Whodunnit? Play Detective and Solve a Murder at this Fortitude Valley Church

Almost everybody loves a good murder-mystery game. Put your detective hat on and try Fever’s murder-mystery experience at the heritage-listed High Church in Fortitude Valley.


Read: QUT Scientist to Lead Research Against Viruses Like COVID-19 and Monkeypox


Murder Mystery: Wedding Murder is an interactive murder mystery game, where players solve clues and use their detective skills to get to the bottom of the case and unmask the true murderer.

For this Fever original, the story revolves around Jasmine Portia, the sole heir of the Lancasters, Brisbane’s most influential family. After postponements, her wedding is about to take place. Aside from the most intimate family members and friends, Brisbane’s elite and the Lancaster’s business partners are in attendance.

Photo credit: Mystic Art Design/Pixabay

Whilst the guests are waiting for Jasmine Portia to walk down the aisle, a corpse has been found. This is when your job as the detective starts–inspect the venue, interrogate suspects, and find clues to crack the murder mystery.

It can be experienced individually, but also with friends and family, with group admission good for a minimum of 10 people.

If you wouldn’t want to miss this event, get your tickets before the event ends on 27 October 2022. It takes place every Thursday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., with each session lasting an hour and a half. 

Please note that guests must be 10 years old or older and anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Go to Feverup’s website to get your ticket or to learn more about Murder Mystery: Wedding Murder in Brisbane.

Releaf Opens New Facility in Fortitude Valley

After expanding in Queensland in late 2021, Releaf, the first dedicated facility of its kind in Australia, has opened a new outlet in Fortitude Valley. 



Releaf Group Founder and CEO Gary Mackenzie said that thousands of Queenslanders are looking for a multi-disciplinary approach to healthcare and they are glad to be in the position to provide a new clinic and dispensary as an option. 

Releaf also provides a telehealth or video chat system for patients who prefer not to go to the Fortitude Valley clinic. 

Releaf
Photo Credit: Releaf/Facebook

Meanwhile, Mackenzie wants to establish Releaf as a one-stop shop, providing end-to-end service to the patients from consultations and health assessments, prescribing the treatment, and offering the treatment at their store. 

The company first launched in Victoria in 2017 and has opened clinics in the Sunshine Coast, Noosa Heads, and Caloundra via franchisees. Soon, Releaf will open a medical cannabis compounding pharmacy in Fortitude Valley.

In Queensland, medicinal cannabis is classified as either Schedule 3, Schedule 4, or Schedule 8 controlled substances. Its use must be prescribed by licensed doctors, particularly for Schedule 4 – cannabidiol (CBD) and Schedule 8 – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or tetrahydrocannabinol: cannabidiol (THC:CBD) products. However, it is illegal to drive with any amount of THC in one’s system even if this has been prescribed.

See if plant-based medicine might work for you. Visit Releaf at 2/394 Brunswick Street or phone (07) 3177 2070. 



Police Launches Crackdown On E-scooter Riders In CBD, Fortitude Valley

Endeavour College of Natural Health Opens New Purpose-Built Fortitude Valley Campus

The Endeavour College of Natural Health in Fortitude Valley has undergone a $3-million redesign to deliver a new, bespoke campus for students. 



The renovated building has also opened a Wellness Clinic and dispensary for Brisbane locals to access affordable nutrition, naturopathy, Chinese medicine and massage treatments. 

The site, which was officially opened in March 2022, is now the largest provider of natural health courses in the Southern Hemisphere, where three new Chinese Medicine courses will also be offered amidst a growing interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine post-pandemic.

Endeavour College of Natural Health
Photo Credit: Supplied
Endeavour College of Natural Health
Photo Credit: Supplied

“We’ve seen a huge spike in demand for our acupuncture course in the past two years, especially at our two Queensland campuses, showing how much Queenslanders are embracing the ancient practice,” Shuai Zheng, Head of Chinese Medicine at Endeavour College of Natural Health, said.

