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Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall celebrates 40 years of attracting visitors in their droves to the CBD

Brisbane's Queen Street Mall celebrates 40 years of attracting visitors in their droves to the CBD

Brisbane’s “transformational” Queen Street Mall celebrates a milestone this month, 40 years after it forever changed the city’s retail heart.

What started as a dirt strip hosting horse and carriage traffic in the 1800s had long housed iconic and fashionable brands, but it was not until August 8, 1982 that the two blocks between Edward and George streets were closed to traffic and officially opened by its namesake , Queen Elizabeth II herself.

Black and white city street photo with horse and carriage
Queen Street in about 1868 was a far cry from what it is today.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

Brisbane City Council’s chair of its 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee Krista Adams said the mall’s opening, coinciding with the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, was an “absolutely historic moment”.

“I have to say, 1982 was nothing short of transformational for our city,” Ms Adams said.

“From Matilda winking at us right through to the closing ceremony… it was the first time that Brisbane considered, ‘Hey, we can do this, and we are on the world stage’.

Whether Brisbanites came for lunch at Jimmy’s on the Mall, met friends after school at Hungry Jack’s or dared to take the dragon ride at the top of the Myer Centre, Queen Street Mall embedded itself in the urban life of Queensland’s capital.

Old photo of Queen St in Brisbane in early 1900s
A Christmas postcard featuring a colored view of Queen Street in about 1908.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

Ms Adams remembered coffee dates at Jimmy’s on the Mall and watching people from JoJo’s, as well as the terrifying sounds from the rollercoaster at Tops, an amusement venue in the Myer Center.

“There was absolutely nowhere else to meet other than Hungry Jack’s because no-one had mobile phones,” she said.

“It has been reinvented many times over — there has been the Wintergarden, the Myer Centre, Burnett Lane and the extension of the mall down Albert Street.

“It has remained the most popular mall in the southern hemisphere, and the most successful in Australia, and has stood the test of time.”

Ms Adams says while the council has “struggled to get pedestrians back into Queen Street Mall after COVID, it is still home to more than 500 retailers including six major shopping centres.

Designed by late Robin Gibson, the architect also behind the Queensland Art Gallery and later the Queensland Cultural Centre, the Queen Street Mall has hosted parades for athletes returning from the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, live music performances and plenty of fashion parades.

More than two decades ago, Hollindale Mainwaring Architecture took on the redevelopment of the mall, and described Queen Street as “a proven exception continuing its history of vibrant commerciality and increasing pedestrian usage”.

In 2022, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said Queen Street Mall attracted “more than one million pedestrian movements a week”.

“As it returns to its post-pandemic prime, with pedestrian movements at 72 per cent of pre-COVID levels, it is set to be bolstered by massive investment into new CBD attractions and transport options,” he said

Man walks through empty mall.
During COVID lockdowns in 2021, the Queen Street Mall was eerily empty.(ABC News: Chris Gillette)
Black and white photo of Queen St Brisbane
Queen Street with decorations for the royal visit in 1954, between George and Albert streets.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

“With major transformations underway like Queen’s Wharf and Waterfront Place, Queen Street Mall is at the center of an exciting evolution that will drive visitation and renew popularity in the iconic precinct.”

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Brisbane fashion stylist, educator and commentator Dianne Cant was involved in the first fashion parades in 1982 in the mall.

“The brief back then was to promote the retailers and impress the shoppers with what was on offer; they weren’t just entertainment but of course, the crowds stopped for 15 to 20 minutes and enjoyed,” she said.

Floodwaters Brisbane 1893
Queen Street flooded in 1893.(Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

“Another personal highlight was being invited to drive Brownlow Medalist Simon Black in a convertible car down the mall when the Brisbane Lions won the AFL Premiership in 2002.”

There will be two weeks of celebrations for Queen Street Mall’s 40th birthday with pop up champagne bars and fashion shows.

Find more information here.

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Categories
Australia

Retired train driver backs union calls to divert Rockhampton’s ‘dangerous’ city freight line

A man with grey short hair sits on a veranda in a wooden chair wearing a green shirt and looks at the camera.

