Living in Brisbane - February 2021 West edition

February 2021 INSIDE: Brisbetter projects set to take off Share your ideas on e-mobility One-stop support for local businesses Best things to see and do this month

Experience the brilliance of BrisAsia From the city to the suburbs, we’re celebrating Asian culture this month with the ninth BrisAsia Festival.

Feast on dumplings, curries and more at the BrisAsia Food Festival from 20-21 February (various locations) or cut loose in a COVID-safe way to K-pop, J-pop and C-pop at the Summer Party in South Bank Piazza on Saturday 20 February.

A message from Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner Following a holiday boost and with people returning to work and school, Brisbane is bustling and our city is in the best position to recover from the effects of the pandemic. But there is still a lot of work to do to nurse our city’s economy back to full health.

Brisbane’s best breakdancers battle it out at the BrisAsia Dance Qualifier in Fortitude Valley on Saturday 13 February, before the Final at Queen Street Mall on Sunday 14 February.

We’re doing this by fast-tracking big and small infrastructure projects that will help stimulate the economy and create jobs, including completing the highly anticipated Indooroopilly Riverwalk and delivering another double-decker CityCat, made locally in Murarrie.

Inspired by Japanese dance theatre, butoh, Crescent Moon explores the idea of cultural belonging. See the live production at Seven Hills Hub on Saturday 27 February. Explore the BrisAsia program on our website.

With school zones back in action, we’re making Brisbane streets safer by rolling out more Slow for SAM signs near schools around the city. These signs are friendly reminders for road users to slow down during drop-off and pick-up.

If there’s one thing Brisbane residents have missed, it’s our much‑loved events and we are excited to bring back old favourites for the community to enjoy.

The popular BrisAsia Festival is returning to ring in the Lunar New Year and the Brisbane Cycling Festival is back, bringing with it Australia’s elite cyclists. I encourage people to get in quick as these events may sell out.

Adrian Schrinner LORD MAYOR For more information please get in touch with Council

3403 8888

brisbane.qld.gov.au

Brisbetter projects to watch out for in 2021 From creating more opportunities for walking, running and riding around our city to delivering congestion-busting road projects that also support economic recovery, we’re working towards a better Brisbane in 2021. Check our website for project updates.

PROJECT

STATUS

Brisbane Metro

Turn-up-and-go services from the suburbs to the city along dedicated busways.

Brisbane Metro is underway. Construction has started on the new depot at Rochedale and the pilot vehicle is being manufactured.

Green Bridges

New bridges making it easier to get around our city on foot, by bike or scooter, or by connecting with public transport.

Construction of the first two bridges in Kangaroo Point and Breakfast Creek starts in late 2021.

Roads

Major road upgrades and projects across Brisbane's road network to cater for current and future growth, with safety front-of-mind.

An exciting suite of road projects is slated for this year, including the start of construction for the Indooroopilly roundabout upgrade and the Rochedale and Priestdale road intersection upgrade.

Victoria Park

Creating a natural retreat on the fringe of the CBD for adventure, discovery and reconnection.

The transformation of Victoria Park begins in 2021, with early works starting mid-year. Master planning, including community engagement, investigations and studies will continue throughout the year.

River network

Keeping our iconic river transport network safe, efficient, accessible and modern.

Two new double-decker CityCats will join the fleet from mid to late 2021. On-site construction for the new ferry terminal at Howard Smith Wharves will begin by the first half of 2021, and the South Bank terminal upgrade will begin mid-year.

Electric bus trials

Making Brisbane’s bus fleet cleaner and greener, with zero tailpipe emissions.

Four new electric buses will join the fleet mid-year, replacing the diesel City Loop vehicles.

Have go card, will travel Getting around the River City on Council’s CityCats, KittyCats, ferries and 1200-strong bus fleet, and leaving the car at home, means less congestion on our roads, reduces emissions and gives you that ‘me time’ to people watch, listen to music or catch up on reading.

It can also be up to four times cheaper than using your car, and saves you the cost of buying, maintaining and running additional vehicles.

During these uncertain times, the health and safety of passengers and staff is our number one priority, which is why we’ve introduced: • go card payments only • boarding buses via rear doors • deep daily cleaning of vehicles and vessels, including touch points and go card readers • more bus services and capacity to support social distancing.

