The young members of Wellers Hill Girl Guides got busy weeks before Christmas as they handmade wooden Reinders at The Salvation Army home in Carindale. These handcrafted gifts will go to disadvantaged families across Queensland so they could enjoy the spirit of Christmas.
The girls not only helped make wooden toys but also learned of the valuable work undertaken by The Salvation Army Carindale, especially during the gift-giving season. The kids showed interest in understanding how these presents are going to help families.
Wellers Hill Girl Guides encourages a well-rounded development for young girls by running activities that build their leadership, confidence, resilience, and empathy. Their involvement also raises awareness for diversity, issues in the community, and interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The group meets every week during the school term at the Wellers Hill Girl Guide Hut.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Meanwhile, despite COVID-19 last Christmas, The Salvation Army was able to distribute more than 64,000 hampers with 26,000 gifts to Australian families in need and as the pandemic continues, donations and contributions to this cause will allow more people to have a festive season despite the crisis.
Planning for Stages 2 and 3 on the Salisbury train station park n’ ride expansion project is currently underway. This comes after Stage 1 of construction was completed last June 2021.
The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads is now in the planning process for Stage 2 and 3 of the park n’ ride expansion. And whilst no start date has been announced yet, the next phase of the project will entail the relocation of public utilities and a service road to make way for the construction of a second car park. The suburb currently has 52 parking spaces which would be increased to around 300 upon completion of the expansion project.
In mid-2021, the department completed Stage 1 of the construction works on the $14.5 million park n’ ride expansion project situated on the corner of Beaudesert Road and Lillian Avenue.
Stage 1 of construction delivered some 140 additional parking spaces, allowing an increase in capacity which would in turn reduce congestion during peak hours, help ease traffic congestion, and enhance commuters safety.
Along with the additional parking spaces, the project is expected to install new CCTV cameras and lighting whilst four of the accessible parking spaces at the existing park n’ ride will also be upgraded. Also, a new pedestrian footpath going to the entrance of the Salisbury station will be constructed along Lillian Avenue and Dollis Street.
In early July 2021, an under track crossing construction was also undertaken. The construction work at the Salisbury Station involved the installation of under track crossing conduits, service trenching and installation of cable route, and installation of fencing.
Photo credit: Cross River Rail / crossriverrail.qld.gov.au
Salisbury Station is just one of the six stations currently undergoing upgrades along with Rocklea, Moorooka, Yeerongpilly, Yeronga, and Fairfield as part of the ongoing Cross River Rail project.
The Tarragindi property market has been a consistently strong performer among Brisbane’s suburbs even during the pre-pandemic period and that hasn’t changed, as buyers home in on areas with affordable rates and the best lifestyle offerings.
Tarragindi’s property market grew by 9.78 per cent from July 2020 to July 2021.
The median house price increased from $830,000 to $911,000.
Houses sold at a brisk pace, spending an average of 31 days on market, with 223 properties sold for the period.
House Price Growth
Data from Property Market Updates showed that house prices in Tarragindi Tarragindi moved upward by 9.76 per cent during the period July 2020 to June 2021, raising the median house price from $830,000 to $911,000.
Properties spent an average of 31 days on market, with 223 properties sold during this period. Nearly half of the properties sold were three-bedroom houses located in the large, leafy residential blocks that the suburb is known for.
A three-bedroom split-level house on Pring Street, boasting of a unique pavilion-style design from Shaun Lockyer, sold the highest price in June 2021 at $2,325,000. The home has an open plan kitchen, living, and dining areas surrounded by lush greenery for al fresco dining and leisure, as well as a balcony with a wonderful view of the Brisbane city skyline. It’s located within a 12-minute drive to the city but its owners can easily walk to various establishments, shops, and primary schools.
About Tarragindi
Tarragindi has an uncommon topography that makes it attractive to locals and visitors alike because it’s very close to the city — about six kilometres — yet it has 260 hectares of green space that delivers the country vibe. The Toohey Forest Park provides a generous area where groups can enjoy heaps of recreational activities like bushwalking, biking, or picnics.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
The community spirit remains alive in this suburb despite its evolution and gentrification. Neighbours still send out lunches or snacks to each other as a gesture of goodwill. Thus, Tarragindi draws young families and discerning parents who plan on sending their kids to two most sought-after primary schools in the area — St Elizabeth’s School and Wellers Hill State School, with its Japanese language program. The suburb has easy access to good and reputable hospitals as well, such as Mater, Princess Alexandra, and Greenslopes.
