Living in Brisbane
February Edition 2015
A message from Lord Mayor Graham Quirk
Happy New Year Brisbane! With the summer holidays now behind us, Council is busy
preparing for what will be another exciting year of events, projects and milestones for the
city.
Thank you to everyone who turned out for our CBD Christmas celebrations, New Year’s Eve
Fireworks spectacular and the school holiday activities at our 33 libraries across the city.
Congratulations to Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova for taking out the men’s and
women’s singles finals at this year’s Brisbane International tennis tournament. Brisbane was
thrilled to host a number of games as part of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and I hope you were
able to get along and cheer for the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba.
To kick off the year, I encourage you to experience the best of Asian food and culture with
the BrisAsia Festival from 6 February-1 March. The festival will coincide with traditional
Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown Mall from 20-22 February.
This month we formally welcome our city’s new international students. Also, for the very first
time, City Hall will host the Brisbane Comedy Festival Gala as part of the Brisbane Comedy
Festival on 28 February.
Graham Quirk
LORD MAYOR
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BrisAsia Festival returns in 2015
Experience the best of Asian culture right here in Brisbane as the BrisAsia Festival returns
from Friday 6 February to Sunday 1 March.
Festival goers can enjoy a full program of free events throughout the city including live music
and performances, movie screenings, food stalls with tasty treats for sale and craft
workshops.
Explore the tantalising flavours of Asian cooking at the street food events, express your
creativity through cooking, art or dance workshops or learn about the birds that migrate
between Australia and Japan.
Brisbane youth should dust off their best cosplay outfits (dressing as a character from a film,
book or video game) for the ultimate celebration of Asian pop culture at the Neon Pop dance
party.
Kicking off with the BrisAsia Festival Opening Night Party on Friday 6 February, don’t miss
the opportunity to experience the tastes, sights and sounds of Asia at events right across
Brisbane.
For more information and to view the full program, visit
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/brisasiafestival
Experience a Taste of Asia
Indulge in the delectable Taste of Asia, sponsored by Treasury Casino and Hotel, as this
foodie event comes to Reddacliff Place on Friday 27 February from 11am-9pm.
Learn Asian home cooking from celebrity chef and author of Adam’s Big Pot, Adam Liaw,
explore the food stalls, make your own lantern, or kick back with a tasty treat and enjoy live
music and entertainment.
Amigurumi
Discover the world of Amigurumi as Burnett Lane is transformed into a crocheted
wonderland from 13-15 February.
Amigurumi is the popular Japanese artform of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals
and adorable anthropomorphic creatures.
To find out more, visit www.brisbane.qld.au/brisasiafestival
G20 leaves lasting legacy
Following two years of preparations, the G20 Leaders’ Summit has been hailed a great
success locally, nationally and internationally.
Over the course of the event, delegates enjoyed some unique Brisbane experiences with the
Italian and Spanish Prime Ministers touring Legacy Way, and the Indian Prime Minister
unveiling a statue of Gandhi in the Roma Street Parkland.
The G20 placed Brisbane squarely in the world spotlight and the lasting legacies from the
event are the new opportunities it presents such as promoting Brisbane as the ultimate city
to live, visit, study, invest and do business in.
With a host of major events being held in Brisbane over the coming year, the city has now
taken its place as a destination of choice for major international conferences, events and
activities.
Welcoming international students
New and returning international students are invited to attend the Study Brisbane City
Welcome Festival on 28 February at South Bank Parklands.
More than 60 community, leisure and education exhibitors will be available at the event to
help students settle into their new home away from home and discover the vibrant, friendly
lifestyle Brisbane has to offer.
Highlights include the official opening of the Lord Mayor’s International Student Friendship
Ceremony and traditional Indigenous Welcome to Country, as well as live entertainment,
workshops, competitions and a selection of Brisbane’s most popular and authentic
international foods.
Study Brisbane’s City Welcome Festival has been running since 2009 with up to 7500
students and locals attending every year.
Brisbane-based international students will be volunteering on the day to welcome new
students to the city and recommend things to see and do.
For more information, visit www.studybrisbane.com.au/festival
Team BNE
Morgan Jaffit from Defiant Development is a local entrepreneur helping to put Brisbane on
the map as a creative hub for the gaming industry.