All passengers should follow government directives, including social distancing and wearing masks, if required.

For timetables and service updates, visit translink.com.au

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brisbane.qld.gov.au Forinformation more information get in with touch with Council 3403 8888 brisbane.qld.gov.au For more please please get in touch Council 3403 8888

Free support for local businesses

plan your next

The Brisbane Business Hub is a free support service to help local businesses recover, transform and grow from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Whether you’re looking to reinvigorate your business strategy, attract new customers or expand your product range, the Brisbane Business Hub has you covered with interactive workshops, oneto-one mentoring and resources for businesses of all sizes.

Tap into a network of business leaders and industry experts specialising in all areas of business, from marketing, sales and technology to business strategy, legal and finance.

Making plans for the weekend? There’s so much to see and do right here on the westside. Explore the inner city and enjoy brunch at one of the quirky cafes in Red Hill or Kelvin Grove, or snap up a sweet gift from stores in Newmarket, Wilston and Alderley.

The hub is open Monday to Friday from 9am–4pm at Level 2, 155 Queen Street, Brisbane. Visit businessinbrisbane.com.au

Although it’s renowned as a night-time entertainment precinct, there’s plenty to do in the Valley during the day, with hidden laneways, markets and independent art galleries to enjoy.

The Gap is a nature lover’s delight, with bushwalks, parks and waterways to explore. Further west, St Lucia has a lively restaurant and café precinct, riverside playgrounds and the popular ninja warrior course.

For more ideas, visit our Brisbetter Explore page on our website and search by postcode.

Let's talk e-mobility

Give your New Year budget a boost

Electric scooters, bikes and other e-mobility devices are rapidly changing the way we get from A to B.

Did you know we have a range of money-saving initiatives to help ease cost of living pressures?

Do we need dedicated e-mobility parking in Brisbane? Should shared e-mobility scheme providers set up in the suburbs?

Have your say on our Draft E-mobility Strategy to help plan Brisbane’s transport future.

Visit our website to read the strategy and complete the online survey by midnight on Sunday 28 February.

Pensioners get a 40% rates rebate of up to $1066 per year, while part pensioners receive a 20% rebate.

Seniors can enjoy free off-peak travel on buses, CityCats and ferries with a senior go card.

First homeowners who buy or build a newly constructed home receive a 100% rates rebate of up to $2000 over 12 months.

First homeowners who buy an established property receive a rates discount of up to $1000 for the first 12 months.

Households are eligible for waste vouchers for our resource recovery centres, a $30 sign-up fee waiver on our green waste recycling service, a free kitchen caddy when you register at a community compost hub and two free native plants each financial year.

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IN BRIEF SCHOOL ROAD SAFETY As Term 1 kicks off, Council’s enhanced school zone signage and Speed Awareness Monitors (SAMs) remind drivers to slow down and stay alert. Our Safer Paths to Schools program helps make it easier to walk to school, improving more than 4 km of pathways across 20 schools last financial year.

WINNING BUSINESSES ​ Local businesses have been recognised for their excellence.

Aishwarya Somal, of Emerson Family Law in Brisbane City and Taringa, was named the Nick Xynias Young Business Person of the Year at the 2020 Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Awards for Business. At the 2020 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards, Paddington’s UNE PIECE won the CCIQ Award for Outstanding Small Business and Tyron Simon (Agnes and sAme sAme in Fortitude Valley) won The Courier Mail Award for Business Person of the Year.

Wynnum Aqua Park

Cool down for free in local water parks Want to escape the heat? Look no further than our free water-play areas in public parks across Brisbane. Slides, mushroom fountains, drop buckets, lily pads, worms, bubblers and water jets will spark the imagination.

Wynnum Aqua Park has a ‘whimsical whales’ theme, while Ferny Grove Aqua Park is set amongst trees and offers an interactive water table and splash area.

Kids can run around in the playgrounds at Rocks Riverside Park before cooling off in the shallow pools, or make a day of it and hop on a CityCat to South Bank Parklands, where you can splash, play and learn about our river, creeks and wildlife.

For more affordable aqua fun, visit Council's 22 pools – 14 have water-play areas. See our website for details, including entry fees and opening hours.

NETWORK LIKE A BOSS Keen to network with local business owners but can’t get away from work? Join a free online Networking in the Suburbs session via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 24 February from 10-10.45am. Search ‘business events’ on our website for registration details.

