paddington Archives - Page 12 of 14

The Most Interesting Sites To Visit on the Rosalie Heritage Trail

At first sight, several buildings and places around Rosalie may seem ordinary, but historical trails such as the Rosalie Heritage Trail will reveal rich stories of the past, all worth revisiting.

The Rosalie Heritage Trail is a 2.1 kilometre-trail that may take a full-hour walk to explore.

*Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland*

First Stops on Nash Street

Begin your walk on the Rosalie Heritage Trail at the corner of Baroona Road and Nash Street. A commemorative plaque set on this site will tell you that Rosalie had three incidences of the worst flooding — in 1893, 1974 and 2011 — that burdened the village.

Since Rosalie is geographically low-lying, torrential rains expectedly bring some risks. However, amid the damages and the muddy ground, this force of nature will never dampen the spirit of the community as neighbours help clean up Rose Village each and every time.

*Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Rae Allen*

Walk further to Nash Street and visit the Rosalie School of Arts and Commemorative Hall. Opening in 1928, this historic landmark is a memorial to the heroes of World War I. Then, head next door to the Beverly Theatre, the site of the first outdoor movie establishment. Today, however, this area is filled with choice dining places.

Then walk across the other side of Nash Street to find a building with a red roof. This used to be the Tram Shelter No. 6, which was built during the Great Depression and stopped operations when buses came to Paddington in the 1960s.

Crossing Elizabeth Street and Given Terrace

From Nash Street, cross Elizabeth Street, where you’ll find the site of The Little Citizen’s Free Kindergarten, one of the first kindies in Brisbane, which was built in 1935. Today, it’s the C & K Rosalie Community Kindergarten and Preschool.

Turn right when you reach the intersection on Fernberg Road to spot the Marist Brothers Monastery. Walk across the trail to the Given Terrace and you won’t miss the Sacred Heart Church. Restored as a brick building from a modest wood building in 1918, this Catholic institution remains a vital presence in the community.

*Photo Credit: Google Plus/Rogerova Cesta*

About 100 metres away is the Our Lady of Help Christian Convent, which was built in 1919 for the Sisters of Mercy. Five nuns from the congregation arrived in Brisbane during this period to educate Brisbane children at the nearby Sacred Heart School.

More on Fernberg and Haig Road

Retrace your steps from Given Terrace and back to Fernberg Road to find Lucerne. This gorgeous detached house is one of the oldest private residences in Brisbane. Built by the bricklayer James Young around 1862, a part of Lucerne today is a bed and breakfast place.

Continue on Fernberg Road and walk along the beautiful stone kerbs and garden beds. These were built to beautify Brisbane for Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 1954.

Past the Fernberg planting boxes, cross Baroona Road and you’ll get to the former site of the Milton Congregational Church at the corner of Baroona and Haig Road. Opened in 1887, it was one of the earliest churches in the district. The church was demolished sometime in the 1960s.

Proceed along Haig Road to Gregory Park, named after Queensland’s Surveyor General and one of Australia’s most influential explorers, Sir Augustus Charles Gregory. Gregory Park has ample green space, tennis courts and other sporting facilities, picnic areas, and shaded playgrounds. It’s hard to believe that this used to be marshland.

Walk further along Haig Road and you’ll be in the site of the once premier international tennis centre in Queensland, the Milton Tennis Centre. Since hosting its first Davis Cup match in 1952, the tennis centre managed to host more Davis Cup matches than any other city in Australia. Today, the site is called Frew Park, named after Robert Frew, who was lovingly named as the ‘father of Queensland tennis.’

*Bird’s eyeview of Frew Park, former site of the once famous Milton Tennis Centre. (Photo Credit: Brisbane City Council)*

There are also other interesting sites worth checking out as you go done memory lane on the Rosalie Heritage Trail. These include the Glenworth villa, the Boondah timbre house, and the Baroona, which is one of Rosalie’s oldest houses, and the Fernberg, Government House.

While some of the sites along the trail are private properties and inaccessible to the public, walking through this trail can give you a glimpse of the rich history of Rosalie.

Paddington’s Housing Market Looks Promising in 2019

Paddington is gearing up for an even better housing market in 2019 as strong market demands continue to increase property prices in the suburb.

