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Hop Aboard the Egg-citing Redcliffe Festival of Sails

Well, blow me down! It’s the mid of April and if you haven’t planned a trip yet for the long Easter weekend, you might want to consider joining in the fun at Redcliffe Festival of Sails on Good Friday, 19^th April 2019, at Suttons Beach.

The Redcliffe Festival of Sails offers a whole day of Easter-themed free entertainment and activities, from 9:00am to 4:00pm, organized by Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism in partnership with Moreton Bay Regional Council and 9 News Queensland.

2019 Redcliffe Festival of Sails — *Photo credit: Redcliffe Festival of Sails / Facebook*

You’ll get to see the Skydiving Easter Bunny in person as he gives out chocolate treats for kids at 10:10am.

Also, you’ll have a front-row view of Australia’s second largest yacht race, the QantasLink Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, with entrants from all around Australia, as the yachts sail on by pass the remarkable Redcliffe Peninsula.

Kids Zone

The Kids Zone will feature enjoyable activities such as the following:

Eco Cartoon Colouring MuralWall: Let your kids participate in this fun colouring activity or encourage them to join the interactive community games using recycled instruments.
Free Craft Workshops: Just be sure to jump in early to book your children’s spots.
Nine News’ mini news desk: Snap a photo of your kids behind the desk as they pretend to report the day’s stories.
Face Painting: A festival won’t be complete without a painted face for a small cost.
Rides on Gentle Ponies: The youngest members of the family will have a delightful time for only $5. Don’t forget to capture that moment on your camera!
Animal Farm: Let your children get up close and personal with friendly alpacas, sheep, goats, and cuddly chickens, ducklings, and piglets. They can hand feed, brush or pat the animals.

Redcliffe's skydiving bunny — *Photo credit: Redcliffe Festival of Sails / Facebook*

Beach Zone

The Beach Zone will also have the following fun activities:

$1 Easter Egg Hunt: Search for colourful Easter eggs for a $1 donation.
MBRC Healthy and Active Moreton: Moreton Bay Regional Council Healthy & Active team will deliver free, fun activities throughout the day such as Kinetic Kids (9:00am-11:00am), Billy’s Buddies (1:00pm-4:00pm), Disc Golf (10:00am-2:00pm), and Croquet (9:00am-11:00am & 1:00pm-3:00pm).
Kite Making Workshops: The Redcliffe Kite Club can help you make your very own kite for $7.
Beach Activities: There will be beach volleyball, cricket and tennis all day for free!
Sand Sculpture & Workshop: A professional sand sculptor will create incredible scenes right before your eyes. You can also jump in and try creating your very own masterpiece.

Easter Egg Hunt — *Photo credit: http://www.redcliffefestivalofsails.com.au*

Live Entertainment

There will be three stages dedicated to live music: the Main Stage, Northern Acoustic Stage, and Southern Acoustic Stage. Non-stop music performances will be a mix of genres including pop, folk, acoustic, blues, jazz, RnB, soul, and dance.

Entertainers lined up for the Main Stage include Thomas Armstrong-Robley, Mason Watts, Ruby Gilbert, Amy Kate, and Ballantyne. Also, the Sharon Alback Dancers will be performing “Where is the Easter Bunny” at 2:00pm.

Lined up at the Northern Acoustic Stage are amazing local musicians like Amy Kate, Nicole Canaway, Izack Hunt, and Nicole McKinney. Whilst the Southern Acoustic Stage will enjoy great live music from talented local performers like Sarah Hamze, Jax Haze, Liam Johnson, Lucky Korts, and the front-man from Reggae band Fat Picnic, Graham Moes.

Pop-Up Ice Cream Fair

Chill at the festive atmosphere of the Pop-up Ice Cream Fair that will have everything sweet, creamy and frozen. Participating in this fair are Dippin Dots, Gelato A Go-Go, Classic Ice Cream, Icephile, Ungermann Brothers Ice Cream Parlour, Whips and Co, Yo-Get-It, and Popsyland. Also taking part are Donut Kitchen and Espresso XO.

Other Features of the Festival

Aside from the Pop-up Ice Cream Fair, there will be two food courts with international cuisines or festival classics like spiral potatoes, pizza, churros, hot donuts, and much more.

Roam around and have a look at over 150 market stalls lining Suttons Beach selling clothing, accessories, toys, and treasures. Love Handmade Lane in particular will have a variety of made in Brisbane products like handcrafted sterling silver jewellery, art & prints, plants, and jam + chutney. You may also be interested to join the free Easter Wreath Workshops featured in this area at 10:00am and 2:00pm.

