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Brisbane Airport Travellers Are Falling in Love With These Therapy Dogs

At Brisbane Airport, stressed travellers are swapping pre-flight nerves for puppy cuddles as therapy dogs return to the terminals for the school holidays.

The therapy dogs will return to Brisbane Airport during the June and July 2026 school holidays, bringing another round of wagging tails and puppy cuddles to both the Domestic and International terminals.

Sessions at the Domestic Terminal will run from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on selected Tuesdays and Thursdays, while International Terminal visits are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on selected Fridays.

Where Airport Stress Meets Puppy Cuddles

Holiday travel can turn even the calmest traveller into a bundle of nerves. There are crowded check-in queues, delayed flights, teary goodbyes, and children running low on patience before the plane even leaves the ground. It’s exactly the kind of environment Therapy & Support Animals Australia had in mind when the organisation partnered with Brisbane Airport to launch the country’s first airport therapy dog program.

Since then, the dogs have become a familiar sight during busy travel periods. Labradoodles, cavoodles, groodles and labradors now spend their school holiday shifts moving through the terminals with handlers, greeting travellers looking for a lighter moment before boarding.

Photos and videos shared across Brisbane Airport’s Facebook and Instagram pages show passengers lining up for photos, puppies sprawled across terminal floors and airport workers stopping by for a quick visit during shifts.

The Dogs Travellers Remember After the Flight

The therapy dogs may only work two-hour sessions, but for many travellers, the interaction stays with them long after take-off. Over the past three years, the dogs have comforted nervous children afraid of flying, grieving families travelling for funerals, and FIFO workers missing their own pets after weeks away from home.

Brisbane Airport Corporation communications executive Sarah Whyte previously said the airport expected the dogs to be popular, but the response quickly grew beyond what staff had imagined. Airline crews, retail workers and airport staff now regularly stop by the therapy dog areas alongside passengers.

The program also includes puppies in training, some just over 10 weeks old, giving young dogs early socialisation in a busy public setting filled with rolling luggage, loud announcements and constant movement.

A Holiday Tradition Taking Over the Terminal

The airport’s first therapy dog sessions were introduced as a short trial in the Domestic Terminal back in July 2023. Within months, the program expanded into the International Terminal after receiving strong feedback from travellers and staff.

Now, many passengers actively look forward to the dogs returning during school holiday periods. According to Brisbane Airport’s own travel advice page, the dogs are there specifically for public interaction under handler supervision. Unlike assistance dogs travelling with passengers, these therapy dogs are brought into the airport to mingle with the public and help ease stress during busy travel periods.

And in an airport handling tens of millions of passengers each year, those few minutes of connection seem to be leaving a lasting impression.

Published 28-May-2026

Grassroots Albion Support Group Beyond DV Wins Major State Volunteering Accolade

Photo Credit: Beyond DV Australia/ Facebook

An Albion-based domestic violence charity has claimed the state’s highest volunteering honour after leading a massive wave of forty-nine thousand local heroes who are keeping communities safe and supported.

A Massive Celebration of Service

The Queensland Volunteering Awards took place on 15 May 2026 to celebrate the massive scale of community service across the region. This year holds special meaning as the United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers.

The event highlighted the work of forty-nine thousand seven hundred and twenty-two individuals who were nominated across the state. In total, community groups submitted two hundred and seventy-five nominations, which the judging panels narrowed down to twenty-one finalists and eight ultimate recipients across six separate categories.

Top Honours for Grassroots Leaders

Carolyn Robinson from Beyond DV took home the main Volunteer of the Year Award for her efforts. Other major individual winners included Jaylyn Rongo, who received the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for work with DonateLife Queensland.

Phillip Smith won the New to Volunteering Award for driving the Ride in Shorts for Leah campaign, while Roger Whyte received the Lifetime Contribution to Volunteering Award for his long-term commitment to the Queensland Rugby League. In the leadership category, Nicole Ashley from Play Matters Australia won the Excellence in Volunteer Management Award.

