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New Two-Storey Childcare Centre Proposed for Waterworks Road to Meet Growing Demand in The Gap

A development application lodged in February 2026 proposes a new two-storey childcare centre on Waterworks Road in The Gap, designed by Raunik Design Group to accommodate up to 100 children across six activity rooms on a 2,551-square-metre site adjacent to The Gap State School.

The application, reference A006964015, involves the demolition of two existing dwelling houses to make way for the purpose-built early learning facility. It arrives as The Gap continues to face one of the tightest childcare supply situations of any suburb in Brisbane, with independently verified data showing the suburb’s demand for long day care places running significantly above the metropolitan average.

A Suburb with a Real Childcare Shortage

The case for additional childcare capacity in The Gap is well supported by supply and demand data. The Gap currently has 2.4 resident children under five years of age per long day care place, a figure significantly higher than the 1.7 children per place recorded across Greater Brisbane as a whole. Put plainly, The Gap has considerably fewer childcare places per child than the Brisbane average, and that gap directly affects families trying to access care, particularly for children under two where demand is most acute.

Site of the proposed childcare centre — Photo Credit: DA A006964015

As of early 2025, The Gap had five long day care centres providing 350 places across the suburb, serving a population estimated at 18,071 residents, of whom approximately 854 are children under five years of age. The Waterworks Road proposal, if approved, would add 100 licensed places to that supply, representing a meaningful increase of roughly 28 per cent in the suburb’s long day care capacity.

The timing is also relevant. From January 2026, changes to the national Child Care Subsidy introduced the Three Day Guarantee, which provides all eligible families with a minimum of 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight regardless of their work or activity status. That change increases demand further without adding supply, making new facilities like the Waterworks Road proposal more important to The Gap’s community infrastructure than ever.

What the Development Proposes

The proposed childcare centre sits on a combined site currently comprising two residential lots on Waterworks Road, directly adjacent to The Gap State School. The development covers a gross floor area of 918.4 square metres across two storeys, with a maximum building height of approximately 9.5 metres and a site cover of 35.3 per cent of the 2,551-square-metre block.

The building delivers six internal activity rooms, each with direct access to outdoor play areas, creating the indoor-outdoor learning environment that contemporary early childhood education frameworks emphasise. Three outdoor play areas totalling 737.8 square metres are distributed across both ground and first floor levels, giving different age groups independent access to outdoor space throughout the day. Acoustic treatments are incorporated into the design to minimise noise impacts on neighbouring properties, reflecting the site’s position within a Low Density Residential zone.

Car parking provides 21 spaces including a PWD space and a van space, all contained onsite and accessed via a single crossover from Waterworks Road. Operating hours are proposed as 6:30am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday.

Application planners Place Creation describe the building’s design intent as delivering a high degree of architectural merit, with articulation in built form addressing both the Waterworks Road frontage and the adjacent school. The design uses a range of materials alongside varied setbacks, overhangs and a varied roof form to minimise the apparent bulk and scale of the building when viewed from neighbouring properties.

Addressing Local Childcare Demand

For families across The Gap, Keperra, Walkervale and the surrounding northwest Brisbane corridor, the addition of 100 new childcare places on Waterworks Road addresses a real and persistent pressure. The suburb’s family demographic, its distance from the CBD and its limited public transport connections make local childcare access particularly important. Parents who cannot secure a place near home face significant logistical challenges, and the suburb’s above-average childcare demand ratio means waitlists at existing centres in The Gap regularly extend well beyond what most families can plan around.

The Waterworks Road site’s adjacency to The Gap State School also creates a practical convenience for families managing both childcare and school-aged children at the same address, a combination that reduces the complexity of the morning and afternoon care and school run for working parents.

How to Make a Submission

The development application for the Waterworks Road childcare centre is available for public review on the Development.i portal at developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au using reference A006964015. Community members, neighbours and interested residents can view the full application documents and lodge a properly made submission during the public notification period.