Brick houses and post-war or tin homes built in the 60s and 70s were once prevalent in the suburb but in recent years, many house designs in Tarragindi have been upgraded to luxury-style properties for modern living. The main retail hub is on Denham Terrace but new cafes and other establishments have opened doors along Cracknell Road.
“Tarragindi is a highly desirable suburb to live in and it’s easy to see why; close to the city, friendly locals, excellent transport, and very green and leafy. My partner and I grew up in Coorparoo and were delighted when we bought our first property together in Tarragindi. We’ve been here for two years now and wouldn’t think of living anywhere else in Brisbane.”
Caps
“Great community to live in! Spent my twenties wanting to live in a place called “Tarragindi”. Have bought and sold twice in this suburb with my family in my 30’s! Will spend the rest of my days residing here. Close to town, great parks and 40mins to the northern tip of the Gold Coast. Excellent schools, with public transport to and from. Love the forest for walking and riding in and the choice of parks for the kids to play in. Live in a street where each year for the past 16years they have arranged a street party for Christmas. When walking the dog, everyone says hello and smiles.”
40with4
“Tarragindi is ideally suited to families and/or professionals needing easy access to the city and plenty of green spaces and a quiet environment. The area is replete with parks, reserves and forest and is far less built up than your average inner-city suburb. Close access to the SE freeway means you are in the CBD by car generally in under 10 minutes (in good driving conditions); most bus routes here join the busway which shortens trips considerably.”
Wellers Hill Medical Centre, the long-established health facility on Denham Terrace in Tarragindi, has been named the General Practice of the Year for Queensland at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Awards.
Dr Nicholas Gianarakis accepted the award on behalf of the Wellers Hill Medical Centre staff during the ceremony at the City Hall. He said that this recognition is a tribute to the hardwork of the team, especially during this pandemic.
“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this allowed us to restructure our practice to create an isolated respiratory clinic,” Dr Gianarakis said. “This has also enabled us to operate a busy Covid vaccination clinic delivering approximately one thousand COVID-19 vaccines every week.”
“We strive to maintain the caring and hardworking ethos of the late Dr Nicholas Conomos, who founded our practice in 1961,” the doctor added.
The RACGP Awards honour individual GPs, supervisors, GPs in training and general practices around the country. Also recognised for Queensland are Dr Joseph England of Townsville for GP in Training of the Year, Dr Sam Manger of Maleny of the Sunshine Coast for GP of the Year, and Dr Yvette Morcos of the Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Primary Health Care Service in Mareeba for GP Supervisor of the Year.
The award comes as the medical centre has also recently completed its upgrades and expansion to accommodate more patients and specialists to cater to a broad spectrum of healthcare issues.
Aside from onsite experts, the facility provides pathology services as well as allied health services related to psychology, podiatry, exercise physiology, dietetics, and audiology. Wellers Hill Medical Centre also conducts telehealth consultation as its standard operating procedure.
“We are now doing telehealth (video) consultations as our first preference. When the Doctor is ready, you will be sent a link to your phone via text message. Please click on this link and accept the call, you will then be connected with the Doctor via video. Your smartphone will need a camera and internet access for this to work.”
In 2018, the Tarragindi Bowls Club moved to the Salisbury Sports and Community Club because of the planned redevelopment. In August 2021, RetireAustralia, the developer behind the retirement village project, received approval from the Queensland Planning and Environment Court to bring back the Tarragindi Bowls Club as a full competition bowling green.
RetireAustralia plans to put a championship quality 10-rink bowling facility with a new clubhouse, cafe, and car parking spaces for visitors. The site next to a 94-apartment complex will include large green spaces for the children to play and for the grown-ups to establish a productive garden.
Photo Credit: Retirement Australia/Google Maps
Brett Robinson, the CEO of Retire Australia, said that The Green will be “a landmark development with a shared community” alongside the Yeronga Services and Community Club. The club’s officials believe that the redevelopment will help Tarragindi Bowls Club diversify and survive with new revenue streams amid the changing needs of the locals.