The Catalyst and Foundation

Beyond DV was born out of a lived family experience. In 2017, Brisbane resident and long-time educator Carolyn Robinson received a 5:00 AM telephone call from the police informing her that her younger daughter had been physically assaulted by her partner.

Over the next six months, Robinson accompanied her daughter through the unsettling and often isolating court process. Standing in the courtroom, she observed hundreds of women from all walks of life navigating the exact same trauma. Recognising a profound gap in the long-term recovery phase for survivors—where initial crisis intervention ends but the rebuilding of a life begins—she decided to act.

Drawing on her 36-year background as an educator, Robinson sought to bypass rigid, “one-size-fits-all” institutional frameworks. She formally registered Beyond DV as a charity in late 2017 and officially launched its first programs in January 2018 with just three volunteers.

Groups Making a Difference

Organisations also received major recognition for their structured programs that help vulnerable residents. Foodbank Queensland won the Community Volunteering Impact Award for its massive food distribution and relief network. In the government sector, Sunshine Coast Health took out the top spot for its widespread volunteer initiative. Origin Energy also secured an award for its corporate volunteering program.

Supporting Communities Through Tough Times

Organisers explained that volunteers are currently providing essential support as families deal with rising living costs and a higher demand for local services. Volunteering Queensland chief executive officer Jane Hedger stated that these awards offer an important moment to value the people who keep communities stable during difficult periods. Minister for Volunteers Ann Leahy stated that the administration is focused on backing these everyday helpers and ensuring their massive contributions receive the respect and practical support they deserve.

Published Date 18-May-2026

Anna Spiro’s Beloved Ascot Queenslander Has Found New Owners

Ray White

The Ascot home of celebrated interior designer Anna Spiro has sold immediately following its auction, passing to new owners who have taken on one of Brisbane’s most personally curated properties. Located at 10 Kidston Street, the circa-1920 character home spent two years bearing Spiro’s signature layering of colour, pattern and original period detail.

Spiro and her husband Luke Warwick, managing director of Melbourne-based Elliott Clarke Textiles, purchased the home in 2023 for $2.5 million. It changed hands on 16 May 2026 via Ray White Collective agents Matt Lancashire and Will Blewitt, with the final sale price withheld. The couple have already purchased another property in the immediate Ascot area, which Spiro is looking forward to transforming next.

“This house was always a temporary house for us,” Spiro said of the decision to move on. “We weren’t sure if we were moving to Melbourne or staying here at the time, and we’ve decided we need something bigger. Now it’s time for the next custodians to come and enjoy it.”

A home that wears its history well

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on a 607-square-metre corner allotment with a wide 20-metre frontage along Kidston Street. Privately set behind lush greenery, the property is positioned 250 metres from St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, 5.5 kilometres from the CBD and 13 minutes from Brisbane Airport.

The circa-1920 bones remain beautifully intact, featuring classic hoop pine floors, a covered front verandah, sash windows and original pressed-metal ceilings.

The living and dining rooms feature a traditional fireplace, while the stone-top kitchen features premium Qasair, Miele and Smeg appliances. Outside, the property includes a swimming pool, courtyard and secure yard, complemented by extensive under-house storage and workshop space downstairs.

Spiro added her own distinctive style without disrupting the home’s historic integrity. She repainted the property inside and out, installed new cabinetry, air conditioning and fresh carpets, and hung her own custom window coverings.

The result balances more than a century of Queenslander character with the maximalist, pattern-driven aesthetic that has made her one of Australia’s most recognised interior voices.

The designer behind the home

Spiro began her design career at 17 as a junior assistant before establishing Anna Spiro Design a decade ago. Her portfolio spans residential projects across Australia, the UK and the US, alongside major hospitality commissions including northern New South Wales boutique hotel Halcyon House and Brisbane riverfront venues Mr Percival’s and Arc Dining.

Her reach also extends to a collaboration with global homewares retailer Anthropologie and two published books, A Life in Pattern and Absolutely Beautiful Things.