A properly made submission must be in writing, include the submitter’s name and contact address, clearly identify the application it relates to, and set out the grounds for the submission with supporting facts and circumstances. Submissions can be lodged through the Development.i portal or in writing to BCC.

Published 28-March-2026.

Enoggera’s Gallipoli Barracks and the 9th Battalion’s Road to Anzac Cove

Australian War Memorial

More than a century after the 9th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, assembled at Bell’s Paddock in Enoggera and marched into history at Gallipoli, the ground beneath Gallipoli Barracks remains one of Queensland’s most significant military sites, carrying a story that reaches directly into the lives of The Gap and Enoggera residents each Anzac Day.

The connection between this stretch of northwest Brisbane and Australia’s defining military moment is not incidental. The 9th Battalion formed at Enoggera near Brisbane and was the first battalion raised in the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division. When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, Queensland answered quickly, and Enoggera became the place where that answer took shape.

From Bell’s Paddock to the Front

The ground now occupied by Gallipoli Barracks has served military purposes since the mid-nineteenth century, but August 1914 marked its most consequential moment. According to a University of Queensland master’s thesis examining the 9th Battalion’s formation, men began arriving at Bell’s Paddock, Enoggera, on 17 and 18 August 1914, pitching tents and beginning to organise. On 21 August, Lieutenant-Colonel H.W. Lee and his fellow officers arrived, and the formal formation of the 9th Battalion AIF began. By early September, the Enoggera camp held the pool from which the battalion’s first contingent was selected.

The 9th Battalion — Photo Credit: Australian War Memorial

The thesis challenges the common assumption that the men who landed at Gallipoli were enthusiastic amateurs with little preparation. Instead, it argues that the 9th Battalion drew on decades of prior military development, training, and inherited tradition that began with Queensland colonial volunteer units in 1867, continued through Federation and compulsory training schemes, and culminated in the battalion’s formal raising in 1914. Enoggera was not simply a mustering point but the culmination of this long military lineage. Locals then and now recognise this connection through the 9th’s identity as the “Moreton Regiment,” a title associated with the pre-war militia that formed the backbone of the new battalion.

The 9th served as the first battalion recruited in Queensland and formed part of the 3rd Brigade alongside the 10th, 11th, and 12th Battalions. Authorities raised the battalion within weeks of the declaration of war in August 1914, and it embarked just two months later. Enoggera played a key role in enabling this rapid mobilisation.

First Ashore at Anzac Cove

What followed made the 9th Battalion’s name permanent in Australian military history. The battalion embarked for Gallipoli on the destroyers HMS Queen, Beagle and Colne and was the first ashore at Gallipoli at 4:28am on 25 April 1915. The battalion formed the vanguard of the 3rd Brigade’s covering force and went on to be involved in all major campaigns on the Gallipoli peninsula until the evacuation in December 1915.

Coming ashore early on 25 April 1915 at Anzac Cove, the battalion joined the rest of 3rd Brigade. Lieutenant Duncan Chapman was identified by historian C.E.W. Bean as the first soldier ashore at Gallipoli. The battalion served at Gallipoli until November 1915, then returned to Egypt before sailing to France in March 1916, where it fought through some of the Western Front’s hardest campaigns, including Pozières, Messines, Ypres and the Hindenburg Line, through to the armistice on 11 November 1918.

A Living Legacy in The Gap and Enoggera

The barracks that witnessed those August 1914 formations carries its history in its very name. On Anzac Day, 25 April 1990, the base was renamed Gallipoli Barracks, a direct tribute to the men who assembled there and made that landing. The Gallipoli Barracks are significant as the training ground for thousands of Queenslanders who served in wars throughout the twentieth century, and the site holds local heritage significance under the Brisbane City Plan 2014.

Today the base remains one of Australia’s largest Army installations, home to armoured, artillery, engineer, signals, infantry, medical and other combat service support units. While the 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (8/9 RAR) carries the tradition within the regular army, the 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment (9 RQR) also maintains the historic link. As the current reserve unit based at the barracks, 9 RQR keeps the numerical connection to those men who first assembled at Bell’s Paddock alive for a new generation of Queenslanders.

