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Roadworks to Connect Incoming Cruise Ship Terminal Will Commence Early 2019

Close to $11 million worth of roadworks between Kingsford Smith Drive and Luggage Point to connect the incoming mega cruise ship terminal, to commence in March 2019.

Tenders for the road network upgrade have gone out early November and will close before Christmas. Lord mayor Graham Quirk indicated that half of the cost will be provided by the Council.

The project will involve raising very low flood-risk roads, widening other roads, and improving lighting and safety. Once completed, the project will allow buses and larger vehicles access to the network of roads to connect passengers with hotels and other destinations.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming stressed the importance of the new cruise ship terminal for Brisbane. They support the decision of the council to get involved in the Port of Brisbane’s project considering its impact on tourism. Queensland is Australia’s top cruise destination contributing around $1.1 billion to QLD’s economy whilst Brisbane ranks second to Sydney as the biggest cruise ship port.

Whilst the road upgrade was backed by Labor opposition, outspoken Greens Councillor Sri expressed disapproval over the project. Cr Sri was particularly concerned about the environmental impact of having more cruise ships in Moreton Bay. Independent councillor for Tennyson Nicole Johnston, on the other hand, questioned the council’s decision to fund the other half of the project.

South-East Queensland’s first mega cruise ship terminal

Video Credit: PortofBrisbanePtyLtd
/YouTube

The road network upgrade entails improvements to be done on Main Myrtletown Road, Priors Road, Bancroft Road, Brownlee Street, Main Beach Road and Marine Road at Pinkenba. Currently, cruise ships more than 270 metres in length berth at the Port of Brisbane’s Fisherman Island whilst smaller ships dock at Portside Wharf at Hamilton.

The new $158 million Brisbane International Cruise Terminal is expected to be completed by mid-2020 and is projected to generate almost $5 billion in economic value to QLD alone within a period of 15 years.

Hamilton Leads Best Performers List in Brisbane LGA; Ranks Among Top Performers in QLD

From July 2017 to June 2018, a total of 13 suburbs reached a capital growth of 10 percent or higher, with Hamilton leading the Best Performers list in Brisbane LGA, according to latest research.

“It’s a great market to be in at the moment.” That’s how REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella describes Queensland’s exceptional performance amidst the gloomy predictions coming out for the property market, recently.

In fact, 68 suburbs throughout Queensland have registered remarkable double-digit growths over this 12-month period.

“The top area delivering the strongest growth has been Blackwater, with 151 percent growth. This is a results of the resurgence in coal prices and the low base starting point,” Ms Mercorella said.

Suburbs in Brisbane LGA that reached an annual price growth of more than 10 percent according to REIQ “Queensland Market Monitor” Report:

Hamilton
Sandgate
Paddington
Mount Ommaney
Sunnybank
Graceville
Hendra
Shorncliffe
Seven Hills
Nundah
Kedron
Bulimba
Auchenflower

Hamilton was the top performer in Brisbane LGA and fifth in Queensland with an impressive house prices increase for the past year of 32.9 percent. With an average house price of $1,442,000, Hamilton also has the distinction of being the most expensive suburb on the list of QLD best performers.

*Photo Credit: Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ)/reiq.com*

Suburbs in QLD that reached an annual price growth of more than 20 percent according to REIQ “Queensland Market Monitor” Report:

Blackwater
Spring Mountain (Ipswich)
Collinsville
Minyama (Sunshine Coast)
Hamilton
Hollywell (Gold Coast)
Miles
Mount Coolum
Dundowran Beach (Fraser Coast)
Boonah (Scenic Rim)
Idalia (Townsville)

Whilst, this is a good indication of steady growth, Ms Mercorella cautions against “boom” predictions as western Queensland mining towns’ prices are still below their peaks; such is the case of Blackwater.

