Get served with a unique degustation experience at the Deer Duck Bistro in Auchenflower, an elegantly designed venue adorned with French Renaissance furniture and decor.
Deer Duck opened in 2011 and has since been known for its degustation menu. Don’t let its seemingly hole-in-the-wall exterior fool you, as its lavishly decorated interior will rightly set your palate in a good gastronomic mood.
Whether you are looking for a venue to celebrate a birthday, corporate event, or a romantic anniversary date, Deer Duck has three function venues, each uniquely designed to accommodate your needs.
The Deer Room is an exquisite function room with antique French furniture and artistic decors that are both pleasing to the eye and calming to the senses. A perfect setting for a romantic dining affair.
The Duck Room is an inviting function venue that immediately gives a relaxing atmosphere with its classic French style chairs and elegant looking silver cutlery. This room exudes sophistication that is sure to impress any guest with discriminating taste.
The Golden Room offers a secluded private event space with vintage decorative pieces that give a warm atmosphere that makes for a memorable intimate dining experience.
The vintage-looking dining venues, however, are just the collective half of the unique dining experience. To experience Deer Duck is to indulge and satisfy your taste buds with their degustation menu of five to nine-course meal.
Video credit: Deer Duck Bistro/YouTube
What’s on the Menu?
You can choose from Degustation Long Course, Degustation Short Course, Five-Course Vegetarian, Short-Course Vegetarian, Long-Course Vegetarian, and A la Carte.
Each course starts with chef-selected amuse bouche. Then enjoy the classy and tasty Venison Carpaccio with green onion, horseradish cream, olive oil caviar, orange, and thyme. Discover the divine taste of Sous Vide Duck Breast—pan roasted meat on a bed of fermented pumpkin, charred carrot, macerated golden raisins, quatre native berry gastrique, and native lime.
Sous Vide Duck, Fermented Pumpkin, Charred Carrot, Macerated Golden Raisins, Quatre Native Berry Gastrique and Native Lime
For dessert, delight your sweet tooth with Deconstructed Poppy-Seed & Orange Cheesecake—a combination of piped cheesecake, pickled strawberry, native apple, native berries, and white chocolate.
The rest of the dishes on the menu are just as stellar that it will be hard not to get blown away with each bite. The venue sits right in Milton Road in Auchenflower. They are open Tuesday-Saturday starting at 5:30 p.m. and they are also open for lunch during Fridays and Saturdays. Visit their website for more information and for reservations.
Ruby Chocolate has arrived in Toowong and it’s pretty–and sinfully delicious–in pink!
The long wait is over for Brisbane. Ruby chocolate, the fourth natural chocolate variety to be discovered is finally here. For a limited time only, chocolate-lovers will also get a chance to experience Ruby chocolate through an interactive event at San Churro in Toowong. Video Credit: San Churo/YouTube
Ruby Chocolate Is the Fourth Chocolate Variety
Ruby chocolate is the latest natural chocolate discovery in more than 80 years alongside white, milk, and dark chocolate. The pink hue is derived from the Ruby cocoa bean, discovered more than ten years ago. This type of cocoa bean is grown in Ecuador, Brazil and the Ivory Coast.
It is not only unique with its pink colour but also has a distinct intense fruity flavour. Some early tasters claim that its taste is one of berry with very little to no cocoa characteristics, typical with chocolate flavours.
Photo credit: San Churo/Facebook
Experience Ruby Chocolate at San Churro
San Churro has launched its Ruby Chocolate menu featuring exciting twists on San Churro’s popular treats such as the traditional Spanish churros paired with Ruby chocolate and a selection of artisan-designed Ruby truffles, bars and Ruby Rocky Road.
San Churro is also hosting one-hour ticketed events dubbed “#RealRuby Chocolate Experience” that will take choco-lovers to a chocolate-filled journey that is sure to tickle the senses. Throughout the two-hour, dine-in experience, visitors will get to taste this delightfully delicious pink-chocolate paired with Spanish Churros. Plus, they will also get to know the history of chocolate and learn how its varieties differ from one another.
