Kenmore’s Local Community Fights to Rejuvenate Little Gubberly Creek

A local community project in Kenmore is fighting to rehabilitate the upper part of Little Gubberly Creek and transform it into a wildlife corridor and an outdoor learning area. The Kenmore South Creek Care may be new to the local community, but over the months, they have set things in motion as they gather support from more people to help their cause.

The said creek has been forgotten; weeds have grown along with vines, concealing its natural beauty underneath the plants. Situated just below the school oval, the area has become completely inaccessible, yet the local community group sees its potential.

Photo credit: Kenmore South Creek Care / Facebook

In their efforts to make the creek alive again, they have formed a Bush Care group that can work under the guidance of Habitat Brisbane and the local Cubberla Witton Catchment Network.

Photo credit: Kenmore South Creek Care / Facebook

Brisbane City Council’s Habitat Brisbane helps local community groups bring back life to natural habitats as part of the council’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program. The groups under the program also aim to protect, monitor, and increase native flora and fauna populations. If you wish to join a Habitat group, you can find more information here.

The Cubberla Witton Catchment Network (CWCN) is a volunteer organisation that focuses on the re-establishment and maintenance of ecologically healthy catchments. The network nurtures close relationships with a ride range of local, state, and Commonwealth agencies and community organisations and the Kenmore South Creek Care is proud to be working closely with them.

Just last month, a small group of students from the school has started helping through the Jane Goodall’s ‘Roots and Shoots’ program by spreading the word about their local community’s creek project. The students also collected a sample of weeds from the creek.

Habitat Brisbane will do a formal assessment of the creek. You can visit the local community’s Facebook page for their latest updates on the rehabilitation project.

Kenmore’s LYV Kitchen Aims to Provide Delicious But Clean Food

LYV Kitchen in Kenmore, at Kingussie St. is a restaurant right smack in the middle of a park. And it’s not just a park, it’s actually a park meant mainly for children. The restaurant’s name stands for “Live Your Values” and it’s perfect for health-conscious people who are enthusiasts of plant-based food.

LYV Kitchen focuses on serving healthy food made from locally produced ingredients. Formerly known as Misty’s, it is now being run by the new owner, Ashley, who is all about living her values and sharing it to the public. Ashley created a plant-based menu excluding meat and dairy. Ashley is passionate about spreading a healthy lifestyle and environment, thus her food venture.

Try their granola, which is always freshly prepared in the restaurant. For a boost of energy, you can give their acai bowls a shot.

Photo credit: LYV Kitchen / Facebook
Photo credit: LYV Kitchen / Facebook
Photo credit: LYV Kitchen / Facebook
Photo credit: LYV Kitchen / Facebook

Those that need their caffeine fix can choose from their specialty lattes such as matcha, charcoal and beetroot, and turmeric.

For the kids and the kids-at-heart, there are delicious pancakes and home-made muffins that will surely delight your hearts.

There are also some tasty sweet treats available such as the carrot cake and blueberry cheesecake. You can also choose from their selection of superfood smoothies.

Not just for the health conscious, the place is also perfect for children and pets. The restaurant has an outdoor seating that flows right into the park and playground. You can sip your morning coffee whilst you keep an eye on your kids having fun in the playground.

Family, healthy food, and good, clean fun. LYV certainly makes living your values worth the visit.

2017 Brookfield Show : Scary Weather Forecasts, Equine Flu Scare But The Show Was As Good As Ever

Congratulations to the Brookfield Show Committee

Another great rendition of the Brookfield Show is now behind us, the Show Committee once again organizing three days of action packed fun supported by great sponsors, stall holders, and with the assistance of Kenmore Rotary.

As far as major events go in the western suburbs of Brisbane, there is no bigger than the Brookfield Show.

This year’s event was as good as ever despite a terrible weather forecast, thank goodness proven incorrect!

Friday morning kicked the event off with a mixture of drizzle and heavy rain that left the Boscombe road vendor car park greasy but under management by Kenmore Rotary. The hiatus of school drop offs, coinciding with the arrival of show vendors, happened seamlessly. One Friday casualty due to the weather were the pony events, but the Rodeo went ahead in the evening and locals arrived en masse for a fun evening.

