Leading Australian youth fashion retailer Universal Store will soon open its corporate headquarters and distribution centreat TradeCoast Central in Eagle Farm.
Universal Store has partnered with supply chain consultants TMX to review their supply chain operation and has secured a 10-year lease of its Eagle Farm site. The fashion retailer is establishing a 5,000-sqm high-bay warehouse and 2,200-sqm headquarters. TMX will also manage the project which is slated to be fully operational by Q3 of 2022.
TradeCoast Central is situated on the former site of Brisbane Airport next to the Gateway Arterial Motorway. The centre houses major brands including Subway, EB Games, Autonexus and Carrier.
Universal Store’s Chief Executive Officer said that the company has experienced impressive growth with both its digital channel and physical stores performing exceptionally well. The new warehouse, she said, will boost their fulfilment capacity and strengthen their supply chain operation.
Apart from the warehouse and new headquarters, up to eight Universal Store shops are also planned for this year, adding to their current 78 outlets across Australia and New Zealand, along with Perfect Stranger stand-alone shops which are also set to roll out in 2022.
Established in 1999, Universal Store has become a leading fashion retailer in Australia, catering to 16 to 35-year-old customers with a range of specially curated selections of trendy youth apparel.
According to Universal Store’s 2021 Annual Report, its sales grew by 36 per cent to $210.8 million as compared to FY2020 despite numerous lockdowns and store closures. Online sales grew to an astounding 90.3 per cent or $25.8 million thanks to their investment in digital marketing and scaled-up digital and eCommerce capability and services.
The long wait is over! Cafe Wisteria Bne is back after a major makeover. Sporting a fresh, new look, the cafe is now ready to serve locals from Ascot and surrounds, with its well-loved dishes and some new items on the menu, all in a bigger, more vibrant space.
The cafe just completed a major renovation that has breathed new life to the nearly two-decade-old space. After closing in early October 2021 to give way to the Ascot Plaza refurbishment. Cafe Wisteria Bne has finally resumed operations just four months after renovation work started, with brand-new equipment and double its former capacity.
Artist impression | Photo Credit: Cafe Wisteria Bne / Facebook
The coffee shop has become a favourite spot among the locals since owner Yong Zhang acquired the site some two years ago. Like many other Brisbane businesses, Cafe Wisteria had to overcome the challenges brought by COVID-induced lockdowns and is now making its way back to the Ascot cafe scene with a promise to serve the community with the “best quality food and service.”
“Really enjoyed the pulled pork burger. Plentiful and delicious. Speedy service, great coffee and orange juice.” – C. O’Sullivan
New High-End Development on Racecourse Road Planned
“INCREDIBLE FOOD! And the people are so lovey. Our drinks were forgotten on an Uber eats order & the staff personally dropped them to our door. Kindness goes along away & we have definitely found our Sunday brunch place.” – M. Laycock
Whilst frequenters and new customers may expect some new additions to the menu, old breakfast favourites will still headline the cafe’s offerings including fresh smashed avocado served with grilled halloumi, tomato and sourdough bread.
Meanwhile, after breakfast offerings include Japanese karaage chicken burger and grass-fed rump steak served with chips and Caesar. A special kids menu is also available.
Cafe Wisteria Bne is located at 111 Racecourse Rd, Ascot. Check out their social media page for updated hours of operation.
Did you know that the first taxi service in Queensland was established on Racecourse Road in Ascot? Once a quiet street with a handful of houses in the 1880s, Racecourse Road became a busy hub when the Ascot Taxi Service opened in 1919.
Two mechanics, Edmund William Henry Beckham and Edward Roland Videan, only had one vehicle and a common dream when they started the Ascot Taxi Service.
Within five years, their fleet had grown to four cars: three Willys Knight tourers and an Overland, the first sedan taxi in Brisbane.
The motorised vehicles completely replaced the hansom cab, the popular form of horse-drawn carriers from the previous century.
Motorised taxi services during this time didn’t have any way of checking the mileage for each trip other than for the driver to calculate the fare manually based on a fare scale. Despite the challenges, the birth of the state’s first motorised taxi service was a welcome and exciting change.
Moving to Fortitude Valley, Thriving Through Changes
As the business progressed, the Ascot Taxi Service moved to a new site in Fortitude Valley in the 1930s, where the company flourished despite the arrival of the Yellow Cab Company from Chicago in the United States.