Photo credit: San Churo/Facebook
Participating San Churro stores to the interactive #RealRuby event are:
The #RealRuby Chocolate Experience event is for a limited time only and seats are strictly limited. You may reserve your seats now and be among the first to experience this extraordinary berry-flavoured pink chocolate.
The picnic area at Simpson Falls in Mt Coot-tha has gone through major upgrades since 2016 and the Brisbane City Council isn’t done yet. The Council still has some upgrades planned for the area to enhance the local community experience and tourism.
Three-Stage Development Of Simpson Falls Picnic Area
So far, the area has gone through three stages of upgrades. 2016 saw major upgrades that included replacement of facilities such as the barbecues, which were replaced with ones that operate on gas. By late 2017, new shelters with picnic seatings were installed. The pathways were also upgraded as well as the carpark. Landscaping work has also been done to protect vegetation.
The most recent upgrade was completed in June 2017. Now, the council will be working on upgrades to Peter’s Pound at Simpson Falls. They will create an event space that will include a large shelter, art works, and car park facilities that can be booked as well.
In line with this, the area will be available for private events and other functions soon.
This upgrade at Simpson Falls in Mt Coot-tha is part of the council’s “Our Shared Vision Mt Coot-tha 2030.” Their vision is to turn the area into an iconic green landmark in the city.
Other Upgrades To The Precinct
Other plans for the precinct that are underway are:
New trails and pathways
Zipline attraction
Shuttle service
Minor upgrades & improvements typo existing facilities and trails.
Aside from the upgrades to the Simpson Falls, the council has also accomplished the new Visitor Information Centre, which is now open. The visitor centre serves as the home base of the volunteers who provide free guided tours to thousands of visitors that visit the area every year.
On the other hand, the zipline remains controversial following the opposition of the residents who are worried about the environmental impact of the project. Construction of the project is set to commence late this year.
The Brisbane City Council’s City Planning Committee has recommended disapproval of the application for subdivision of a heritage-listed Goldicott House site in Toowong.
City Planning Chairman Councillor Matthew Bourke cited the failure to meet the Council’s strict criteria for a use of a Local Heritage Place as the reason for the rejection of the application.
The development application involves subdivision of the 12,340 sqm lot at 65 Grove Crescent, Toowong, converting the heritage convent building into a residential home, and demolition of The Music Room.
Residents’ Sentiments
A total of 123 community submissions from the locals were considered in the BCC’s decision. “During its assessment, Council considered 123 submissions, including a submission from the National Trust, outlining concerns about heritage implications,” Cr Bourke said.
Residents’ submissions expressed concerns and opposition to the application citing environmental impact and worsening of traffic congestion. Locals are also concerned about the potential traffic danger to children of the nearby schools. Lastly, they are calling for the protection of cultural heritage buildings such as the Goldicott.
Locals United to Save Goldicott
A petition created through Change.org titled “Save Goldicott House” has already garnered over 2,600 signatures in support of the cause. Locals have also expressed their support through the Facebook page “Toowong Heritage – worth fighting for”.
“Council is committed to protecting Brisbane’s history, character and way of life by retaining the things we love about our city, as illustrated in the recent launch of Brisbane’s Future Blueprint and this means preserving our heritage places, their landscapes, views and settings,” said Cr Bourke.
Rebecca Kenny was elated by the news and said it was nice to see residents can make a change. Walter Taylor Ward Councilor Julian Simmonds was also pleased with the decision. “I’m delighted council’s heritage officers have reconsidered the state approval,’’ Cr Simmonds said.
Goldicott, built in 1885 for Brisbane engineer Charles Lambert Depre, was the first to use poured concrete. Erecting the Goldicott house was a revolutionary innovation in construction at that time. In 1903, Goldicott was renamed Mount St Mary’s Convent after Sisters of Mercy purchased the property.