Her connection to the classic Australian architectural form is genuine and long-running. “This is a quintessential Queensland home for a family,” she said. “It’s all done and has a gorgeous garden.”

For international design enthusiasts, the home draws immediate comparisons to the fictional Heeler family house from the animated series Bluey—itself modelled on a classic, elevated Brisbane Queenslander—bringing global attention to how these iconic properties look and feel to live in.

The new owners inherit a very particular version of Brisbane history, shaped by a designer whose response to a place is always deeply personal. Spiro’s next residential project is already underway, located just one street over.

Published 18-May-2026

A New Jan Power’s Farmers Markets Has Landed at Eagle Farm Racecourse

A new weekly farmers market has arrived in Brisbane’s inner north, with Jan Power’s Farmers Markets Eagle Farm now open at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Ascot.

Read: Redevelopment Aims to Preserve Heritage of Paddock and Members Stands at Eagle Farm Racecourse

The market officially launched on Sunday 10 May and returns this Sunday 17 May, running from 7am to 1pm. It brings Jan Powers’ curated mix of farm-fresh produce, coffee, flowers, hot and cold food, bakery goods, plants and artisan products to the grounds of one of Brisbane’s most historic venues, and will continue to do so every Sunday.

Fresh Produce, Live Music, and Room to Move

Photo credit: Facebook/Jan Power’s Farmers Market

Shoppers can fill their bags with locally grown fruit and vegetables, quality meat and sustainable seafood, freshly baked bread and pastries, artisan deli lines and pantry staples including spices and specialty flours.

Acoustic musicians play throughout the morning, setting the tone as local providores and regional farmers lay out their seasonal produce and handmade goods. Coffee vendors and food stalls are on hand for those wanting breakfast or lunch on site, along with sweet treats from food vendors.

The spacious open-air setting at Eagle Farm Racecourse gives the market a relaxed, unhurried feel, with plenty of room for families. Dogs are welcome.

Read: Eagle Farm Racecourse Enhances Accessibility with Stylish New Lift

Part of a Growing Network Across Brisbane

The Eagle Farm markets join the long-running Jan Powers Powerhouse Farmers Markets at Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm, held every Saturday from 6am to 12pm, and the twice-monthly Jan Power’s Farmers Markets at Manly Harbour, also held on Saturdays from 6am to 12pm.

Jan Power’s Farmers Markets Eagle Farm runs every Sunday from 7am to 1pm at Eagle Farm Racecourse, 230 Lancaster Road, Ascot. Entry on foot is via Gate 4 from Lancaster Road, with infield parking available via Gate 7 behind Racecourse Village Shopping Centre. For more information, visit janpowersfarmersmarkets.com.au.

Published 14-May-2026

Eagle Farm Tyre Theft Allegation Emerges During Brisbane Hoon Blitz

Photo Credit: QPS

An Eagle Farm tyre theft allegation has emerged from a wider Brisbane hoon blitz that saw eight people charged, 66 traffic infringement notices issued and two Ford Falcons seized after an alleged long weekend hooning event across Brisbane and Ipswich.

Police have charged eight people and seized two vehicles during Operation X-Ray Antler, a multi-district operation targeting alleged hooning activity across Brisbane and neighbouring policing districts.

The operation disrupted more than 30 vehicles attending an alleged hooning event across Brisbane and Ipswich between 2 and 3 May. Four vehicles are alleged to have participated in hooning driving behaviour.

A 20-year-old man was among those charged after allegedly stealing tyres near one of the hooning events before being chased down by police in Eagle Farm. The allegation forms part of a wider enforcement response to dangerous driving and related offending across the area.

Eagle Farm hoon blitz — Photo Credit: QPS

Police allege some activity connected to hooning events has extended beyond dangerous driving, including thefts and the use of unregistered or unroadworthy vehicles. Tyres used during burnouts were also alleged to have been stolen from businesses across the region.

Two Ford Falcons Seized In Brisbane Hoon Blitz

Two vehicles were seized during the operation: a blue Ford Falcon and a silver Ford Falcon.

