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Honour Ave Cellars: Tiny Graceville Wine Bar/Bottle Shop Offers Huge Selection of Obscure Wines

With over 150 labels on offer and 2,500 wine bottles stored in a 28-sqm space, Honour Ave Cellars in Graceville might seem tiny, but the lack of space has certainly not cramped their style as one of Brisbane’s well-stocked watering holes.

Sommelier Chris Siktars carefully planned out what he really wanted for his wine bar/bottle shop hybrid before opening the shop in October 2021. He made sure to have a good number of Eastern European wines, including those that come from his family’s vineyards in Hungary, which might be unheard of in the Southern Hemisphere.

Some of the bottles at Honour Ave Cellars are obscure, rare vintages that won’t likely be restocked once it’s sold, which is why Chris has also set up his shop to sell wine by the glass to give wine lovers a chance to sample his unique discoveries.

To elevate the experience, the venue also offers food to pair with the wine chosen from an uncomplicated menu that includes salumi (cured meats), varieties of cheese, handmade potato gnocchi, slow-cooked Nduja ragu, crumbed Noosa swordfish, Stracciatella and four cheese Arancini.

Customers of Honour Ave Cellars may nibble a few bites at the table set up the middle of the shop whilst a few steps away, Chris stands by the counter, pouring a glass of vino or slicing the cured meats. The store’s entrance also has seats al fresco.

*Photo Credit: Honour Ave Cellars/Facebook*

The chic concept of this wine bar/bottle shop hybrid, a commonplace in Europe, will make guests feel like the place is someone’s private and intimate cellar. So, if you’re looking for intimate drinking and dining place, head down to this shop in Graceville.

Follow Honours Ave Cellars on Facebook for updates.

“A hidden gem in the burbs with a fantastic selection of fine wine, exquisite food and friendly staff who will go above and beyond. Thank you for a wonderful dining experience, I will be back.”
Ngaire Abberton

“Great food, wine and service. I can’t believe they had Turkish wine, it taste’s nice. Had an awesome time. My wife and I will be returning. Thank you.”
Tony Alkan

“Every once in a while you come across a little gem of a place that punches well above its weight, and Honour Ave Cellars is one of those. The quality of food they produce from their little kitchen is simply outstanding. Couple this with amazing wines and friendly, knowledgeable staff and you’re on a real winner. I cannot recommend this place enough. Do yourself a favour and settle in here for a sunny afternoon of bliss.”
Alan Duffield

Graceville’s Western Suburbs Bulldogs Makes Strong Start in Sci-Fleet Motors First Grade Premiership

Having won last season’s Sci-Fleet Motors First Grade Premiership, the Western Suburbs Bulldogs started off their defence of the Cam Battersby Cup with a win.

Read: Australian Pearls Rugby Captain coming to St Aidan’s Sports Awards

Sam Truloff led the way last season in the two-day comp, with an extraordinary average of 111.6 across the 13 matches.

His knock of 114 (his highest score of the season so far) in the first innings against Souths proved a matchwinner for the Western Suburbs and got the defending champions off to a great start.

The match at Norman Gray Oval in Yeronga ended in a win for Wests by 1 wicket.

Western Suburbs Bulldogs - Cricket Score

Skipper Paddy Dooley chipped in with a very handy 49 and 4 for 38 with the ball. He is currently the season’s top wicket-taker for Wests in 1st Grade, averaging a wicket every 5 overs at 23.28 runs.

Many remember Chris Sabburg as the man who caught Kevin Pietersen when on as a sub for Ryan Harris in the 2013 Ashes. Chris proved to be the season’s main strike bowler so far, with a wicket every 10 balls at 11.53, although those figures are based on his performance in the KFC T20 Max Competition, in which Wests went down to Souths in the Semi-Final.