The REIQ Queensland Market Monitor report identified suburbs in QLD that have reached double-digit annual price growth over the 12 months to June 2018. The analysis only included suburbs having an annual sales above 20 for the past year and excluded houses that are located on blocks with more than 2,400 square metres in area.

Free WiFi at All CityCat Terminals By End of 2018

Residents and visitors will soon be enjoying free WiFi service at all CityCat and ferry terminals. The Council will be rolling out the service at all terminal locations from UQ-St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton by the end of 2018.

So far, free WiFi service has already been installed in five terminals: West End, Guyatt, Bretts Wharfs, and the two South Bank terminals. Twenty more terminals will be fitted with the free service by the end of this year. The entire CityCat fleet also has built-in WiFi service currently allowing access to UQConnect and EduRoam, TransLink timetable information, and the Brisbane City Council’s website.

Once all 25 ferry terminals are fitted with the wireless service, locals and visitors alike will be able to connect the free WiFi hotspot whilst waiting for the ferry service.

“This will add to our extensive network of more than 275 FREE WiFi hotspots in Council libraries, City & Valley malls, parks and several suburban shopping precincts,” Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said on his Facebook Page post.

*Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council/brisbane.qld.gov.au*

Free WiFi service is also available in parks, Brisbane City Council libraries, and many public places and landmarks across Brisbane such as Brisbane Botanic Gardens, and South Bank and Roma Street Parklands.

Some of the WiFi-covered streets:

Roma Street
Queen Street
Stones Corner
Caxton Street
James Street and Newstead

Some of the WiFi-covered parks:

Kalinga Park
Forest Lake Parklands
Kalinga Park
Carindale Recreation Reserve
Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park

About CityCat, SpeedyCat, and ferry services

CityCats are one of the most convenient and fastest means to get around the riverside areas of the Brisbane CBD, especially during peak hours. The Brisbane City council currently operates a fleet of 21 CityCats and nine monohull ferries. A total of 25 terminal locations stretches from University of Queensland St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton.

In 2018, the Council introduced SpeedyCats—which significantly cuts passenger travel time—providing more than 100 peak-hour services along the Brisbane every week. SpeedyCats ferry services stop at UQ St Lucia, West End, Guyatt Park, North Quay, Riverside, Teneriffe, Apollo Road, and Northshore Hamilton.

CityHopper, on the other hand, is a free inner-city ferry service which allows passengers to hop on and hop off every 30 minutes. Ferry stops are located at North Quay, South Bank 3, Maritime Museum, Thornton Street, Eagle Street Pier, Holman Street, Dockside, and Sydney Street.

Hamilton Northshore and St Lucia to Get Ferry Connection to Future Howard Smith Wharves Terminal

A ferry terminal will be built at Howard Smith Wharves, linking the Hamilton Northshore and UQ St Lucia terminals to the much-anticipated riverfront destination.

Brisbane City Council made the announcement as Howard Smith Wharves closes in on the opening date. The ferry terminal will be jointly funded by Howard Smith Wharves and the council. Howard Smith Wharves will contribute $3 million to the $12-million project.

Proposed site of the Howard Smith Wharves ferry terminal. (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council)

Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner believes that building a terminal at Howard Smith Wharves makes perfect sense. After a $110-million revitalisation effort, Howard Smith Wharves is poised to become a world-class lifestyle and public entertainment riverfront precinct.

“With its river’s edge location, public parkland, hotel, dining and bars, Howard Smith Wharves is the ideal location for the city’s next ferry terminal,” the deputy mayor said.

“With regular events planned at Howard Smith Wharves’ exhibition centre, as well as the restaurants, bars and public parkland expected to attract large crowds, the terminal will provide convenient public transport to the site.”

The addition of the terminal is the first expansion to the river ferry network since 2015.

Howard Smith Wharves Consortium Chief Executive Officer Luke Fraser is happy about the proposed terminal.

“With our unique position beneath the Story Bridge, there will be no better way to get to Howard Smith Wharves than on the river, which is at the heart of the city’s transformation into a New World City,” Mr Fraser said.