A 19-year-old man was charged with driving a motor vehicle without a driver licence and is expected to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on 9 June.

The eight people charged so far face a range of alleged offences, including possessing dangerous drugs, stealing wheels, having a face masked or disguised with intent to commit an indictable offence, tainted property, unlicensed driving and driving under the influence of drugs.

Officers also issued 66 traffic infringement notices during the operation. These included 22 notices for spectating without a reasonable excuse in hooning group activity and 19 notices for exceeding the speed limit.

Other notices related to defective vehicles, unnecessary noise or smoke, unregistered or uninsured vehicles, number plate offences and other traffic breaches. One notice was also issued for allegedly organising, promoting or encouraging participation in, or spectating at, hoon group activity.

Gateway Bridge Incident Still Under Investigation

The Brisbane hoon blitz also included an alleged Gateway Bridge incident after one vehicle initially evaded police and was allegedly involved in hooning offences on the bridge.

A Highway Patrol unit responded and disrupted the alleged activity to prevent further offending. Investigations into both the wider hooning event and the Gateway Bridge incident remain ongoing.

Operation X-Ray Antler was led by North Brisbane District Highway Patrol, with support from Highway Patrol units and Tactical Crime Squad units from South Brisbane District and Ipswich.

Police are continuing inquiries into the alleged hooning event, the Gateway Bridge incident and related offences identified during the operation.

Published 7-May-2026

Beside the Racetrack in Ascot, a New Kind of Retirement Village Is Already on Its Third Stage

Keyton’s Bernborough Ascot beside Doomben Racecourse in Ascot has completed its second building, Poinciana House, sold it out entirely, and broken ground on a third stage, with the precinct emerging as the most watched example of vertical retirement living in Australia as the sector reshapes itself around what a new generation of retirees actually wants.

The project sits within Brisbane Racing Club’s $1.5 billion transformation of the Doomben and Eagle Farm racecourse precincts, about 8 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD.

What Keyton has built there is something Australia had not seen before: a retirement community designed vertically, in a genuine inner-city location, with the lifestyle amenity and design quality that older Australians have increasingly come to expect from premium residential living. Both completed stages have sold out. Stage three is now underway.

“We’re seeing a clear shift in what people want from retirement living,” Keyton CEO Nathan Cockerill said. “Many retirees want to live closer to the action and are choosing to stay close to the city, to services and to family, while also looking for homes that are secure, low maintenance and designed for the long term.”

Five Buildings, One Precinct, Built for Ageing in Place

Bernborough Ascot opened its first stage, Fig Tree House, in late 2020 with 69 one, two and three-bedroom apartments and a suite of resort-style amenities including the Master’s Lounge trackside bar and dining, a private cinema, library, art studio and gymnasium. Fig Tree House sold out entirely.

Poinciana House followed as the second stage, delivering 53 architecturally designed apartments with sweeping views over Doomben Racecourse and the Brisbane skyline. New community facilities arrived with it: an indoor heated magnesium pool, fitness studio, bowling green, consulting rooms with allied health services, salon, café, residents’ lounge and dining, and a rooftop terrace. Poinciana House also sold out.

Construction on Magnolia House, the third of five planned buildings, is now underway with Balmain & Co, the builder who delivered Poinciana House, and is due for completion by mid-2027.

Magnolia House will deliver 72 apartments across two and three-bedroom configurations, three premium trackside-facing penthouses and a rooftop dining and alfresco space. A waitlist for early access is open at keyton.com.au.

The full Bernborough Ascot masterplan spans five residential buildings, with the final two to follow Magnolia House in subsequent stages. When complete, the precinct will represent one of the most significant concentrations of purpose-built retirement living in inner Brisbane.

The Care Piece Is Coming Next Door

What makes Bernborough Ascot more than a premium apartment development is its integration with a broader continuum of care. Opal Healthcare is planning a six-storey, 190-bed aged care facility called Ascot Grove Care Community on an adjacent site within the BRC precinct, with construction planned to commence in 2026.

