Step into a 1920-30’s prohibition at The Walrus Club in Toowong. Just underneath the Regatta Hotel, enter through the black cellar door and take in the richness of the place that is brimming with so much history forever frozen in the 1920s.
Mind you, the bar is very atmospheric despite its dimly lit rooms. It has quiet alcoves and corridors that emit a dark sense of belonging. Bricked archways add more personality to the bar. Vintage leather couches, barrels, crates and candelabras serve as the perfect adornment to keep the prohibition vibe going.
The bar gets its name from the SS Walrus, a floating rum distillery on a boat that journeyed through the Queensland rivers between 1869 and 1884.
Serving over 300 kinds of rums along with 30 different types of Cuban cigars, it’s heaven for rum-loving Brisbanites.
The house-spiced rum is truly a-must try even if you aren’t a fan of rum.
Photo credit: The Walrus Club / Facebook
They also have a list of cocktails and craft beers that you can enjoy.
Also, you might want to take your date here for an interesting night.
Photo credit: The Walrus Club / Facebook
Watch out for the tiny stencilled Walrus Club graffiti to lead you to the bar.
Former Olympic marathon runner Steve Moneghetti will be visiting Stuartholme School in Toowong for a training session with members of the Stuartholme cross country team, during their annual Cross-Country Launch on Sunday, the 25th of February at 4:00 p.m. in the school grounds.
Chris Gale, the head cross county coach and cross-country coordinator for the school is also the head coach of the GaleForce Running Squad. Every year, Mr Gale brings the athlete to Noosa for a running training camp. This year, Mr Moneghetti will be visiting the school for the fifth time.
Role Model and Mentor
Mr Moneghetti started his athletic career with Ballarat Harriers, where he stayed for five years before switching to Ballarat YCW. In 1981, he finished third in the Australian Junior Cross-Country Championships over 8km and in 1982, he won the title. He won his first international race in Korea and his international career started to flourish in 1986.
His last race was during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Marathon where he finished 10th. Today, he continues to race for fun in Australia.
Lily Hunter (yr 10) pictured with Steve Moneghetti about 2 years on one of his previous school to Stuartholme
This has always excited students, who always get a big buzz out of the annual mentoring. Lily Hunter, a Year 10 student said, “Steve is such a successful athlete so I am looking forward to gaining some tips from him. I am keen to find out how he controls his nerves before a race.”
After the training session, parents and students are all invited to eat with and meet Mr Moneghetti.
Every week, ghost tours take place in Toowong Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Queensland. Each ghost tour is accompanied by licensed operators such as Brisbane Ghost Tours. However, recently a report about unlicensed operators holding ghost tours here and in other areas in Brisbane has resurfaced, angering existing operators.
It all started on Facebook when a group started advertising that they hold “tours” to the deserted Wolston Park asylum. This asylum has long been abandoned. It is not open for tours because the place is falling apart, making it unsafe for tour participants and even the operators themselves.
In fact, trespassers will be fined if caught within the park premises. The group later on took back its announcement and said that they were still getting permission to conduct ghost tours in the asylum.
The illicit ghost tour was planning on charging each person $50. People who had inquired said that the operator talked about not having any official permission at all for tours which include the Toowong Cemetery, the cemetery in Goodna and the Wolston asylum.
Licensed operators were astounded saying that a legitimate operator of ghost tours would need a license, proper permissions and insurances.
The Brisbane City Council will take action against unauthorized operators by charging infringement notices of up to $630 to unlicensed ghost tours.
In the coming months, the Toowong RSL Sub-Branch will officially open a permanent new home at the Wests Bulldogs Rugby Union Headquarters on Sylvan Rd.
Mr Kerry Gallagher, the RSL president is delighted that the sub-branch is working on a permanent home, perfect for its centenary celebration next year. He is also hopeful that on this year’s Anzac day, more people will come to celebrate the centenary of Armistice Day.
Since 1991, the sub-branch has been holding their meetings at the Toowong Library and in a few months, the sub-branch will finally have its own headquarters. Mr George Vaivarins, the sub-branch executive committee member also said that they are starting to grow in members again. They also have included social members who haven’t necessarily served but supported them such as Cr Peter Magic and former Channel Nine reporter, Spencer Jolly.
The group is also calling out to the public for memorabilia since they have lost theirs during the 1974 floods. To donate, loan memorabilia, or to join, you can call 3870 1379.
The Salvation Army’s student accommodation in Toowong has finally been sold and Aurrum, an aged-care developer based in Sydney, has just submitted a proposal for the site.
Located at 15 Jephson Street, a two-storey brick student accommodation currently stands on a 5248-square-metre block. The accommodation has been closed since November 2016 after being sold in June of last year. It was finalised on 20 December and the next day, the Brisbane City Council received a development application from Urbis on behalf of Aurrum.
The development application is proposing a five-storey 120-unit aged care facility on the site. Three levels will house 120 residential units, whilst the ground level will be for facilities and a drop-off area and a 21 basement car parking. There will be an amenity area on the rooftop for the staff.
Should the council approve the development, this will be the first Queensland project for the developer. Currently, they have 1,000 operating facilities in Victoria and NSW.