Paul McKenna can still feel the dread in his stomach when he thinks about driving his locomotive along Rockhampton’s Denison Street.

“It’s sheer luck that there hasn’t been more people killed down that street,” he says.

For a two-kilometre stretch through the middle of Rockhampton, freight trains travel down the middle of Denison street after leaving the Rockhampton station yard.

It’s one of the only freight lines in Queensland that still runs through the middle of a city, according to the Rail Union.

Mr McKenna, a retired train driver from Yeppoon who spent 33 years in the industry, said he would encounter a near-miss almost every second time he would drive along the Denison street line.

A train travels through the center of a city, with cars driving on either side of it.
For a two-kilometre stretch through the middle of Rockhampton, freight trains travel along Denison street after leaving the Rockhampton rail station yard.(Supplied: Jacob Howard)

“People seem to pull up at the stop signs and they don’t look for trains, they look for traffic and they just take off in front of you and you pretty well haven’t got a chance to stop,” Mr McKenna said.

“You’ve got pedestrians that just walk out in front of you.

“You’d come home and you’d stay awake at night if you got close to hitting people.

“It was pretty scary… It needs to be moved.”

Earlier this year, data from the Department of Transport and Main Roads released by the RACQ revealed that the intersection of Denison and Derby St was one of the worst intersections for serious crashes in the state.

The intersection ranked fourth, with seven serious crashes and 11 people seriously injured between June 2018 and May 2021.

Calls to move rail freight line for safety

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union’s Craig Allen says the Dennison Street rail level crossing is the largest in the southern hemisphere and is unique in that it runs through the middle of a city.

The union is calling on Queensland Rail to bypass Rockhampton city, in line with the city’s ring road project.

“Members have identified the whole of Denison Street as one of the most dangerous level crossings they’ve ever encountered,” Mr Allen said.

“From our driver’s perspective, they see the horror in these people’s faces when they’re in the train and they’re about to collide with them.

A car drives beside a rail line. A stop sign and railway crossing crossing is in the center of the road.
The Denison Street rail level crossing in Rockhampton.(ABC Capricorn: Rachel McGhee)

“The freight infrastructure around Rockhampton is still 19th century… it still hasn’t been upgraded. It’s time we got rail into the 21st century and eliminated all these dangerous rail crossings.”

It’s a call Mr McKenna supports.

“Eliminate the risk… it takes its toll over the years,” he said.

“You nearly can pick which one’s going to come out in front of you. They appear to look up the road for cars, but they don’t see the train and then they take off and you can’t stop.

“If there’s an opportunity to change it, they should jump at it.”

‘No plans’ to upgrade Denison Street level crossing

Queensland Rail head of regional, Jim Benstead said he was committed to level-crossing safety through investment in education, engineering upgrades and working closely with the police on enforcement.

“While there are no current plans to upgrade the level crossing or track infrastructure through the Denison and Derby Street intersection in Rockhampton, Queensland Rail is working with council to identify any potential safety improvements,” Mr Benstead said.

“In the last financial year (2021-2022) we saw 94 near misses on the network across regional Queensland.

“Since 2017, there have been nine incidents at the Denison and Derby Street level crossing, including one traffic incident earlier this year.”

A train travels along a street in the middle of the road.
There are calls for the rail line to be diverted around Rockhampton, in line with the city’s Ring Road project, out of safety concerns.(Supplied: Jacob Howard)

Mr Benstead said all level crossings were fitted with signs and signals to warn of an approaching train and people had to take responsibility and heed the warnings.

“There is also an $18 million regional level-crossing program underway, which has so far delivered upgrades to level crossings in Portsmith, Edmonton, Chinchilla and Cardwell in North Queensland,” he said.

“Queensland Rail is asking everyone in the community to prioritize their own safety around trains.”

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Categories
Business

Townsville’s ‘Sugar Shaker’ hotel is getting a makeover, prompting admirers to sift through its history

A black and white photo of Townsville's cityscape in the mid 70s. A round building, with what looks to be a spout, towers over.