Read: Weemalla House In Corinda Stands As Symbol Of Brisbane’s Elite In The Early 20th Century

The 29-year-old Truloff recently top-scored with 49 for QLD against South Australia in the Marsh Cup, amongst a strong batting line-up that included Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw, having made his List A debut for the Bulls last season.

see the FUll scorecard

Cliveden Avenue Reserve, A ‘Secret Forest’ In Corinda

Located 30 minutes away from the city, the secluded Cliveden Avenue Reserve is known as the ‘secret forest’ of Corinda.

Read: New Solar-Powered Flood Warning Signs to be Installed along Roads Near Oxley Creek

In 1995, the Cliveden Avenue Reserve Bushcare Group was formed. It is one of the bushcare groups of the Oxley Creek Catchment Association, a not-for-profit community-based organisation whose mission is to protect and enhance the natural environment and resources of the catchment of Oxley Creek.

The Cliveden Avenue Reserve consists of bushland flora, with creepers and other invasive plants in the area, such as cat’s claw pepper trees, and climbing asparagus, that need to be controlled to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

The reserve is also home to other weeds, such as the coastal morning glory, Glycine, which have to be treated and reduced, so that the bushland can regenerate and be capable of repairing itself.

Photo credit: oxleycreekcatchment.org.au

Every month, volunteers would spend a couple of hours together, working on the restoration of the forest. They would visit every first Saturday of the month, usually at around 8:00 a.m. in summer months and 8:30 in winter.

The group, led by Carole Bristow, is responsible for searching for the native ground covers, weeding around them, and leaving them to increase.

They have to be careful in clearing the weedy grasses, though, because they provide protection for the soil whilst providing shelter to creatures like spiders, skinks, and insects. For them, it feels like a treasure hunt to discover what species occupy different areas.

“When you go for a walk through there, there is a refreshing feeling to the area that comes with a wild place, a natural place. These are core values we want to maintain,” the group stated.

The group encourages others to help maintain ecological integrity and local character of the remnant bushland, and to protect the values of wildness and naturalness.

For the volunteers, this section of Cliveden Ave is a special place and having a chance to work on its restoration felt like a privilege.

Those who would like to work with the group may call Ms Bristow at 3379 1453 or text 0409 495 017.

About the Cliveden Avenue Reserve

Located on the eastern part of Cliveden Avenue in Corinda, Cliveden Avenue Reserve is a pocket of bushland that will give you a hint of how Oxley Creek looked before it was colonised.

Ralph Fones, a historian, revealed that the first owners in early colonial days did not clear all the bushland but left it along the creek “so that people would know what it used to look like.”

Read: Look: Finalised Plans For Graceville Riverside Parklands Unveiled

The reserve is popular among those who are looking for easy walking trails around Brisbane. It’s close to Corinda Horse and Pony Club and Neata Street Park.

Joint Venture Submits Plans for Willawong Industrial Park

Photo Credit: Centennial / centennial.com

Australian property fund manager Centennial Property Group and real estate investor MaxCap Group have partnered for a $90-million joint venture that will deliver an industrial park in Willawong.

The proposed development comprises the three adjoining sites at 162-172 Sherbrooke Road and 142 Sherbrooke Road, Willawong that were acquired from separate vendors for a total price of $14.35 million. Simon Hulett, MaxCap’s Head of Direct Investment described the off-market acquisitions as a strong strategic fit for their Diversified Opportunity Fund (MDOF).

“It’s relatively rare to find a such a significant parcel of land in this location, and with record low vacancy in the core Central South precinct around Acacia Ridge and Coopers Plains, there is currently significant interest in new buildings in Willawong,” Mr Barrett explained.

The Link Industrial Park Willawong — Photo Credit: Centennial / centennial.com

According to Centennial Executive Director and CEO-Industrial & Logistics, Paul Ford, the acquisitions strengthened Centennial’s growing and niche portfolio within the industrial and logistics ‘mid-space’ market. The company is considered Brisbane’s third largest manager of “mid-space” assets.

“The strategic off-market purchase of these sites in Willawong has been completed in line with our focus on delivering institutional grade ‘mid-space’ warehouse accommodation, with strong connectivity to major distribution networks in land-constrained, inner-ring locations at scale, and will enhance Centennial’s geographic diversification in the Queensland market,” Mr Ford said.