“All residents of The Green also enjoy free lifetime membership to the Tarragindi Bowls Club, which has been proudly brought back to life as the heart of this thriving community and neighbourhood,” RetireAustralia stated.
“Open and accessible to all, the Club is the go-to place for your daily caffeine fix, sunset drinks, leisurely meals or a game on the championship-quality green.”
Support groups are a good place to start looking for help when it comes to raising your little one, especially when you have a newborn in the house. If you’re in Brisbane, you can turn to Possums & Co, a nonprofit organisation founded by Tarragindi local Dr Pamela Douglas.
The team at Possums & Co, led by Dr Douglas, are leaders in evidence-based support on breastfeeding, sleep, crying babies, and maternal mood. Dr Douglas is a GP-Lactation Consultant, Breastfeeding Medicine Specialist and ACT Therapist who has been in general practice since 1985.
Dr Douglas developed Neuroprotective Developmental Care or ‘the Possums programs’ which integrates the latest research including lactation science, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, sleep science, and attachment psychology with a set of powerful psychological strategies known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Renee Keogh, a registered nurse and lactation consultant with Dr Pamela Douglas, founder and medical director of the Possums Clinic (Photo supplied)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of psychotherapy that emphasizes acceptance as a way to deal with negative thoughts. As ACT Mindfully explains it, the goal of ACT is to maximise human potential for a rich, full and meaningful life.
“Women with babies and small children need to get together! It’s good for a woman’s mental health, it’s good for the baby. And the Possums community is known as a welcoming, non-judgemental place for parents who are passionate about supporting their baby’s secure attachment, which is all parents actually!” said Dr Douglas.
How Possums & Co Can Help
Ms Keogh and events coordinator Ms De-Arne Wicks (far right) with a Possums & Co mum and her baby/Photo supplied
Possums & Co provides group sessions for mothers and babies at The South Brisbane Sailing Club in West End.
Every Wednesday starting at 11:00 a.m. the Possums team provide an opportunity to bring like-minded parents together for support and enjoyment. All are welcome, even if they are new to Possums – they only ask for a small gold coin donation to cover costs.
Dr Douglas and Ms Keogh (Photo supplied)
They have set up a parent drop-in morning every Wednesday, to create a non-judgemental welcoming space for parents to drop in, have a chat, feel supported. In addition to online self-help programs about sleep and breastfeeding, Possums & Co offers free resources for parents in the form of blogs, videos, podcasts.
The Possums Clinic Brisbane is also offering in-clinic consultations and home visits. They provide specialised services in breastfeeding, sleep, and unsettled babies. To learn more about their services, visit their website or follow them on Facebook for updates.
Following a simple sod-turning ceremony on Cracknell Road in Tarragindi, construction will soon begin for The Green, a new retirement village that will stand next to the Tarragindi Bowls Club and clubhouse.
A project hatched by Yeronga Services and Community Club and RetireAustralia, the $80-million development of an expansive and beautiful retirement village is projected to start in late 2021 and will take 18 months to finish. However, expressions of interest have been opened as well.
Pictured left to right Hutchinson Builders Chairman Scott Hutchinson, Yeronga Services Club General Manager Nathan Young, Brisbane City Councillor and Deputy Mayor Cr Krista Adams and RetireAustralia CEO Brett Robinson.Photo Credit: RetirementAustralia/Facebook
Hutchinson Builders will develop The Green as a community asset that will have 94 apartments for independent living, a private cinema, indoor and outdoor gyms, and a library. Its residents will have access to the bowling green next door.
At least 70 percent of the retirement site will be an open space, where residents may also enjoy a secured and landscaped park with common areas for gardening, barbecuing, and a playground for the grandkids who will come to visit their grandparents.
“The Green, like all our villages, is designed to offer choice, support, social connection and peace of mind,” RetireAustralia CEO Brett Robinson said. “It will be a thriving community with care at its heart.”
