Thousands braved the cold for Brisbane’s first “winter wonderland” to help celebrate the 2011 Australian Winter Festival. Following displays in Melbourne and Sydney, Brisbane’s King George Square is playing host to a myriad of different winter activities to give sub-tropical locals a taste of winter in colder climes. Brisbanites have the opportunity to hire a […]

Brisbane councillors are at loggerheads over the future of bollards in the Brisbane suburb of Richlands. A church wants bollards to slow down traffic, while motorists are driving around bollards on a nearby street. Labor deputy opposition leader Milton Dick copped a tongue-lashing from Infrastructure chairman Margaret de Wit at a recent council meeting. Cr […]

The Queensland Museum is putting together a collection of flood damaged items for an exhibition next year. Museum senior curator of social history Jo Besley said part of the museum’s role in the community was to anticipate what’s important now and preserve it for the future. She said nothing like this had been done after […]

Brisbanites had the opportunity to add to their teddy bear collections this week, with lavender bears on sale to support the Leukaemia Foundation. The bears and other lavender gifts were sold to support the annual Lavender for leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma appeal, held every June. Volunteers wearing lavender took to the streets throughout the city […]

Staunch supporter of the CityCycle scheme, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, admitted in this week’s council meeting he was not himself a cyclist. “I am not a big cyclist,” Cr Quirk said. “It’s not a pretty sight.” Cr Quirk was replying to a question from Labor councillor Helen Abrahams. The mayor said he had tried CityCycle […]

A petition to create the world’s largest marine Park in Australia’s Coral Sea has stirred controversy with claims the park would damage the nation’s fishing industry. The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has organised a petition calling for protection of marine life in the Coral Sea. But the proposal has left many in the fishing […]

It would be cheaper to buy bikes for everyone in Brisbane than continue to hire them out through the under-utilised CityCycle scheme, Opposition Leader Shayne Sutton said at yesterday’s Brisbane City Council meeting. The Opposition called for the council to review the transport program, which began under former Lord Mayor Campbell Newman in 2010. “Barely […]

Protesters gathered in Ipswich CBD on Saturday to demand the federal government ban live export of cattle to Indonesia, with chants of “We want live exports banned” and “Shame on Gillard”. Local stud owners and meatworkers joined the protest to oppose live exports – although meatworkers’ concerns seemed more with employment opportunities than animal welfare. […]

Thousands of people today rallied in Brisbane to support the federal government’s proposed carbon tax ‘Say YES’ organisers believe that up to 5000 people attended the rally at the Brisbane Riverstage. Waving placards, people called for action on climate change and supported a price on carbon. Among the audience was federal treasurer Wayne Swan and […]

School children are getting healthier and roads less congested, transport chairman Julian Simmonds told Tuesday’s Brisbane City Council meeting. Cr Simmonds said the council’s Active School Transport program had resulted in a 35 percent increase in the number of students walking or cycling to school. “So that’s a 35 percent decrease in the number of […]

Bright red lips filled King George Square on Monday morning as Queensland’s first MS Awareness Week kicked off. People passing through the square were encouraged to get their lips painted by Academy of Makeup artists and to pucker up to the “Kiss MS Goodbye” wall to show their support. The vibrant red runway carpet, balloons […]

Hundreds of women marched through the streets of Brisbane yesterday to protest against victim-blaming and sexual assault at Australia’s first “Slutwalk”. The march followed Candian protests when a policeman told university students not to “dress like sluts” if they wanted to avoid sexual assault. The students created Slutwalk, which has quickly became a global phenomenon. […]

Cannon Hill residents are concerned about a proposed unit development in a quaint residential pocket to the south of Wynnum Road. Resident Brett Bennett told this week’s Brisbane City Council meeting he had a petition of 200 signatures from the wider community opposing the development. The Cannon Hill Action Group’s survey found 89 percent of […]

Brisbane has set a Guinness World Record with a massive 1561 people dancing in the largest-ever ballet class. The 30-minute ballet class took place on all five storeys of the state library on Sunday after bad weather forced officials to change the venue from South Brisbane’s Kurilpa Bridge. Despite the rain, the turn-out was more […]

In the city’s 151st year, Ipswich showcased its rich multiculturalism in the Global Fiesta at Queens Park on Sunday. The fiesta featured live entertainment from local bands, Australian Idol contestant Ngaiire, youths from an Indigenous Hip hop and RnB crew, other cultural performances, line dancing, food stalls, workshops, displays and amusement rides. Between the two […]