It has been described as one Australia’s most recognizable buildings after the Sydney Opera House, but this icon is set for a face lift.

Townsville’s Sugar Shaker hotel has defined the city skyline for more than 46 years with its original brown sandstone color.

But now the building’s exterior is being completely repainted, prompting admirers to sift through its history.

An old, but color photograph of a busy city street. A post office sits before a much taller circular high rise building.
The “Sugar Shaker” is located in Townsville’s city heart on Flinders Street.(Supplied: Townsville City Council )

The hotel will maintain its silhouette, which resembles a sugar shaker with a distinctive spout-like shape at its peak.

Dr Mark Jones, a prominent Architect and Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, said the Sugar Shaker had become one of the most recognizable buildings in Australia.

“Most imagery of Townsville incorporates this building, not dissimilarly to the Sydney Opera House,” he said.

“I don’t think, apart from those two examples, there’s another building in Australia that so exemplifies the city in which it’s located.”

A black and white photograph taken from a helicopter captures the construction of a circular high rise building in the 1970s.
Townsville’s “Sugar Shaker” was built in the 1970s and remains the tallest building in the CBD.(Supplied: Townsville City Council)

Dr Jones said at the time the building opened in 1976 as Hotel Townsville there were two similar properties in the country; the Tower Mill Hotel in Brisbane, and Australia Square in Sydney.

“I suspect that the architects for the Sugar Shaker drew some inspiration from those two buildings,” he said.

“But they went a step further with this interesting enclosure on the roof air conditioning cooling towers that gives it a sugar shaker shape.”

A black and white photo of Townsville's Flinders Street Mall.
The hotel is often used in imagery used to market Townsville.(Supplied: Townsville City Council)

46 years after the building was erected in Townsville, debate on whether the resemblance was intentional continues.

“I’m not sure if they were directly thinking of a sugar shaker or if that came from people afterwards,” Dr Jones said.

“Either way, it’s a wonderful symbol for cane-growing region.

“I can’t think of another example, except for the sort of kitschy big banana and big pineapple-type installations.”

A wide shot of Townsville's modern CBD.
Forty-six years after the building was erected, the “Sugar Shaker” is being refurbished.(ABC North Qld: Chloe Chomicki)

Director of marketing for lobby group Townsville Enterprise Lisa Woolfe said there were several local theories about the design.

“Apparently, it was modeled off a sugar shaker that was sold in a nearby cafe,” she said.

“But I have also heard over the years people refer to it as a lipstick.”

A color photograph of a regional city with one circular building preceding over all of the other properties.
There is debate about whether the buildings likeness to a sugar shaker was intentional.(Supplied: Townsville City Council)

Townsville’s deputy mayor Mark Molachino said he suspected the architects were intentional with their design.

“I don’t know the history of design, I will be honest,” he said.

“But whoever did design it has made it look as close to a sugar shaker as possible, so they have done a good job with the likeness.”

The hotel has been known as Centra Townsville, Townsville International Hotel and Holiday Inn over the years, but is currently owned by Hotel Grand Chancellor.

Manager Paul Gray said it was a “daunting” task to choose a new color for the “iconic” building.

“Locals are very passionate about the Sugar Shaker, but it did need a refresh,” Mr Gray said.

A photo of several balconies on a sandstone building. Half of them have been painted gray and white.
The ‘Sugar Shaker’ is expected to have been completely repainted by the end of August.(ABC North Qld: Chloe Chomicki)

The refurbishment, including a complete repaint of the building, is due to be completed by the end of August.

“The building itself is being painted in grey,” Mr Gray said.

“It’s going to have white running up the risers, just to break it up a little bit as well.

“I think it’ll tie in quite nicely with the buildings around the city and look a lot more modern.”

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Categories
Business

City chief: Market Square ‘a feasting sore’

City chief: Market Square 'a feasting sore'

Market Square UK 2022Geelong’s Market Square shopping center and Busport transport interchange have been described as “festering sores” in an extraordinary speech by the City of Greater Geelong’s highest ranking officer.

The outburst took many city councillors by surprise, with a source telling Geelong Broadcasters the CEO’s frank comments were certain to be discussed at tonight’s scheduled meeting.

