Mask-up, get your feathers on and head down to Souths Leagues Club at Davies Park, West End on Saturday May 15 for the 2010 West End Carnivale!
If you enjoyed the very first West End Carnivale last year, you’re going to love it this time with over 50 acts featuring a mighty gypsy reggae line up, at the fantastic riverside grounds of Brisbane.
West End Carnivale is all about promoting the local artists of Brisbane and will also include an amazing lineup of world music. Expect a highly energetic Brazilian and Caribbean inspired performance and dress to add some colour and have fun!
Rio Rhythmics will be back with their famous costumed dancers and percussion ensemble to get the party started
West End Carnivale is all ages and under 12’s are free!
These Banana trees stood out as we were doing our rounds of West End again this week. I think it was the nostalgia that hit me … I do remember Dad with the machete, cutting down a bunch of lady fingers in our backyard when I was a kid. Thanks to my friend, Simon, who lives in Highgate Hill, I have 2 types of passionfruit in my yard which fruit at different times of the year…but no Bananas. The Davies Park fruit and vegies are good… but there’s nothing quite like growing your own.
As the Bees Nees’ specialist in West End I spend a lot of time in the suburb’s apartment buildings. In this series of posts on West End apartments I’ve profiled some of them to give you a taste of life in this exciting suburb!
Koko Apartments – 10 Pidgeon Close, West End
Number of apartments
110
Developer
Stockland Development Ltd
Size and previous land use
Head office and yards of Pidgeon Constructions
Builder
Stockland
Architects
Bligh Voller Nield
Year of completion
2007
Number of 1 bedroom apts
16
Number of 2 bedroom apts
55
Number of 3&4 bedroom apts
39
Amenities
Private lap pool, outdoor gas barbeque, private central park and a well equipped gym
Other comments
180 degree panoramic views down the Brisbane River, across Davies Park to the city and up river to Toowong and Mt Cootha.
Many units are ‘full building width’ which allow cross flow ventilation.
Three individual residential towers, which step in height from four to seven levels,
The design of the Koko address issues of sustainability by two means. Actively water storage is collected on site and utilized for all site and landscape maintenance.
The majority of the units are designed to maximize cross ventilation thereby minimizing reliance upon air conditioning.
Recent sales
Jan 2010 1 bed $413,000; Sept 2009 2 bed $745,000 For an estimate of the current sale price of your apartment please call us on 3214 6800
Current rents
1 bedroom apartment recently rented for $405/week. For an over the phone estimate of current rents in Koko Apartments please call our Property Management team on 07 32146899 or email info@beesnees.com.au
Views and aspect?
The apartments in each of the three individual buildings have a different aspect overlooking the local area, the river or towards the City.
Are pets allowed?
Yes
Koko Apartments' "Greenwich Building"
Koko Apartments from the Brisbane River
The pool at Koko Apartments West End
Koko Apartments' gymnasium
Do you live in the Koko apartments? Tell us what you think – we’d love to hear your comments!
For more info or an estimate on the current market price of your Koko apartment please call us on 3214 6800.
A new operator usually brings changes and since the “West End Markets” was taken over by the Sydney-based Blue Sky Events it’s had a few tweaks – one of which is the name change. From now on we’ll be off to the “Davies Park Markets” for the Saturday morning produce. Protection of the Heritage trees is also a concern which will see the layout change to minimise damage to the old giants. The stall holders will see a new fee structure… but as for us, the early morning shoppers, things will continue more or less the same.
Ekka time in Brisbane with the RNA’s major show starting today. Amazingly the Ekka’s been held at the same RNA showgrounds for over 130 years and thanks to some careful redevelopment planning it may continue for a long time yet. The Association announced in May it had appointed Lend Lease as its “Preferred Development Partner” for the 22 hectare (50+ acre) site. Ideas and plans have been tossed around for a couple of years but there’s now a company involved who can make it all happen.
To put this in perspective the Ekka showgrounds are 30% bigger than South Bank, have a railway station at their centre, are comfy walking distance from most of the CBD and are smack bang amongst inner Brisbane’s rapid growth suburbs. And while they do host plenty of non-Ekka events, for most of the year the site’s locked off as an impenetrable island.
There’s a lot of planning to come yet but with a likely value of $3billion and a 15 year timeline (GFC’s and property cycles to be considered) the RNA redevelopment could have a massive impact on the inner city. The planning logic so far is good: protect genuine heritage buildings, make the site active every day of the year, build offices and shops, make room for new apartments, create walkways and bike paths so the site can be traversed and is more integrated into its neighbourhoods and front new buildings onto existing road infrastructure of St Paul’s Terrace, Exhibition and Brookes Streets.