Morgan and his team of award winning game developers are being noticed around the world
by making great games, such as Ski Safari, Rocket Bunnies and Heroes Call.
These games are not only popular with gamers, they are also creating local jobs. “We’re in
the business of creating new, Australian-owned intellectual property and that means there’s
always an opportunity to reach
an audience and from there build a business”, Morgan says.
Morgan encourages local people with business ideas to try and develop them. “If you have
an idea and you know you can bring something new into the world, you should go for it.”
For more information and to support Team Brisbane, visit www.teambne.com.au
Free inner-city parking
Residents can now benefit from free 15 minute parking at more than 7700 parking bays
throughout Brisbane.
Free 15 minute parking is an outcome of the Brisbane Parking Taskforce and aims to make
parking more convenient. It’s available at all metered parking spaces outside the CBD,
including South Bank and Fortitude Valley.
All customers need to do is enter their vehicle registration number into the meter and select
the 15 minutes free option. Customers should note the offer is for motorists who park and
move on within this time only and is not a ‘first 15 minutes free’ promotion.
Free 15 minute parking is also available at King George Square and Wickham Terrace
carparks for customers who enter and leave within 15 minutes. For more information, visit
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call 3403 8888.
Cyclists ride with new online tool
A new online tool is making it easier for cyclists to map out their bike journey around
Brisbane.
The Ride the City online route planner, available on the Cycling Brisbane website, provides
step-by-step directional instructions for your journey.
Ride the City provides safe cycle planning, based on whether a cyclist wants to travel by offroad bikeways or the most direct route. It also displays points of interest, including local bike
shops and CityCycle station facilities.
Cycling directions can be printed or viewed on the go, with the tool accessible on smart
phones and tablet devices.
Visit www.cyclingbrisbane.com.au and simply enter your start and finish point into the route
planner.
While there, join Cycling Brisbane and discover all the ways Council can help you get on
your bike more often.
Cycling Brisbane is a free-to-join membership program. The website is dedicated to all
things cycling, from cycling events, training courses, advice and bikepaths, to the latest
deals and discounts from supporting businesses.
Get fit in 2015
If you need a little motivation to keep your health and fitness regime on track this year, why
not try the Active Parks program? It offers free or low-cost activities at more than 50 local
parks across Brisbane.
The Active Parks program caters for all ability levels so you can get a great workout and
make new friends in your local area.
Eastsiders can take part in a free group fitness circuit at the new outdoor gym in Minnippi
Parklands (off Meadowlands Road), Tingalpa, on Wednesday 11, 18 and 25 February from
5.30-6.30pm. To book call 0414 437 616.
Residents aged 50 years and over can also take part in the GOLD (Growing Older and
Living Dangerously) program with great free and low-cost activities available across the city.
To find out more, call 3403 8888or visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/activeandhealthy
Stay active and keep safe this summer
February’s warmer weather provides great conditions for maintaining health, attaining new
fitness goals and enjoying the outdoors.
Keep safe while exercising by choosing routes popular with other runners and walkers, and
where possible, aiming to run during daylight hours. Residents should also consider
exercising with a friend or the family dog, and remove headphones or turn music down low
to remain aware of their immediate environment.
Public safety help points are located across Brisbane and are monitored 24 hours a day. The
help points are to be used in case of a medical or safety emergency, or when assistance is
required. To find out the locations of public safety help points across the city, visit
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and search ‘public safety help points’ to view Council’s interactive
map.
Boost for Brisbane’s ferry network
Brisbane residents are reaping the benefits of the city’s enhanced ferry network following the
opening of the Bulimba ferry terminal and Milton CityCat terminal.
Following a major upgrade, Bulimba ferry terminal is now servicing 280 stops on weekdays –
including CityCat and CityFerry services – and approximately 8000 passengers a week as
Brisbane’s busiest suburban ferry terminal.
The brand new Milton CityCat terminal opened in recent weeks and is accommodating 118
CityCat stops per weekday, with 200,000 passengers expected to use this service in its first
year.
Both terminals provide enhanced accessibility for passengers of all abilities and have been
designed to be flood resilient.Major upgrades at a further nine ferry terminals – Regatta,
Bretts Wharf, Hawthorne, UQ St Lucia, QUT Gardens Point, Sydney Street, Holman Street,
North Quay and Maritime Museum – will be completed by mid-2015, weather permitting.
