koala activity was observed in half of the bushlands surveyed over the past months. Among the areas with high koala activity are areas in Bardon, particularly in the Mt Coot-tha Reserve, Monoplane Street Park, and Bardon Esplanade Park.

Other areas with high koala activity include Belmont, Burbank, Mount Coot-tha, Wishart, Kuraby, McDowall, Anstead, Moggill, Alderley, Nathan and Mt Gravatt.

“Just three sites in the city’s southwest region were found to have no recent koala activity, Wally Tate Park (Kuraby), Blunder Creek Reserve (Doolandella), Fort Road Bushlands and Rocks Riverside Park (Seventeen Mile Rocks),” Cr Schrinner said.

Significance in Habitat Protection

The koala survey is important as it will guide the council in its Bushland Acquisition Program. The council purchases bushland and with significant koala activity.

“By identifying locations with high levels of koala activity in areas including Bardon, McDowall, Moggill and Alderley, Council can preserve koala habitat with targeted land purchases to create green wildlife corridors and wildlife movement zones along roadways,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Close to 500 hectares of bushland has been purchased by Council since 2016 and an additional 250 hectares is planned for purchase by 2020, with priority given to areas adjoining confirmed koala habitat.”

Aside from green corridors and bushland acquisition, the council also implements other actions to protect the koalas. Find out more about the Council programs protecting Australia’s most iconic animal.

Bardon Home Value Increases to $970K

The REIQ recently reported the latest housing market statistics which showed Bardon median house price increased to $970,000, up 9% over the last 12 months and 32.2% over the last 5 years. In the 2nd quarter of 2018, there were 35 homes sold in the suburb.

Bardon Among Inner West Suburbs Targeted by Thieves

Bardon is one of the reported suburbs where thieves are actively targeting homes, garages, and storage cages.

In a Sept 25 report from the Inner West Patrol Group warned residents that thieves have been reported in the following Inner West suburbs:

Residential Dwellings

Bardon: Coolibah Street.
Ferny Grove: McGregor Way, Bunowen Street.
Everton Park: Warringah Street, Gordon Parade.
Toowong: Bent Street.
Ashgrove: Mclean Parade, McCormack Avenue, Moola Road, Panorama Street.
St Lucia: Boomerang Road.
Kenmore: Alkina Street, Holdway Street.
Enoggera: Wardell Street
Ferny Hills: Amaroo Avenue.

Communal/Residential Garages/Storage Cages

Toowong: Landsborough Terrace.
St Lucia: Bellevue Terrace.
Ashgrove: Waterworks Road.
Everton Park: South Pine Road.

Things that have been stolen from these locations include laptops, wallets, handbags, jewellery, cash, game consoles, bicycles, tools, and vehicles such as cars and motorcycles.

Home Security

Photo credit: CC BY/ Eastlake Times / Flickr

Thieves usually enter homes through unlocked doors or garages or by smashing doors and windows. They may also access garages and storage cages by cutting or manipulating locks and padlocks.

Other times, stealing may happen even when the residents are home.

The police have provided these simple tips to make your home more secure:

Install reliable security screen doors on main external entrances.
Remember to key-lock your security doors and remove the key from the lock.
Fit deadlocks on all external doors.
When moving in to your home or apartment, install new locks on entrance doors.
Never leave notes that indicate your absence.
Always take your door key with you, do not hide it, and never put your name and address on your key ring.
Get to know your neighbours.
Observe and report suspicious activity.
Keep foliage trimmed back around your property so others can view suspicious activity.
Keep vehicle keys secure.
Don’t leave garage doors open or unlocked.
Don’t prop or leave open communal doors to garages.
Use high-quality locks and chains to secure storage cages.
Use screening material to cover storage cage contents.

More Safety Tips

As thieves continue to target Inner West Suburbs, police have increased patrols in the area and strongly advise residents to be vigilant.

Locals are also encouraged to appropriately secure their homes, storage areas, and vehicles, as well as record details of electronic equipment and take photos of valuable items such as jewellery.

Residents who want to check the level of security in their home may take advantage of the police’s ‘Free Home Security Audit Service’. Just call the Indooroopilly Crime Prevention Unit on 3377 9421 or the Ferny Grove Crime Prevention Unit on 3872 1542 to make an appointment.

To report any information for the police, call the Policelink on 131 444 or use the online form.

You can also anonymously provide information about a crime to Crime Stoppers. You may contact the organisation 24/7 by calling 1800 333 000 or by visiting their website.

Official DA For Mt Coot-tha Zipline Project Released, Continues To Face Opposition From Locals

The Brisbane City Council has finally submitted the development application for the Mt Coot-tha zipline for public scrutiny. However, a number of locals are not pleased that the DA was released a few hours before a public meeting on 3 September.