“We are seeing clients of all ages and from all walks of life requesting acupuncture and Tui Na treatments, with Chinese medicine treatments at Endeavour College’s Brisbane (33%) and Gold Coast (30%) teaching clinics accounting for around a third of all appointments this year – the highest demand across all our Australian clinics,” he added.

Research shows that two out of three Australians use some form of complementary medicine, with 21 per cent of the population visiting their massage therapists regularly and 8 per cent getting their acupuncture treatments each year.



In place of the existing Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture), Endeavour College will offer the following Chinese Medicine courses from 2022:

  • Diploma of Health Science (Chinese Remedial Massage) – The only qualification of its kind in Australia, this new course represents the first time Chinese Remedial Massage, or Tui Na, has been offered at a higher education level. With a rise in interest in this specialist area of Chinese Medicine in recent years, Endeavour is introducing the qualification to cater to growing demand for the dry massage which focuses on acupuncture meridians and pressure points.
  • Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture Therapies) –  As the leader in acupuncture training, Endeavour still offers the only specialised acupuncture course for undergraduates in Australia. This new course replaces the existing Acupuncture course that has been taught for the past 20 years. It has been designed from scratch to meet the latest standards and offer a contemporary approach, which focuses on practical elements and paves a swift pathway into practice.
  • Bachelor of Health Science (Chinese Medicine) – This new bachelor degree encompasses the Chinese Remedial Massage and Acupuncture Therapies courses, as well as expanding on other areas of the philosophy and principles of Chinese Medicine, with a particular focus on Chinese herbalism. The comprehensive qualification allows students to graduate prepared to meet the evolving needs of the Chinese medicine profession in Australia.

“Traditional Chinese Medicine has been growing in popularity in Queensland for many years, to the point where it’s not uncommon to see an acupuncture clinic alongside the bottle shop and bakery at the local shopping centre. The statistics tell us that Australians turn to a complementary massage therapist as often as they seek help from a counsellor or a physiotherapist, showing how Chinese medicine has become a core part of our health care,” Mr Zheng said.

Photo Credit: Supplied

With the new campus, Endeavour College of Natural Health is expected to produce the majority of Brisbane’s next-generation naturopaths. 

BrisAsia Fashion Festival to Showcase Asian, Indigenous, and International Heritages in Fortitude Valley

For the first time, designers and labels will be showcasing their latest creations at the BrisAsia Fashion Festival with a focus on Asian, Indigenous, and International heritages.



The spectacular fashion event will take place on Friday, 25 March 2022, at the Fortitude Music Hall in Fortitude Valley. 

From 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. guest speakers like Akira Isogawa from Akira, Natalie Cunningham from Native Swimwear Australia, and Sher Lo from Anannasa will be featured at the Fashion Forum.  Two runway shows will run at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with the Motorama Group, which represents many leading Asian car brands and is located in highly diverse communities.

An after-party will be held at The Outpost on Warner St.

Photo Credit: BrisAsia Fashion Festival – Liz Golding/Facebook

Labels up for showcase include Akira, Native Swimwear Australia, Joteo, Moreno Marcos, Anannasa, M7 by Miu Tsujikawa, Hestia by Yip Wing Chi, Liz Clift, Mode Voyage, DAN STUDIO, SAJO, MYKA Studio, Nevidebla, Luna + Sun, Fancynators, and Hopevale Arts & Cultural Centre. 

BAFF is produced by Fashion Festival Queensland, working closely with BrisAsia Festival producers Sounds Across Oceans and proudly supported by Brisbane City Council, Motorama and GHD. 

Photo Credit: BrisAsia Fashion Festival – Liz Golding/Facebook

“The only fashion event in Brisbane, and Queensland, specifically curated to showcase local Asian designers, champion intercultural dialogue and collaborate with Indigenous artists, BrisAsia Fashion establishes a new horizon for Queensland fashion,” BAFF Fashion Director Liz Golding said.