Walk, cycle or scoot to school
With 46 schools across Brisbane taking part in Council’s Active School Travel program,
eastside students are discovering the benefits of sustainable and healthy ways to get
around.
The program encourages students, families and teachers to leave the car at home for at
least one of their journeys to and from school, and to walk, cycle, scoot, carpool or take
public transport instead.
This year, five eastside schools are participating in the Active School Travel program,
resulting in less congestion in local streets, increased safety around schools and a cleaner
environment.
The program also provides students and their families with new opportunities to be active
and healthy.
More than 25,000 students took part in the 2014 program with schools competing for the
monthly Golden Boot Award.
For more information on how you can help your children actively travel to and from school,
call 3403 8888 or visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au
Did you know...
The heritage-listed Victoria Bridge Abutment is part of the 1896 bridge (the fourth to be built)
and the first bridge across the Brisbane River not to be washed away during times of flood.
Preserving a piece of history
The historic Victoria Bridge Abutment and Memorial is undergoing a facelift to allow public
access for the first time in 16 years.
Located adjacent to the Victoria Bridge, on the southern side of the Brisbane River, the
abutment is the last remaining piece of the 1896 bridge which was demolished in 1969 when
the current bridge opened.
It is an ideal place to take in city and river views, and is home to several memorial plaques.
The refurbishment will include the installation of CCTV cameras, lighting and signage, a
pavement upgrade and a pedestrian bridge between the current bridge and the abutment.
For more information, email info@south-bank.net.au
Green Gardening Guide update
To help exercise your green thumb, the Green Gardening Guide has been launched
providing a wealth of sustainability information for amateur and experienced gardeners alike.
The sixth edition of the guide covers tips for designing and caring for your garden, sharing it
with wildlife and growing your own fresh produce. It also delivers tips on how to save money,
time and water, and the importance of sustainable gardening methods.
Council’s Green Gardening Guide is all about making easy, cost effective and sustainable
choices in your garden, which help keep our city clean and green.
You can help manage mosquito breeding areas by eliminating standing water and changing
dog bowl, bird bath and pot plant holder water weekly. Remember to also check boats, old
tyres and children’s wading pools regularly for stagnant water.
To read or download the sixth edition of Council’s Green Gardening Guide, visit
www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and search ‘green gardening guide’.
Enjoy your local creek
With Brisbane renowned for its subtropical environment and outdoor lifestyle, Council’s new
Waterways Activation Map helps nature lovers learn about local creek catchments, the fauna
and flora found there, and the many ways to enjoy the great outdoors in their local area.
All Brisbane residents live in a creek or river catchment, with 38 major creek catchments and
630 kilometres of waterways throughout the city.
The new online interactive map helps residents and visitors discover those waterways.
It’s compatible with desktop, tablet and smart phones, and showcases creek and river
catchments, associated creek catchment groups, boat ramps, selected bikeways, walking
paths and trails for the
community to experience.
Information on Habitat Brisbane sites, environment centres, Council’s WaterSmart projects
and links to creek fact sheets are also available.
To find out more about the Waterways Activation Map, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and
search ‘Brisbane’s Creeks’ or call 3403 8888.
What happens to your recycling?
While most residents think carefully about separating their general waste and recycling, we
are often asked about where the recyclables go after collection.
Recyclables go to the Material Recovery Facility at Gibson Island where these valuable
recovered resources go onto a conveyor system to be sorted by size and material type.
Items are grouped as paper, cardboard, plastic, metal or glass, ready for reprocessing into
new products and packaging.
To find out more, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or download Council’s free Brisbane Bin and
Recycling app from Google Play or the App Store.
Did you know…
Last year Council collected more than 91,400 tonnes of recyclables, enough to fill 183
Olympic sized pools.
Say ‘hello’ on Nabo
Brisbane residents can use a new online tool aimed at uniting neighbours and providing
suburb specific information online.
Nabo is a private and secure social network which operates through forums that are
postcode-specific. It allows residents to communicate with each other to help build stronger
communities and safer suburbs across Brisbane.
Council is the first local government in Queensland to participate in Nabo, providing
residents with the latest information on services, events and programs specific to their
suburb.
