More than just a morning out for local pets, Portside Wharf is officially redefining what it means to be a neighborhood meeting spot by rolling out a comprehensive pet-welcoming initiative this August.
Early risers will gather near Bella Deli on 29 August as a community-led riverside trek sets the tone for the day. Participants will navigate a scenic 45-minute waterfront trail alongside fellow animal lovers before looping back into the heart of the precinct.
What happens when you combine a massive ball pit with live acoustic music? The atmosphere shifts entirely. While humans sip complimentary hot drinks from a specialized cart and treat their companions to custom puppacinos, early-bird arrivals can score luxury goodie bags stuffed with boutique toys and artisan snacks.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Beyond the weekend festivities, the precinct is implementing a clever signage system to take the guesswork out of bringing pets along for errands.
Clear window decals will soon indicate which local eateries and boutiques welcome four-legged visitors inside, complemented by strategically placed water stations designed to keep visiting hounds comfortable year-round.
A Hamilton childcare centre has received Guardian’s 2026 Family Choice Award, with a recent survey of Guardian families also placing the MacArthur Avenue centre in the top 2 per cent nationally for family satisfaction.
Guardian Childcare and Education Hamilton, at 405 MacArthur Avenue, earned the 2026 recognition through results from Guardian’s Family Satisfaction Survey and independent Google reviews. Family satisfaction in the recent survey was measured using Net Promoter Score.
Beyond the latest recognition, much of the centre’s day-to-day life revolves around a long-serving educator team and regular involvement with families. Most educators have worked at the Hamilton centre for between four and nine years, providing familiar faces across its different age groups.
Photo Credit: Guardian Childcare & Education
Familiar Faces at Hamilton Childcare Centre
Centre manager Rebecca Taylor oversees the team and places an emphasis on communication with families about children’s development, experiences at the centre and priorities at home.
The centre describes an environment where educators and children become familiar with people beyond their individual rooms. Families can also receive updates about meals, sleep, activities and learning through conversations with educators and the Storypark app.
That continuity sits alongside a mix of cultural backgrounds among educators, which is reflected in some of the activities and food offered at the centre.
Photo Credit: Guardian Childcare & Education
Children have taken part in Spanish-language activities, Japanese culture classes, Zumba and dance-alongs. Chef Chrislyn, who is also an experienced teacher, involves children in baking experiences while preparing food through Guardian’s Nutrition for Life program.
Family participation has extended beyond the regular learning program. The Hamilton team has hosted movie nights and Mother’s Day dinners, as well as an Ekka day at the centre intended to capture the spirit of the Brisbane event.
Photo Credit: Guardian Childcare & Education
Learning Across Indoor and Outdoor Spaces
The Hamilton childcare centre has six learning studios grouped by age, along with a separate sleep room attached to the nursery and a large shaded outdoor area with wooden play equipment and a sandpit.
Guardian’s To BE Me program is used across the centre to follow children’s learning and record developmental milestones as they are observed. Educators in the baby area are trained through Guardian’s Baby Ambassadors program, while children aged three to five can access the Flying Start to School kindergarten program within long day care.
The centre operates from 6.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, and lists Hamilton, Northshore, Bulimba, Eagle Farm, Hendra, Pinkenba and Albion among the communities it serves.
Its 2026 Family Choice Award and top-2-per-cent family satisfaction result now add a recent recognition to a centre where long-serving educators, cultural activities and family events form part of everyday life on MacArthur Avenue.
For thousands taking on the shorter Bridge to Brisbane course, race morning will begin at Hercules Park in Hamilton, where the Blue Run 5km will set off as the event marks 30 years with registrations already above 30,000.
The 2026 event will be held on Sunday, 13 September, with organisers aiming for a record 40,000 participants. Registrations reached 30,000 more than a month before race day, only about two weeks after passing 25,000.
For Hamilton, the Blue Run 5km places Hercules Park at the beginning of a morning that will bring together runners, walkers and wheelchair participants before they make their way towards the Brisbane Showgrounds.