More Than History, It Happened Here

For residents of The Gap and Enoggera, the Anzac story is not something that happened somewhere else. It began here, on the paddocks and training grounds that now sit behind the Gallipoli Barracks gates on their doorstep. The 9th Battalion’s formation in August 1914 drew on men from across Queensland, but it was this specific patch of northwest Brisbane where they came together, trained and prepared for what lay ahead.

Each Anzac Day, that history reasserts itself. The Dawn Service, the Last Post and the roll of honour connect directly to the ground residents walk past every day. For families in The Gap and Enoggera, understanding that the men who were first ashore at Anzac Cove assembled just streets away adds a particular weight to the words “Lest We Forget.”

Anzac Day services in the local area take place on 25 April each year. The Australian War Memorial’s unit record for the 9th Battalion AIF, along with individual service records, are searchable through the National Archives of Australia at naa.gov.au. Further history of the 9th Battalion is held by the 9th Battalions Association at 9bnassoc.org.

Published 27-March-2026.

Helping Hands: WWI Army Masseuse from The Gap

A masseuse is not the first image that comes to mind when Australians remember the First World War. Yet one of the war effort’s most unusual roles was filled by a woman from The Gap. Pearl Constance Paten was one of only 29 women deployed overseas with the Australian Army Massage Service, using skilled hands to help injured Anzac soldiers begin the long road to recovery.

Who was Pearl?

Born on 3 November 1884 at “Walton” House at The Gap, Pearl was one of only 29 women deployed overseas as part of the Australian Army Massage Service during WWI. It is a distinction that has gone largely unrecognised for more than a century, yet her contribution, and that of the small, determined band of women who served alongside her, helped lay the foundations for what we now know as physiotherapy.

Read: Stan the Ram’s Legacy Lives On at Enoggera This ANZAC Day

Pearl Constance Paten — Walton (Photo credit: The Gap Historical Society)

Pearl’s father Jesse Paten was a self-made immigrant who built a farming and business empire spanning more than 500 acres at The Gap. The family of ten children punched well above its weight.

Pearl’s youngest sister Winifred became Queensland’s first female graduate barrister. Her sister Eunice was among the first four Queensland nurses sent overseas, eventually being awarded the Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) for her service at Alexandria and on the Western Front.

Her brother Edward, the youngest of the Paten children, enlisted in December 1915 with the 49th Battalion and was killed by shellfire near Warneton, Belgium, in July 1917. He was 21 years old.

Even eldest sister May served on the home front, driving injured soldiers from railway stations and ports to hospitals as part of the Royal Australian Automobile Club of Queensland Transport Corps.

Massage: Her War Calling

Pearl’s own path into the war effort began long before the guns started firing. In 1902, she sat the entrance exams for the University of Sydney, at the time one of the only institutions in Australia offering formal training in massage. She returned to Brisbane, established herself in practice, including at a clinic on George Street in the city, and became an active member of the Australian Massage Association (AMA).

When war broke out, the AMA wasted no time lobbying for massage therapy to be formally incorporated into military medicine, including as a treatment for shell shock. That campaign paid off. In November 1915, the Australian Army Massage Reserve (AAMR) was established, and Pearl was among its founding members. The work was far from easy. Masseuses routinely saw between 30 and 40 patients a day. Treatments were physically demanding, involving muscle manipulation, hot baths and electrotherapy.

First four Queensland nurses selected for the Australian Army Nursing Service, 1914. (Photo credit: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Negative number: 189830)

There was a social battle to fight too. At the outset, many military hospitals were reluctant to employ female masseuses, considering it improper for women to place their hands on male patients. Pearl and her colleagues proved those objections wrong, day after day, through sheer competence and professionalism.

