Fortitude Valley coffee drinkers can pick up a free cup this month, with Audible teaming up with Brisbane-based roaster Bellissimo Coffee to run a two-day giveaway at their Wandoo Street location.
The event is on Tuesday, 24 March and Wednesday, 25 March. Each morning, free coffees will be available from 7:30am until 10am, or until the day’s supply runs out. Bellissimo’s Fortitude Valley café at 30 Wandoo Street is one of three venues taking part — the others are at Coorparoo and Bulimba.
Photo credit: Google Maps/To fu
A limit of 150 free coffees applies per venue per day, with one per customer. Hot and iced espresso-based drinks are covered, long blacks included, and both dairy and non-dairy milk choices are on offer. The promotion does not extend to specialty coffees, matcha, chai, cold brew or tea.
Audible has commissioned three Australian artists to produce original designs for the cups, each drawing on a selection of wellbeing titles from the platform’s catalogue.
Struthless has produced artwork based on Jamie Oliver’s Reset Your Health and James Clear’s Atomic Habits. Tori-Jay Mordey’s designs take inspiration from Jay Shetty’s Messy Love and Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score. Celeste Mountjoy, who posts online as @filthyratbag, has created work informed by Mel Robbins’s The Let Them Theory and Turia Pitt’s Selfish, described by Broadsheet as a guide to unlearning bad habits. All six titles are available through Audible.
About Bellissimo Coffee
Photo credit: Google Maps/Bellissimo Coffee
The Fortitude Valley café holds a particular significance for Bellissimo — it is where the company opened its first café and roastery back in 2009. According to Bellissimo, the business started out as a small venture between three friends before its original blend, Emporio, entered the Espresso Champion category at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Awards and won the trophy on its debut entry. According to the company’s website, Bellissimo’s mission includes sourcing and roasting coffee, reducing environmental impact and supporting the community.
The Audible activation is centred on promoting the platform’s wellbeing audiobook collection. Customers need only arrive within the event window — no purchase is required. Audible’s wellbeing titles are available on the platform at any time, independently of the event.
Prison Island, an interactive adventure experience featuring 35 challenge cells, has opened at 162 Alfred Street in Fortitude Valley. Inspired by TV game shows and escape rooms, the concept puts teams of two to five players through 90 minutes of physical and mental challenges across a series of themed cells, with the goal of earning as many points as possible before time runs out.
Prison Island extends the escape room format across 35 uniquely themed cells, each offering a different challenge. Rather than solving a single scenario, teams move through a mix of physical, technical and intellectual tasks at their own pace, choosing which challenges to tackle and retrying as many times as they like within the 90-minute session. Challenges include dodging laser beams, escaping cages, and a whack-a-mole style game, among others. Teams compete for a spot on a leaderboard, with points accumulated across completed cells.
Photo credit: Prison Island Brisbane / Fever
The experience is produced by immersive entertainment specialists Make It Now and co-produced with global live entertainment platform Fever. It is held indoors in an air-conditioned venue, and a bar and food and beverage service are available on site, including vegan and gluten-free options.
Who It’s For
Photo credit: Prison Island Brisbane / Fever
Prison Island Brisbane caters to a range of group types — friends, families, birthday groups, hens and buck parties, and corporate teams. The minimum age is seven years old. Children between seven and 14 must be accompanied by at least one adult per group of four children. The bride or groom receives complimentary entry on hens and buck bookings.
For corporate bookings and groups of 20 or more, dedicated group experience packages are available directly through the venue.
Comfortable clothing suitable for light physical activity is required — sneakers, pants and a t-shirt are recommended. High heels are not permitted. The venue is wheelchair accessible, though the layout and nature of certain challenges make it unsuitable for individuals with mobility impairments.
Tickets are available through Fever, with dates and times selectable directly through the booking tool. Walk-up tickets may be available at the door, though the venue recommends booking in advance. Limited paid parking, operated by Wilson Carparks, is available on the premises. Players are advised to arrive 20 minutes before their scheduled session time, as late entry is not permitted.
Prison Island Brisbane is located at 162 Alfred Street, Fortitude Valley, with access via Fortitude Valley train station. Bookings are open now through May 2026.
