As 14 Park Road goes through a redevelopment, it’s worth reflecting on how the Milton property has evolved, as well as its importance to the commercial precinct that Park Road has been for over 100 years.
Number 14 is the last remaining shop that was built in the nineteenth century.
The story of 14 Park Road goes back to 1888 when Thomas Smith, who owned a horse-driven taxi company, purchased the property for 500 pounds and built a shop with a house attached above.
Smith’s wife was a dressmaker and milliner and she plied her trade from 14 Park Road whilst living upstairs.
Ensuingly, the property became a grocer’s shop and in 1906, it became a confectionary shop, back in the days when selling sweets was a standalone business.
It also looks like it traded as a bike shop including motorbikes just before the war.
In 1941 , Hinton’s Shop was fined for selling beer without a license.
In 1954, there was a development application submitted to turn the property into two apartments; however, it was rejected.
In the 1980s, an extension and a car park were proposed but again rejected. By the same decade, a menswear shop and a hair designer were tenants of the property. Hair Diorsa, Studio 14 on Park and Bombay Bliss, 2 Forks, Fish Roe and Rheema Restaurant, Sanctuary 14 and Fromage The Cow have been among recent tenancies.
Photo Credit: BCC Heritage Listing
The new development will look stunning and the renders suggest that Mrs Smith’s profession will be commemorated.
Photo Credit: Chase Commercial
The pyramidal roof and curved verandah roof will remain.
The rear will be extended to enable car parking at the back and the first floor will be turned into a modern office tenancy.
North Brisbane detectives have charged seven teenagers in connection with the unlawful use of a motor vehicle, previously reported stolen from Peregian Springs and then abandoned in Milton.
The seven individuals, whose ages range from 12 to 17 years old, were apprehended by police on 24 March 2023, after being tracked and stopped by authorities. The boys were residents of Doolandella, Richlands, Springwood, Redback, Bellbird Park, Inala and Caboolture.
According to the police, the teenagers took the vehicle and abandoned it on Jones Street in Milton. The vehicle was tracked by Polair, and police were able to engage the vehicle using a tyre deflation device successfully.
The police showed great use of tactics in tracking and disabling the vehicle, prioritising community safety throughout the operation. As the teenagers fled the vehicle, they were quickly apprehended by authorities.
All seven teenagers are set to appear in the Brisbane Children’s Court at a later date. The charges include unlawful use of a motor vehicle, theft, and related offences.
Meanwhile, the police encourage anyone with information about the incident to come forward and help in the ongoing investigation by contacting Policelink or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.
Did you know that there is a school in Milton that offers an excellent alternative to traditional education, accommodating those who wish to improve their Year 12 results, meet prerequisites, or complete their Year 11 and 12 studies in an alternative setting?
Situated on Lang Parade in Milton, Hubbard’s School presents a unique opportunity for students seeking an unconventional approach to their Year 11 and 12 studies through an accelerated and personalised program. As an independent co-educational institution, the school is committed to delivering a high-quality education that equips students for success at the tertiary level.
At Hubbard’s School, each course or subject is condensed into a single calendar year, instead of the standard two-year period.
In keeping with their non-traditional approach, Hubbard’s School promotes a balanced lifestyle and personal freedom, with a laid-back dress code and no mandatory extracurricular activities. Only attendance at lessons is required.
The school maintains a rigorous academic program that attracts students from diverse backgrounds.
About Hubbard’s School
In 1952, two distinguished academics, Godfrey Hubbard and Dr Robert Squire, founded Hubbard’s School. Their initial goal was to support students in preparing for Senior External Examinations.
In 2001, the school obtained Non-State School status in and expanded its offerings. Today, aside from its academic program, the school includes a Tutoring Program and a range of other courses.
Since its inception, the school has expanded its facilities to include well-equipped classrooms, a cosy lunchroom, and a verandah for students to enjoy.