Photo Credit: *BCC / developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au*

When complete, it gives Bernborough Ascot residents the ability to move from independent living into residential aged care without leaving the precinct, the community or the relationships they have built.

Cockerill describes the model as reflecting a fundamental shift in how retirees think about where they choose to live.

“A new generation of retirees no longer view retirement communities as temporary housing, but rather as ‘forever homes’ where both independent living and potential eventual care needs are met within one continuum,” he said.

A Name That Honours a Racing Legend

The Bernborough name is no accident. It honours the legendary Queensland thoroughbred Bernborough. Barred from racing in Brisbane for several years, the “Toowoomba Tornado” went on to win 15 consecutive races after moving south, cementing his place as one of Australia’s greatest turf champions.

Naming the precinct after him ties the retirement village to the rich history of Doomben Racecourse, which it overlooks, and gives the development a strong sense of place that many generic high rise retirement projects lack.

The precinct holds a 6-Star Green Star Communities rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, one of the first retirement communities in the country to achieve that rating, recognising its sustainability credentials and urban regeneration contribution to the Ascot precinct.

For more information about Bernborough Ascot or to join the Magnolia House waitlist, click here.

Published 30-April-2026

Eagle Farm Fuel Site PFAS Contamination Raises Concerns About Brisbane River Pollution

A fuel terminal in Eagle Farm has been placed under an environmental enforcement order after a report found dangerous levels of so-called “forever chemicals” in the soil and groundwater beneath the site, with authorities confirming the chemicals may have been discharged into the surrounding environment, including the Brisbane River.

Read: Diesel Prices Hit $3 in Eagle Farm as Fuel Pressure Grows in QLD

The enforcement order, issued in March 2026, found variants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, in soil, groundwater and “washdown” at the facility. “The department considers that the activities being conducted at the premises have the potential to cause harm,” the report stated.

What was found at Eagle Farm?

The enforcement order confirmed PFOS in the groundwater was regularly measured above the 99th and 95th percentile species protection ecological water quality guidelines. The total PFAS sum in groundwater was recorded as high as 93.9 micrograms per litre.

The exact source of the contamination has not been definitively established. A type of firefighting foam that is no longer in use has been noted as a possible contributing factor. The foam may have been used at the facility for firefighting or training purposes.

PFAS are commonly found in the environment at low levels due to their widespread use in consumer and speciality products over many decades. Dozens of industrial sites along the Brisbane River may have used similar equipment historically.

What are PFAS?

Firefighters using aqueous film forming foam (Photo credit: CC BY-SA 3.0/Fire Brigade Neder-Betuwe/Wikimedia Commons)

PFAS is an umbrella term for a large group of human-made chemicals used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s. According to Queensland’s environmental authority, they are used for their oil and grease repellence and high thermal stability, properties that made them particularly useful in firefighting foams.

PFAS are highly persistent in the environment due to their carbon-fluorine bonds, one of the strongest chemical bonds in organic chemistry. Their persistence, solubility and high mobility mean PFAS can be easily transported great distances beyond the source of their release.

It can take several years for PFAS levels to reduce in the human body, and there is a risk that continued exposure to PFOS and PFOA could result in adverse health effects due to the accumulation of chemicals over time.

The specific variants detected at the Eagle Farm site were PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA, the latter of which is a known carcinogen.

What happens next?

Under the enforcement order, the facility’s operator is required to conduct extensive further sampling and investigate all potential PFAS migration pathways. A final report is due in 2027.

The Eagle Farm findings follow separate reporting in late 2024 that PFOA had been detected in Brisbane’s drinking water at levels among the highest recorded in Australia. Documents obtained under right to information laws indicated efforts had been made to keep that data from public release.

Read: Family-Owned Manufacturer in Eagle Farm Secures Major Export Deal

Queensland authorities advise residents living near contaminated areas to reduce their PFAS exposure where possible. In areas where water contamination has been identified, this includes not drinking the water or using it to prepare food, and avoiding consuming food products grown or produced using contaminated water.