A range of rides will also be featured such as the Circus Jumping Castle, Cup & Saucer, Ferris Wheel, and more. Rides will cost $5 each or $25 for an all-day rides pass.

On top of that, you can just catch the Free Shuttle Bus for stress-free travel to the festival. There will be two locations to hop on a shuttle bus: at the Redcliffe Showgrounds on Scarborough Road and at Kippa-Ring Train Station. The shuttle is pram and wheelchair friendly. For details regarding stress-free travel, click here.

For more information, click here.

Redcliffe: Among the Most Affordable Suburbs Within 30kms from the CBD

Redcliffe offers all-year round ocean view, seaside lifestyle, and some of the most affordable units whilst still being situated just under 30kms from the CBD.

Redcliffe is an ideal place to live for professionals, families with kids, retirees, and just about everyone who loves the beach, the outdoors, and great food. Redcliffe was once the foremost holiday destination for many Brisbanites.

Just 28 kilometres from the city, property buyers would be happy to know that there are affordable units that you can find in Redcliffe which currently has median unit price of $387,000, according to Domain’s latest research.

On the other hand, CoreLogic’s propertyvalue.com.au data shows that the median unit price in Redcliffe as at December 2018 is 6.95 percent lower than it was 12 months ago.

The latest report from the Domain Group ranked the most affordable suburbs according to their proximity to the CBD. For suburbs just under 10 kms from the city, Milton took the top spot for units with a median price of $363,750 whilst Keperra was the most affordable for houses with a median sale price of $541,500.

Affordable Suburbs Under 10 Kilometres from Brisbane CBD

Suburb for Units	Median Sale Price
Milton	$363,750
Moorooka	$367,500
Clayfield	$382,500
Everton Park	$390,000
Fortitude Valley	$391,000

Suburb for Houses	Median Sale Price
Keperra	$541,500
Chermside	$580,000
Everton Park	$590,000
Chermside West	$591,000
Stafford Heights	$602,500

Zillmere, with a median unit price of $340,000, is the most affordable suburb within 10- 20 kilometres from CBD and is also close to Westfield Chermside. Inala, on the other hand has the lowest median house price at $365,000.

Affordable Suburbs 10 – 20 Kilometres from Brisbane CBD

Suburb for Units	Median Sale Price
Zillmere	$340,000
Runcorn	$365,000
Richlands	$370,000
Calamvale	$380,000
Eight Mile Plains	$382,000

Suburb for Houses	Median Sale Price
Inala	$365,500
Acacia Ridge	$400,000
Durack	$411,000
Strathpine	$438,750
Thorneside	$445,000

*Photo Credit: Kgbo [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] / Wikimedia Commons*

The most affordable for houses within 20-30 kilometre radius is Kingston with a median house price of $325,000 whilst Kallangur offers the lowest median unit price at $292,000.

Affordable Suburbs 20 – 30 Kilometres from Brisbane CBD

Suburb for Units	Median Sale Price
Kallangur	$292,000
Dakabin	$365,000
Griffin	$377,500
Mango Hill	$383,500
Redcliffe	$387,500

Suburb for Houses	Median Sale Price
Kingston	$325,000
Bundamba	$331,000
Goodna	$337,000
Redbank Plains	$338,500
Bethania	$344,000

Looking beyond the 30 kilometres radius, there are still affordable suburbs you can find that are still relatively close to the city such as Eagleby with a median unit price of $252,000. Raceview will also not disappoint buyers hunting for bargain houses with its median house price of $338,000.

Affordable Suburbs 30 – 40 Kilometres from Brisbane CBD

Suburb for Units	Median Sale Price
Eagleby	$252,000
Deception Bay	$260,000
Morayfield	$325,000
Redland Bay	$448,500
Scarborough	$495,000

Suburb for Houses	Median Sale Price
Raceview	$338,000
Brassall	$347,250
Beenleigh	$350,000
Yamanto	$359,000
Morayfield	$359,900

Now is a good time for property buyers to invest in these bargain suburbs closest to the CBD, analysts believe, considering that these areas are already primed for growth. However, recovery on units market may take some time since units are not considered as primary choice among buyers.

Moreton Bay’s Bromeliad & Tropical Show Where Charity Also Blooms

The Bromeliad Society of Queensland (BSQ) will hold their 2019 Autumn Show entitled “The Bromeliad & Tropicals Show & Sales” on Saturday and Sunday, 6^th& 7^th of April 2019, at Genesis Christian College in Bray Park.