One exciting idea is the establishment of a big fresh produce market. It’s a nice fit with the Ekka’s brand and would be a winner given the popularity of markets like Davies Park and the Powerhouse. Around 5 hectares of the whole site will be developed. And hopefully generate an income for the RNA to ensure it can run the Ekka, and the remaining site, efficiently into the future.
We do wonder if some of the planned densities and heights are too conservative though. Most new buildings seem to be proposed as 8 storey with just one lot of 20 levels. Sites close to heritage buildings couldn’t be included and we do need sunlight and a sense of space. But with such easy access to the full amenities of the inner city isn’t this one of those opportunities for thinking big?
When that first Ekka was held in 1876 Brisbane’s population numbered just 22,000. Now that our city has almost 100 times the residents our key inner city landholdings like the RNA showgrounds need forethought like we’ve never used before.
We’d love to hear your comments.
draft planning for the RNA showgrounds redevelopment
Get dressed-up because starting at midday tomorrow and dancing through to the small hour of 2am, CARNIVALE is set to be a “colourful celebration of world music, roots, reggae, arts and circus culture.” To be held at Davies Park, this is a first for Brisbane and will include some of West End’s finest and best loved local acts as well as special guests from New Zealand, Brazil, and Africa. Expect colour, creativity, costumes and calamity!
West End music label Rudekat Records along with the creators of the infamous Island Vibe Festival, and Brisbane’s Brazilian community, this festival promises to be an exciting showcase of West End’s burgeoning creative arts and music scene, fused together for the first time with elements of Brazilian Carnivale culture and mischievous circus antics.
Line up includes Spoonbill, Chocolate Strings, Kafka, Laneous & The Family Yah and Dubmarine. All bands and artists WILL be performing in costume … and the first 300 punters who come dressed in costume on the day will get a free WEST END CARNIVALE festival compilation CD.
Peter Hackworth, referred to as “The mother of Brisbane’s market scene”, has lost her bid to continue running the Saturday morning markets at West End’s Davies Park. The tender process has been won by a company called Blue Sky Events from Sydney and no surprise here … the current operators aren’t happy about the changes being proposed. Perhaps reducing the size of the space rented and therefore the cost will make it more economically viable, but one of the changes being floated is to do some “tidying up”. Blue Sky run the South Bank markets, also started by Hackworth and there’s a concern that it will remove the character and flavour that the locals come for. Souths Rugby League Football Club, who have been at Davies Park for over a hundred years, also put in a bid to manage the markets. They hoped to keep the proceeds from the markets in local pockets.
For a fresh and organic selection of fruits and veg as well as meat and fish you can’t go past the West End Community Markets every Saturday at Davies Park. There’s a wide selection but you’ll have to get up early to get the best of the bunch because it kicks off from 6am. It’s probably not the healthiest breakfast choice, but I can’t go past the cheesy bread sticks to go with my morning coffee – at only $1 each they’re delicious!
Shopping in inner Brisbane is well catered for and the options seem to improve regularly. New centres at Kelvin Grove and Newmarket are just two recent additions. What we’re also seeing more and more is the renewed popularity of weekend markets for those seeking out fresh foods, art, crafts and the various gems stallholders have to offer. So as a service to our faithful readers here’s the complete Bees Nees’ guide to inner Brisbane’s markets!
South Bank Friday night and all weekend with lots of eating, drinking, partying options on hand
Valley markets in the Brunswick Mall both Sat and Sun with a focus on emerging fashions, handmade jewellery and the like
Stones Corner’s new markets on Fridays with the street closed and live music outside the pub
The inimitable Powerhouse markets in New Farm every second Saturday (next on the 13th)
The Green Flea markets in West End’s Davies Park has a huge variety of fresh and organic fruit and vegies every Saturday
And the side-by-side Riverside Centre and Eagle Street markets have a big variety of artworks each Sunday in the CBD
So no excuses this weekend if you’re looking for somewhere to escape the cricket on TV!
For a fresh and organic selection of fruits and veg as well as meat and fish you can’t go past the West End Community Markets every Saturday at Davies Park. There’s a wide selection but you’ll have to get up early to get the best of the bunch because it kicks off from 6am. It’s probably not the healthiest breakfast choice, but I can’t go past the cheesy bread sticks to go with my morning coffee – at only $1 each they’re delicious!