Outdoor apparel company Patagonia has opened a new Brisbane retail store in Fortitude Valley, adding a location that the brand says will also serve as a place for community interaction linked to outdoor activities.
The new store is located at 7 Wandoo Street, within the James Street precinct. Patagonia has positioned the space as more than a retail outlet, describing it as a site where people interested in outdoor environments can gather and connect.
The Fortitude Valley location began operating on Saturday, 28 February 2026, becoming one of two new Australian locations opened by the brand. The Brisbane opening follows the launch of Patagonia’s Hobart store in late 2025.
The store carries outdoor apparel designed for activities including surfing, trail running, climbing, mountain biking and snow sports.
Patagonia has indicated the Fortitude Valley site is intended to support conversations and collaboration among people interested in outdoor recreation and nature-based activities. The space has also been described as a location for learning and engagement connected to the outdoors.
The company has linked the Brisbane store to its wider environmental engagement across Australia and New Zealand, including support for grassroots conservation efforts.
The new store sits within the James Street precinct, an area that includes a range of retail businesses.
Patagonia has also indicated the store may host community-focused events and gatherings connected to outdoor activities. Further information about programming at the Fortitude Valley location is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Fortitude Valley opening adds another Australian location for the brand as it continues to expand its retail presence while linking its stores with community engagement and outdoor activity.
Students at Fortitude Valley State Secondary College have been left waiting at the kerb after their dedicated school bus repeatedly failed to arrive on time, with one recent incident seeing the service run more than 13 minutes early, leaving families with no warning and no way to track it down.
The problems centre on route 931, which serves the college, and have drawn growing frustration from local parents who say the service has been unreliable for some time. The situation came to a head recently when one mother waited more than half an hour for the bus to arrive. When she contacted Translink, she was allegedly told the service had already run, having turned up well ahead of its scheduled stop time.
Brisbane City, which manages dedicated school bus routes, acknowledged the early departure was the result of human error. But at least one affected parent pushed back on that framing, arguing that a bus which arrives early without waiting amounts to the same thing as one that never shows up.
Photo credit: Google Street View
Compounding the frustration is the absence of real-time tracking. A feature that previously allowed families to follow the bus through an app was removed when an updated version of the app launched last year. Parents say that without it, they have no way of knowing whether the bus is running late, has already passed, or is not coming at all, leaving students and parents in the dark at the stop.
The 931 timetable was revised at the start of this school year, with most weekday morning services adjusted to target a 9:10am arrival at the college. Wednesday services run slightly earlier, aiming for 8:55am ahead of a 9:05am assembly. Despite those changes, parents say late Wednesday arrivals have persisted. Some families have reportedly received communication from the school flagging ongoing punctuality issues linked to the service.
Transport chair Andrew Wines acknowledged the concerns, saying the council regarded student safety as a fundamental priority and was continuously monitoring its network. He indicated the issues specific to route 931 were being actively addressed.
For Fortitude Valley families, the immediate ask is straightforward: consistent timetabling and the restoration of a tool that tells them where their children’s bus actually is. Until those issues are resolved, the uncertainty that has defined this term for many local families is unlikely to ease.
QUT Business School, located at the Gardens Point Campus in Brisbane, has once again been recognised as one of the best in the world, maintaining the rare honour of Triple Crown accreditation following its latest AACSB re-accreditation.
The renewal, combined with a recent EQUIS re-accreditation and a 2023 AMBA re-accreditation, confirms QUT’s place among a group so exclusive that fewer than one per cent of business schools globally hold all three credentials simultaneously.
Back in 2005, QUT became the first business school in Australia to achieve Triple Crown status, a distinction it has maintained ever since.
Professor Sharon Christensen, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law, said the AACSB renewal was a reflection of the school’s ongoing commitment to excellence across teaching, research, and industry engagement — not simply a periodic compliance exercise. She noted that the rigorous peer-review process examined the depth of academic capability, the quality of student experience, and the real-world impact of the school’s research and partnerships.
Photo credit: LinkedIn/QUT Business School
The AACSB, founded in 1916, is the world’s largest standard-setting body for business education, counting more than 1,900 member organisations across over 100 countries and territories. Yet membership alone is no guarantee of accreditation. Only six per cent of institutions worldwide that offer business degrees have cleared the bar. In Australia, just 24 institutions carry the credential.