In 1998, Goldicott was listed in the Queensland Heritage Register. “The concrete construction was innovative and remarkable for its time. The place is significant for its association with engineer Charles Lambert Depree, and his contribution to concrete construction implementation and technology in 19th century Queensland,” Queensland Heritage Register citation said.
The sweetest time of the year (we mean it literally!) in Brisbane is happening on 7 July — The International Chocolate Day. If you’re thinking of the best place to go to sink your teeth into sweet and decadent chocolates, you might want to check out the Regatta Hotel in Toowong.
The Regatta Hotel doesn’t shy away from specialty events and every year, they make sure to celebrate this particular event. Their signature Boatshed restaurant will offer a variety of chocolate desserts along with cocktails.
You can also step outside to the courtyard and feel the cool breeze as you dip fruits or marshmallows into their chocolate fondue.
All of this chocolate-y goodness will start at 4:00 p.m.
The good news? You don’t have to book at all. Just drop-by and indulge yourself in a world filled with everything chocolate. It’s every chocolate lovers’ dream!
Whilst other Brisbane suburbs have been named after a distinct landmark, Toowong derived its name from its local birdlife.
The name Toowong is believed to have originated from the call of a migratory bird, the Eastern Koel, which nests in the area between September and April. The bird was known for its call which was thought to mark the arrival of rain.
The Koel has a unique survival tactic. It lays its eggs in the nests of other species and lets them raise their young before returning to Papua New Guinea and other South-East Asian countries for winter.
Eastern Koel Eudynamys orientalis Cuculidae Photo credit: birdlife.org.au
According to the District Historical Society, the suburb was named after the native bird known as the white-throated nightjar. The Aborigines referred to this bird as the “tu-wong” — an onomatopoeic word which copies the sound of the bird’s call. Since the native bird nested in several eucalyptus trees along the river bank on the bend of the Brisbane River below the Indooroopilly Bridge, the Aborigines named the locality Tu-wong.
Bird researcher Ian Venables said that other early records say that Toowong was named after the Koel. The confusion would explain why a newcomer to Toowong, John O’Neil Brenan (who arrived in 1872), came to understand the origin of the word as the Koel’s call. To this day, the confusion as to where the name of Toowong really came from, remains.
Toowong Creek Photo credit: Kgbo/Wikimedia Commons
Survey maps from as early as 1849 show that Toowong Creek was the first to use the name. The word was later adopted as a locality name when local landowner Richard Langlar Drew advertised land along Toowong Creek for sale as “The Village of Toowong”.
The name became more widely used when Toowong was given to the area’s newly-opened local railway station. The district’s inhabitants later identified with the name of “Toowong”, and its inhabitants adopted the name for the locality after the railway station’s name.
Today, Toowong is a popular suburb, home to more than 10,800 people.
Keeping Toowong kids busy for the winter school holidays is made easy as the BCC organised a number of activities at the Toowong Library and the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha. Check out the list below to see child-friendly activities for your kids to enjoy.
Smart Phone Eco Photography
Saturday, 30 June 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Photo credit: CC0 Public Domain / PxHere
An activity ideal for aspiring photographers aged 10 to 17 years, the Smart Phone Eco Photography lets you see nature through a different lens.
Bookings required for this free activity. Visit Bazil Grumble to learn more about the session and reserve your place.
Participants are asked to meet outside the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha planetarium and don’t forget to bring a hat, some sunscreen, a water bottle, and your smartphone.
Maker Space
Multiple dates
Let your little maker get creative in this free library activity for children aged two to 10 years.
The Maker space will run in the Toowong Library from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on the following dates: 2-6, 9, 11, and 12 July 2018.
Bookings required for this free event. Call the Toowong Library on 07 3403 2590 to reserve your place.