In late 1918, after the Armistice, Pearl was posted to the 14th Australian General Hospital in Egypt, where she served from 28 November until Christmas Day. Her primary purpose appears to have been accompanying the hospital ship HMAT Nestor back to Australia, providing rehabilitation treatment to wounded soldiers during the long voyage home. On board, she was reunited with her sister Eunice, who served as sister-in-charge. When the ship arrived in Brisbane, both women were placed in quarantine at Lytton due to the Spanish Flu outbreak.

Service Records Pearl Constance Paten (Photo credit: National Archives of Australia, Item ID 8010122)

The war may have ended, but Pearl’s work was far from over. Appointed head masseuse at Rosemount Military Hospital in Windsor, she arrived to find conditions that were, frankly, a scandal. The massage ward was not yet finished when patients began arriving. With upwards of 250 patients and just ten masseuses on staff, the department was overwhelmed.

One patient was so incensed he wrote to a local newspaper in June 1919, saying it was only because of Pearl’s “devotion to duty” and her love for her wounded men that the department was functioning at all. The situation drew sustained media coverage and was publicly described as a “disgrace to State.” A new orthopaedic wing with a dedicated massage ward eventually opened by the end of 1919.

Read: Anzac Day: Big crowds expected as Queenslanders turn out to remember fallen

Photo credit: The Gap Historical Society

Pearl married Captain Charles William Scott French in 1923, and the couple built their home “Tula” on the same land as her childhood home at The Gap, a fitting full circle for a woman whose story is so deeply rooted in this community. She remained active in the Australian Masseuses Association and in organisations supporting Queensland war nurses for years afterwards.

This Anzac Day, as wreaths are laid and bugles sound across the country, spare a thought for Pearl Paten, a daughter of The Gap who served her country not with a rifle, but with trained hands and an unshakeable sense of duty.

Published 17-March-2026

Keppera Swimmer Jade Gregory Takes on 60km Swim for Laps for Life

Laps for Life

Jade Gregory, a 12-year-old competitive swimmer who grew up in Keperra and now attends Ferny Grove State High School, is spending every day this March in the pool, aiming to complete 60 kilometres of laps to raise $4,000 for youth mental health through the Laps for Life fundraiser, picking up where she left off two years ago as one of the campaign’s standout young achievers.

For Jade, this is not a new commitment. At ten years old, while still a student at Ferny Hills State School, she completed 35 kilometres across March 2024 and raised more than $3,600 for ReachOut Australia, finishing 48th among more than 10,000 swimmers nationally. That result placed her among the top 50 fundraisers in the entire country, at an age when most kids are still deciding what sport to take seriously.

Jade graduated Year 6 from Ferny Hills State School in December 2025 and now attends Ferny Grove State High School. She returns to Laps for Life in 2026 with a bigger goal, a longer distance, and the same conviction that drove her into the pool in the first place.

A Swimmer Who Has Always Known Why She’s in the Water

Jade has been swimming at Ferny Hills Pool since she was two years old, and now trains with a squad. That background of more than a decade in the water gives her 60-kilometre March target genuine credibility. In her first Laps for Life campaign, she pushed well beyond her original distance goal, at one point completing 50 laps of the 50-metre pool in a single session on her second-last day.

That 2024 campaign came with a test of motivation that many adults would have struggled to match. Jade acknowledged that fundraising felt difficult at the start but that knowing she was helping people and building awareness kept her going throughout. Her dad, she said, was her biggest cheerleader. Her final tally reached 700 laps, a figure remarkable at any age.

That combination of endurance, purpose and resolve carries directly into 2026. Her goal this March is straightforward: she is swimming because too many young lives are lost to suicide, and every lap she completes is one more contribution toward making sure there is always a safe place for young people to turn when life feels overwhelming.

Jade Gregory — *Photo Credit: Laps for Life*

Why the Cause Keeps Calling Her Back

The issue Jade swims for does not get smaller between campaigns. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for young people in Australia, and approximately 75 per cent of mental health problems occur before the age of 25. For a 12-year-old starting high school, that statistic is not abstract. It describes her own cohort, her own classmates, and the years ahead.