Whether it is searching for a lost pet, borrowing a ladder, recommending a tradie or meeting
up with a neighbourhood walking group, Nabo aims to help Brisbane residents to stay in
touch locally.
To find out more or to register, visit www.nabo.com.au
Stay vigilant all year round
While the traditional storm season is drawing to an end, residents are encouraged to
continue to stay vigilant as severe weather can strike quickly and without warning.
Thunderstorms, flash flooding, bushfires and heat waves are all common occurrences in
Brisbane during the hot summer months and, with February known for its higher
temperatures, it is better to be prepared.
This could be as simple as preparing an emergency kit or updating the one you currently
have, signing up to Council’s Early Warning Alert Service or ensuring you have a household
emergency plan in place.
For more information, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/beprepared
Voting for recycling art opens
All artworks have now been entered for the 2014 Recycling Art Competition, so make a date
to come and vote for your favourite piece at the display in Brisbane Square Library from 6
February.
Artists created their works from discarded materials rescued for sale at Council’s Tip Shops
and the Garage Sale Trail. The finalists compete for public votes to win a share of $4000 in
prize money.
Last year’s competition attracted more than 2000 community votes for artworks made from
old furniture, stuffed toys, jewellery, crockery and more.
Voting is open from 6 February until 23 March. You can also view the artworks and vote
online by visiting www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and searching ‘recycling art’.
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Dance at Neon Pop
Celebrate the bright, fun and eccentric characteristics of Asian popular culture at this year’s
Neon Pop event, held on Saturday 28 February from 4-9pm at South Bank’s Cultural
Forecourt.
This free youth dance party brings together a fusion of Asian pop, the art of cosplay
(dressing as a character from a film, book or video game) and anime fandom for one night
only in a high-energy event for fans of Asian culture.
Dress up as your favourite anime character or wear your brightest dancing shoes and party
the night away to the infectious tunes of Asian pop and electronic music.
Enjoy non-stop entertainment from the Galactic Princess stilt walkers, Cosmic Roller Girls,
DJ Lame, Green Nose, Miss Geni and the Samedi Soundsystem.
There will also be dance performances, fashion shows and food and drink available for
purchase. To find out more, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/brisasiafestival
Comedy Gala
As part of the 2015 Brisbane Comedy Festival, the inaugural Brisbane Comedy Festival
Gala will take place at City Hall on Saturday 28 February.
Featuring a line-up of local and well-known Australian comedians, this night of laughs is set
be a festival highlight.
For tickets and more information visit www.briscomfest.com
Chinese New Year is here
Come out and celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year (19 February) and welcome in the
Year of the Goat, the eighth sign in the Chinese zodiac.
Also known as the Year of the Ram or Sheep, those born under the sign of the Goat are said
to be artistic, calm, reserved, happy and kind, and include Michelangelo, Mark Twain,
Thomas Edison and Julia Roberts.
Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations will form part of the BrisAsia Festival, and will see a
range of exciting and vibrant events take place across the city. Chinatown Mall will be a
focus with lion dancers, entertainers, food stalls and markets forming part of the celebrations
from 20-22 February.
To find out more, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call 3403 8888.
What’s on
9 February
Adventure kids – put up a tent and go bushwalking, ideal for ages 6-12, 3.30-4.30pm, Perth
Street Park, meet by the playground, Camp Hill, FREE
11, 18 and 25 February
Baby bootcamp – a post-natal fitness session, 9.15-10.15am, Bulimba Riverside Park, to
book call 0431 778 513, FREE
15 February
Compost and Worm Farm Workshop, 9am-12 noon, Bethania Street Community Garden,
Cox Park, Lota, to book call 3403 8888, FREE
21 February
Fortitude Valley Markets – enjoy the revitalised markets, 9am-4pm, Brunswick Street Mall
and Chinatown Mall, FREE
27 February
Incy wincy spider – tots, pots and play session, for ages 2-5, 10am-12 noon, Carindale
Recreation Reserve, to book visit www.bazilgrumble.com.au, FREE
For more information visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au or call (07) 3403 8888
CA14-589649-08-656
© Brisbane City Council 2014
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Brisbane City Council
Information
GPO Box 1434
Brisbane Qld 4001
Every effort is made to ensure that information is correct at time of printing