Saturday and Sunday brought glorious weather. The main car park was full by 11:00 a.m. though Boscombe Road had space for most of the day. The equestrian events displayed some great equine talent and riding over the weekend, whilst the gravity of the competition there contrasted with the hilarious pig racing in an adjoining ring.

The rides stayed busy during both days, many kids stretching their $45 all-day pass to the limits, with continual lines at the dodgems.

One concern which the Courier Mail has headlined today was the suspected Hendra virus case, though this was cleared up by a statement from the vet:

brookfield show statement

The Children’s art show was a great success, judged this year by Catherine Mactaggart of Sotheby’s Queensland.

Best in Show was won by Sophie Evans:
brookfield art best in show

Here are some of the other highly talented entrants:

See more entries here

The dog show results can be found here

Councillor Kate Richards reported watching the woodchopping:

A great event that families get wonderful value from every year, West Brisbane is lucky to have the Brookfield Show.

Photo Credit: Brookfield Show from Facebook.com/CrKateRichards

Kenmore Residents Displeased Over New Townhouse Development Proposal

In the wake of a growing number of development plans being submitted for approval, Kenmore seems likely to experience a continuing rise in development and modernisation projects for the near future.

One of these development projects in the area is the Azure Townhouses project along Moggill Road at Margaret Court.

Azure Development Group has lodged its latest proposal with the BCC for the multiple-dwelling project. It aims to provide 104 four-bedroom townhouses of a low-medium density nature across the site in three stages. The proposal also includes a subdivision to accommodate a new public road for the new townhouses on two new lots.

Photo credit: http://www.yourneighbourhood.com.au/
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council

The stages are as follows:

Stage 1. 34 Townhouses, Communal Open Space, Internal Driveway and Public Road
Stage 2. 34 Townhouses and Internal Driveway
Stage 3. 32 Townhouses, Communal Open Space, Internal Driveway and Emergency Access to Wyndarra Street.

Each dwelling will have its own rear balconies, three communal recreation areas, and a large communal open space in the centre of the subject site to accommodate other recreational facilities such as swimming pool, lounge areas, spa, bbq, and a dining area.

However, the residents of the suburb and nearby suburbs are not that thrilled with the proposed developments. The main concern is the traffic that it might cause. Congestion along Moggill Road and parts of State Route 33 that stretch into the Centenary Motorway has long been a problem in the area.

Lawson McCane, a Greens Moggill candidate, also pointed out that the current townhouse applications in the suburb are increasing the congestion problems not only on the roads but also on the capacity of local high schools and community facilities to support a potential population increase.

He is also pushing for people to help ban Queensland property developers from giving political donations to government candidates, to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

The Azure Townhouses development proposal is still being reviewed by the Brisbane City Council. In the meantime, the discussion and controversy among stakeholders and residents remain.

Kenmore State High School Pleads for Urgent Building Upgrades

The school council of Kenmore State High School is urging the Queensland government to come up with a timeframe and funding for buildings urgently needed by the school.

The school council, headed by Scott Meehan, noted that its request for building upgrades is not being addressed. Mr. Meehan said that the school’s masterplan will have to be treated as a priority.

Mr. Meehan believed that the main issue is the lack of funding. As a result, no timeframe has been made for the masterplan.

At the top of the list for improvements is the school’s library. If not upgraded, it will come to a point where some primary schools in the area will have better libraries compared to that of Kenmore High.

Proactive Measures Needed

The school could reach its capacity in three years’ time, according to Mr. Meehan. He stressed the need for the construction to be done as early as possible, especially as some of the current buildings are already deemed insufficient.

The Department of Education and Training stated that the school’s capacity will be adequate even beyond 2021. The proposed improvements are also being studied under the Infrastructure Management Framework of the department.

To address the increasing number of students in the area, there is a proposal to add a new high school that will service Moggill and Ipswich residents. MP for Moggill Dr. Christian Rowan supports this proposal, although he also highlighted the importance of investing in the current school facility.

 

Fig Tree Pocket’s Luxurious Rivergum Retreat Reveals its Hidden Gem

In the serene suburb of Fig Tree Pocket lies a mansion straight from an action movie. Along Needham Street, the calmness, the green leafy surrounds may fool you that all is calm until you reach No.36, a huge mansion called the Rivergum Retreat.