A recent REIQ report on the latest housing market statistics showed Paddington’s median house price to be amongst the highest in Brisbane at $1,150,000. This shows a 14.7% increase over the last 12 months and 49.5% over the last 5 years. In the 2nd quarter of 2018, there were 32 homes sold in the suburb.

According to property experts, Paddington continues to attract both younger and older buyers due to its affordability as well as its proximity to the city.

Moreover, the suburb also saw a surge of overseas buyers looking for properties with the best rates.

Apart from the affordability of homes, experts have also cited three main factors that lead to better price growth. These are the availability of good retailing, good schools, and good public transport.

Currently, Paddington’s high demand market gets 1,223 property visits per month. This is relatively higher than the average demand in Queensland which is 385 visits per property.

These figures show that the suburb will indeed have a promising market property in the next year.

Aside from Paddington, other Brisbane suburbs to watch out for are Chandler, Indooroopilly, Graceville, and Kippa-Ring.

Hidden Treasure: Highly Collectible Art at Red Sand Art Gallery Off Given Terrace

Just off Given Terrace on Campbell Street in Paddington is a little-known emporium of highly significant fine art. Speaking to the owner of Red Sand Art Gallery, Peter King, for five minutes gives you a sense of the amazing life he has led in the world of aboriginal art.

Between 1996 and 2009, Peter owned two Aboriginal art galleries in the Northern Territories, and he would drive 300 km in order to supply canvas and paints to a wide range of artists, many of whom became Aboriginal art stars.

The vast range of art ranging in price from $100 to several thousand dollars has been bought by some of the biggest collectors in the world and particularly by the many overseas clients that visited his galleries in Alice Springs and Titree.

Artists from the Western Desert and Utopia Homelands were responsible for the vast majority of the Red Sands collection. Many of the artists are considered highly collectible, some are sadly deceased.

Peter was very careful to collect provenance of each work, taking pictures during the creation process and getting certificates of authenticity. Artists include Cowboy Louie Pwerele, Greeny Purvis, Kathleen Petyarre, Linda Syddick, Tommy Watson and Lindsay Bird.

In 2007 a painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye, a 632cm by 275cm Synthetic polymer paint on linen with four panels, sold for $1,056,000.

When asked of the great joy of Aboriginal art, Peter King said: “You see something new every time you look at these works; they have several layers.”

Termite-eaten didgeridoos are also on sale at Red Sand, and you don’t get more authentic red centre than a termite-eaten didgeridoo.

The Red Sand Art Gallery is mesmerizing. You should give yourself a good hour to browse, stare and look deep into this amazing art in this tucked-away corner of Paddington. It holds real history, beauty and no doubt great investment potential.

Peter opens the gallery from Tuesday to Saturday between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Have a Joyful Time at this Year’s Paddington Christmas Fair

The countdown to the most wonderful time of the year has already started and to celebrate, this year’s Paddington Christmas Fair will be a little earlier. On Friday, 30 November 2018, Given Terrace and Latrobe Terrace, Paddington will once again be filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas.

From 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., lots of fun pre-Christmas activities, great finds, and entertainment will be up for fairgoers to enjoy.

Photo credit: Upper Latrobe Paddington/Facebook

Event Details

What: Paddington Christmas Fair

When: Friday, 30 November 2018; 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where: Given Terrace and Latrobe Terrace, Paddington

Paddington Christmas Fair 2018

Kids will surely enjoy the afternoon as Christmas fair favourites are coming back to the family-friendly event.

Photo credit: Bubble’licious Creations/Facebook

For those who loved her act, Bubble’licious Creations will again be amusing the crowd with her bubbly performance. Kids and kids at heart will surely be busy popping some bubbles at her show.

Photo credit: Danibelle’s Musicadium/Facebook

Another fair-favourite, Danibelle’s Musicadium, returns to the Paddington Christmas Fair this year. Danibelle will be doing three sets of Christmas carols at different locations.

Photo credit: Paddington Christmas Fair/Facebook

Face painters will also be available along Latrobe Terrace. The team from Cherry Cherry Art will be present to whip up some awesome Christmas face paints.