As 2018 rolls around, so does the continuous stream of development proposals pour into what is said to be one of the best sub-market in west Brisbane, Toowong. One of Australia’s biggest property companies, Stockland, has just received the green light from the Brisbane City Council for their 25-storey triple-tower development just across Toowong Village.
It was in October of 2016 when the property developer lodged a submission for the three towers with plans of demolishing establishments on Sherwood Road and Jephson Streets.
Negotiations went on for over a year as the property developer and Council addressed issues, including the ones raised by the local community. These issues include the design, parking, tower separation, staging and open space. Throughout the entire negotiation process, the property developer acknowledged and responded to the concerns making adjustments accordingly.
They also provided a traffic engineering advice from TTM group responding to parking and traffic concerns.
For construction to begin, existing establishments will have to be closed for demolition including the Newsroom Cafe, Mountain Designs, Subway and Timbuctoo clothing store.
The new development will have over 500 apartments, a laneway cafe, restaurant precinct and green spaces.
An institution in Toowong, Newsroom Cafe has been around for years. Located on High Street just opposite Toowong Village, this cafe consistently serves great food and coffee.
The cafe isn’t that big but there’s one thing that they are really big on: comfort. A cosy setting, hearty meals, and unforgettable caffeine brews all conspire to keep their customers, mostly uni students and young business types, coming back for more.
Offering an all-day breakfast menu, they also have several vegetarian options.
Don’t forget to try out their special homemade gnocchi as well with a choice of delicious wild mushroom soup or traditional bolognese paired with a side of cumin and lentil sourdough.
Photo credit: Newsroom Cafe / Facebook
Their new lasagne that comes with bolognese cause and two slices of Turkish bread is also a-must try for those who have bigger appetites or those who are looking for something filling to last them through the day.
Photo credit: Newsroom Cafe / Facebook
Coffee is delicious and you can also have thick milkshakes and other refreshments.
Mornings are the busiest so come early or be prepared to wait to get some good seats.
End 2017 and welcome 2018 “in France” without leaving Brisbane! Regatta Hotel in Toowong will be hosting an elegant year-ender called Midnight in Paris NYE on 31st December starting at 8:00 p.m. and will end at exactly 12:00 a.m. just after that magical New Year’s kiss.
The hotel will be transformed. The first level will channel a Moulin Rouge theme whilst the underground Walrus Club will take you back in time to the “Annees Folles” of the 1920’s. Breathe some fresh air outside that will be revamped into a Parisian courtyard making you feel like you’re really in Paris. If you’re feeling hungry, there will be a pop-up Parisian Bistro with gourmet croissants and fresh baguettes.
Overflowing Moet waits for your upstairs along with canapés and sweet Parisian desserts to keep you buzzed and well-fed the entire night whilst you wait for the 12:00 a.m. ball to drop.
Live entertainment will play all throughout the evening so you can sing and dance your hearts out. There will be DJs and a set from The Voice’s Chris Sheehy. Little Billy will also be performing underground.
There will be a 4-hour premium beverage package from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Drinks included here are Moet, spirits, 35 different beers, wine and cocktails.
Pre-registration begins on 28 December until the 30th of December from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. So save yourself the hassle and pre-register here or you can drop by at the hotel in the courtyard as well.
Year 12 Geography students of Stuartholme School in Toowong might have a solution for the traffic congestion in Brisbane.
The students have surveyed parent drivers and mapped pick up congestion hot spots around Lambert Rd. in Indooroopilly using technology. This project is part of Esri Australia’s $100 million GIS for Schools program that provides educators in the nation with free access to their ArcGIS software.
According to the students who have tried it, the results that they have accumulated from the survey have helped them interpret data from the traffic sites better. Their results also showed that traffic is worse from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., which corresponds to peak school pick-up times.
With clearer data using GIS, they were able to identify patterns and come up with several solutions such as staggered pick-up times for schools and a foot bridge over Lambert Rd. They also want to share their findings with the Brisbane City Council.
The GIS (Geographic Information System) program is designed to promote a deeper learning experience around spatial sciences by providing access to different ready-to-go projects, which have been developed to link with the curriculum of the school. It was launched early this year. Since its launch, over 240 schools all over the nation have requested for a free ArcGIS Online Account. This technology is being used for learning Science, Mathematics, History, Geography, and more.
Queensland Catholic Schools will be facing an increase in tuition fees of almost 10% due to the new funding changes by the Federal Government to schools. One of the affected schools is Stuartholme School in Toowong.
However, it is not only this particular Catholic school in Toowong that will be affected. There are approximately 30 Catholic Schools that will be hit by this development because they are considered as “over-funded” under the Government’s new Gonski 2.0 model.
With this model, an extra $24 billion will flow into schools all over Australia over the next ten years, affecting Catholic schools. They were given a 12-month reprieve along with other independent schools before the removal of system-based funding arrangements. Under the new model, Catholic schools funded above the Schooling Resource Standard will have reduction of funding for the next six years.
Parents find this difficult. They are already dreading the upcoming tuition fee increase. Other schools affected here in Brisbane are Marist College in Ashgrove and St Rita’s College in Clayfield.
