If you’re looking for the biggest and fattest noodles here in the west, there’s no better place to go but Biang Biang Fresh Noodle in Toowong.
Situated at the corner of High Street and Sherwood Road, you will see a lit yellow sign. It’s a small takeaway place with a few tables and chairs and bar seating for those who want to dine in.
Their simple menu offers fresh, handmade and traditional Northern Chinese noodles. The kitchen is headed by Chef Kieran Zou of Sichuan Bang Bang in Paddington and Kenmore.
For first-timers, it would be splendid to try their Sichuan pork. Those who have a liking for spicy goodness must not miss their Sizzling Chilli Oil. There are also noodles with curry flavours.
“Biang Biang,” also known as you po che mian in Chinese is a type of noodle famous in the cuisine of Shaanxi Province in China. It is acclaimed as one of the “eight strange wonders of Shaanxi.” They are described like a belt due to their thickness and length.
Originally, it was a poor man’s meal in the countryside but it became popular in restaurants because of their unique character. Usually, they are topped with plenty of red hot pepper.
Croquet is a great old-fashioned lawn game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Here on the western side of Brisbane, the Mcllwraith Croquet Club in Auchenflower is the place to go.
Established in 1923, the club was only for women until 1946 when men were finally allowed to join. The land where it sits was entrusted to the Town of Toowong by Lady Mcllwraith, the wife of the former Premier of Queensland, Sir Thomas Mcllwraith.
The club underwent renovations after the 2011 floods, thus giving members and croquet players better facilities.
The venue is popular for functions such as birthdays, baby showers, and many more. It can accommodate up to 80 people. There is also a place upstairs for morning and afternoon tea.
The club doesn’t have a liquor license, but guests are allowed to BYOB.
Annual memberships cost $430 inclusive of green fees and it comes with flat soled shoes and a hat. Loan pellets are available whilst commercial ones can be purchased.
For newbies, you can avail of the “come and try” sessions where club members will guide you and explain the rules of the sport.
As the saying goes, “You are what you eat” and the same applies to your furry pets. All dogs are different — they have their own needs and wants.
Chew, Chomp and Chill isn’t your ordinary pet store in Auchenflower. The shop is dedicated to give dogs exactly what they need to enrich their lives by promoting mindful feeding from the head and heart.
Food For The Soul
Photo credit: Chew, Chomp and Chill / Facebook
Owner Kay Coonan is dedicated to providing pets with high-quality and mindfully sourced food that will give them ample nutrition. Ms Coonan believes that it is very important to feed them natural food to keep their diet well-balanced and to ensure that they get the nutrients they need and zero harmful additives.
She doesn’t just provide you with the best pet food, but she also helps your dog acquire great “table manners.”
She believes that it’s not just about what you feed your dog but how you feed them as well. Normally, pet owners let their pets eat in a bowl, but apparently, this takes away their natural feeding behaviour. Thus, it leads to boredom leading to behaviours like barking, escaping, chewing, and digging.
To solve this problem, the store offers food dispensing toys that will help prolong the meal times of your pets. This will keep them occupied and improve their health and mental dexterity.
Enrichment Toys
Photo credit: Chew, Chomp & Chill / Facebook
They also have a wide selection of enrichment toys. Ms Coonan will help you find the best toy for your pet by considering the size of your pet, their interests as well as their experience in using such toys.
Therapeutic Beds
Photo credit: Chew, Chomp and Chill / Facebook
You also might want to check their therapeutic beds for sale from Henry Hottie. You can even try one out for your pet at the store. This type of bed offers a therapeutic benefit specifically to the joints and provides warmth and cooling depending on the weather.
Get Educated
The store also offers dog training classes by All Pets Education and Training. Once a month, they also hold seminars by Pawsitive Connection. It covers different topics that will help you in taking care of your pets.
Ms Coonan established the store with dogs in mind and to keep them happy and healthy inside out.
On 11 March, learn how to turn your kitchen scraps into rich nutrients for your garden at the Vera Street Community Garden in Toowong from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The workshop is part of Brisbane City Council’sprogram to keep the city clean, green, and sustainable. With the free workshop, locals will get to learn more about organic waste recycling.
Benefits of Organic Waste Recycling
Organic waste recycling helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the garden’s health.
For a city burdened with landfill problems, Brisbane is in need of strong community commitment to minimise waste. The composting and worm farm workshop is one way of educating residents on how to lessen food waste.
In Brisbane, food waste is reportedly a huge part of what goes to the city’s bins that go to the landfills.
Mulch and compost also provide significant benefits to your garden. Using these organic soil additives, you get to:
Spend less time weeding and watering your garden;
Have less need for artificial fertiliser;
Produce healthier soil;
Save more time and money.
The free compost and worm farm workshop is also available in various times and areas in Brisbane. It is open to all ages.
The council reminds participants to wear a hat, flat enclosed shoes and to BYO sunscreen and drinking water.
Bookings are essential. Call 3403 888 for to reserve a slot.
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.