The newly formed 8ha Willawong estate will be the project site for the proposed “The Link Industrial Park” which will comprise nine office/warehouse buildings to be built over two stages. Tendering for the speculative construction of the industrial park has also commenced with a completion date anticipated in the last quarter of 2023.

The Link Industrial Park will have a total site coverage of 50 per cent, 32,000sqm gross leasable area with a value of $90 million once completed. It will offer direct access to transport hubs and major arterials, including the Gateway, Logan and Ipswich Motorways (within 10kms) and Pacific Highway (within 13kms) which will ensure connectivity to Brisbane City’s port and airport.

“When complete, the estate at 142-172 Sherbrooke Road will have significant appeal for a broad range of end user customers courtesy of Willawong’s land-constrained, last-mile location, quality of design and finishes and flexibility in the range of warehouse configurations and sizes, from 1,200sqm GLA right up to 20,000 sqm GLA.”

The new estate is situated between the Logan Motorway and the Acacia Ridge Rail Marshalling Yards.

142 Sherbrooke Rd, Willawong QLD 4110, Australia

Home Buy-back Scheme Rolls Out In Oxley, Rocklea

Homeowners in Rocklea and Oxley, whose properties were badly impacted by the devastating floods last February, will be among the first ones to take part in Brisbane’s property buy-back scheme.

Read: Bunnings Plans To Rebuild Oxley Store With Flood-resilient Features

This comes after the city received the first $50 million payment from the State Government through its Voluntary Home Buy-back Program (VHBP).

In a buy-back scheme like VHBP, homeowners willingly sell their properties to the government, who will consider reusing the land for purposes other than residential. Applicants undergo assessment based on certain eligibility criteria and rules.

Council identifies eligible houses for the scheme and prioritises which properties will be purchased based on the predicted frequency and depth of future flooding.

Aftermath of February 2022 severe weather event (Photo credit: Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner)

For the first round of its buy-back scheme, Brisbane City Council is currently in talks with the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA), who will help with negotiations to buy back homes of the 16 successful applicants.

So far, authorities have received only 171 applications for buyback in the local government area–which is just a fraction of the 23,000 properties in Brisbane that were flooded this year.

The Brisbane Flood Review 2022, authored by Paul de Jersey, AC, highlighted that in some areas, rather than surrender their houses, some residents have preferred to raise their homes beyond flood levels.

“Respondents reported that some locals who had lifted their homes after 2011 were protected from flooding. Some, however, despite raising their homes still suffered inundation of the upper levels or were inundated for the first time during the 2022 event,” Mr de Jersey wrote.

“There are suggestions that Council should conduct a review of the existing planning laws to provide a streamlined process for planning applications to mitigate flooding.”

Meanwhile, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner understands it’s just one suite of many responses to natural disasters and floods Brisbane can use and should not be seen as some kind of a silver bullet.

Cr Schrinner said Council would come to an agreement with property owners and assured that the process will be completed as quickly as possible. Council is looking to make official offers this September and finalise the acquisitions by December 2022.

Read: Western Districts Netball Association Club, Other Flood-Impacted Sporting Clubs to Receive Flood Recovery Funding

Aside from homeowners in Rocklea and Oxley, those who are in Windsor, Clayfield, Herston, Boondall, Yeerongpilly, Archerfield, and Carina will benefit in the first round of funding.

Black Spot Program Sets Safety Upgrades for Rosemary and Biota Streets in Inala

Did you know that the intersection of Rosemary and Biota Streets in Inala has had nine crashes and hospitalisations between 2015 to 2021? Under the Black Spot Program, plans are now in place to upgrade this location with better safety features to help reduce the risk of further accidents occurring.

The project has been included in the Black Spot Program under the Federal National Road Safety Strategy. It’s one of four intersections earmarked for improvements, alongside Adelaide and Creek Streets in the CBD, Hamilton and Bilsen Roads in Hamilton, and Forest Lake Boulevard and Rudyard Street in Forest Lake.