The Howard Smith Wharves terminal is scheduled to open in 2020.

Get updates on Howard Smith Wharves.

Brisbane Airport Continues to Expand as a Transport and Commercial Hub

Latest research findings show overwhelming satisfaction of Brisbane Airport Corporation tenants and employees ahead of the completion of its several key projects.

The survey was aimed at current businesses and BNE workers and it provided insights from its over 425 businesses and 1,000 (out of more than 23,000) airport workers. The results showed that four out of five established businesses at the Brisbane Airport indicate that performance is either “very good” or “excellent”. Ninety percent of current airport workers enjoy working at Brisbane Airport.

BNE Property, Brisbane Airport’s property division, attributes this satisfaction to their vision of developing a partnership with BAC and its growing tenant base at the airport.
BNE Property is currently responsible for the development and management of property portfolio valued at over $1.265 billion, employing 90 percent of its workers from South-East Queensland and sourcing 90 per cent of construction equipment from local areas.

BNE Airport – An Ideal Business Destination
Video credit: Brisbane Airport/YouTube

The latest addition to their portfolio is the $300 million BNE Auto Mall which is touted to be the only automotive precinct in Australia offering 24/7 operation with no noise restrictions. Construction works had begun for this project which is going to be located next to the International Terminal. Delivered in three stages, stage 1 of BNE Auto Mall development is expected to be completed in 2021.

The BNE Auto Mall will feature a track with high-speed straights, skid pan, handling, and off-road circuits. The track will be available to use for manufacturer launch events, media driving events, driver training, and vehicle engineering, among other purposes.

Each of these projects coincides with the development of Brisbane Airport’s new runway. The survey said that 70 percent of businesses in the precinct believe the new runway will have a positive impact on their business.

Max Brenner in Portside Wharf Hamilton Closes

After struggling financially, Max Brenner in Portside Wharf Hamilton is now permanently closed along with 19 other stores across Australia.

Due to escalating costs and tighter retail trade, the directors of Max Brenner Australia have resolved to appoint Voluntary Administrators on 30 September 2018. The Voluntary Administrators appointed to the store are Barry Kogan, Kathy Sozou, and Jason Preston.

Despite saying that Max Brenner stores will still operate on a ‘business as usual’ basis in their previous statement, the beloved chocolatier closed 20 of its stores on Monday, 8 October 2018.

The administrators said that they were left with no choice but to close more than half of Max Brenner Australia’s stores. This came on the heels of their store-by-store review of its operations.

Furthermore, staff from the closed locations will be made redundant whilst administrators try to sell or recapitalise the business and keep the remaining stores operating.

Closed Stores

Remaining Stores

1. Kingston ACT
2. UNSW (Kensington) NSW
3. Wollongong NSW
4. Central Park (Chippendale) NSW
5. Newtown NSW
6. Parramatta NSW
7. Casuarina Darwin NT
8. Gasworks (Newstead) QLD
9. Portside (Hamilton) QLD
10. Milton QLD
11. Townsville QLD
12. Toowoomba QLD
13. Australia Fair (Southport) QLD
14. Rockhampton QLD
15. Coolangatta QLD
16. Carindale QLD
17. Rundle Street (Adelaide) SA
18. Woodgrove (Melton West) VIC
19. Joondalup WA
20. Whitford City (Hillarys) WA

1. Belconnen ACT
2. Macquarie Centre (Macquarie Park) NSW
3. Narellan NSW
4. Doody Street (Alexandria) NSW
5. Charlestown NSW
6. Blacktown NSW
7. Manly NSW
8. Sydney Tower (Sydney CBD) NSW
9. Tuggerah NSW
10. Bondi Junction NSW
11. Surfers Paradise QLD
12. Robina QLD
13. Southbank (South Brisbane) QLD
14. Queen Victoria (Melbourne) VIC
15. Highpoint (Maribyrnong) VIC
16. Craigieburn VIC
17. Doncaster VIC

Redundancy

Photo credit: Max Brenner Australia/Facebook

According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, “When an employee’s job is made redundant their employer has to give them redundancy pay, also known as severance pay.”