Ascot Taxi Service and its new owners opened a two-storey, art-deco headquarters on Barry Parade, displaying its fleet of black taxi limousines. Its focus was on “taxi-tourist” trade and they were a popular choice for wedding hiring and similar events.
Drivers were required to wear uniforms, enhancing the prestige of the service. It was also the first company to introduce two-way radio in taxis in Queensland in the 1950s.
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
Barry Parade had other motor businesses, all built prior to World War II, such as the Phillip Frank and Co, New England Motor Company, and the OK Rubber Company.
The businesses became the centre of the motor trade in the city but over the years, as the city developed and infrastructure grew, people’s needs changed.
In the 1990s, Ascot Taxi Service became Q Cabs before merging with and becoming part of Black & White Cabs, which continues to operate from its head office at the Brisbane Airport.
In 2017, the Ascot Taxi Service building was demolished to make way for apartment development. The building’s last known occupant was Valley Radiator Services.
From Ascot Taxi Service to Ascot Motor Garage: The Evolution of Racecourse Road
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
The Ascot Motor Garage was a landmark and such a big part of the evolution of Racecourse Road in the early 20th century. It was set amidst some of the most expensive houses in Brisbane in large blocks of land are found.
By the time the taxi service moved out, however, Racecourse Road’s business landscape had changed, with general stores, fresh food supplies, and establishments for butchers, bakers, confectioners, chemists, and a laundry shop now dotting the neighbourhood.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Eventually, other modern establishments set up shop on the busy boulevard with lovely Poinciana trees that bloom beautiful red flowers at Christmas time. Here, medical and dental clinics, salons, banks, and boutiques, as well as dozens of eateries, have made the area a high-end lifestyle hub.
More than 130 retail shops have graced Racecourse Road. Blocks of land have been redeveloped in the neighbourhood that the Ascot Taxi Service’s vehicles once traversed.
The 3,126-sqm property at 77 Racecourse Road on the corner of Kent Street in Ascot is presently the site of a 1960s building previously occupied by Woolworths before IGA and BWS took over. Silverstone acquired the site through an Expression of Interest in late 2021 for $9.75 million on which a high-end development is now being eyed.
Silverstone‘s $70-million project will contain ground-floor retail, medical and allied health spaces, two-level parking, and three-level office space across the four-storey building.
The Racecourse Road site is in proximity to the master-planned Eagle Farm Racecourse community as well as Hamilton’s Olympic Village. These locations along with other surrounding suburbs provide a ready and growing market for the future tenancies of the project.
PDT Architects has been tapped to breathe life into the envisioned building’s design which will have sustainability at the heart of its overall look incorporating green infrastructure, plenty of greens, low-emitting materials and natural light.
The proposal is set to be lodged this July and commencement of construction is targeted by late 2022.
Silverstone Developments’ ongoing projects include the $90-million Spring Hill Day Hospital which is an 11-level private hospital facility with a rooftop terrace on Boundary Street in Spring Hill and the Herston Commercial Car Park near the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Silverstone also recently completed the $122-million Stratton Commercial Building and the E–Co boutique building in Newstead.
They’ve done it again! Pullman Brisbane Airport has again been recognised as the Best Airport Hotel in Australia/Pacific at the Skytrax World Airport Awards held in Paris, France.
Pullman Brisbane Airport was also able to secure the 6th top spot as one of the World’s Best Airport Hotels for 2022.
Alex Penklis, Chief Operating Officer of Brisbane Airport Hotels Group (BAHG), acknowledged that these honours would not be possible if not for an incredibly talented hospitality team that has thrived under the pandemic.
Photo Credit: SuppliedPhoto Credit: Supplied
“The entire team at Pullman Brisbane Airport is extremely proud of these Skytrax accolades, especially maintaining our position as the number one airport hotel in the Australia/Pacific region for the second time in four years – with two of those awards years impacted by a global pandemic,” Mr Penklis said.
“I am incredibly proud of what our dedicated team has been able to achieve for both our guests and owners given the challenging couple of years we have had, and we’ve never stopped working hard to maintain and deliver our world-class Pullman service.”
Here are the rankings:
Best Airport Hotels in Australia/Pacific 2022
Pullman Brisbane Airport
Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel
Novotel Auckland Airport
Parkroyal Melbourne Airport
Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport
World’s Best Airport Hotels 2022
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport
Pullman Guangzhou Airport
Hilton Munich Airport
Fairmont Vancouver Airport
Pullman Brisbane Airport
Sofitel London Heathrow Airport
Hilton Frankfurt Airport
Cordis Beijing Capital Airport
TWA Hotel New York JFK
Photo Credit: Supplied
Pullman Brisbane Airport was part of the $150-million project to transform 1,800sqm Brisbane Airport Conference Centre with a 243-room airport hotel.