More than one in three young Australians are experiencing mental health difficulties, yet over a million are not getting the support they need. That gap between need and access is what ReachOut Australia exists to close. ReachOut operates entirely online, anonymously and without cost, providing young people with peer support, resources, tools and pathways to professional help that they can access on their own terms, at any time.

That model matters most for young people not yet ready to walk into a clinic or pick up a phone, and it is precisely what Jade’s fundraising directly supports.

A Growing Challenge With Growing Support

Jade set a personal fundraising target of $4,000 for 2026, with donations already flowing in from family, classmates and community supporters, including a matched giving programme through the PNI Foundation and Antipodes Partners that doubles every dollar raised. Her swim distance target of 60 kilometres is nearly double her 2024 effort, reflecting both her physical development and her deepening commitment to the campaign.

Laps for Life runs across the entire month of March, welcoming participants of any age and swimming ability. In 2024, more than 10,500 Australians took part, collectively swimming 98,828 kilometres and raising $3.4 million for ReachOut’s programmes. For Jade, the number that matters most is not her rank on the leaderboard but the number of young people her total helps reach.

She has also spoken openly about bigger swimming dreams, including the Olympics. The discipline she builds through campaigns like this one runs alongside those ambitions rather than against them.

How to Support Jade and the Broader Campaign

Donations to Jade Gregory’s 2026 Laps for Life page go directly to ReachOut Australia and can be made here. Every donation is matched through the PNI Foundation and Antipodes Partners programme. Community members and local schools wanting to run their own swim challenge in March can register at lapsforlife.com.au.

For young people seeking support, ReachOut provides free, anonymous and 100 per cent online services at au.reachout.com. Beyond Blue is available 24 hours a day on 1300 22 4636. Anyone in crisis can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Published 2-March-2026.

Upper Kedron’s Eva Ilov Impresses Judges to Earn Australian Idol Golden Ticket

Eva Ilov/Instagram

Eva Ilov, a 20-year-old singer-songwriter who grew up in Upper Kedron and trained at Performance Studios in Loganholme, has secured a Golden Ticket into the Top 30 of Australian Idol 2026 after one of the season’s most talked-about auditions.

Ilov walked into her audition in front of judges Amy Shark, Kyle Sandilands and Marcia Hines without a prepared song, deliberately leaving the choice in their hands. The calculated risk paid off. The judges selected three contrasting songs: a Whitney Houston ballad, a Chris Stapleton country-soul track that showcased her gritty range, and a Men at Work classic that put a smile on everyone’s face. Her ability to switch genres without missing a step earned immediate praise, with the judges awarding her a Golden Ticket to the Top 30 on the spot.

For a performer who describes herself as a “musical chameleon,” it was an entrance that made the label stick.

A Musical Life That Began in Upper Kedron

Eva Ilov’s connection to music stretches back to childhood in Brisbane’s north-west. Her granddad bought her her first guitar when she was around seven or eight, and her mother, determined not to let the gift go to waste, enrolled her in lessons. Vocals followed naturally not long after.

She appeared in the junior competition Take the Mic in 2012 and later performed in community music series Homegrown Superstars between 2020 and 2022, building stage experience well before any national platform came calling. Her early formal training included the Young Conservatorium Program at Griffith University, where she studied contemporary voice.

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By 2025 Ilov had completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music at QUT, while also building a portfolio of live performances, studio sessions and international recognition. Her recent achievements also include finishing runner-up in the 2025 Your Shot DJ competition and releasing her debut US single in collaboration with Roy Hamilton III and The Singers Company. She also performed as a featured artist at QPAC in 2019.

The Role Performance Studios Played

Before stepping onto the national stage, Eva Ilov was making the regular drive from Upper Kedron down to Performance Studios, to train with vocal coach Lisa Lockland-Bell. Ilov said Lockland-Bell had changed her perspective on singing entirely, helping her build confidence, discipline and control so she could approach music with greater intention and artistry.