A Race Morning Beginning in Hamilton
The Blue Run 5km will start from Hercules Park from 10am and is open to all ages.
Some participants will be chasing their own running goals, while others will be taking part with family and friends or raising money for a cause. The course can be run, walked or wheeled, giving the shorter event a broad mix of participants.
Children aged 11 and under can take part but must remain with a registered parent or guardian for the entire race. Everyday wheelchair users can also enter the general 5km event.
General entries are $75 and remain available until 2pm on Saturday, 12 September, unless sold out earlier. Registration includes an event shirt, race number, timing, finisher’s certificate, medal and free transport.
The Hamilton start also forms part of a fundraising effort centred on men’s health.
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital is a sponsor and Gold Charity Partner of the Blue Run 5km, with Team RBWH Foundation using the race to raise awareness of men’s health and prostate cancer.
Money raised through the team will support work around men’s health awareness, including the importance of prostate cancer testing and early detection.
Charity fundraising has long been part of Bridge to Brisbane. Participants raised about $1.1 million for hundreds of local charities in 2025, when more than 38,000 people took part.
While the 5km begins in Hamilton, the event’s 10km course starts earlier in the morning from the southern end of the Gateway Bridge at Murarrie.
The La Roche-Posay 10km starts from 6am, taking participants across the Gateway Bridge before continuing to the Brisbane Showgrounds. Its finish line is at the Showbag Pavilion through Gate 5 on O’Connell Terrace in Bowen Hills.
The 10km is also open to all ages, with the same requirement for entrants aged 11 and under to be accompanied throughout the race. Everyday wheelchair users can enter the general event, while a separate racing wheelchair category is available for the 10km.
Three Decades of Bridge to Brisbane
Bridge to Brisbane began in 1997 and has since recorded more than 700,000 participants and more than $14 million raised for charity.
Events Management Queensland will deliver the event for the first time in 2026. Chief executive Ben Mannion has described the growing registration numbers as part of the momentum surrounding the anniversary while maintaining the community character built across the event’s three decades.
For the Blue Run 5km, that community participation will begin at Hercules Park, where families, walkers, runners and wheelchair participants will gather for the 10am start before heading towards the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Brisbane Airport has been named the cleanest airport in Australia and the Pacific for 2026, taking out the regional title at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.
The award places Brisbane ahead of airports across Australia and the Pacific, specifically for cleanliness. Skytrax’s results list Brisbane as the regional winner in the category, while Brisbane Airport has also confirmed the recognition on its official awards record.
Passenger survey puts Brisbane on top
The Skytrax World Airport Awards are based on passenger survey responses covering airport service and facilities. Its cleanliness assessment includes terminal areas, floors, seating, public spaces, washrooms and general hygiene standards, making the category one of the more visible measures of airport performance for passengers. Cleanliness is assessed in areas travellers use throughout their journey, from terminal waiting spaces and amenities to washrooms and other high-traffic public areas.
Brisbane’s 2026 result is also not its first success in the category. The airport was named the Cleanest Airport in the Australia and Pacific Region at the 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards.
The latest result therefore makes Brisbane a repeat winner of the regional cleanliness title, two years after securing the same award.
Melbourne leads overall, Brisbane wins on cleanliness
The cleanliness award is separate from Skytrax’s overall airport ranking and does not mean Brisbane was judged the best airport in Australia across all categories.
Melbourne was Australia’s highest-ranked airport in the broader 2026 Skytrax standings, placing 21st globally and receiving the award for Best Airport in Australia and the Pacific. Brisbane was ranked 40th overall, compared with 35th the previous year.
Sydney was ranked 52nd globally in 2026, while Perth improved from 63rd in 2025 to 58th.
Brisbane, however, finished ahead of its Australian and Pacific rivals when the assessment was narrowed to cleanliness. The result gives the airport a clear point of difference among the country’s major gateways, despite Melbourne’s stronger overall ranking.