Anthony and Scott Flynn, of Flynn Property Group and Scott Flynn Properties, ushered in the development. The Flynn brothers have also delivered a quality 4.5-star hotel at Brisbane Airport’s Skygate precinct, the Novotel Brisbane Airport. The three hotels with a combined total of 532 guest rooms see Flynn’s as the largest franchisee partner for Accor in the region.
Pullman Brisbane Airport welcomed its first guests in October 2017. Aside from the luxury accommodation, the hotel offers guests a premium transit experience while awaiting their next flight. Guests can enjoy a bite to eat in Apron Restaurant and Bar, relax by the pool or unwind in the Executive Club Lounge.
Meanwhile, Skytrax World Airport Awards is the global benchmark for excellence. The independent survey for the World’s Best Airport Hotels is evaluated on key performance indicators including overall experience at the hotel, access to and from the airport, service at reception, cleanliness, restaurant quality, value for money and quality of customer service. Learn more about it here.
Did you know that Musket Villa, a heritage house in Ascot, was named after a Derby-winning horse?
Musket Villa, along Lancaster Rd in Ascot, was built for horse trainer and rider William “Billy” Booth in 1923. He named his house after Musket, the horse he trained and rode to win the Queensland Turf Club Derby in 1900.
The single-storey, stucco interwar bungalow has been recognised as a heritage house for its architectural significance as it was designed by Brisbane’s prominent architects, Thomas Ramsay Hall, and George Gray Prentice.
Hall & Prentice also designed Brisbane City Hall and the Sandgate Town Hall. Mr Booth knew Mr Hall as both were involved in racing through the Queensland Turf clubs.
The house is also cited for its social significance. Musket Villa had purpose-built stables and training establishment, aside from being Mr Booth’s residence. The property is well known to the Brisbane racing community.
Who was Billy Booth?
Billy Booth began as an apprentice to horse trainer John Stone in 1885 and worked with some prize-winning horses, such as Grey Gown and Dundonald, to take on the Brisbane Cup and the Moreton Handicap.
Photo Credit: National Library of Australia
By 1893, Mr Booth had opened his own training stables and had over 21 horses in his ward. Some of these horses succeeded in the Stradbroke Handicap and won ribbons at the Brisbane Show.
In 1899, Mr Booth, riding Musket, went on to win the Queensland Derby the following year. However, shortly after their success, Mr Booth met Lucy Adelaide and decided to retire from riding. He sold the horse in 1901 but continued to work as a horse trainer.
Photo Credit: National Library of Australia
In 1922, the Booths decided to buy land in Ascot, at the location where their villa remains standing until today. Mr Booth wanted his property to include up-to-date horse stables that will provide comfort for his workers and equine charges. The property was quite well-designed and was featured on the pages of the publication “Harking Back – the Turf, Its Men and Memories” from James L. Collins.
The publication described Musket Villa as a “red-tiled home with its beautiful gardens and lawns [and] every modern appointment and equipment.” Mr Collins also credits Lucy for her taste in furnishing their residence.
Photo Credit: National Library of Australia
Musket Villa to Lancaster Gables
After Mr Booth’s death in 1927, Musket Villa was leased by horse trainer WJ Shean until 1941. Lucy Booth was still a resident of the villa when it was converted into four flats. When she passed away, the property was left to her son, Norman Booth, who lived there until his death in 1955.
Photo Credit: National Library of Australia
With the Booths gone, the house was turned into Lancaster Gables, a lowkey Bed and Breakfast. The garage at the back was demolished to accommodate more dwellings.
Most of the villa’s original features have been retained throughout the residence, including its ebonised timber detailing, timber panelling in the entry, leadlight doors, and built-in leadlight display cabinets in the living and dining rooms. However, new fittings were installed in the bathrooms and kitchens, and many of the rooms have air conditioning.
To many people, Lancaster Gables will always be called Musket Villa, as Billy Booth originally intended, a prized home named after a prized horse by a man who took pride in Ascot’s rich equine historical connection.