“Queenslanders love to celebrate the homegrown talent and national designers who love their Queensland supporters and now we can do so in a way that embraces the full spectrum of our cultural diversity.” 

In February, BAFF conducted its model search at the Brothers Rugby Club in Albion.

Brisbane fashion influencer Marie Hillard, ‘@thebrisbanegirl’, is the Event Ambassador and BAFF will support local charity Hummingbird House, Queensland’s only children’s hospice, through donations from ticket sales.

Fortitude Valley Start-up Sets Expansion as Flooding Events Intensify

FloodMapp, the Fortitude Valley climate tech startup, is expanding and improving its services to help various organizations cope with the increasing intensity of flooding events not only in Brisbane but across the world.



Co-founders Ryan Prosser, an engineer, and Juliette Murphy, a flood mitigation expert, have recently closed an $8.49 million seed fundraising round to integrate their invention, the real-time FloodMapp app, to other platforms like Waze.

New York-based venture capitalist Union Square Ventures (USV) is backing the Fortitude Valley company alongside investors like Mundi Ventures, Climate X, and Jelix Ventures. 

The seed funding will allow FloodApp to upgrade its technology to help more communities and emergency managers. The company is also setting its sights on establishing satellite offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Virginia in the U.S. as more governments require their services and expertise.

“Flooding is getting more severe every day,” Ms Murphy said. “We’ll be scaling up our technical engineering team, as well as our go-to-market team here in Australia, but also in the US to expand that capability.”

Both founders experienced devastating flooding events in Brisbane in 2011 and in Calgary, Canada in 2013. The co-founders also knew they could create a better flood modelling and monitoring system that can save lives. 

Since its launch in 2018,  FloodMapp has grown from a staff of three to a staff of 26. It has acquired clients like the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), Noosa Regional Council, Energy Queensland and Origin Energy. 

“The world is facing a climate crisis, and we need the best and brightest thinkers, innovators and inventors from around the world to turn their collective talent to finding solutions,” USV’s Nick Grossman said in the press release. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with FloodMapp, our very first adaptation-focused investment. FloodMapp has developed a world-first flood modelling technology to predict flooding at a granular, street-level in real-time.



“What excites us most about FloodMapp is the data network effect. By working with emergency managers and communities through partnerships like Waze, FloodMapp is collecting real-time ground observation data to continually validate and improve models.”

Cooking School, Art Gallery Planned for Wandoo St Industrial Building in Fortitude Valley

An outdated industrial building on Wandoo St in Fortitude Valley could be transformed into a three-storey mixed use facility for offices, a new cooking school, and an art gallery with a rooftop terrace. 



The family of Angelo Cazzolato, the name behind the successful Angelo’s Pasta & Deli supermarket products, has filed the development application (DA A005887542) for the transformation of the Wandoo St building. Aside from the cooking school and art gallery, the site will also include food and drink outlets and some retail spaces.  

Wandoo St is a commercial strip dominated by clothing stores and trendy homewares. The proposal, lodged by DC8 Studio for the owners, seeks to alter the existing building with an integrated contemporary facade. 

Wandoo St
Photo Credit: DA A005887542/BCC

The old two-storey site will house the offices, food and drink outlets, shops, and the educational or community areas. The third level will consist of the rooftop terrace. 

The design of the updated building will include a unique architectural design that will also serve as the window and boundary.

“The proposal seeks to reconfigure and extend the existing building footprint to accommodate for additional land uses to support changing business needs and requirement from the immediate locality,” the development application stated. “The subject site is identified to be suitable to reflect Centre activity uses. 

Wandoo St
Photo Credit: DA A005887542/BCC

“The proposed works have been designed to reflect the intent and overall outcomes identified within the zone and neighbourhood plan. In particular, the proposal reflects a suitable non-residential development that provides retail, business and associated services situated over a well-located site near the entertainment precincts.” 