Anyone with concerns about their health or potential PFAS exposure is encouraged to speak with their GP or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

Published 30-April-2026

New School Crossing Opens at Ascot State School to Improve Safety

Google Maps

A new supervised school crossing has opened at Ascot State School, one of two new Queensland school crossings to open in the first week of Term 2 2026, as the statewide School Crossing Supervisor Scheme continues its expansion to more than 700 schools across the state.

The crossing at Ascot is a practical and visible change for the hundreds of families who navigate the streets around the heritage-listed primary school each day at drop-off and pick-up. Nearby Our Lady Help of Christians Parish School is also set to benefit from a crossing supervisor under the same expansion programme, bringing improved pedestrian safety to two of Ascot’s most active school precincts.

The second Term 2 crossing opened at St John’s Catholic Primary School in Walkerston, with three more sites in Darling Heights, Rockhampton and Mudgeeraba set to follow before the end of May.

A Scheme That Covers More Than 700 Schools

The School Crossing Supervisor Scheme is a statewide programme, designed specifically to reduce the risk of death and injury to children on their way to and from school.

School crossing supervisor program — Photo Credit: *Transport and Main Roads Queensland*

Trained supervisors work at designated crossings during school arrival and departure times, directing both pedestrian and vehicle traffic and providing a visible, consistent presence that helps young walkers navigate busy roads safely.

The expansion currently underway will grow the scheme to more than 1,400 crossings at more than 700 Queensland schools, staffed by more than 2,100 supervisors. Since July 2025, two new crossings have opened and 20 existing crossings have been upgraded to dual crossings. A total of 33 schools across the state are set to receive new or upgraded crossings by the end of the current school year.

Applications for school crossing supervisors are assessed against established eligibility criteria and funding availability. Schools, parents and communities with road safety concerns around their school can also apply for support through the School Transport Infrastructure Programme (STIP), which funds safer crossings, stop-drop-and-go zones, and improved walking and cycling paths.

About Ascot State School

Ascot State School has served the Ascot community for more than a century, opening on 24 May 1920 on its current site bounded by Pringle, Anthony and Massey Streets.

Photo credit: Ascot State School/Facebook

It is one of Brisbane’s most significant heritage school campuses, added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2017 for its rare urban brick buildings dating from 1920 to 1939, which incorporate educational murals in Block B that are among the few surviving examples of their kind in Queensland.

The school serves students from Prep to Year 6 and sits within a tightly residential precinct close to Racecourse Road and the Doomben and Eagle Farm racecourse precincts. The combination of school pedestrian traffic and local through-traffic has long made the surrounding streets one of the busier school-zone environments in the area, making the new crossing a meaningful addition to the morning and afternoon routine for families on foot.

Anyone interested in becoming a school crossing supervisor in the Ascot area can contact their local TMR road safety officer through this link.

For school road safety information and to apply for the School Transport Infrastructure Programme, click here.

Published 28-April-2026

The Gateway Bridge Has a Past Worth Remembering on Its 40th Birthday

Did you know that the Gateway Bridge, which connects Eagle Farm on Brisbane’s north side to Murarrie in the south, was once called the world’s deadliest bridge? It is a little-known chapter in the bridge’s history that hundreds of thousands of road users who cross it on any given day would likely find hard to believe, yet the statistics from its early years told a grim story.

Read: Higher Toll Fees for Brisbane’s Gateway Bridges

This year marks 40 years since the structure most locals simply call “the Gateway” opened to the public. What began as a bold engineering solution to the city’s chronic traffic gridlock would eventually become the site of more than 120 deaths, and a cautionary tale about the cost of inadequate safety measures.

A city crying out for a crossing

Gateway Bridge under construction, Brisbane, September 1984 Queensland State Archives, Digital Image ID 3514

Back in the 1970s, Brisbane had a problem. Drivers travelling between the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast had no practical way to bypass the city. They either crawled through inner-city crossings or queued for slow, capacity-limited car ferries. Freight and commuters alike faced regular delays.