For prospective students weighing up their options, that context matters. Professor Christensen noted that accreditation provides meaningful assurance that QUT’s degrees meet internationally recognised standards, that the curriculum is demanding, future-focused, and built around genuine connections to business, government, and community.
The Triple Crown itself carries weight precisely because it is hard to earn and harder still to keep. Each of the three accrediting bodies, AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA, conducts its own independent review process, making the simultaneous achievement of all three particularly demanding. Professor Christensen noted that the school viewed Triple Crown accreditation not as a destination but as an ongoing discipline, one embedded in how QUT Business School teaches, researches, and engages on a continuing basis.
For a school based in the heart of Brisbane, with campuses at Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove, the international recognition carries local significance. It signals to students and partners, locally and internationally, that QUT meets the highest global standards in business education.
With the re-accreditation secured, QUT Business School has reaffirmed its standing among the world’s leading institutions, a position it has held, and worked to maintain, for two decades.
Emergency crews responded shortly before 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, after reports of smoke coming from the basement of a building on Margaret Street in Brisbane CBD.
Smoke was reported rising from the basement to as high as the third floor of the building. Firefighters, police and ambulance crews attended the scene after the incident was reported.
Six fire trucks were dispatched as part of the response. Firefighters wearing respirators were seen entering and leaving the basement carpark while crews assessed the situation.
The 15-storey mixed-use building was evacuated during the incident. Office workers were reported to have exited the building in a calm and orderly manner while emergency services worked at the site.
A construction site located next to number 46 was also evacuated as a precaution. The evacuation extended beyond the building itself as crews worked to ensure safety in the surrounding area.
Traffic Disruption On Margaret Street
Margaret Street was closed to traffic during the emergency response. The closure brought traffic along the street to a halt while firefighters and other emergency personnel remained at the scene.
Office workers were seen waiting outside on the footpath while the Brisbane CBD fire response continued.
The incident caused disruption in the city centre during the morning as authorities managed the situation.
The fire involved a Maserati located in the basement of the building. Witnesses said the vehicle had been parked in the basement for an extended period before the incident occurred.
The cause of the fire had not been confirmed. No confirmed public information was available regarding injuries connected to the incident.
At this stage, the established details remain the evacuation of the building, the emergency response, and the traffic disruption linked to the Brisbane CBD fire.
A revised development application has been lodged for a high-rise apartment building at the heritage-listed former bread factory site in Fortitude Valley.
The proposal relates to 36 Warry Street within the complex known as The Baker’s Grounds. An associated property at 39 Kennigo Street is also listed.
The development application, numbered A006963038, was submitted on 17 February 2026 and is recorded as in progress. It seeks approval to carry out building work and a material change of use, with the assessment listed at code level. RG Property Pty Ltd is named as the primary applicant, with Urbis Pty Ltd identified as consultant.
Photo Credit: DA/A006963038
Background Of The Heritage Complex
The brick complex was originally constructed in 1916 as Keating’s Bread Factory. Bread production ceased around the end of World War II.
Parts of the former ovens and stables used for horse deliveries remain on site. The property was listed as a local heritage place in 2004. The site sits between Warry Street and Kennigo Street, about 250 metres from Victoria Park. It is currently used largely as office space under the name The Baker’s Grounds.
Photo Credit: DA/A006963038
Revised Tower Plans In Fortitude Valley
Updated plans describe a residential tower containing 100 apartments. The building height has been reported in two different ways, with one account describing 17 storeys and another referring to 20 storeys.
The revised proposal follows an earlier 15-storey scheme approved in December 2024, which was reported as allowing 111 units. The updated plan reduces the residential yield to 100 apartments. Design documentation for the revised proposal has been prepared by DAH Architecture.
Process milestones include the commencement of the confirmation period on 27 February 2026 and a properly made date of 2 March 2026. A decision notice date is not yet recorded. No construction start date has been confirmed, and existing tenancies continue to operate at the Fortitude Valley site while the application remains under assessment.