The project has long been met by opposition from the community. But the council remains steadfast in pursuing the zipline as it believes this will help the city’s push to bolster ecotourism, which has been cited as one of the top tourism industries today.

Detailed Plans

Prior to the release of the DA, the council released the detailed designs of the zipline project. According to the plans, there will be twin ziplines: a treetop canopy zipline spanning to 1.2 kilometres and a scenic zipline that will run through a 1.1-kilometre line.

The scenic zipline will start from the Summit Lookout to the Botanic Gardens, running up to 60 kilometres per hour and showcasing sweeping views of the city. It is planned to be open between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

“The Scenic Zipline has been designed to deliver the best views in Brisbane, with the zipline travelling a minimum of three metres above the top of the tree canopy all the way down the mountain,” Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said.

The treetop canopy zipline is intended to provide a more personal experience within the Mt Coot-tha forest and will be connected to a 335-metre cable-suspended bridge walk. The plan is to operate the treetop canopy zipline from 7:00 a.m. to sunset.

“Users will travel through nine treetop platforms along ziplines of between 20 metres to 330 metres in length and each of the platforms will be secured to the trees using brackets that carry the weight of the platform, without damaging the tree,” Cr Quirk added.

This project is expected to deliver over $230 million economic benefit over 30 years.

Call to Stop the Zipline

Among the concerns of the local community is the impact of the of the project on the environment. In August, the Save Mt Coot-tha – Stop the Zipline group staged a protest in Toowong and launched an online petition opposing the privatisation of Mt Coot-tha and the Botanical Gardens.

Following the release of the DA, the local community remains unhappy and have called the proposal “vague.”

See details of the Development Application.

Parcels of Hope: A Project by a Five-Year-Old From Bardon

Sabre, a five-year-old child with a heart of gold, recently started a project named Parcels of Hope. The project is an invitation to Brisbane kids to put together a parcel for children in the drought-affected areas.

“My son is called Sabre and he attends prep at St Joseph’s Bardon, where they are taught from the words of Mary Mackillop ‘Never see a need without doing something about it.’ The children from grade 3 in St Joseph’s Bardon have compiled wonderful letters and the preps are finalising their parcels. The children of St Peter Chanel in The Gap were one of the first schools to jump on board and have done an amazing job decorating their lovely parcels of hope,” Sarah Yip, Sabre’s mother said.

Sabre’s vision is to let the children of farmers of drought-affected areas “know that we care.”

Parcels of Hope is a chance for children to reach out to other children in need, through a letter of inspiration and a gift. The intended recipients of the collected parcels are the children attending The School of Distance Education in Charleville, Longreach, Mt Isa, and St Mary’s Charleville.

“He had been watching the news and asking about the drought and commented that there was lots of money being raised, but what about the children? Is anyone looking after the children? He came to me the next day and asked to write a letter to let the children know that he cared about them and he was hoping for rain for them. He wanted to give them something special too,” Sarah said.

Sabre then asked his mum to help him invite other children to do the same. He said there are too many letters to write and he can’t do it alone.

Sarah decided to set up an Eventbrite page where the children who want to help can register. “We have had an amazing response so far with close to 70 parcels collected and ongoing collections between now and the 14th of September,” she said.

Four Steps to Putting Together a Parcel of Hope:

Register through Eventbrite
Write a letter/ draw a picture
Place a gift for a child
Message the organiser to let them know it’s ready for collection

Sarah is going all out in her support for her son’s passion project. In her consulting work as Owner and Managing Director of KEASE. Sarah is a subject matter expert in Emotional Intelligence, Mindful Leadership and Applied positive psychology in the workplace. She knows that encouraging him to reach out in such a caring way would be a great learning experience for him and will help cultivate his emotional intelligence from a young age.

If you would like to share your own Parcel of Hope, register now.

Bardon Latrobe Football Club to Get a $250,000 Upgrade

Bardon Latrobe Football Club (BLFC) is set to get a new changing room facility at Bowman Park following the Council’s approval of their development application.

The new building will be an addition to the existing clubhouse. There will be two modern, bright changing rooms with bathroom and shower facilities.

The first stage of the development has been led by the committee in response to the feedback of members from their annual survey.

A $250,000 grant from Kate Jones MP has made the building work possible. Moreover, the club is still actively pursuing grants for further development plans.

Bardon Latrobe Football Club Upgrades

Club President Phil Cowlishaw said the new changing room facility will help in transforming their club.

“Not only are the new changing rooms going to finally address the concerns of our members around adequate facilities, they will also transform the way we are able to use the existing clubhouse,” Mr Cowlishaw said.