For passengers, the cleanliness category covers some of the most frequently used parts of an airport, including seating areas, washrooms and public terminal spaces. Those areas form part of Skytrax’s passenger survey methodology, which measures how travellers rate the condition and hygiene of airport facilities rather than relying solely on an airport’s own assessment.
Brisbane Airport has separately highlighted sustainability and waste-reduction initiatives in its operations, although those programs are distinct from the Skytrax cleanliness award and should not be treated as the basis for the result.
Queensland engineers are bringing the future of space exploration straight to the community by showcasing Australia’s brand-new Moon rover at the Hamilton Hotel.
Thursday, 13 August, will see this neighbourhood pub transform into a hub of lunar logistics. How often do you get to see world-class space technology down the road? The experts at EPE Engineers are building a machine affectionately called the “Roo-ver”. Designed to handle the harsh, dusty conditions of the lunar surface, this robot represents a massive engineering leap for the country. Now, it is sitting right in our backyard for everyday people to inspect.
Science Takes Over the State
The pub exhibition kicks off a massive wave of curiosity across the state. National Science Week runs from 15 to 23 August, drawing millions of Australians to thousands of events. Forget boring textbooks. Communities are turning complex research into brilliant, hands-on fun. Sunshine Coast students actually built an electric flying taxi. Up in Townsville, distillers are making gin using native bush tucker and Indigenous botanical knowledge.
Have you ever wondered what happens in your brain during a game of Dungeons and Dragons? Researchers in Fortitude Valley have the answers. From virtual reality dives into a professional rugby player’s mind in Toowoomba to tracking venomous platypuses near the Enoggera Reservoir, the strange and spectacular sides of science are on full display.
Everything officially kicks off in Cairns on Saturday, 15 August. Barlow Park, a future Brisbane 2032 Games venue, will host the STEM in the Tropics pop-up fair. Visitors can get their hands dirty learning about eco-tourism, conservation, and First Nations bush foods. Sports science also takes the spotlight.
Olympic diver James Connor will share his experiences alongside Paralympic gold medallist Korey Boddington. Having survived a severe childhood brain injury that forced him to relearn walking and talking, Boddington conquered competitive track cycling to become a world record holder.
Environmental research provides another major drawcard. Deep in the Enoggera Reservoir, experts are working tirelessly to save the Tasmanian devil from cancer. They are even investigating the strange venom of the platypus. Health science is just as active across the state. Saint Lucia researchers are figuring out how to outsmart drug-resistant superbugs, while a Cairns team is reading mosquito DNA to track diseases. Could a Townsville project distilling gin from Indigenous botanicals change the beverage industry? It is just one more way local science is reshaping everyday life.
The simple mistake of overpacking liquids at Brisbane Airport is inadvertently supplying thousands of vulnerable families with the basic dignity of clean hair and brushed teeth.
Have you ever watched a brand-new bottle of body wash get tossed into a security bin? It is a frustrating reality for many flyers. This financial year alone, passengers left behind roughly eight tonnes of oversized products. Instead of routing this massive haul to the dump, airport management formed a partnership with the charity network GIVIT. Unopened toiletries are rescued directly from the screening checkpoints. They are then boxed up alongside untouched food items like honey and Vegemite.
The relief felt by vulnerable locals is profound. Charity representatives explain that these rescued supplies stock over two dozen different crisis shelters, disability services, and domestic violence support groups operating throughout the region. Hygiene basics are often treated as luxuries by those facing extreme financial hardship.
Providing a simple tube of toothpaste removes a heavy mental burden. It ensures a struggling family can put their limited cash towards a hot meal rather than grooming necessities. Airport engagement staff view the initiative as a highly practical way to support Queenslanders while simultaneously tackling terminal waste.
Why are so many full-sized products abandoned in the first place? The sheer volume of confiscated items stems from widespread confusion over cabin baggage limits. Domestic flights operating within Australia generally allow unrestricted liquids in carry-on luggage. International departures, however, demand strict compliance.