After almost half a century of cutting hair, Ascot barber Phil Tharenou is getting ready to hang up the clippers at his eponymously named Phil’s Barber Shop on Kent St, but his reason for contemplating closure has nothing to do with how well his business is doing.
The building where Mr Tharenou’s barber shop is located was sold in 2021. Sadly, this means his beloved barber shop will eventually be demolished to make way for new development. However, Mr Tharenou plans to operate Phil’s Barber Shop in the same space while he still can, even as he is preparing for its inevitable closure.
Simple Beginnings
Mr Tharenou, an Australian-born Greek, had an early start in his line of business, when he got an apprenticeship when he was 15.
He did not have money to set up his own business after he learned the ropes, so a mate helped him financially. He was married 10 days before opening his own shop in 1975.
His business became a success and he was able to pay back his friend in full in just a year.
Photo by RODNAE Productions/Pexels
The Ascot barber shop thrived through good ol’ fashioned word of mouth, referrals, and repeat business. People just kept coming back. Despite having no internet bookings and even though Mr Tharenou remodelled the place only twice, people still sought his shop out. Customers would only walk-in to get their barbering needs or call the shop’s landline.
Phil’s Barber Shop has cut the hair of some notable personalities. Some of his former clients included award-winning ad guru John Singleton and late politician Don Lane.
Photo credit: Matheus Wladeka/Pexels
“Been a customer for more than 20yrs. Phil a great advertisement for his own business. Always remembers his customers and a wide range of conversation topics. Very competitive price and quick service,” shared local Jeffrey in a review for the barber shop.
“Now everyone has a problem as Phil is going to retire soon,” Rod, one of the shop’s patrons quipped.
Although Phil’s Barber Shop is closing its doors in late June 2022, Mr Tharenou’s patrons can still find him at West End, where he will continue to trim for a few regulars at a friend’s barber shop.
Did you know that World Gin Day is coming up soon? June has been a special month for the juniper spirit since 2009. In Albion, gin lovers can toast to a special deal from Granddad Jack’s Craft Distillery to celebrate gin, the world’s most popular spirit.
From Saturday 11 June 2022 to Wednesday 15 June 2022, or until stocks last, guests at Granddad Jack’s tasting room may enjoy a complimentary 10 packs of 180-ml East Imperial grapefruit tonic with any 500-ml Greenhouse or 65 Miles Gin purchase.
The complimentary grapefruit tonic is a popular choice for G&T lovers, with its a round and lavish initial palate, packed with pomelo and citrus oil and finished with a generous hint of ruby red grapefruit zest.
This perfect pairing is also on offer at their online store. Online orders placed before the 3:00 p.m. cut-off are dispatched on the next business day whilst pick-up options are welcome as well.
World Gin Day is doubly special for the popular hang-out. The distillery is also commemorating Granddad Jack’s 103rd birthday on World Gin Day. That’s one more reason to celebrate!
Named after the family’s late grandfather, David “Granddad Jack” Goulding, Granddad Jack’s Craft Distillery opened at Collingwood St and on the Gold Coast in mid-2021. The business is from the Ridden family in Miami.
In 2009, Neil Houston from Birmingham, United Kingdom started World Gin Day with his buddy Emma Stokes. Ms Stokes (also known as ‘Gin Monkey’) introduced the idea to London in 2010. The annual event has since gone global and Ms Stokes has been running it each year since 2013.
More than 30 countries join in this annual celebration, including Australia. That’s over 200 million gin lovers raising a glass to all things gin.
Did you know that the Ponytail Project, an annual fundraising initiative from Cancer Council Queensland, started at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot? This year’s campaign has students rocking the chop yet again, aiming to attract over 30,000 ponytails and $850,000 in donations.
The movement was inspired by a parent from the St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School community who was battling breast cancer. Four students, Beth Flint, Meg Fraser, Maria Cobain, and Annabelle Crossley, first stepped up and the Ponytail Project was born.
Every year since then, the girls at St Margaret’s would mount the campaign. In 2018, Cancer Council Queensland helped in launching the initiative throughout the region. The following year, the movement spread to South Australia and Western Australia.
Since the campaign started in 2015, the Ponytail Project has raised more than $1.655 million.
Photo Credit: StMargaretsAGS/Facebook
What Happens to the Ponytails?
Donated ponytails are turned into wigs that will go to people suffering from hair loss as a result of their cancer treatments or medical condition. The hair donations are sorted and graded by hair type, length and colour at participating Sustainable Salons depots. It takes about 20 to 25 ponytails of the same type and quality to create one wig.