Martin Cutter’s address to a business luncheon last week included criticisms of what he views as the city’s dependence on cars at the expense of “active transport” options such as bicycles.

According to the Geelong Advertiser Mr Cutter, who will finish up next month after cutting his contract short, laid bare his intense dislike for the bus exchange.

“I hate it. I think we all hate it,” he reportedly said.

“It needs to go, it needs to be shifted – it needs to be improved.”

Martin Cutter credit CoGGCouncilor Eddy Kontelj told Geelong Broadcasters he agreed that the bus terminal was problematic.

“We should be doing something about it and the state government should be doing something about it,” Cr Kontelj said.

“I just wish that Martin had used his voice earlier on to express the concerns that we have around that issue.”

Cr Kontelj was more guarded about his thoughts on the privately-owned Market Square, saying the city needed to be “in the tent” with the facility’s owners and trying to forge a way forward.

“What we can’t do is be just throwing blows through the media. What we need to be doing is working with the owners of the property to try and find a solution.”

Mr Cutter pointed to Melbourne’s Emporium as an example of what shopping center improvements can achieve.

“It’s easy for me to say, I don’t have the investment funds, council doesn’t have the investment funds, but it’s not working, something needs to be done in the area to lift that,” he told the event, which was hosted by the Urban Development Institute of Australia.

He also took aim at overwhelming criticism of the city’s controversial bike lanes.

“We all have an opinion about bike lanes. We can all be critical about the way they look and what they do, but if we’re going to make Geelong different we need to invest in active transport.

“We can’t keep making more roads, it will not fix what our problems are – it’s about being visionary, about looking to the future and deciding what we want Geelong to look like and not just asking for more cars to come into the center of the city.”

Mr Cutter announced his resignation in early July, saying he wanted to focus on ‘personal pursuits’ and spend time with his family.

Image: (top) Market Square [Geelong Broadcasters]; (middle) outgoing CoGG CEO Martin Cutter (City of Greater Geelong)

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Categories
Australia

Brush turkeys are spreading across Sydney but how the bird crossed the harbor is a mystery

A close-up of a brush turkey

After a decades-long absence, brush turkeys are reclaiming Sydney’s inner-city and southern suburbs, but not everyone has welcomed the distinctive birds back.

From the odd sighting south of the Sydney Harbor Bridge a few years ago, brush turkeys are now widespread.

Research ecologist Matthew Hall told ABC Radio Sydney it was only a matter of time before the native birds returned to the areas they once inhabited before hunting, land clearing and introduced species threatened their survival.

“They’ve been slowly coming back. But we’ve been taken by surprise just how fast they’re spreading into the city,” Mr Hall told Cassie McCullagh on Mornings.

A brush turkey walks across a fence in Summer Hill in Sydney's inner-west.
Brush turkeys are thriving thanks to their ability to adapt to the urban environment.(ABC Radio Sydney: Rosemary Bolger)

On the brink of extinction in the 1930s, some birds took refuge in national parks in the north and north-west.

Since hunting brush turkeys were outlawed, their numbers have increased steadily on the northern beaches and surrounds.

But many residents south of the Sydney Harbor Bridge are seeing the birds in their backyards and parks for the first time.

How did brush turkeys cross the harbour?

Researchers may have predicted the population would expand, but one question has them scratching their heads.

Given the harbor separates the city’s north and south, how did the brush turkey get to the other side?

“It truly is a mystery,” Dr John Martin, research scientist at Taronga Zoo, said.

“These birds do not fly very well, so flying hundreds of meters across the harbor or across the [Parramatta River] is just not something they are capable of.”

Brush turkeys cross the road in Gladesville in Sydney's Lower North Shore.
Brush turkeys cross the road in Gladesville on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.(Supplied: Paula Marchant)

One theory is that residents in the north wanting to rid their backyards of the pesky bird may have captured them, driven them across the bridge and released them into new territory.

They may have come down from existing populations in the Blue Mountains or up from Wollongong, which may explain sightings on the city’s southern fringes.

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