Create a Mood Board
Monday 2 July 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Photo credit: CC-BY/decor8 holly/Flickr
Get inspired by making your own mini mood board. A mood board is goal orientated and includes clips of where you want to live, go on holiday, and what you want to become.
This activity is ideal for young adults aged 12-18 years old.
Bookings required for this free event. Call the Toowong Library on 07 3403 2590 to reserve your place.
Poke-Tanical Hunt
Tuesday, 3 July 2018 (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
Inspired by the game Pokemon Go, the Poke-Tanical Hunt is a plant and animal hunting game in the Botanic Gardens. This game is ideal for kids 6-12 years.
Safely hunt through the gardens to find special specimens and “battle” to win badges. You will get a certificate if you “get them all.”
Bookings not required. Participants are asked to meet at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha Visitor Information Centre.
Performance: The Bear in Our Backyard
Tuesday, 3 July 2018 (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
Photo credit: emmamiddleton.com
Let the kids experience the story of The Bear in our Backyard with songs, dance, puppetry, and rhyme with children’s author and performer Emma Middleton.
This session is ideal for children aged 3-7 years.
Bookings required for this free event. Call the Toowong Library on 07 3403 2590 to reserve your place.
Drop in and Meet NAO
Tuesday, 3 July 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Don’t miss the chance to meet NAO robot, an amazing humanoid robot can sense its environment and interact with people using surprisingly lifelike gestures and movement.
This meet and greet session with NAO robot is open to all ages. Drop by the library any time between the listed times.
Bookings required for this free BNEtechkids workshop. Call the Toowong Library on 07 3403 2590 to reserve your place.
Chocolate At Risk
Thursday, 5 July 2018 (10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
Photo credit: CC0 Public Domain / PxHere
Let your little chocolate lover learn more about chocolates in this free learning session for kids eight years and over.
Participants are asked to meet at the Kitchen in the Garden of Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha.
Bookings required for this free event. For more information and to book, call 07 3403 2535.
Indigenous Stories with Craig Kemp
Saturday, 7 July 2018 (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
Open for kids aged 8-12 years, this event will let your child learn more about Aboriginal culture with the help of Craig Kemp.
Working as a cultural facilitator for 25 years, he is capable of engaging young people with light-hearted educational and comedic cultural immersion.
This workshop is perfect for 10-17-year-old sushi lovers. Learn the art of preparing delicious healthy sushi in this hands-on cooking workshop.
Bookings essential. Visit NAQ Nutrition to book. Registration for the event costs $5.
Participants are asked to wear closed in shoes and meet at the outdoor kitchen in the garden of Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha.
Tinker Table: Bee-Bots
Monday, 9 July 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, 11 July 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
A BNEtechkids workshop for kids and teens, let the children have some hands-on experimenting with Bee-Bots. Learn basic programming skills while helping your Bee-Bot navigate and solve a maze.
Booking not required.
Venue: Toowong Library
Palm Sheath Baskets – School Holiday Version
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Learn how to shape and stitch native palm sheaths into beautiful shapes. Discover some of our native palms such as the Piccabeen Palm, while learning about their place in our rainforest ecosystems.
Ideal for kids 10 years and over, all materials will be provided in this free workshop.
Bookings required. Call 07 3403 2535 for more information and to reserve your place.
Participants are asked to meet at the Administration Building of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha.
Treasure Hunt
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
Race against the clock and crack the clues to discover the natural treasures hidden within the Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha. Work alone or in a group and explore the Botanic Gardens to solve this exciting treasure hunt.
The treasure hunt is suitable for children aged 5-12 years and they must be accompanied by an adult.
Bookings not required. Participants are asked to meet at the Visitor Information Centre. Don’t forget to bring a pencil or pen.
Toowong Library School Holidays Children’s Book Club
Thursday, 12 July 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Join the Toowong Library for fun activities and a reading of the laugh-aloud Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables by Tim Harris. Mr Bambuckle cooks breakfast for his students and gives lessons in drone building!