There will be a spectacular array of plants for sale, including bromeliads, tropicals, indoor plants, orchids, hoyas, begonias, succulents, and many more from over twenty experienced growers who are participating.

Growers and BSQ volunteers will be present to help you choose the right plants for your garden and to offer advice.

*BSQ Bromeliad & Tropicals Show & Sales – Autumn 2019 flyer*
*Photo credit: bronsqueensland.com.au*

Monster Raffle for Pine Rivers Special School

An interesting feature of the event is the Monster Raffle where proceeds will be donated to Pine Rivers Special School.

Pine Rivers Special School is a co-educational state school that caters to children from 6 to 18 years with a verified diagnosis of a disability or a suspected disability in the case of Early Childhood Developmental Program.

Most of their students have been verified as having an Intellectual Disability. Some students have a verified diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, whilst others have a physical, vision or hearing impairment. Majority of the students are ambulatory but all areas of the school is built to be wheelchair accessible as approximately 10% of the students are in wheelchairs.

Students learning work skills
Pine Rivers Special School
Learning responsibility
BSQ’s beneficiary for its 2019 Autumn Monster Raffle

Raffle tickets can be purchased at the show. Prices for the Monster Raffle tickets are as follows:

1 ticket for $2
3 tickets for $5
7 tickets for $10

Two winners for the raffle will be drawn at 12:00 noon on Sunday, 7^th April 2019. The winners will be awarded prizes with a total combined value of $500 in plants and they will be contacted after the drawing of the prizes.

Other Highlights

Aside from the Monster Raffle, you can participate in two other fun contests – the Lucky Door Prize and the $100 Show Voucher on Social Media. Interested individuals can view the full terms and conditions.

Everyone is invited to come, from novice gardeners to landscape architects. Even brown thumbs are welcome to admire the display, most especially the competition plants whose winners will also be announced at the end of the event. Admission is only $4 per person.

Tillandsia in bloom — *Photo credit: DEZALB / Pixabay*

Flowering Bromeliad — *Photo credit: Foto-Rabe / Pixabay*

Books will be available for purchase as well as refreshments.

Plants will be replenished throughout the event so no one leaves empty handed. Cash and Electronic Funds Transfer at Point Of Sale (EFTPOS) will be accepted.

The trade fair will be open from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday and will run at 9:00 AM till 1:00 PM on Sunday.

It will be held at Genesis Christian College at 12-16 Youngs Crossing Road, Bray Park.

Weaving Redcliffe’s Social Fabric With A $2M Art Gallery & Community Centre

The Moreton Bay Regional Council has allotted $2-million to renovate and remodel the Redcliffe Administration Centre at Irene Street into an art gallery and community centre.

The project intends to relocate the Redcliffe Art Gallery from its current location to provide additional space for exhibitions and public programs. The 1000 sqm gallery will feature display areas, a new front counter, courtyard, studio space, storage, curatorial space, and general amenities.

The ground floor will have a new customer service area as well as a community area.

To facilitate the project operations and ensure continued services, the existing customer service area will be temporarily relocated to Redcliffe Library at Oxley Avenue until September 2019.

The project is part of the 2018/19 budget which is focused towards making Moreton Bay a place where locals can live, work and play all within 20 minutes of home.

The Redcliffe Seniors Computer Club and the Redcliffe University of the Third Age (U3A) have been granted leases to move into the building as soon as the upgrades are completed. Both clubs will pay a minimal rent of $1 per annum for the duration of the leases.

Senior citizen learning about computers — *Photo credit: Redcliffe Seniors Computer Club/Facebook*

The community groups will be able to hold classes, workshops and public events in a convenient and comfortable venue. It is an ideal place for old people to learn and socialise because there’s a bus stop just across from the RSL and access is at ground level, which makes it easier for the senior community.

The project will commence in March 2019 and will be completed in early 2020.

Redcliffe Gallery and Community Space Fly Through
Credits to MBRC YouTube Channel

Moreton Bay Digital Trails: Redcliffe, Deception Bay Offer Interactive Ways to Discover Your Heritage

There’s now a more interesting way to learn about your past when taking a walk at the Moreton Bay Heritage Trails. Following the successful pilot trials of two Redcliffe sites, the Moreton Bay Regional Council recently launched the third interactive site in Deception Bay.

The Deception Bay Digital Heritage Trail, which debuted in January, features an interactive guide to the original heritage trail located at the Captain Cook Parade. The improvements will now allow visitors to listen to audio interviews from the locals. They can also click through dozens of old photos to see what Deception Bay looked like before its modern developments.

Local history buffs Mary Otto and Viv Tucker had a hand in developing the Deception Bay Digital Heritage Trail. The two were also part of the development of the original trail a decade ago.