“The northern end of the current clubhouse can now be developed to provide modern bathroom facilities for our members and visitors. In turn, we will redevelop the ‘old’ changing rooms into a multi-function bathroom with baby changing facilities and disabled access,” he added.

Another part of the renovation is the transformation of the club’s old office. The old office will be developed and changed into two referee changing rooms.

Furthermore, the final stage of the renovation involves the upgrade of the canteen, kitchen, and club room. With these upgrades, the club can have a café style menu and bar in the revamped space.

Plans for the club’s development became a reality through the aid of the grant writer, Seweryn Bialasiewicz and their architect, David Stone.

“Whilst we announce these plans today I’d like to thank our members for their continued support. We recognise that our facilities, particularly for our female members, have been inadequate for some time. The spirit of this club and our members continues to inspire us,” Mr Cowlishaw said.

Visit the Bardon Latrobe Football Club website to learn more.

Fun-Filled Day At Rainworth State School’s Annual Fair

Bring your whole family for a day filled with fun and activities at the Rainworth State School’s Fair on 26 August from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

There will be plenty of entertainment and great rides. The Rainbow Singers & Creative Generation, the Premier Dance Academy, and the Guitar Gym will fill up the morning schedule with awesome performances.

Don’t miss Rainworth’s Got Talent at 11:00 a.m. followed by another line-up of entertainment such as Bazil Grumble and the Briswest Band.

Aside from that, there will be stalls of good food waiting for you. Get a BBQ, a burger, or perhaps, some sweets for your sweet tooth? For adults, there will be a bar and a coffee shop as well.

Kids can enjoy fun activities such as face painting and other games.

For more details, click here.

Address: Norman Buchan Park, 53 Rainworth Rd, Bardon QLD

Restaurants to Keep You Warm this Winter in Bardon

Bardon has several restaurants serving up delicious comfort food to keep you warm this winter season. If you are looking for a hearty, delightful meal, check out these restaurants that are dishing up a specialised winter menu to give you the warm fuzzies to help you beat the cold weather.

Smoked Paprika

One of the favourite brunch spots of Brisbane foodies, Smoked Paprika has a new menu includes a serious serving of flavourful dishes created by Hungarian head chef and owner Gabor Traub. Aptly named after Hungary’s favourite spice, Smoked Paprika has been delighting customers with their mouth-watering, Instagram-worthy, all-day breakfast and lunch meals.

A post shared by Smoked Paprika (@smokedpaprikacafe) on May 31, 2018 at 6:46pm PDT

One of the newest additions to their freshly revamped menu is the Nutella S’mores Almond Hot Chocolate that is ready to warm up your cold morning.

A post shared by Smoked Paprika (@smokedpaprikacafe) on Jun 28, 2018 at 7:52pm PDT

Another hit with the brunch crowd is their sensational serving of Crepes, a culinary creation filled with Hungarian beef stew, poached eggs, smoked paprika hollandaise, goats cheese, pan fried spinach, chickpeas, mushrooms, and parsnip puree.

Their menu also includes vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.

Smoked Paprika is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily. Visit their official page to learn more.

Location: 9/65 MacGregor Terrace, Bardon

The Persian Restaurant

For those cold winter nights, warm dinner awaits in The Persian Restaurant in Bardon. Serving authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, the family-owned restaurant is beloved for their delicious Persian food that includes traditional Kebab dishes, lamb shanks, and more.

A post shared by The Persian Restaurant (@thepersianrestaurant) on May 25, 2018 at 9:14pm PDT

The restaurant is known for serving a special winter soup (Asheh e Reshteh) every other night and their menu also includes a gluten-free/vegan soup of the day.

The restaurant’s food options range from simple salads and light meals to hearty main course dishes, such as their gluten-free Baghali Polo that comes with Basmati long rice with broad beans and dill served with chicken or lamb.

The Persian Restaurant is open from 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., Tuesdays to Thursdays and from 11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., Fridays to Sundays. Visit their website to learn more.

Location: 65 Macgregor Terrace, Bardon

Lutèce Bistro & Wine Bar

Thinking of having a French degustation? Lutèce Bistro & Wine Bar has curated an exclusive Winter Tasting Menu and a Special Winter Lunch Menu to satisfy your cravings for an authentic French cuisine.

A post shared by Brisbane Food-Places-Lifestyle (@discoverbrisbane) on Jul 3, 2017 at 4:04am PDT

The Winter Tasting Menu includes their signature sand crab lasagne with a creamy crustacean sauce plus an extensive list of desserts and a selection of wine.

Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free menu options are also available.

Lutèce Bistro & Wine Bar is open from 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. for lunch and from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. for dinner. For bookings, call 07 3161 1858 or email bookings@lutece.com.au. Visit their official page for more information.

Location: 1/60 Macgregor Terrace, Bardon

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