The amount of redundancy pay the employee gets is based on his or her continuous service with the employer. Continuous service is determined with the length of time they are employed by the business and doesn’t include unpaid leave.

The staff that were made redundant may calculate redundancy pay with Fair Work’s Notice and Redundancy Calculator.

Employees Still Owed Unpaid Wages

Apart from the expected redundancy pay, some of Max Brenner’s employees claim that they are still owed unpaid wages.

In a letter to the employees, the administrators said they are currently checking the calculation of outstanding entitlements. Those who are owed money by the company are considered as creditors.

Creditors may claim their entitlements which may involve any unpaid wages, the accrued leave amounts (annual leave, long service leave), redundancy pay (if applicable), and unpaid superannuation.

Access to these entitlements depends on the outcome of the administration which will be decided at the second meeting of creditors. The first meeting of creditors was held on Thursday, 11 October 2018.

Enjoy A Frenchy Affair at Hamilton Reach

Hamilton Reach is having a distinctly French celebration on Sunday, 21 October 2018.

It’s a good day to be outdoors when Hamilton Reach hosts A Frenchy Affair at the Northshore Riverside Park. Guests will certainly enjoy a taste of France with local cuisine, tunes, and entertainment at the event.

From 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., families can have a lovely picnic at the park whilst being entertained by acclaimed jazz band Cigany Weaver.

Photo credit: J’adore Les Crepes/Facebook

Visitors will also enjoy free coffee, crepes by J’adore Les Crepes and other Frenchy fare, French-inspired cocktails and drinks at Northshore Harbour Café, and gourmet cheeses from Le Fromage Yard.

There are also several free activities to keep the kids and the kids-at-heart entertained such as a caricaturist, crafts for kids, giant games, and more.

Treats for Early Birds

More free goodies await early birds! The first 100 people to visit the newly completed Riverlight apartments before the event starts can fill their goodie bags with free treats.

Early goers can start collecting free goodies from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. from the pastry station, macaron station, lolly buffet, lemonade and iced tea bar, and French champagne in the penthouse for 18+ only. Picnic rugs and more freebies will be up for grabs on the day. Remember, only one goodie bag is allowed per family.

Travelling to Hamilton Reach

Because of on-street parking limitations along Macarthur Avenue, guests travelling by car may park at the free car park. It is located on the right before the Hamilton Reach roundabout.

Visitors may also travel by CityCat. The Northshore Riverside CityCat stop is just a two-minute walk from the Sales and Display Centre.

Brisbane Airport Corporation Issued a New Request for Proposals For Three New F&B Locations

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is beefing up its F&B offering with the release of another Request for Proposals (RFP) from premium Food and Beverage operators.

The Request for Proposal is for three food and beverage locations within its domestic terminal, specifically on Level 2 (Departures) of the new Qantas Café Court.

The opportunities range from 18 square metres to 259 square metres. Brisbane Airport Corporation Issued a New Request for Proposals For Three New F&B Location

The sites will be complemented with a new retail mix including fashion, accessories, and other specialty retail occupancy, expected to be completed by 2020. Premium F&B operators are encouraged to submit one or all of the three concepts.

One of the concepts includes operating an Asian style ‘Hawker Market’ inspired curated food precinct with maximum seating and natural lighting from the rear of the precinct.

The other proposed concepts include three side-by-side, quick service offerings with Mexican/Greek/Turkish cuisine, gourmet burgers, and Asian cuisine; and, two high-volume offers such as sushi, burgers, Mexican, Turkish, Greek or Asian.

Stage one of the retail redevelopment to the Domestic Terminal was completed in June 2016. The first stage of the redevelopment involved the AU$15 million upgrade of the Virgin side. The completed works introduced 19 new retail and food and beverage concessions.