Then roads minister Russ Hinze championed an ambitious bypass plan. A tunnel was considered but ruled out on cost grounds, so engineers looked upward instead, designing a structure tall enough for ships to pass beneath its deck, yet low enough to avoid conflicting with flight paths into nearby Brisbane Airport.

What followed was five years of construction that, by today’s standards, would make a workplace health and safety officer wince. Crews worked high above the river often clad in little more than shorts and thongs, with no harnesses and, in many cases, no hard hats. Remarkably, there were no major incidents.

A public spectacle and a royal quip

Opening day of the Gateway Bridge in 1986 (Photo credit: Facebook/Brisbane Libraries)

When the bridge finally opened on 11 January 1986, Brisbane went a little wild. An estimated 200,000 Queenslanders turned up to walk across the 1.6-kilometre span before it opened to traffic, with thousands of blue, yellow and black balloons marking the occasion. News reporters called it “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk the one-and-a-half kilometre world record span.”

Members of the public declared it “the best bridge in the world.” Its 260-metre main span was a world-leading design for concrete bridges at the time, and the deck rises more than 60 metres above the river.

Prince Phillip at the official opening of the bridge (Photo credit: Facebook/Brisbane Libraries)

Prince Philip formally opened the bridge four months later with characteristic dry wit: “I now declare the bridge to be more open than usual.”

Motorists paid $1.50 to cross, while truck drivers were slugged $7. Not everyone was impressed.

A dark chapter

However, the fanfare faded fast. Without adequate safety barriers, just a low wall separating pedestrians from a fatal drop, the bridge became the site of more than 120 deaths from accidents and suicides before 1993.

A television reporter, broadcasting live from the top of the bridge at the time, pointed out to viewers that there were virtually no safety measures in place and that a small wall was the only thing standing between a pedestrian and a fatal plunge below.

In 1993, safety barriers, crisis phones and suicide prevention measures were introduced, fundamentally transforming the bridge’s character. Events like the Bridge to Brisbane fun run later welcomed people back onto the structure in a very different context.

Twin spans and a new name

Gateway Bridge under construction (Photo credit: Public Domain/Paul Guard/Wikimedia Commons)

By the mid-2000s, Brisbane’s booming population had outgrown the original six lanes. A second, near-identical bridge was built just 50 metres away, opening in 2010 at a cost of around $350 million, compared to the original’s $92 million build. It added a dedicated pedestrian and cycling path.

The pair were later renamed the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges, in honour of the German-born Queensland Treasury chief who helped shape the state’s finances for decades. He called the recognition “a great honour,” though most locals still just say “the Gateway.”

The removal of toll booths in 2009 in favour of electronic tolling also led to an immediate reduction in crashes. Today, motorists pay around $5.50 to cross, with trucks charged closer to $18. Together, the twin bridges now carry up to 160,000 vehicles a day, a staggering leap from the roughly 12,000 vehicles that crossed in its early days.

Read: Should Brisbane’s Tunnels and Bridges Be Toll-Free? More Than 1,500 Drivers Think So

Forty years on, the Gateway’s story is one of transformation, from traffic solution to tragedy, and ultimately to redemption. Not bad for a bridge most of us barely notice on the morning commute.

Published 28-April-2026

Brisbane Airport’s Biggest Industrial Build Just Became Australia Post’s Most Powerful Parcel Hub

Chelsea O'Reilly/LinkedIn

Australia Post has opened its largest integrated air and parcel processing facility in the country at Brisbane Airport, a 78,000-square-metre hub capable of handling up to 250,000 parcels per day, as the organisation moves to keep pace with Queensland’s surging online shopping appetite and flags a further investment with a new Hobart facility due in late 2027.

The Mookin-Yaba Brisbane North Parcel Facility opened on 22 April, bringing together Express Post, StarTrack premium and international sea-to-shore freight processing under one roof for the first time in Queensland.