Head over to the Paddington Christmas Fair and have a great time with your family. Good food, great buys, and a fun-filled afternoon is something that shouldn’t be missed. You can even bring your lovely pooch with you at the event.

For more information, visit the Paddington Christmas Fair event page.

Discover the Rich History of The Barracks in Paddington

The Barracks in Paddington is important in the suburb as it serves as a landmark commercial precinct today. However, did you know the interesting history of the precinct?

From being amongst the earliest Brisbane gaol to becoming a popular underground night club in the 1990s, The Barracks certainly has quite a few stories to tell.

History

The Barracks was formerly known as the Petrie Terrace Police Depot. It is significant in the history of the suburb as it was occupied by the second purpose-built Brisbane Gaol from November 1860 until July 1883. The overcrowded Petrie Terrace Gaol was closed in 1883 upon the completion of a new gaol at Boggo Road, South Brisbane.

The Barracks in Paddington — Aerial view of Petrie Terrace Gaol, Brisbane, 1862. The gaol was erected in 1860 to the design of the colonial architect Charles Tiffin. It was converted into a police barracks in 1883. Photo credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland/Wikimedia Commons

In 1885, the gaol reserve was divided between the newly established permanent Queensland Defence Force and the Queensland Police Force. The QDF occupied the 1864 military reserve and the northern end of the gaol reserve, the whole of which was renamed Victoria Barracks by mid-1885.

The Queensland Police Force occupied the remainder of the gaol reserve as a police depot and training centre. The police occupied the former gaol reserve for a century until the mid-1980s. However, the site was officially gazetted as a reserve for police purposes in 1901.

Petrie Terrace Police Depot

The former gaol was officially recognized as Petrie Terrace Police Depot from 1850-1960. Additions to the building included the construction of stables in 1912 and a police garage and workshop in 1936.

In 1938, work commenced on the construction of a new three-storeyed, brick and concrete police barracks at the Petrie Terrace Police Depot, on land formerly utilised as a parade and drill ground.

The new barracks, designed by Raymond Clare Nowland, was considered as one of the best investments that the Government had made at the time.

During WWII a brick building to house the Police Wireless Transmission Station VKR was erected in the southwest corner of the police reserve. Military police attached to the Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, United States Army, United States Shore Patrol, and the Royal Navy utilised the police wireless transmission station at Petrie Terrace.

Change in Use of the Police Depot

Use of the Petrie Terrace Police Depot as a training facility ceased in 1973, but the Depot continued to serve other police purposes until the mid-1980s.

In 1987 the State Government sold the former police reserve and buildings to private enterprise.

The Former Police Stables functioned as a nightclub through the 1990s, while the Former Police Wireless Transmission Station was converted into a restaurant.

The former Petrie Terrace Police Depot was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 23 July 1999.

Former Petrie Terrace Police Depot Transformation

After suffering from high levels of vandalism, the former Police Depot was developed to what is now known as The Barracks in 2007.

The $120 million mixed-use development was completed in 2008 and is now a popular landmark retail and commercial precinct in Paddington.

The three heritage listed buildings from the Police era remaining on the site are the stables (1912), the three storey brick barracks (1939) and the radio communications centre (1941).

In 2009, The Barracks won two prestigious UDIA Awards for Urban Renewal and best large Retail/Commercial development.

Learn more about The Barracks in Paddington by visitng their official website.

Demand for Paddington Properties Increases with Surge of Overseas Buyers and Bargain Hunters

Demand for properties in Paddington is on the rise as overseas buyers and bargain hunters search the area for properties with the best rates.

Although many anticipate lower demands for Brisbane apartments due to issues with oversupply and talks about price falls, buyers seem to be more interested in searching for a bargain in the area. This, as demand increased to over 4.5% over the past 12 months.

Among the most active property seekers are offshore buyers who are driving the surge in demand for properties around Brisbane. According to realestate.com.au’s Australian Property Market report, Brisbane currently has the biggest increases in offshore buyers, far higher than those of other capital cities.