Lockland-Bell brings more than 35 years of experience as a vocal coach, performance mentor and voice transformation specialist to her work at Performance Studios, coaching singers, performers and professional speakers from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Ipswich and Redlands, as well as online worldwide. Her students have appeared on The Voice, Australian Idol, Eurovision and other high-profile platforms.

Lockland-Bell also founded Performance Studios’ Rise Up Competition, a singing contest for young artists from South East Queensland that offers a cash prize and industry training to help emerging performers build a career path. Ilov was a finalist in that competition across 2023 and 2025, making her path from local student to national Idol contestant a direct product of the studio’s ecosystem.

What Comes Next for Australian Idol’s 2026 Season

As of mid-February 2026, Eva Ilov had advanced to the Top 30 and was progressing through the early competition stages, with the show heading toward its live rounds. She joined the first group of Golden Ticket winners announced on the season’s opening night on 2 February, earning her place among 30 contestants selected from across the country.

Season 11 of Australian Idol features hosts Ricki-Lee and Scott Tweedie, with judges Kyle Sandilands, Marcia Hines and Amy Shark returning to the panel. The competition airs Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 7.30pm on Channel Seven, with all episodes available to stream on 7plus at 7plus.com.au. Viewers can watch Ilov’s audition and subsequent performances online now. Follow her progress on Instagram at @evailovofficial or through her official website at evailov.com.

Published 2-March-2026.

Queensland Police Service Honours 35 Years of Dedication

QPS

More than 25 Queensland Police Service officers and staff members have been recognised for remarkable courage, service and professionalism at the QPS Award Ceremony, including Ferny Grove officer Sergeant Darren Thomson who received a 35 Year Clasp.

The ceremony, held in Brisbane, honoured recipients with Queensland Police Service Medals, Clasps and Commissioner’s Certificates for exceptional contributions beyond their normal course of duties. Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski says the recipients embody the Queensland Police Service values of integrity, respect and courage, setting a standard of excellence for the organisation.

The awards recognised diverse achievements including displays of intelligence, resourcefulness and dedication while on duty, assistance during critical incidents, and contributions to Queensland Police Service initiatives. Civilians and external groups who assisted police operations also received recognition at the ceremony.

The 35 Year Clasp honours officers who have maintained continuous service to the Queensland Police Service since the late 1980s, spanning significant changes in policing methods, technology and community expectations over more than three decades.

Ferny Grove’s Darren Thomson Honoured

Among the recipients, Sergeant Darren Thomson was recognised for 35 years of service across multiple Brisbane and regional Queensland stations. Thomson currently works at the Weapons Licensing Group but has served as a general duties officer at Ferny Grove, Fortitude Valley, Kingaroy, Brisbane City and Petrie throughout his career.

While stationed at Ferny Grove, Sergeant Thomson performed higher duties as an Acting Senior Sergeant, managing local operations across the Brisbane West district including The Gap, Indooroopilly, Arana Hills and surrounding suburbs. He led various crime prevention initiatives, neighbourhood watch programs, and community engagement activities.

The Ferny Grove station area covers diverse communities ranging from established residential suburbs to semi-rural areas in the western ranges, requiring officers to manage everything from suburban property crime to rural road safety issues. Thomson’s regional posting to Kingaroy provided experience in rural policing, while his city assignments at Fortitude Valley and Brisbane City exposed him to urban policing challenges.

Thomson’s current role at Weapons Licensing Group involves administration and regulation of firearms and weapons permits across Queensland, including processing licence applications, conducting background checks, and managing compliance activities. The transition from station-based general duties to specialist licensing demonstrates the diverse career pathways available within the Queensland Police Service.

Officers reaching 35 years of service have typically experienced multiple organisational changes, technological advancements and shifts in community expectations of policing. Long-serving officers like Thomson contribute institutional knowledge and experience that benefits younger officers joining the service.

Ferny Grove and The Gap Community Context

Ferny Grove and The Gap form part of Brisbane’s north-western suburbs, characterised by established residential areas, bushland reserves, and proximity to the D’Aguilar Range. Local policing priorities typically include property crime prevention, traffic safety on winding range roads, bushfire preparedness, and maintaining community connections through neighbourhood watch programs.