Mary Otto and Viv Tucker with Councillor Peter Flannery present the Deception Bay Digital Heritage Trail.
Photo Credit: Moreton Bay Council

In 2017, the Moreton Bay Regional Council opened the pilot trials of the first two digital heritage sites. The Redcliffe Convict Trail and Redcliffe Esplanade Walk also feature audio tracks and old photographs that make the trip more enriching for visitors.

One of the audio tracks at the Redcliffe Convict Trail features the details of the letter John Oxley wrote to Governor Brisbane in 1823, where he convinced the governor that Moreton Bay would be the most ideal place for a penal colony settlement.

This is a painting of the Moreton Bay settlement site in the old days.
Photo Credit: Moreton Bay Council

Another audio track features a narration of how the settlers developed a way to mould bricks after discovering a rich resource of clay near the Humpybong Creek. History books have stated that Redcliffe was the first brick production site in Queensland.

The Redcliffe Esplanade Walk, on the other hand, also has an audio track displaying personal stories from the Redcliffe Historical Society, where they share memories of their years of growing up in the peninsula.

The Redcliffe Esplanade was the centre of community activities.
Photo Credit: Moreton Bay Council

Visitors to the three digital heritage sites are encouraged to use a smartphone or tablet device while walking the trails so they can follow the interesting stories carefully. They may also visit the website to view the region’s history interactively.

Open Mic for Writers Happening at Redcliffe Library

Calling on writers and even aspiring writers in Redcliffe… The Redcliffe Writers’ Group is inviting you to its Open Mic event happening this 22 February 2019 at the Redcliffe Library.

The writers’ open mic event is regularly held every last Friday of the month. Each month, a set of writers are chosen to be featured. They will have the chance to promote and discuss with the group their most recent published work, or even share about their writing journey towards publication. Writers who are yet to publish their works are also welcome to register and speak during the event.

For January 2019, the featured speakers were Nick White- author of “Kat, The Legend of Gnawbonia”, Leslie McConnell- author of “Black Tears”, and Trish Springsteen- author and contributor to the anthology “Touched by Breast Cancer”.

For February, the Redcliffe Writer’s Group chose the following authors to present their most recent work: Sue Lester- author of “The Face Within: How to change your unconscious blueprint”, Carleton Chinner- a science fiction author, and Karen Purves author of “Gratitude Prompts”.

Why join the Writers’ Open Mic?

This is a FREE event wherein you get to meet new sets of writers with their featured works each month. Hence, this makes a perfect venue for you to expand your network in the writing industry.

Aside from promoting your most recent work, the Redcliffe Writers’ Open Mic is also an innovative way for you to learn and be inspired from the shared experiences of other writers. You’ll never know, you might even spark up an idea or two that can be of use in your future work.

Additional bonus of light refreshments and lucky door prizes will also be given throughout the event.

Here is a list of dates scheduled for the Redcliffe Writers’ Open Mic event this 2019:

25 January 2019
22 Feburary 2019
22 March 2019
26 April 2019
24 May 2019
28 June 2019
26 July 2019
23 August 2019
27 September 2019
25 October 2019
22 November 2019

Time to mark you calendars and attend Redcliffe Writers’ Open Mic event!

Donate Old Smartphone at Redcliffe to Help Seriously Ill Children

It’s time to clean up your drawers and recycle your old smartphones!

The Starlight Children’s Foundation is accepting old smartphones as donations for their Smartphones for Smiles program. By donating your unwanted smartphones at the participating Puma Energy location in Redcliffe, you get to help brighten up the lives of seriously ill children.

The Foundation together with Puma Energy, Frank Mobile, and Nova, aim to collect 1000 used smartphones in order to raise over $39,000.

A total of 30 Puma Energy locations are now accepting donations for the Smartphones for Smiles up until 31 January. One of the participating locations is at 493 Oxley Avenue in Redcliffe.

Here is a complete list of locations across South East Queensland.

Redcliffe Starlight Children's Foundation — Photo credit: Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia/ Facebook

How to Donate

Retrieve your old smartphone and make sure to remove all account locks and personal information in your phone for privacy. To know more about resetting your phone, please visit Apple or Samsung webages.
Drop off your smartphone donation to the nearest participating Puma Energy Service Station. You also need to fill in some basic details at the counter.
Starlight’s mobile partner, Frank Mobile, will collect and evaluate all donated phones. Another data clearing process will be made in order to ensure the smartphone’s complete data destruction.
The total value of all donated smartphones will be reconciled and distributed to Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Help bring a smile on the faces of the Starlight children. Donate your old smartphones now!