The school also hires laboratory facilities for science classes when necessary, providing a cost-effective laboratory experience for its students. The building is equipped with a Medi-tek stairlift at the front stairs, and all classrooms are situated on a single level at the top of the stairs.
Typically, families that send their children to Hubbard’s School do so because of its distinctive and customised learning approach that equips students who have non-traditional learning styles or specific needs and preferences with the skills they need to succeed at the tertiary level.
To enter Hubbard’s School, students go through a Senior Preparatory Year program. This serves as the main pathway for entry as the program is designed to help students catch up and accelerate their academic progress, preparing them for the compressed senior school subjects offered by the school.
The program covers foundation skills in English, Mathematics (General and Methods), Science (Life and Physical Sciences), and a Career Education Program (1 QCE point), which are typically taught in Years 10 and 11.
Hubbard’s School offers Year 11 and 12 subjects, with students having the option to select from any five (or six) Senior School subjects. Students may also have the opportunity to choose University subjects (such as those offered through the Enhanced Studies Program at UQ) in their final year.
In contrast to mainstream schools, students at Hubbard’s School complete these subjects within the year, allowing them to focus on alternative subjects towards their ATAR in the following year.
Upon completion of five general subjects (or four general subjects and one vocational subject), students will qualify to receive an ATAR and QCE.
One-on-one tutoring services for students in Years 6 – 12 because the school believes consistent tutoring help students achieve better academic outcomes, particularly in exam preparation and assignment organisation.
Personal Wellness Consulting and Coaching Services are available for students who want to improve their personal well-being. Life Coaching is also available to provide individuals with the guidance and confidence needed to achieve their goals successfully.
Visit their website here to learn more about Hubbard’s School.
Milton State School takes pride in its strong bonds with the community, and the school regularly hosts a variety of events to strengthen these connections. Here are some of the recent activities that have taken place at the school in early 2023.
Milton State School launched its 2023 Active School Travel Program. To kick off the program, they hosted an Active Travel Disco, celebrating students who walk, cycle, skate, scooter, park-and-stride, or carpool to school.
The program encourages students to choose active modes of transportation, and each Wednesday, they collect data on the percentage of students actively travelling to school. The classes with the highest percentage in different areas are rewarded with a sports kit or board games.
By promoting active travel, the school hopes to reduce traffic around the school area and promote a healthier lifestyle for the students.
Containers for Change
Photo credit: Milton State School/Facebook
This March 2023, the school organised a successful Containers for Change drive. The event attracted an impressive number of participants, resulting in the collection of more than 2,500 recyclable containers in just under an hour. Michael Berkman, MP for Maiwar, was also present to show his support for the cause.
State Swimming Championships
Photo credit: Milton State School/Facebook
At the Queensland Swimming Championships, which took place on 26 March 2023, four students from the school, Rosie, Isla, Alex, and Riley, represented Metropolitan North in the competition against the top school sport athletes in Queensland.
Rosie competed in the 50m Butterfly, Isla in the 50m Backstroke, Alex in the 50m, 100m, and 200m Freestyle, and Riley in the 50m & 100m Butterfly and 50m Breaststroke. Additionally, all of the students participated in relay teams during the event.
Camp at Currimundi
Photo credit: Milton State School/Facebook
Year 5 students embarked on an exciting camping trip to Currimundi. The itinerary was jam-packed with a range of thrilling activities, including rafting, team challenges, circus skills, archery, catapult building, rock climbing, and caving. For many of the kids, the caving experience proved to be a standout favourite.
Wildlife Rangers
Photo credit: Milton State School/Facebook
Year 2 students received a visit from the Wildlife Rangers, which proved to be an engaging and informative experience for the students. The children were thrilled to meet some adorable animals and learned about their unique life cycles and identifying features that help to classify them into distinct animal groups.