BAC will assume entire operational control across the terminal, creating a single terminal with common systems by January 2019. The second stage of the $40 million Retail Redevelopment programme includes the upgrading of the Domestic Terminal and retail offerings in the Northern (Qantas end) and central areas of the terminal.

Once completed, the redevelopment will deliver 51 new and refurbished stores with new retail and dining offers. This will take total number of commercial offerings in the terminal to over 70 which includes food and beverage, fashion, and travel essentials.

The RFP will close on Thursday 1 November 2018.

Hamilton Median House Price Breaches $1.4M Mark, Among Highest in Brisbane

The REIQ recently reported the latest housing market statistics which showed the Hamilton median house price among the highest in Brisbane at $1,442,000, a huge 32.9% increase over the last 12 months, yet according to the REIQ figures, only 0.8% over the last 5 years. In the 2nd quarter of 2018, there were 8 homes sold in the Hamilton.

“Average days on market have been approximately 75 days for homes in Hamilton,” says Loretta Accornero of Harcourts Ascot.

Steady Market Demand

“There has been a -10.91% median price drop for units in Hamilton over the past 12-month period with the median sale price of $495K and average days on market is in excess of 100 days. These figures are due to the amount of units for sale in the “Portside” and “Hamilton Harbour” precinct.

“As a Townhouse and Unit specialist in the ‘4007’ area, there has been a lot of extra demand to purchase townhouses, duplex’s and standalone townhomes with no body corporate fees due to the increasing administration fees in unit and townhouse complexes.

“There have been good numbers attending open homes in both houses and units, very similar to last year,“ she said.

SpeedyCat to Start Services from Northshore Hamilton, New Sports-Themed CityCat Launched

The new SpeedyCat is all set to start services on Monday 24 September 2018 to cut travel times from Northshore Hamilton to Riverside and from the University of Queensland to North Quay. The announcement comes as Brisbane City Council launched a new sports-themed CityCat.

Public and Active Transport Chairman Cr Adrian Schrinner said more than 100 weekly SpeedyCat express services will operate during peak hours on weekdays.

SpeedyCat Brisbane — Photo credit: Luke Hauck (WT-shared) Anewcleardawn/Wikimedia Commons

“The express services will also service terminals at Apollo Road in Bulimba, Teneriffe, Guyatt Park in St Lucia and West End, to boost travel options for residents so they can spend less time travelling and more time at home with family and friends,” Cr Schrinner said.

“The completion of river works for the Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade now means we can roll out new SpeedyCat services, however this new timetable will also incorporate changes to other river transport services, including CityCats, CityFerries, CityHoppers and Cross River Ferries.

The same number of CityCat services will remain. However, passengers can expect a go-slow section of the river during construction of the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

Read: New Express SpeedyCat to Service Northshore Hamilton Through $68 Million Investment

Notices and information will be provided at terminals to inform passengers of any changes due to the ferry services.

TransLink, for its part, has updated the timetables. Commuters can head over to their website to plan their journeys.

CityCat for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments

In anticipation for the upcoming International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (INAS) Global Games in Brisbane next year, a CityCat will carry the colours of the INAS.

This is in line with the celebration of Australia’s first INAS Global Games, recognised as the biggest sporting event for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

Cr Schrinner said the INAS games will strengthen Brisbane’s reputation as an inclusive city.

“With only one year to go, we are today unveiling Brisbane’s 18th sports-themed CityCat that will proudly display the colours of the INAS Global Games, coming to our city in October 2019,” CR Schrinner said.

Robyn Smith, CEO of the Global Games Sports Company, is delighted to hear about the CityCat branding with INAS colours.

“It will not only promote this inclusive event to the Brisbane community, but showcase the world’s best athletes who will compete and demonstrate that their impairment is no barrier to sporting excellence,” said Ms Smith.

The games are expected to attract more than 1,000 athletes from other parts of the world.