Officers who have served at Ferny Grove develop familiarity with local geography and community networks that proves valuable in responding effectively to incidents and building trust with residents. The recognition of Thomson’s long service provides an opportunity for Ferny Grove and The Gap residents to acknowledge the contribution of officers who have worked in their community throughout their policing careers.

Published 07-February-2026.

PCYC Queensland Takes Over Learn-to-Swim School at The Gap

PCYC Queensland

PCYC Queensland has taken over management of The Gap’s learn-to-swim school from January 27, bringing its sport and recreation expertise to the local aquatics scene.

The takeover marks PCYC‘s second aquatics facility in Queensland, following the opening of its Allora pool last year. For families in The Gap who have relied on the local swim school for years, the transition is designed to ensure continuity of service, now backed by the resources of one of the state’s largest sport and recreation organisations.

What This Means for Local Families

Parents looking to enrol their children in swimming lessons will find PCYC offering a range of aquatic programs, including learn-to-swim classes for various age groups and abilities. The organisation brings decades of experience in youth development and community programs to the pool.

Sport and Recreation Manager for Aquatics Ilka Lebbink noted the enthusiastic response from The Gap community, with strong interest in the programs already. PCYC aims to make the facility a hub for health and connection in the suburb.

Jobs for Local Residents

The facility is expected to create employment opportunities for locals interested in aquatics instruction and youth development roles. PCYC’s expansion into aquatics means potential positions for swim instructors, pool managers, and support staff in The Gap.

With Queensland requiring all state schools to provide water safety and swimming education from Prep to Year Six, PCYC’s programs are specifically aligned to support these state requirements, helping families bridge the gap between school-based lessons and year-round skill development. Many parents supplement school swimming programs with private lessons to ensure their children develop strong water safety skills.

PCYC’s Growing Aquatics Presence

PCYC Queensland sees aquatics as a natural extension of its long history providing sport and recreation activities. The organisation already runs successful clubs throughout Queensland, and adding swim schools allows it to address a critical life skill for children.

All Queensland children need access to quality swimming instruction, particularly given the state’s beach culture and backyard pool prevalence. Learn-to-swim programs teach essential water safety alongside swimming technique, giving children confidence and competence in aquatic environments.

For The Gap families, the transition to PCYC management maintains local access to swimming lessons while potentially opening doors to other PCYC programs and activities in the future.

Parents are encouraged to contact PCYC directly to secure remaining spots and establish their children’s 2026 swimming routine.

Make sure to visit PCYC Queensland for more information about the program.

Published 29-January-2026.

Man Critically Injured in Suspected Road Rage Stabbing at The Gap Intersection

A man remains in hospital in a critical condition after being stabbed during what police suspect may have been a road rage incident at a busy intersection in The Gap on Tuesday evening.

Emergency services rushed to the corner of Chaprowe Road and Settlement Road around 7:30pm on December 9 following reports that a motorist had been attacked.

The victim, a man aged in his 40s, sustained serious stab wounds to his arm and leg during the confrontation. Paramedics treated him at the scene before transporting him to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where he remains in a life-threatening condition.

The alleged attacker fled the scene in a black Nissan X-Trail immediately following the incident, according to Queensland Police.

Investigators are currently exploring multiple possibilities as they work to piece together what led to the violent altercation. Road rage is among the potential motives being examined as detectives continue their enquiries.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information about the driver of the black Nissan X-Trail to come forward. Dashcam footage from motorists travelling through the intersection around the time of the attack could prove crucial to the investigation.

The incident has shocked the local community in The Gap, a western suburb known for its family-friendly atmosphere and quiet streets.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Queensland Police or Crime Stoppers.

Published 10-December-2025

Brisbane Property Market 2025: The Common Trick Leaving The Gap Buyers in the Dark

For home‑hunters in The Gap, searching for a property in 2025 can feel bewildering. A recent case illustrates why many buyers end up wasting time on homes beyond their budget.