Deidre Grace has always been passionate about everything she does. As a businesswoman, she and her husband ran People in Plastic, an industrial wholesaler in Brisbane with a national reach. As an actor and theatre producer, she gave her all to her craft and couldn’t help but notice the lack of affordable and accessible performance venues to stage her own work. This need became the seed that led her to put up Milton’s Pip Theatre, a production company and venue for like-minded arts organisations to hire.
With a single-minded purpose, Deidre went to work putting together her dream team, starting with Michelle Apps, Co-Founder and Company Director of Pip Theatre. Michelle has superb qualifications in IT, finance and governance and was on the lookout for a project that fulfilled a worthy social purpose, one that would use her skills and have a lasting impact on the community.
On the creative side, Amelia Slatter, a graduate of Bachelor of Creative Industries Drama at QUT, takes care of the venue’s programming and development as a premier entertainment hub by tapping into and creating opportunities for local creatives to get their chance to shine in the spotlight at PIP theatre.
Jenna Todd, the Marketing Director with a business degree from QUT, communicates and promotes the vision and values of the theatre, especially on online media.
Before Pip Theatre
Whilst Pip Theatre opened in 2022, it was anchored with the establishment of the Dome Dance Bar in the 1990s. Multiple shows were done at this venue in a unique skylit dome, which paved the way for its transformation into the Toucan Bar.
The Toucan Bar was a brightly-coloured Toucan-themed dance venue that attracted a crowd of dancers week after week. More than a decade later, however, the site was reborn as Maggie Black’s Jazz Bar in 2007. Here, lively and captivating jazz music brought a cosy and intimate atmosphere.
By 2011, the jazz bar had become the Brazilian Touch, another Toucan-themed site that served Brazilian dishes. However, the once exciting site was redeveloped as the Milton Dome offices in 2012, closing the chapter on this precinct as an entertainment site until Pip Theatre revived it.
Upcoming Shows
After “Bombshells” in January 2023 and “Moon With a View” in late 2022, Pip Theatre’s lineup of shows for the rest of 2023 includes powerful, compelling and rousing stories.
“Grand Horizons” is a comedic play delving into how a family grapples over the divorce of a 50-year marriage. Bess Wohl wrote the story.
“Beginning” looks hard at making connections, online dating, and dealing with life’s baggage. First shown in London and then at the West End, this play by David Eldridge makes its Australian debut at the Pip Theatre.
“The Penelopiad” is an adaptation by Margaret Atwood based on the story of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus.
Pip Theatre is also open for co-production with external directors and producers or venue hire for one-off shows. Phone (07) 3275 4900 for enquiries or check out their Instagram page for more information.
Post-covid, more and more downsizers are looking to trade in their big backyards for city living without compromising on lifestyle. And Milton is one fine example of a suburb that’s ticking all those boxes.
Experts agree that the past two to three years have changed the residential real estate landscape, and developers need to be constantly on their toes and keep abreast with the ever-changing trend.
When COVID hit, people started moving away from the fast-paced city life to pursue a quieter country town or coastal lifestyle. Post-pandemic, however, a shift in this trend happened, with more and more people now moving back to the city to downsize their homes and upscale their lifestyle.
Downsizers are actively seeking out areas that have a strong sense of community and yet are within walking distance of shops, cafes, and restaurants, which riverside suburb Milton has plenty of.
Milton offers the convenience of an inner-city lifestyle with plenty of amenities and a buzzing community vibe. Moreover, it’s teeming with shady trees, old Queenslander houses and open parks.
For investors, the market fundamentals on offer in Milton are compelling. Given its relative affordability compared to other states and combining that with the population and employment growth, you’ve got a recipe for success.
The low vacancy rate in the city, currently under 0.7%, could mean suburbs like Milton will continue to enjoy rising housing demand.
With local migration currently pointing the way, developers like Goldfields are taking advantage of the opportunity by tapping into the previously undersupplied market of Milton. The Group’s latest residential project at 33 Manning is an 18-storey, 131-apartment building that lures prospective buyers with its mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units and penthouses with stunning river and city views.