Any liquid, aerosol, or gel must be confined to containers holding a maximum of 100 millilitres. Every single bottle must also fit comfortably inside one clear, zip-top plastic bag.
Granular items cause just as much trouble for unprepared holidaymakers. Inorganic powders, which include things like salt scrubs and certain cosmetics, face a rigid 350-gram weight limit per person. Organic materials such as baby formula or coffee bypass these rules completely. Medical exemptions exist for prescription drugs, provided the passenger carries proper doctor documentation. While the charity program finds a good home for abandoned items, officials still urge flyers to double-check border guidelines before leaving for the terminal.
A massive touring village requiring 120 crew members and 17,000 square metres of space is currently taking shape at Eagle Farm to host an international circus production led by a former Brisbane ballet student.
How often does a childhood fantasy become a globetrotting reality? For local performer Mitch, the journey started as a 15-year-old ballet student captivated by a video of Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA. He watched the enigmatic Trickster character bind the entire performance together with magnetic energy, never imagining he would eventually step into those very shoes.
Fast forward to today, and strong ticket sales have prompted organisers to extend the Brisbane season until October 4, 2026. The spectacular run kicks off under the big top on August 1. After performing the lead role to crowds worldwide, Mitch expressed that stepping onto the stage in front of his family and friends feels like a deeply meaningful full-circle moment.
Building of a World Wonder
Photo Credit: Supplied
Transforming a quiet suburb into an entertainment hub takes serious manpower. Seven days. That is exactly how long it takes a dedicated crew to pitch the towering 56-foot tent capable of seating 2,500 eager spectators. KOOZA translates from Sanskrit as a box or treasure, effectively serving as a circus packed into a magical container.
Inside this massive venue, 53 artists hailing from 19 different countries deliver mind-bending acrobatics. They explore deep human themes of fear, identity, and power while balancing extreme physical strength with delicate fragility.
The visual and auditory scale of this production is staggering. Audiences are immersed in a live, pulsating soundtrack that fuses 1970s funk with orchestral arrangements and traditional Indian music, driven each night by six musicians and two singers. Visually, the stage explodes with colour through more than 1,200 handmade costume pieces crafted in Montreal.
One standout army outfit features 400 individually sewn metallic flaps, creating a convincing illusion of heavy armour. This travelling powerhouse has mesmerised more than 10 million people across 23 countries since its 2007 debut, proving that the magic of the circus remains as captivating as ever.
Queensland engineers building Australia’s first robotic moon rover and scientists tracking microscopic pollution will show how neighbourhood projects solve massive global issues at a community showcase in Hamilton.
What does the future of local business look like? The Science Week Business Showcase aims to answer exactly that on Thursday, 13 August. Hosted at The Hamilton Hotel, this free evening strips away the academic jargon to connect everyday residents with high-level technology. It is a rare chance to see how science, technology, engineering and maths drive the Brisbane economy.
Far beyond the city limits, Australian technology is preparing for a lunar journey. Representatives from EPE Engineers will break down the mechanics behind the Roo-ver, an artificial intelligence project commissioned for national space efforts. Their work proves that cutting-edge robotics are being developed right in the suburbs. It is a massive leap for local industry.
How do microscopic pollutants impact everyday health? Dr. Cassandra Rauert, a senior research fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, plans to address this invisible threat. She will explain her efforts to track microplastics and detail how collaborations with nearby industries are helping to manage the crisis.
Meanwhile, Queensland Chief Scientist Prof. Kerrie Wilson will outline strategies for sustainable economic growth. Her focus remains strictly on balancing conservation science with long-term financial stability for the state.
Connecting ordinary citizens to world-class research is the primary goal of the night. Backed by Inspiring Australia – QLD, the gathering invites students and business owners to explore future careers and real-world problem-solving at 442 Kingsford Smith Drive. Attendees can speak directly with the experts driving these projects. It promises to be an eye-opening look at the diverse sides of the STEM sector.