Step into nature’s classroom

PITCH IN TO CLEAN UP

Take learning outside in 2021 at one of our three environment centres in the Boondall Wetlands, Karawatha Forest and the Chermside Hills Reserves.

Clear up, fix up and help keep Brisbane clean and green on Clean Up Australia Day, Sunday 7 March. Register a clean-up for your local community, school, business or youth group at cleanup.org.au to receive a free kit including bags, gloves, information and promotional materials. Or just join a clean-up near you.

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Brisbane is the most biodiverse capital city in Australia and our environment centre educators are ready to teach students about our unique environment.

Choose from 11 programs covering topics including Habitats, First Peoples, Minibeasts, Migratory Shorebirds, and Waterways. The programs are suitable for every school level and can also be adapted to be delivered at school.

This month, senior high school students studying biology are visiting the Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre to complete practical activities for the new senior curriculum.

Search ‘environment centres’ on our website for more information.

For more information please get in touch with Council

3403 8888

brisbane.qld.gov.au

have a on the bay

Brisbetter Days Out

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Your Views of Brisbane

Thanks to everyone who shared their amazing Views of Brisbane! Simply share your photos on Instagram using #viewsofbrisbane or join our Views of Brisbane Facebook group for your chance to be featured.

City Botanic Gardens

Five things to do in Brisbane after dark 1. Experience the magic of the twinkling fairy lights on the sprawling fig trees in the City Botanic Gardens. @brisbane_street_art

2. Cruise on a CityCat under the stars, stopping at Brisbane Powerhouse for a drink or a show.

3. Wander through the city’s twinkle-lit laneways offering great food, live music, street art and outdoor galleries.

4. Stroll down the riverwalk from New Farm to the bustling Howard Smith Wharves precinct.

5. Stargaze and see the city skyline at night from the Mt Coot-tha summit.

For more ideas, visit our Brisbetter Explore page on our website.

@ajwatsonphotos

@yvemaria_f

City Hall Concerts hit the right note

See Brisbane's sunny side

The Lord Mayor's City Hall Concerts return this month, offering a free midday music break in the CBD.

Put on your walking shoes and check out Brisbane's latest colourful outdoor gallery, Sunny Side Up, featuring works by 11 emerging local artists.

Head to City Hall every Tuesday to be entertained by a different act each week until November.

Spend your lunch hour listening to classical performers, as well as jazz, chamber music and musical theatre favourites.

The Lord Mayor's City Hall Concerts are enjoyed by more than 30,000 people a year and have included tribute shows, brass bands and orchestras.

@suemurphy

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While you’re at City Hall, check out the Museum of Brisbane or explore our iconic heritage-listed building on a free tour. Book at museumofbrisbane.com.au

For more information please get in touch with Council

3403 8888

This vibrant exhibition, supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, celebrates our subtropical identity through a range of mediums.

Artworks created by Monica Rohan add a pop of colour to Fish Lane, evening projections of artwork

by Amelia Hine and Kinly Grey are spectacular at Howard Smith Wharves, and banners of art brighten our hidden laneways.

Want to learn more? Attend an exhibition talk or walking tour with the curators. Search ‘outdoor gallery’ on our website for details.

brisbane.qld.gov.au

Find your treasure at the tip shop Council’s tip shops in Acacia Ridge and Geebung are treasure troves for everyone from budding home stylists to outdoor enthusiasts.

Buying second-hand is a great way to save money while supporting Brisbane’s circular economy and the environment.

Top shopping tips: • seek inspiration from upcycling and styling pages on Instagram and Pinterest • go in with an open mind and BYO tape measure • stock is updated weekly. If you don’t find what you’re looking for this week, try again in a few weeks’ time.

Fun hobbies you can start this week

Run by the Endeavour Foundation, a not-for-profit supporting people with disability, our tip shops are open 8am-4pm on weekends.

Need a new hobby in 2021?

Tap into our free and low-cost facilities and programs for interesting and fun ways to enjoy your downtime.

• Try kite surfing at Sandgate or rock climbing at Kangaroo Point under the safe instruction of qualified instructors from our Active and Healthy program.

• Take up running or walking on our bush trails and riverwalks, swimming at our 22 pools, riding on our bikeways or having a hit at Council’s golf courses.