Apartments in the city are currently providing the most value for owner-occupiers and an opportunity for investors. With more and more people choosing to live in the city and supply still at low levels, demand for apartment living will continue to rise and could stay that way for quite a while.
Westpac Milton has closed effective 24 March 2023, as part of a controversial move by the bank that reported a profit of nearly $5.7 billion in 2022, to close 20 more of its regional and suburban branches across four states.
This development comes amidst a widespread plea from the public for banks to halt closures until after a Senate enquiry has completed an assessment of the impact that the closures will have on affected communities.
The announcement came earlier in the year, barely a week after the Senate enquiry was announced and on the heels of the closure of over 80 branches since September 2022.
“Now my banking options are to go into the city, Ashgrove or Indooroopilly, or utilise the Milton PO which will act as an agent,” a Milton customer said, expressing her frustration over the move.
“Whilst it is obviously the banking model of today, I feel for pensioners and others who do not drive and now have to travel further to do their banking at a formal branch,” she adds.
Photo Credit: Google Maps Streetview
Strong Reaction to Westpac Move
Westpac’s decision to implement widespread closures has been met with strong criticism, particularly in light of Westpac’s 2022 profit of nearly $5.7 billion, up 4% from the 2021 figure. The bank cut 2,667 jobs in 2022 and also cut costs by 19 per cent in the process.
“It is simply outrageous that Westpac can continually kill off jobs and close branches and nothing is being done to stop them,” Julia Angrisan, Finance Sector Union national secretary, said.
A spokesperson for Westpac has made assurances that the majority of those affected by the job cuts will be given a new role within the Westpac Group. Those that don’t will have adequate “…financial and tailored career transition support available to help them secure employment elsewhere in the local community.”
The move comes as Westpac shifts its focus to its digital services segment, where the bank has more than five million active customers with what the bank perceives to be “changing expectations.”
“… we’re investing in digital services so our customers can bank with us anywhere, at any time,” a Westpac spokesperson said. In recent years, the bank has noted that customer use of branches has changed and declined, leading to its decision to close their branches in selected areas.
“In these instances, we continue to support our customers by expanding access via Bank@Post, telephone, mobile and virtual banking,” Westpac said.
Bank Closures Affect the Community
Vulnerable segments of the community, such as the elderly, those with disabilities, or the indigenous community, are among those adversely affected by bank closures, a regional banking taskforce has found.
Local economies also face a decline as people travel to other areas to do their banking, potentially deciding to spend their money there as well, to purchase goods and services.
Senator Matt Canavan, chair of the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport had previously called upon banks to show good faith and halt any planned closures until the Senate can complete its assessment of how the move would affect the various towns and local communities.
“Banks provide a vital service. When a bank leaves town with no way to access banking services, they leave that community behind,” Senator Canavan said in a statement made in February 2023.
The Commonwealth Bank has paused its planned shutdowns for the duration of the Senate enquiry. Westpac, along with other banks like ANZ and NAB, have not followed suit.
Submissions to the Senate enquiry are welcome until the end of March 2023. A Committee Report is expected by the end of the year.
First-home buyers keen to secure a Milton property could achieve their dreams by signing up with a start-up that allows them to make a $10,000 downpayment on a home purchase.
Coposit is a new platform that has shaken up the homeownership sector. It’s an app that allows a home buyer to make a $10,000 downpayment and enter the property market without any hassle. The free app also helps the homeowner pay off the balance during the construction period.
Goldfields, the development group behind 33 Manning St in Milton, has teamed up with Coposit to give buyers the opportunity to secure a unit in their latest project. So, instead of paying $69,000 upfront for a two-bedroom apartment, buyers may make a $10,000 deposit and then invest in weekly instalments.
Photo Credit: Goldfields
The idea behind Coposit is pretty much like a buy now, pay later plan but its CEO Chris Ferris said there are some differences as well.