Scott Hutchinson, the chairman of Hutchinson Builders, said that their workers have been eager to get started on building The Green since the site has been passive for a very long time. Nathan Young, the general manager of Yeronga Services and Community Club, believes that this retirement site will be a huge drawcard for the Tarragindi community.
Did you know that an all-ages yoga session happens every Friday at the Tarragindi Recreation Reserve behind Bruno’s Cafe on Laura Street? If you haven’t tried this community exercise, you still have heaps of chances to join one session and see if it fits what you need.
The free yoga classes, which will run until the 17th of September 2021, takes place from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Bookings are not required for this session but if you do attend, don’t forget to bring your own yoga mat so you can do the movements in comfort.
Photo Credit: Cr Krista Adams/Facebook
Yoga sessions in the park have other benefits, aside from physical fitness. This outdoor exercise may boost a person’s happy hormones and awareness because the participants are surrounded by natural scenery.
People who spend at least an hour of exercise surrounded by nature can increase the benefits of meditation. Whilst it might seem awkward to do yoga in the park, at first, the power of nature actually makes people more motivated to take deeper breaths and relax, thus maximising the benefits of the session.
Doing yoga in the park also increases a person’s alertness and focus, so participants are able to improve their balance and stability whilst doing the yoga positions. Besides, it makes sense to do actual Sun Salutations under the sun and soak in all that natural vitamin D.
For information about the Friday sessions, phone Yoga Mind Body at 0401 247 328. To learn more about free yoga in the park activities in Tarragindi, check out Brisbane City Council’s Active and Healthy Events.
The house on Tarragindi Street is the first property to break the $3 million mark in this South Brisbane suburb on a day that has been one of the strongest auction days of the year. Eight online bidders had their eye on the house before it sold on 7 Aug 2021, as parts of Queensland were on its 8th day of another lockdown.
Ideally suited for a growing family who loves to entertain, the Tarragindi house offers relaxed outdoor living with its expansive backyard, featured with a heated pool and heaps of space for dining and barbeque.
Photo Credit: realestate.com.au
To the center of the house is a gourmet kitchen that’s meant to become the gathering point among families and friends. The home’s architecture is an impressive three-level concrete building with titanium zinc and cedar cladding. It has an easy outdoor flow that faces a gorgeous view of Brisbane.
Photo Credit: realestate.com.au
Inside, the living area has an Italian tiled gas fireplace and custom-built cabinets. A lift brings the family to the second floor, which has a balcony for lounging and entertaining. The home also has its own media room, gym, and a guest bedroom with a separate entry.
Place Estate Agents managing director Paul Curtain revealed that there had been some apprehension in the market because of the new COVID-19 outbreaks.
However, the response from the market remained strong despite the lockdown as most of the properties during the auction closed within or above the reserve price. Mr Curtain said that property experts don’t see the market changing amidst the restrictions as private inspection could be arranged.
Doratifera vulnerans is a caterpillar found in Toohey Forest that has venomous spines that produce a sharp and burning pain to anything it stings. Researchers at the University of Queensland have been studying its potential for biotechnology in the fields of medicine and pest control.
According to Dr Andrew Walker of UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, scientists previously had no clues as to what was in the venom. Now, they were able to unlock a source showing peptides with “151 different protein-based toxins from 59 different families.”
The researchers were able to synthesize 13 of these protein-based toxins to learn their blueprint and sequences.
“This will enable us to make the toxins and test them in diverse ways,” Dr Walker said. “Our research unlocks a novel source of bioactive peptides that may have some use in medicine, through an ability to influence biological processes and promote good health.”
Photo Credit: University of Queensland
In its initial studies, Dr Walker’s team learned that the venom’s potency could be high enough to kill bacteria from nematode parasites that attack livestock or cause diseases in animals.
But the researchers still need to learn what each of the toxins does so the experts could determine how they might be used.
The Doratifera vulnerans is a binomial name that means “bearer of gifts of wounds.” Also known as the Eucalypt cup moth, this native Brisbane caterpillar has a hard, smooth oval or pear-shaped cocoon (cup) resembling a eucalypt “gumnut.”
According to the Toohey Forest Environmental Educational Center, these caterpillars are among the few venomous caterpillars. They love to eat Eucalyptus leaves but they are easy prey for birds, wasps, flies, and midges.