Construction is expected to start by late August 2022 and will be completed before the year ends. Work will entail the following:

extending the right-turn pocket on Rosemary Street
installing an additional mast arm to improve signal visibility
upgrading signals at the intersection to provide a fully controlled right-turn from Rosemary Street into Biota Street
upgrading drainage and lighting throughout the intersection
trimming trees
completing new road resurfacing, landscaping and line marking

Rosemary and Biota Streets Black Spot Program — Photo Credit: BCC

“Our improvements will make it easier and safer for you to travel, with upgrades including red arrow traffic lights and crossing upgrades to better protect all road users,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“Thank you to the Federal Government for partnering with us to deliver these important upgrades.”

Questions about the project may be directed via the Project Team at 1800 669 416 or the Council at 07 3403 8888 or by emailing cityprojects@brisbane.qld.gov.au.

Western Districts Netball Association Club, Other Flood-Impacted Sporting Clubs to Receive Flood Recovery Funding

Photo Credit: Western Districts Netball Association / Facebook

More than $500 million will be spent on the restoration and improvement of sporting clubs, including Graceville’s Western Districts Netball Association Club, and other Council assets as part of the 2022-23 Budget.

Western Districts Netball Association Club is among the eight Brisbane sporting clubs that are set to receive funding to assist in the recovery efforts from the impact of the February 2022 floods. Council has set aside a budget of $167,000 to go towards the rehabilitation of the club, particularly the installation of lighting replacement and resurfacing of its netball courts

Other clubs to receive support under the program include Valley Hockey Club, Sandgate Hawks Football Club and the Carrington Boating Club. A total of 106 sports fields have been assessed to have been damaged and impacted by the flood.

The 2022-23 Budget allocated $505 million to the impacted facilities and assets which also include 198 buildings; 285 kilometres of roads; 74 car parks; 292 playgrounds; 863 parks; three major bikeways; 42 public barbecues; some 4,200 streets, park and bikeway lights; 25 park toilets and four public pools.

About $180 million will be spent on these flood-damaged clubs and sporting fields whilst nearly $60 million will be spent for the repair of impacted bikeways and $53 for parks and playgrounds. Moreover, Brisbane’s ferry infrastructure will get repair funding of $27.6 million and almost $40 million will be allocated for road repairs.

Council will also continue to invest around $3 million a year towards the improvement of club facilities under the Better Suburbs Grants. This includes the $200,000 grant awarded last year to Algester Sports Club that went towards the club’s kitchen upgrade as well as the $150,000 funding received by the Bulimba Community Club for the improvement of their toilet facilities.

flood-impacted Western Districts Netball Association Club — Photo Credit: Western Districts Netball Association / Facebook

Council will also invest a record $131 million in drainage projects to further boost the city’s flood resilience.

Flood recovery funds will also be allocated for the following Council assets:

$166.2 million for community clubs
$12 million for pools
$1.4 million other community venues
$12.2 million for other river assets such as wharves, jetties and pontoons
$54.7 million for sea and river walls

“This is not just a record spend but almost double our normal budget because we are determined to do what we can to limit the impact of flooding,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Brisbane is built on a flood plain so we are never going to be able to flood-proof our city but the prospect of more frequent flooding as a result of climate change means we must act.”

Issues Raised On Reopening Graceville Playgrounds Without Adequate Cleaning, Fall Measures

Several playgrounds across Tennyson ward, including four in Graceville, have reportedly reopened after the city’s major flood events without adequate cleaning and without a soft fall surface in place.

Read: Flood-Hit Bunnings in Oxley Remains Closed as Rocklea Outlet Reopens with Revamped Format

Soft fall is an impact-absorbing layer that is laid beneath the finished surface of an indoor/outdoor area and can be in the form of rubber, synthetic grass, shock absorbing pads and even wood chips.

Around 12 playgrounds closed in Tennyson Ward after flood waters inundated the locality’s low-lying areas. In Graceville, these are Faulkner Park, Giraween Park, John Walker Park and Fehlberg St Park. Other playgrounds which were affected by flood include Robinson St Park and Norm Rose Park in Fairfield.