Read: Proposed Ellendale Connection Fuels Concerns Over Traffic, Parking Access

Homeowner Nicole McLeod, who bought her house in The Gap five years ago for her extended family, decided to sell when circumstances changed. But when she listed the home, she discovered an obstacle that many in Brisbane face: there was no clear price guide attached to the listing.

At first, her property was valued at between $5.5 million and $6.25 million by her chosen agent — yet no public price guide was provided. Potential buyers were invited to submit offers based on what they thought the property was worth. After several weeks on the market and feedback from prospective buyers, the agent indicated the home might realistically sell for closer to $3.5 million.

This approach reflects a broader pattern in Brisbane real estate: many homes go on the market without a price guide. According to recent analysis, 63 per cent of three‑ and four‑bedroom property listings in Brisbane do not provide any price indication.

The absence of price guidance is allowed under current legislation because in Queensland, properties going to auction may be listed without a price guide. It remains legal for agents to omit price details under such circumstances.

For buyers, lacking a price guide can mean attending inspections or auctions only to find properties are far outside their budget. In Ms McLeod’s case, she inspected several homes that turned out to be unaffordable, and the time and emotional energy she spent were wasted.

Frustrated with opaque pricing, she later changed her approach: working with an agent who provided a price guide to serious buyers during negotiation. Having clearer pricing helped filter out buyers who could not afford the home, shortening the sale process substantially.

For buyers in The Gap and surrounding Brisbane suburbs, Ms McLeod’s story is a cautionary example. It underscores the value of asking agents directly about probable sale prices, understanding that listings without price guides may conceal significant price differentials, and being prepared for the possibility that a property might end up well outside one’s budget.

Read: $8 Million Resort-style ClubQ Expansion Unveiled in Keperra

The Brisbane property market in 2025 remains challenging for buyers, but those who demand transparency and probe for real price expectations have a better shot at finding a home that really matches their means.

Published 27-November-2025

Benjamina Place Park: The Spot That Inspired Bluey’s ‘Turtleboy’

Bluey has captured the hearts of children and adults across the globe. With Brisbane as the backdrop to the series, get to know the locations that have inspired your favourite episodes, like Benjamina Place Park inspiring “Turtleboy” and see Brisbane through Bluey’s eyes.

Read: Bluey’s Hammerbarn Comes to Life at Bunnings Keperra

In the ‘Turtleboy’ episode, Bingo finds an abandoned toy turtle at the park’s playground and desperately wants to take him home. But wise Dad explains it’s not the “done thing,” as the turtle’s owner may return looking for their beloved toy.

Funny enough, some cheeky Bluey fan made the episode’s premise a reality last year. A simple green turtle plush, just like Turtleboy, was carefully placed at Benjamina Place Park’s playground, abandoned but hopefully to be re-discovered by a new owner.

Whilst the toy’s origins are unknown, the gesture delighted local kids who had a smile at the Bluey reference come to life.

Recreate the iconic scenes of Bingo and Dougie’s turtle game by laying in the cool grass and watching the clouds roll by. Or spend an afternoon having a picnic in one of the sheltered eating areas whilst the little ones burn off a snack-inspired energy burst.

This beloved local park allows kids to have fun whilst being protected from the harsh Queensland sun.

Meanwhile, a new shade sail has been installed as part of Brisbane City Council’s Sun-safe suburban playground program, allowing for extended playtime. Under this shady oasis, kids can expend their endless energy on the playground equipment, basketball court, and shared pathways perfect for scooting.

Read: Take Your Coffee Break Among the Trees With Brisbane’s ‘Coffee Carts in Parks’

Whether you’re a diehard Bluey fan or just a Brisbane local, Benjamina Place Park offers the ultimate setting to experience this beloved show. With its shady play areas and picturesque scenery, Benjamina Place Park allows the Bluey magic to come alive.

Updated 25-November-2025