After sorting, the ponytails are then sent to charitable organisations and wigmakers who directly work with groups, hospitals, and local institutions. Other ponytail donations may go into research projects to create sustainable wigs.
The event also matches monetary donations to fund the projects of Cancer Council Queensland. The council cites October as the official month for the campaign but it can be done at whatever time is convenient for the students.
Students may assemble in groups or as an individual and then create their own campaign via the council’s online facilities for sharing on social media or tracking the progress of the fundraiser.
Cancer Council Queensland CEO Chris McMillan said that they witnessed more students participating in the Ponytail Project year after year. He encourages more kids to make a difference in other people’s lives by joining the cause and spreading the word.
Ascot has long been regarded as one of the best places to live in Brisbane, with its affluent neighbourhood and property values maintaining their strong growth. Take a look at its evolution into the blue-chip suburb that it is today.
With a tightly held collection of desirable and beautiful houses, Ascot is known for its picturesque tree-lined streets, hilly residential areas with lovely views of Brisbane, racecourses, and upmarket lifestyle precinct.
Early Ascot
Historically, Ascot was occupied by the Aboriginal Turrbal group, described by explorer John Oxley as “the strongest and best-made muscular men I have seen in any country.”
The Turrbals built hunting grounds near the Brisbane River and established private ownership of specific sections of the area.
Wealthy settlers started moving into Ascot in the mid-1800s, following the clearing of lands and building of basic roads. Pastoralist James Sutherland bought a large portion of land in the area, which was later established as Sutherland Avenue, one of the highly sought-after locations in the suburb.
This section consists of 15 magnificent houses, including the heritage-listed house, Windmere. The Victorian-style house with its iron-lace verandahs is one of the finest examples of Queensland’s colonial architecture.
In the 1860s, the Eagle Farm Racecourse was established in Ascot in support of horse racing, one of the earliest sports in Brisbane. Up until the 1920s, racing stables were a frequent sight around the suburb.
Photo Credit: State Library of QueenslandPhoto Credit: State Library of Queensland
The Doomben Racecourse opened several years later in the 1930s and, like the Eagle Farm Racecourse, became a prominent racecourse in South East Queensland and was well-attended by the region’s most affluent families.
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
Doomben was originally a property of The Crown until 1915, when it was bought and turned into a sustainable racing track.
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
During World War II, the racecourses were primarily converted into Camp Ascot for the Allied troops. Several buildings and homes in the suburbs were also occupied by the U.S. forces, including the Ascot spy house, Nyrambla, where the Central Bureau intercepted and decoded Japanese transmissions.
Today, the Brisbane Racing Club, formed in 2009, manages the racecourses and preserves the history of thoroughbred horse racing in Queensland.
Urban Growth in Ascot
The establishment of both racecourses spurred the growth of Ascot with the opening of railways and tram services that fostered the development of the residential areas, schools, and shopping strips.
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
The Ascot Railway, built in the late 1880s, provided convenience for punters and racing aficionados who used to arrive via horse and buggy, shuttlecock boat, or cross river.
After World War I, the Ascot Railway Station was expanded with a second larger building and a pedestrian subway. It was electrified in the 1980s. Today, most of its antiquated features remain but it has been unstaffed and suspended since 1993.
Photo Credit: State Library of Queensland
The Ascot State School opened in the 1920s on Pringle Street, following the dramatic reforms made in the Queensland Education system. Six years prior, Ascot locals determined a need to establish a state school but World War I disrupted its construction until 1919.
When it finally opened, Ascot State School had an initial batch of 124 students, who were not just taught academics but also developed their aesthetic tastes, gardening skills, and sports abilities.
One of the significant homes to be built during Ascot’s astounding urban growth was Chateau Nous along Rupert Trc, which served as an early example of Functionalist domestic architecture in Brisbane.
Photo Credit: Queensland Heritage Listing
The house was built for Brisbane dentist George Stewart and his wife Eileen and was considered as ultra-modern during its time as it featured an electric dumb waiter and a line of electric kitchen appliances.
Photo Credit: Brisbane City Library
Today, Racecourse Road has become the prime location for the village shops and restaurants that also serve Hamilton locals. It boasts of over 130 businesses.
The tram that once ran down the centre of the street stopped service in the 1960s. Today, Ascot is serviced by four transport stops and TransLink’s CityCat terminal in Bretts Wharf.