Faulkner Park — Photo credit: Daniel Hunter/Google Maps

During a Council meeting in June 2022, Councillor for Tennyson Ward Nicole Johnston complained over playgrounds reopening with those issues.

Cr Johnston claimed Brisbane City Council reopened them without de-compacting and removing the sewage-contaminated base and soft fall under the play equipment.

reopening playgrounds — Photo credit: Cr Nicole Johnston/Facebook

The Councillor highlighted that these playgrounds, along with some others in the locality, could still be contaminated by floodwater.

Meanwhile, Council assured that they are completing assessments of all city assets, following the flood in February 2022. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner revealed that the major flood event affected over 300 playgrounds across the city.

Cr Schrinner said they are also working as quickly as they can to get the soft fall replaced.

He said officers inspected to determine whether soft fall loss, debris or the presence of other materials, such as mud, warranted the closure of the playground until rectification works were complete, after the playgrounds were inundated by flood.

The Lord Mayor asserted that they will not open a playground that they thought would be a safety risk.

Flood-Hit Bunnings in Oxley Remains Closed as Rocklea Outlet Reopens with Revamped Format

Photo Credit: Kos and Co/Facebook

After incurring major damage during the February floods, Bunnings in Oxley seems nowhere near reopening but the Rocklea outlet less than six kilometres away is back in operation with a new format.

Whilst workers at Bunnings Oxley have been reassigned, the Rocklea location has been revamped with a new cafe, new kitchen design area, new bathroom displays, a Trade Desk section and LED lights around the playground for kids.

Jon Fenton, the manager for Bunnings Rocklea, said that the revamping should provide loyal customers with a better shopping experience. He is thankful for the community’s patience as the outlet had to shut down for more than three months so they could make the changes and improvements.

Bunnings Rocklea had two short and simple events for the public last 18 and 19 June 2022 to mark the reopening.

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A post shared by Terry Kos (@kosandcobuilding)

Meanwhile, the future of the Oxley outlet’s reopening is still in the cards but there were projections that it could take a full year to revamp the site. Jason Doyle, the regional manager for Bunnings, said that their utmost priority is the safety and well-being of the workers. Thus, the Oxley store’s revamping will include flood-proofing and other considerations.

Bunnings in Rocklea and Oxley were also impacted by the 2011 flooding and closed for two months. In 2017, the Oxley site also temporarily shut down after the minor flooding.

Team Australia Nabs Bronze Medal in Sweden, Competes in Tasmania

The Australian Tenpin Bowling team, with Oxley talent Jamie Robinson, competes in Tasmania after winning the bronze medal at the men’s event of the International Bowling Federation (IBF) Under 21 World Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden in June 2022.

Robinson will be heading to Tasmania with team Australia for the Australian Open. The Oxley lad will also bowl at the South Australia and then Toowoomba for the East Coast Challenge Cup (ECCC) in September.

In the semi-finals, Team Australia gave Team USA some competition but it was the latter who ranked second after the Czech Republic. Nonetheless, Australia’s bronze medal win is still a major feat considering 46 countries competed for the top prize.

The team from down under is made up of Robinson, Bernie Grueso Jr (Victoria), Cameron Stein (Queensland), and Nixon Chan (New South Wales).

“I am very honoured to represent Australia in my first international tournament. The team of Australia did amazing and fought some tough games but we did it and came home with bronze,” Robinson said.

“I would like to thank Geoff Bowness, our team coach, for all his hard work, Peter and Rosalee also, for all their hard work, and to my boss, Sue Long, at Zone Bowling for her support on and off the lanes.”

“To my parents, thanks for everything they do but also my community who helped with fundraising and awesome support,” Robinson said.

The IBF Under 21 World Championships was the first international bowling sports event since 2019. At the start of the game, Team Australia qualified at the 13th spot among the competing nations but the men’s team progressed all the way to the semi-finals.