Photo credit: CC-BY/Brisbane City Council/Flickr

The report also shows that prices in Brisbane are up by 1% with houses seeing a slight increase while apartments seeing a decline. When it comes to the demand, the timing in the cycle for the city seems to be at odds with Melbourne and Sydney. This is not the first time that Paddington has seen an influx of buyers looking for better property deals.

Read: Brisbane’s Paddington Sees Influx of New Residents from Sydney

East Brisbane, Indooroopilly, and Paddington reportedly have the highest demand for houses respectively. Paddington currently has an average of 1,165 visits per listing per month over the last 12 months.

Prices for properties in Brisbane remain far more affordable and with strong spending on infrastructure, the city is now well prepared for population growth brought about by the continued improvement of jobs growth.

Top 10 most in demand suburbs in Brisbane

Houses

East Brisbane
Indooroopilly
Paddington
Holland Park
Wilston
Chandler
Windsor
Coorparoo
Newmarket
Toowong

Apartments

Graceville
Mansfield
Tarragindi
Camp Hill
Red Hill
Ashgrove
Holland Park
Tingalpa
New Farm
Paddington

Little Kickers to Launch Pre-school Football Programme in Paddington

Want to give your child a headstart at learning football? Start them young with the help of Little Kickers, which will be launching football classes for kids in Paddington from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, 11 June 2018.

Considered as the world’s biggest and most successful pre-school football academy, Little Kickers provides football programme for kids aged 18 months to seven years.

Credit: Little Kickers/YouTube

Their classes are based on the principles of play not push, so they are filled with excitement, adventure, and imaginative play. You may see your child score goals, but to them, they are either launching cannon balls or feeding a hungry crocodile.

Little Kickers was founded by Christine Stanschus in the UK in 2002. She saw the need for a pre-school football program that was both fun and educational whilst creating a love for physical activity that carries into adulthood.

Now, Lisa Granshaw is bringing Little Kickers to West Brisbane. Lisa has been with Little Kickers for seven years working as a coach. Being a Taringa/Indooroopilly resident for more than five years, she is excited to launch her business in the local community.

Lisa Granshaw, owner/coach of Little Kickers West Brisbane. Photo credit: Supplied

“I love having a job where I can unleash my inner-child and make a fool of myself to capture the attention of a room full of kids (and to the amusement of their parents) is beyond a dream come true,” she said.

“I have found my role as a coach very rewarding. I have watched the shyest of children grow into confident, independent kids that count down the hours until their next class,” she added.

Lisa has a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science from UQ and she knows the importance of health and fitness, particularly from a young age. She said, “I just want to help kids develop a positive relationship with physical activity that hopefully follows them to adulthood.”

Little Kickers will be launching their classes at Paddington Community Hall on Monday. They are offering a Free Trial class for families to ensure they love the classes before enrolling.

To learn more about their classes, visit their website or call Lisa on 0452 470 202. Check out their Facebook page for updates.

Fernberg, Queensland’s Government House in Paddington, to Open its Doors to the Public

The gates of Fernberg, Queensland’s Government House, are set to be opened to the public on Saturday, 9 June 2018. From 12 noon until 4:00 p.m., you can have a glimpse of the Governor’s official residence in Paddington in this annual Brisbane winter tradition.

Fernberg will be open for tours and entertainment. For a day, people can get a self-guided tour through stately rooms and learn more about the Government House’s rich history.

Credit: Office of the Governor/YouTube

Fernberg is not only known for its historic house but also for its must-see stunning grounds where gardens planted by various Governor’s wives from different eras can be found. Explore the scenic, heritage-listed gardens of the estate and have a picnic if you wish.

Visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the heritage gardens while walking along the scenic paths of the estate.

Credit: Facebook/Governor of Queensland

Plus, you can see the iconic vintage Rolls Royce which has transported Her Majesty The Queen.

Take note that photography and video are allowed around the estate while limited photography and no flash is permitted inside Government House as directed by the staff.

Entry through the estate gates on 168 Fernberg Road are free and visitor parking is available on the streets surrounding the estate. Limited disabled access parking is available onsite and staff will assist with drop-offs at the main driveway gate for people with disabilities.

To learn more about Fernberg, visit the Government House’s official website.