Seeing the eye-catching mansion from the road is exciting, but the experience of stepping into its massive Zen-like foyer is truly breathtaking. The magnificent river view from the floor-to-ceiling-windows gives new meaning to the term “eye candy”.

Photo credit: www.domain.com.au
Photo credit: www.domain.com.au

The sprawling mansion has luxuriously appointed rooms, a state-of-the-art entertainment area, a beautiful kitchen that will bring out your inner chef, and an infinity pool that overlooks the river.

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Photo credit: www.domain.com.au

 

A House with a Secret

But what makes the house even more special is the secret it keeps in its library. The library seems innocuous enough. It has a sitting area and shelves of books. But it has something straight out of a James Bond movie. Pull out some innocent-looking bookshelves and you can step into a secret hideaway — a room and a bar.

Photo credit: www.domain.com.au
Photo credit: www.domain.com.au

On the Market

The mansion was built in the early 1980s. It was renovated after the current owners bought it in 2008. These days, the mansion is once again in the market and is considered to be one of Brisbane’s most expensive properties.

 

 

Moo-Free Burgers on the Moo-ve to Kenmore

A healthy burger truck is rolling in to Kenmore on 17th May. All ye health buffs out there might want to be at 904 Moggill Road, at Charlie’s Raw Squeeze to get your Moo-Free Burger between 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on that day.

Another healthy venture of Charlie’s Raw Squeeze owners Johnny and Michael Tabet, Moo-Free cooks up and serves delicious burgers – without meat! Noticing the scarcity of decent vegan burgers in Brisbane, the brothers had an epiphany and set off for a healthy adventure. They set up a food truck and started going from one suburb to another, offering vegan burgers and tasty sides.

Photo credit: Moo-Free Burgers / Facebook
Photo credit: Moo-Free Burgers / Facebook

All the items on the menu are prepared and cooked without the use of animals and any animal products. Try their “fish fillet” burgers or their irresistible “chicken” burger. They’re so appetising that you’ll forget they’re vegan!

Their sides include beer-battered chips and sweet potato chips with vegan mayo. They also have gluten-free buns.

Photo credit: Moo-Free Burgers / Facebook
Photo credit: Moo-Free Burgers / Facebook

 

 

Want to know when they’re dropping by your area? Check out their schedule on their Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenmore Hills’ The Creek House Embraces Nature

Kenmore Hills, with its stretches of fertile land, rich bushland, streams, and hobby farms offers a serene sanctuary to its residents, right smack in the foothills of Mt Coot-tha.

Stuart and Davina Gray knew exactly what they wanted in 2013, when they hired their long-time friend, Andrew Munro, the principal of Define Landscape Architecture, to redesign the property and transform a run-down two-storey house into their very own residential sanctuary.

Photo credit: http://www.caandesign.com/
Photo credit: http://www.caandesign.com/

Their 225-sqm property is perfectly situated in an area that slopes down to a natural creek. When choosing materials to use for the house, Shaun Lockyer Architects went with natural materials such as stone and timber to bring the home and its lush, surrounding garden perfectly together. Today, the home is more commonly known as “The Creek House.”

The living area provides a picture-perfect marvellous view of the greenery outside and a glimpse of the creek. There are several climate-proof entertaining areas spread out across two levels of the garden. Each area serves several parts of the home.

Photo credit: http://www.caandesign.com/
Photo credit: http://www.caandesign.com/

The garden has fifteen separate areas, each with its own distinct character. Social gatherings can be held on the verdant lawn areas. Those seeking peace and quiet can look for the hidden retreat down by the creek. The guest courtyard has its own outdoor shower. A birdhouse, fishpond, and beehive provide a touch of whimsy, while the soothing sound of tinkling water from the water feature provides a relaxing ambience to the masterfully designed garden spaces with its lush garden beds. Seasonal garden produce is also grown for food, allowing the occupants and guests to have a garden to gourmet dining experience while at the home.

Photo credit: http://www.caandesign.com/
Photo credit: http://www.caandesign.com/

Easily one of the most attractive properties in Kenmore Hills, the Creek House’s unique take on contemporary design and landscape architecture makes it a real gem, complementing its forest surroundings and bringing nature in, effortlessly and beautifully. Evidently the Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers think so too. They named The Creek House as their 2016 Gold Awardee and recipient of the Best in Category Award.