This free event is ideal for children aged 7-12 years. Bookings required so call the Toowong Library on 07 3403 2590 to reserve your place.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Friday, 13 July 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
What would you do if a tiger arrived on your doorstep to join you for tea? Join the Toowong Library to celebrate the 50th birthday of the beloved picture book The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr. Lots of fun to be had with a storytime, crafts and games.
This free event is ideal for children aged 5-9 years.
Bookings required. Call the Toowong Library on 07 3403 2590 to reserve your place.
Active Transport Committee Chairman Adrian Schrinner said that they came to the decision after public consultation and after receiving tender responses.
Following community consultation and the receipt of construction tender responses, Council has decided not to proceed with the Land Street Tunnel Bikeway project. Any funds freed-up will be invested into other bikeway projects as part of our $100m program over 4 years.
Cycling groups were not supportive of the project which was supposed to be part of the $100-million Better Bikeways for Brisbane plan by the City Council. Cycling advocacy group Space4cyclingBNE questioned the need for the project.
Draft plan for the tunnel duplication (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council)
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
The group insisted that there was no need for the project, considering that they have not received any reports of issues concerning the existing tunnel. Space4cyclingBNE also said that people who take tunnel route have not experienced actual conflicts or have reported any risky behaviour.
There was one incident where a pedestrian was hit by a bicycle, but the advocacy group stressed that even the victim does not see a need for a duplicate tunnel.
The project was primarily intended to improve safety and capacity for cyclists and pedestrians using the Land Street tunnel. It was also planned to anticipate an increasing number of cyclists and pedestrians.
Because of the decision to not proceed with the project, Cr Schrinner assured that any unused funds will be allocated to other Better Bikeways for Brisbane projects by the council.
After competing against five other Catholic girls’ schools from across Brisbane, Toowong’s Stuartholme School took home the CaSSSA Cross Country championship for the second year.
Photo credit: Supplied
Stuartholme School’s Cross Country Team won big in the recently concluded CaSSSA Cross Country championships. The team’s hard work in training with cross country coach Chris Gale paid off as they won win first place in the 17 years, 16 years, 15 years, 14 years, and 13 years age categories and fifth place in the 12 years category.
Photo credit: Supplied
Mr Gale couldn’t be more proud as the team wins second place at the Percentage Cup and first place at the Aggregate Cup making them CaSSSA Cross Country 2018 Champions.
In their annual Cross-Country Launch on Sunday, 25 February 2018, the school was visited by former Olympic marathon runner Steve Moneghetti who also spent time with members of the Stuartholme cross country team during their training session.
Following Stuartholme cross country team’s winnings, Holly Robertson was named as Stuartholme Cross Country Runner of the Year during the Stuartholme Cross Country Presentations.
Photo credit: Supplied
Other awards recipients include Ema Stebbins, Harriet Williams, and Grace White who received five-year cross country merit awards.
Truly, the Stuartholme School cross country team has made their coach, school, and most importantly, their parents proud.
Unearth buried headstones in the Toowong Cemetery as part of the Archaeology Week happening on 24-26 May from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The cemetery is the largest in Queensland and is heritage-listed. The annual excavation event is made possible through the partnership of the University of Queensland and Friends of Toowong Cemetery. The event is designed to recover buried headstones from the North Brisbane Burial Grounds, which is currently the home of Suncorp Stadium.
On the last day of the excavations happening on a Saturday, families and residents are encouraged to attend and be part of the digging process. Who knows what you might discover?
To keep participants energised throughout the whole day, juice, smoothies, coffee and protein bars from Juice Power will be served. If you can’t make it in the morning, you are welcome to attend in the afternoon for a sausage sizzles, scavenger hunt that will begin at 4:00 p.m.
You can also get a chance to win a family pass to the Planetarium. After that, catch The Goonies for an outdoor screening at 6:00 p.m. at Canon Garland Place within the cemetery.