Brisbane’s most colourful inner-city precinct will provide the backdrop for a major new six-part ABC crime drama, with Queensland production company Moving Floor Entertainment set to begin filming Fortitude Valley in the suburb from April 2026 ahead of its 2027 national premiere on ABC TV and ABC iview.
The announcement confirms that one of Brisbane’s most cinematically distinctive and culturally loaded neighbourhoods is finally getting the screen treatment many have long argued it deserves. The series places Fortitude Valley at the centre of a crime thriller that moves through family secrets, underground power structures and the moral compromises that accumulate in a precinct where extremes of wealth and poverty have always coexisted within a few city blocks of each other. For residents and regulars of the Valley, the prospect of seeing their suburb rendered on screen with the full weight of a prestige Australian drama behind it carries a particular kind of significance.
The Series and the Story
Fortitude Valley is a six-part crime thriller exploring underground crime syndicates, family secrets, corruption and power plays set in the Queensland capital. The series stars AACTA Award-winning First Nations actor Hunter Page-Lochard, known for Reckless and The Newsreader, alongside acclaimed actress Kat Stewart, whose credits include Offspring, Black Snow and Five Bedrooms.
Photo Credit: QPS
Page-Lochard is not only the lead actor but one of the series’ three co-writers, sharing writing credits with Moving Floor Entertainment co-founders Stephen M. Irwin and Leigh McGrath. Direction falls to Sian Davies, with Andy Walker producing and Ross Allsop serving as co-producer. Executive producers are Irwin, McGrath, Greg Sitch and Page-Lochard, with ABC executive producers Brett Sleigh and Rachel Okine overseeing for the national broadcaster. International distribution is handled by DCD Rights.
The series carries major production investment from Screen Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Screen Queensland, and will film and complete post-production entirely within Queensland.
The Company Behind It
Moving Floor Entertainment was founded in 2020 by Brisbane-based writer-producers Stephen M. Irwin and Leigh McGrath, who had previously collaborated for seven years across productions including Harrow, Tidelands and Secrets and Lies. The company launched with a clear commitment to produce high-end drama from Queensland for international audiences, and Fortitude Valley marks its most significant project to date.
The pedigree behind the series is substantial. Irwin co-created the forensic crime series Harrow for the ABC, created and wrote Secrets and Lies, which the ABC Network later remade in the United States, and co-created the Tidelands for Netflix. McGrath co-created and co-executive produced all three seasons of Harrow and co-created Five Bedrooms, which now airs on Paramount Plus, Peacock and BBC One. Both have worked extensively with major broadcasters in the United Kingdom and the United States. Fortitude Valley marks the first project they have brought to screen where Brisbane’s streets are not merely a backdrop but the explicit subject of the story itself.
McGrath graduated from Griffith University in 1994, and his return to produce a landmark series set in his home city represents the kind of career arc that the Queensland screen industry has spent decades working to make possible.
Why Fortitude Valley
The Valley’s particular geography of contrasts, the Chinatown precinct, the heritage-listed Art Deco facades, Brunswick Street’s strip of venues and late-night trade, the social services concentrated along its edges and the significant levels of disadvantage that persist alongside recent gentrification, gives the series a built-in visual and thematic richness that few Australian suburbs can offer. It is a place where multiple Brisbanes overlap: the tourist precinct and the struggling community, the developer’s vision and the street-level reality.
Those contrasts have made Fortitude Valley fertile ground for storytelling across its history. The suburb’s real-world story includes the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police and political corruption that ran from 1987 to 1989 and fundamentally changed the relationship between law enforcement, vice industries and civic power in Queensland. The inquiry’s findings emerged largely from the Valley itself. A crime drama set in contemporary Fortitude Valley carries the weight of that history whether it addresses it explicitly or not, and it gives the series a depth of local cultural memory that purely fictional settings cannot replicate.
What It Means for Queensland Screen
The Fortitude Valley production joins a growing slate of work that positions Queensland as a serious force in the Australian drama landscape. Screen Queensland’s current supported productions include Muster Dogs, Dance with Tom, Troppo Season Two and the upcoming Dustfall. Fortitude Valley, backed by both Screen Australia and Screen Queensland through the Screen Finance Fund and the Post, Digital and Visual Effects Incentive, represents the largest locally created drama production the state has supported in recent years.