“With ‘buy now, pay later’ you enter into a transaction and get your product straight away and then pay it off,” Ferris said following the app’s launch in 2021. “With what we’re doing, you secure your property but you don’t actually get it until you’ve paid the full deposit and it’s delivered. Then you have to arrange finance and settle on the property.”
Locking a price before the construction is completed can make a difference between the price of the unit currently versus when the property came into the market.
“Some of the biggest problems that people face is that, in New South Wales and particularly Sydney, the average time that it takes to save for a 10% deposit is 5 to 6 years. When you think of the last 5-6 years, we’ve had two or three property cycles.”
Meanwhile, 33 Manning St is located a few minutes away from the CBD, the suburbs of West End and Paddington, Suncorp Stadium and Milton’s Park Road cafe district. The building provides residents with a range of amenities, including a rooftop pool, lounge, sauna, workspace and zen garden that has a view of the skyline and Mount Coot-tha.
Did you know that Milton has a cute secret? Tucked away in the back street on Gardner Close is Corgi Garden, the cutest themed cafe to open in the city.
Corgi Garden, from Stephen Tam and Amy Chung, debuted in February 2023 and was inspired by KitKat, the cafe owners’ 3-year-old Corgi. The pair, who also have a Border Collie named TimTam, decided to open a small restaurant in a quiet area for their beloved pets to chill without having too much stimulation all around them.
The cafe is located next to several office buildings in Milton, thus the location is also ideal for workers to relax during their office breaks. The eatery isn’t just for dog lovers because there are plenty of reasons to try its brunch choices paired with refreshing drinks.
Diners with a sweet tooth will find the corgi butt buns filled with delicious Nutella so irresistible. Corgi Garden also serves French toast with a good helping of condensed milk, ice cream and Oreo cookies. This delightful treat goes so well with cappuccinos.
Photo Credit: Corgi Garden Brisbane/Instagram
Famished customers may get their fill of the tasty crispy prawn avo sandwich with eggs benedict and some seaweed flakes for a Japanese-inspired brunch or order a heavy meal of pasta or rice bowls.
KitKat and TimTam, both well-trained, are always around to greet the customers or beg for a pat on the head. Since its opening, dog owners in the area have also brought along their pups in the inviting space, which has been designed with yellow and white striped walls and colourful neon signage with a Corgi. Dogs may be served with puppuccinos as well as meaty tartare treats when available.
As the cafe is newly-opened, some delays might be expected as Corgi Garden has been inundated with bookings and enquiries. For updates and the latest offering, follow their Instagram.
Very lovely cafe! A decent place for brunch. The quality of food was great, the unique dressing and bacon were better than many other places. The price was affordable and reasonable. The volume of food given were surprising. Environment was clean and tidy.Besides, they are also offering little dog cakes. Would definitely recommend and visit again.
Yijun Chen
This little cafe is a hidden gem. I got a simple Chicken and Avo sandwich, which was delicious. The bread they used was amazingly soft and the container it came in was so convenient for eating. The cafe was very clean and had lots of seating options. Went with my dog and the service was amazing and friendly. They offerred us yoghurt dog treats and a free puppachino which was very much appreciated.
Frank Lowah
Corgi in the shop is super cute and friendly. Very busy on the weekend so there is a bit of wait but definitely worth it!! Food is amazing and very presentable. Even have dog menu for doggy. Definitely coming back again.
Here’s your chance to ask questions or raise concerns about peace, order and safety in the community at a coffee with a cop session in Milton.
Inner West Crime Prevention will be out and about for a cuppa and a chat on Park Road, Milton this Saturday, February 25. This is proudly supported by local State Member for Cooper, Jonty Bush.
When: Saturday the 25th February 2023 Time: 9:30am to 11am Where: Whisk and Ladle, 20 Railway Terrace, Milton