Explore the sights and stories of Brisbane Hit the pavement and learn something new on one of our free walking tours.

Delve into the heart of the CBD with a Brisbane Greeter tour, taking in our city’s iconic landmarks, hidden gems, thriving laneways and colourful precincts.

• Share your love of reading with like-minded people and discover new favourites at book clubs held at our libraries.

Keen on gardening? Follow our knowledgeable volunteer guides on hour-long tours of the botanic gardens in the city and Mt Coot-tha, getting a unique insight into the plant collections.

• Expand your menu with our free online cooking classes.

The Museum of Brisbane also offers free tours of the clock tower, City Hall and more. Or you can DIY and tour our city for free on the City and Spring Hill Loop bus services or the CityHopper ferry. We also have heritage-based suburban walking trails you can download from our website.

For more information, visit our website.

Keep your fur baby safe Although dog ownership in Brisbane is at an all-time high, less than 50% of dogs are registered with Council. Registering your pooch makes it easier to identify them if they go missing, with the fees invested into our 24/7 Lost and Found service.

Council invests $6.9 million annually into managing domestic animals and pets in Brisbane, including funding our Animal Rehoming Centres at Bracken Ridge and Willawong, where more than 450 animals have already found their new fur-ever homes this financial year.

To register your dog, lodge a registration application on our website or in person at an animal rehoming centre or Council business centre. Best of all, Council has just released new colourful, personalised registration tags you can order when you register your dog.

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Please check event details and confirm with organisers that events are still going ahead before you make plans.

FREE

I N YO U R R E G I O N

BRISBANE HOLI 27 February, 11am-6pm, Rocks Riverside Park, Seventeen Mile Rocks, $12 Get set for an explosion of colour at this celebration of Brisbane’s vibrant multicultural communities, as part of the BrisAsia Festival.

To book your ticket (includes one colour pack), search the event at eventbrite.com.au

AFTERMATH 12-14 February, various times, Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm, $49 Let Australasian Dance Collective take you on a rousing aural, visual and sensory trip. brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 3358 8600.

FREE

FREE

BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR SENIORS Thursdays, 8-9am, Enoggera Bowls Club, Enoggera, FREE Improve muscle tone with fun exercises undercover on the outdoor green.

To book, call Ama on 0488 008 555.

LATIN DANCE CLASS Thursdays, 3.15-4.15pm, Italian Language Centre, Newmarket, FREE Dance into the year learning how to shimmy and shake to fun Latin rhythms.

To book, call Cintia on 3624 6100.

BRISASIA DANCE QUALIFIER

16 February, 12 noon-1pm, City Hall, Brisbane City Sit back and enjoy a lunch hour of quirky country-rock at this Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concert. brisbane.qld.gov.au

13 February, 2-7pm, Elements Collective, Fortitude Valley, FREE Watch as amazing dancers compete to represent Australia at South East Asia’s largest street dance event, Radikal Forze Jam. brisbane.qld.gov.au

MEDIBANK FEEL GOOD PROGRAM

OUTDOOR CINEMA IN THE SUBURBS

Until 27 March, various times, South Bank Parklands & Queens Gardens, Brisbane City Kick-start your fitness with bootcamp, Zumba, yoga and more. visitbrisbane.com.au

13 February, 6-9pm, Bancroft Park, Kelvin Grove, FREE Pack your picnic rug and enjoy a movie under the stars, with live music, food stalls and fun activities. brisbane.qld.gov.au

THE PRODUCERS

BRISASIA: SONGS OF OUR HOMELANDS

4-13 March, 2pm & 7pm, Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm, $69 Laugh out loud with this smash hit musical written by comedic genius Mel Brooks. brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 3358 8600.

20 February, 11-11.45am, Toowong Library, FREE Go on a musical journey with Sudha Manian, one of the finest sitar players in Queensland. brisbane.qld.gov.au

KINETIC KIDS MULTI-SPORTS CURIOCITY BRISBANE 12-28 March, various locations, prices and times Let your imagination roam free with a packed program of interactive installations and events. curiocitybrisbane.com

CA20-1431074-08-5233 ©2021 Brisbane City Council

25 February, 3.30-4.30pm, Grinstead Park, Alderley, FREE Develop hand-eye coordination and motor skills, and improve balance.

Suitable for 3 years and over. To book, visit kinetickids.com.au