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff described it as the largest industrial project ever delivered at the airport precinct, calling it a purpose-built facility designed to support Queensland’s growth and strengthen the state’s logistics connectivity for decades to come.

For residents across Brisbane’s northside, the implications are practical and immediate. The facility sits inside the airport precinct adjacent to Ascot and serves as the primary air freight gateway for parcels moving in and out of Queensland, handling both inbound international shipments cleared through customs and outbound domestic express deliveries.

$17.8 Billion on the Ground

The $17.8 billion Queenslanders spent online last year has pushed existing infrastructure to capacity. The Mookin-Yaba facility scales operations to meet this demand, transitioning from abstract spending data to physical throughput,

Australia Post has opened its largest integrated air and parcel processing facility in the country at Brisbane Airport — Photo Credit: Chelsea O’Reilly/LinkedIn

Australia Post Group CEO Paul Graham said the new facility delivers both an immediate operational boost and a longer-term blueprint for managing growth.

“This facility provides an immediate boost to our operations, and its automation is the blueprint for speed and simplicity so that we can continue to respond to current and projected e-commerce growth across the state,” Graham said. “Queenslanders spent $17.8 billion online last year so we know they love their online shopping. It’s why we’re committed to investing in the right infrastructure that gives us a competitive edge to keep pace with demand.”

The facility accommodates almost 500 team members and is designed to remain the operational anchor for Queensland parcel movements for the foreseeable future.

Built for People and Dogs Alike

The engineering inside the facility is built around high-speed sortation technology, but the design also accounts for the operational realities of border security. Dedicated examination rooms for Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry are built directly into the facility layout, allowing biosecurity inspections to take place on site rather than at a separate location.

One feature that draws attention is the purpose-built respite rooms for working detector dogs. Climate controlled and designed to provide silence and darkness between duties, the rooms acknowledge that the animals performing biosecurity work at the facility need genuine rest to operate effectively.

On the sustainability side, the facility targets a 5-star Green Star rating and carries a 450 kilowatt solar system. Australia Post will own and maintain a battery to store excess electricity from that system, reducing the facility’s reliance on the grid during peak processing periods.

A Name That Honours the Oldest Communication Network in Australia

Australia Post named the facility in the traditional language of the Yuggera and Quandamooka Nation. Mookin-Yaba translates culturally as “Home of the Message Stick,” drawing a direct line between the ancient system of communication and diplomacy practised by First Nations peoples across this country and the modern function of a facility dedicated to moving messages and goods between communities.

The acknowledgement places the facility in the context of the land it occupies and the people whose Country it stands on.

Hobart Is Next, and Tasmania Is Ready

The Brisbane opening arrived alongside the announcement of Australia Post’s next major infrastructure project: a 12,000-square-metre parcel facility to be built adjacent to Hobart Airport, due for completion in late 2027 and subject to Clarence City authorities approval.

The Hobart facility will be capable of sorting up to 6,000 parcels per hour. Its position next to the airport will give Australia Post direct airside access to its fuel-efficient A321P2F freighter fleet, making it the only express service provider operating out of Hobart Airport and enabling faster delivery across southern Tasmania and into regional and remote areas.

Australia Post general manager network operations south Darren Mackenzie said the investment reflects the strength of Tasmanian online shopping growth.

“Tasmania continues to see strong online shopping growth, with $1.6 billion spent online in the past year, an 11 per cent increase year-on-year,” Mackenzie said. “Suburbs like Howrah are recording some of the highest parcel volumes in the state, and this new facility will help us meet that growing demand while giving local retailers the confidence to grow.”

The Brisbane and Hobart investments form part of a broader national infrastructure programme that also includes recently announced facilities in Adelaide and on the Sunshine Coast, reflecting the scale of the investment Australia Post is committing to its parcel network as online retail continues to reshape how Australians shop.

For tracking, delivery enquiries or business shipping options, visit auspost.com.au.

Published 26-April-2026