Every cast and crew position, every day of location shooting through the Valley’s streets and laneways, every post-production hour completed in Queensland contributes to an industry infrastructure that needs exactly this kind of sustained, high-profile investment to retain and develop the talent pipeline that makes future productions possible.
Filming begins in Brisbane in April 2026. Fortitude Valley airs on ABC TV and ABC iview in 2027.
Decades after defining a new sound for rock and roll, the legendary Black Crowes are set to reaffirm their powerful legacy with a long-awaited return performance in Brisbane’s vibrant Fortitude Valley.
This announcement marks a significant moment for local music fans, as it’s the band’s first appearance in the area since 2022. Known for their unique blend of classic rock and southern charm, the Crowes have maintained a passionate following, keeping the spirit of raw, authentic rock alive for over three decades.
Central to The Black Crowes’ identity is the creative partnership, and often dramatic relationship, between brothers Chris and Rich Robinson. Formed in Georgia, USA, the band forged a sound that paid homage to the greats of the 1970s, like The Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd, while forging their own path through the changing musical landscape of the 1990s.
This brotherly dynamic, marked by both brilliance and public friction leading to past breakups, is a well-known part of the band’s history that often adds to the intensity of their live shows. After a five-year separation, the brothers officially reunited in 2019, much to the delight of fans worldwide.
The Black Crowes burst onto the scene in 1990 with their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, which achieved massive commercial success and multiple platinum certifications. Songs like the acoustic classic “She Talks to Angels” and their cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” cemented their place in rock history.
Their follow-up album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, further defined their reputation for extended, blues-based jams and a refusal to rely on modern studio production tricks. This dedication to an organic sound has been a hallmark of their entire career. The upcoming Fortitude Valley performance is expected to feature a career-spanning setlist, celebrating these fan favourites alongside material from their recent release.
Reaffirming their continued relevance in the music world, The Black Crowes recently released their first album of new material in fifteen years, titled Happiness Bastards. The album’s critical and commercial reception has been significant, earning the band a GRAMMY nomination.
In addition to this recent honour, the group is also currently nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a recognition of their substantial contribution to the evolution of modern rock music over the past three decades. This new chapter in their journey demonstrates that the band’s energy and passion remain strong.
The band will be bringing their renowned live performance style back to Australia, with the highly anticipated Brisbane concert scheduled for Monday, 6 April 2026. This performance at the Fortitude Music Hall, located in the heart of Fortitude Valley, promises to be a memorable night of rock and roll, delivering the raw and soulful experience that has defined The Black Crowes’ enduring legacy.
The new Brisbane CBD Birkenstock store is located at Brisbane Arcade, 117 Adelaide Street. The Arcade has been heritage-listed since 1924 and has long housed fashion retailers and artisan jewellers.
Photo Credit: Birkenstock/LinkedIn
The brand stated the location aligns with its longstanding focus on craftsmanship. The opening marks Birkenstock’s first official store in Queensland.
According to company information, the Brisbane CBD site operates as a partner store. The addition brings the brand’s total store count to four across Australia’s east coast. The Sydney store is also listed as a partner store, while two other locations are operated directly by the company.
Photo Credit: Birkenstock/LinkedIn
Media Launch And Public Activation
The store opening was marked by a media evening held earlier in February 2026. Invited guests were given a preview of the retail space, with archived Birkenstock pieces displayed as part of the event.
A two-day public activation followed at Queen Street Mall. The activation included a branded claw machine and complimentary refreshments. Visitors were also offered vouchers, foot care products and tote bags during the promotion.
Photo Credit: Birkenstock/LinkedIn
Acquisition Background And National Expansion
The Brisbane CBD Birkenstock opening follows the acquisition of Birkenstock Australia Pty. Ltd., the brand’s long-standing distributor. The transaction was finalised by the end of October 2025.
Birkenstock Australia has operated since the 1990s and employs around 60 staff. For the financial year ending June 30, 2025, the business recorded annual revenue of $88.6 million. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, operates an online store, and maintains a distribution network of more than 300 business-to-business partners.