Redcliffe Celebrates Australia Day at Suttons Beach

A fun yet laid-back celebration awaits for this year’s Australia Day in Redcliffe!

Happening on Saturday, 26 January 2019, from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., this grand celebration at the dazzling golden sands of Suttons Beach will be filled with music, games, and activities that everyone will surely enjoy.

What to Expect

Be prepared to watch amazing performances from invited guests and bands, whilst savouring a tasty meal from a wide selection of food vendors. The Lamington Eating Competition will also take place, and it will be open for both kids and adults. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get our tummies ready for a bountiful feast!

Redcliffe Australia Day — Photo credit: Moreton Life Magazine / Facebook

If playing sports is what you are in for, you can spend the afternoon with a game of Beach Cricket and Beach Volleyball. Everyone can also make use of these free inflatables by the beach: Shark Slide, Dart Soccer, 3 in 1 Sports Game and Ninja Junior.

And finally, catch the spectacular fireworks display in the evening to cap off this one-of-a-kind Australia Day celebration.

Stage Programme

Time	Performer
3:00 p.m.	Official Event Welcome
3:10 p.m.	James Tyler
4:00 p.m.	Lamington Eating Competition (Under 12)
4:15 p.m.	Asa Broomhall
5:00 p. m.	Lamington Eating Competition (13+)
5:15 p.m.	The Lighthearts
6:15 p.m.	The Shine
8:00 p.m.	Fireworks

Location

Suttons Beach – 15 Marine Parade, Redcliffe

Cost

Free entry

This event is presented and supported by the Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism (MBRIT) and the Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Off-Leash Trial at Queens Beach North in Scarborough Extended

Doggos will have more time to run free along Queens Beach North in Scarborough as the Moreton Bay Regional Council extended the off-leash trial up to the end of March 2019.

The off-leash trial on the stretch of Queens Beach North was supposed to have ended in October 2018. However, the trial was so popular among the locals that the council decided to extend it.

What will make fur parents happier is that the trial, this time around, will have no time restrictions, so their beloved pets will be free to play at the beach 24 hours a day. The initial trial only allowed the pooches to run off leash from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.

While pet lovers welcome the news, there are those who fear that allowing dogs to run freely 24 hours a day may eventually lead to someone getting bitten. Those who are not in favour of the 24-hour off-leash area fear that there is no safe time for families with young children at the beach.

Opposing locals started a petition on Change.org to ask the council to keep Queens Beach North dog free. They listed several reasons such as dogs harassing swimmers or dogs interfering with beach-goers’ belongings. They also complained that the beach does not have perimeter fencing, so some dog owners can’t easily control their dogs from leaving the beach area and interfering with cyclists and joggers on the footpath.

The council noted that there have been no untoward incidents reported during the trial, thus the continuation and the lifting of the time limit for the off-leash beach area.

Moreton Bay Arts and Crafters Gather at Redcliffe Arts Complex

Over 30 handpicked Moreton Bay arts and crafters gathered at the Old Redcliffe Fire Station Arts Complex on Oxley Avenue for the much-awaited Arts and Crafters Market on Saturday, the 24th of November 2018.

Visitors made their way through the various artisan stalls to discover unique, handcrafted gift ideas, and find shopping treasures from amongst the local handicrafts and one-of-a-kind art on display.

Live entertainment featuring Bruce, the event’s talented harmonica player, the Choir, and the Hillbilly Bush Band, kept the mood upbeat.

Santa came just before noon, to help shoppers buy gifts and for some Instagram-worthy snaps with visitors and stallholders.

Visitors enjoyed feasting on Italian pastries, pancakes, waffles, designer cupcakes, plus overflowing coffee and cold drinks galore. The Redcliffe Coast Guard had a hugely popular sausage sizzle.

Shoppers eager to score early Christmas gifts merrily took their pick along the crafters lane, where children’s clothes, jewellery, pottery, bags and hand painted scarves provided excellent choices.

The local artist community proudly displayed their woodwork, and shell art paintings in various sizes and media.

Limited-edition bowls were available to keep, for those who purchased the popular “Berries in a Bowl” at the Redcliffe Pottery Club’s Open Studios. Lucky visitors won several raffle prizes throughout the event.

The Redcliffe Art Society members welcomed visitors to their studios, where their latest exhibition were on display. Selected curated items were on sale at the gift shop.

The Arts and Crafters Market was held in cooperation with the Redcliffe Art Society, Redcliffe Potters Group, and the Moreton Bay Arts Council.