The DA, lodged in November 2021, is still under assessment.



Meanwhile, the Cazzolato pasta products supplied many restaurants and households in Brisbane for over five decades with Angelo’s children now taking charge of the business. 

Angelo Calzatto's Family
Photo Credit: Angelo Fresh Pasta Products/Facebook

Angelo came from northern Italy and moved to Australia in the 1950s as a 19-year-old young adult. He used to run his pasta factory on Wandoo St in the 1970s before moving to its current site on Doggett St in Fortitude Valley. 

Proposed Building In Brunswick St To Have Animated 3D Art Wall

An animated 3D art wall will serve as the defining feature of a proposed 14-storey mixed-use building along Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley.


Read: Get Ready for Plan B! Now Serving in Fortitude Valley


The art display, which will be a combination of animated imagery, 3D imagery, and visual media, bears a resemblance to the huge public art installation on Times Square and the illuminated signs at the Piccadilly Circus in London. 

Piccadilly Lights, London (Photo credit: https://www.thedavidhockneyfoundation.org/

The 3D art wall will make use of creative lighting through illuminating soffits along the city room on the key corner of the site.

“The art media wall will likely provide opportunities for third party advertising, with advertising only provided to third parties who’s marketing campaigns and brand align with the identity of the proposal,” the document for the proposal reads. 

Aside from promoting the building’s unique identity, the media wall will help to establish the site as a recognisable landmark. The media wall is expected to become a defining feature along that key corner and thoroughfare in the Fortitude Valley.


Read: 1st Edition: Comic Book-Themed Bar and Restaurant Lands at the Valley


fortitude-valley-brisbane
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council PD Online

Plans

The applicant is seeking  approval for a 14-storey mixed-use commercial tower for office and retail uses. The tower will be sited over two basement levels and a two-storey podium. 

The ground floor and mezzanine level, as well as a portion of the basement level, will have retail activations, a showroom, and cafe tenancies.

brunswick-fortitude-valley
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council PD Online

The subject site is located at 388 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley, on the corner of Brunswick and McLachlan Streets.

The proposed site consists of 1,198 sqm of a larger, 2,871-sqm site which includes an existing basement car park arrangement, and low rise residential development beside. The applicant has proposed a total of 125 parking spaces, with 83 bicycle parking slots. 

brunswick-berwick-st
Elevation from Brunswick Street Facing Berwick Street (Photo credit: Brisbane City Council PD Online)

The site as a whole is currently improved by two buildings. The building on the left portion of the site was formerly known as the licensed venue, ‘The Flying Cock’. The right portion is currently improved by a four-storey building presently known as FV4006 Apartments with two tenancies on the ground floor.

“The proposal represents more than just an example of high-quality contemporary architecture. It is considered in its design, seeking to blend international architectural elements from Japan and New York City with Brisbane’s sub-tropical vernacular,” Urbis has written in an assessment report for the applicant. 

For further details about the proposed development, see DA-A005898651.

1st Edition: Comic Book-Themed Bar and Restaurant Lands at the Valley

Discover 1st Edition, the latest bar and restaurant to find a home on California Lane in Fortitude Valley that will definitely delight every avid comic book fan.



1st Edition is an intimate bar and restaurant that serves up signature cocktails named after popular comic book superheroes, perfectly paired with delectable dishes that fuse Asian-inspired dishes with American, Mexican, and French influences. All these, from the creative imaginings of Marc Grey and chef Steve Maiden, the ‘dynamic duo’ to thank for this one-of-a-kind venue.

Photo credit: 1st Edition / Instagram
Photo credit: 1st Edition / Instagram

True to its comic book theme, finding this watering hole is a bit of an adventure. It lies hidden down California Lane, much like the Batcave, with a fit-out that features Batman and Spiderman murals, and a bar top lined with comic book covers-filled panels that seamlessly blend with the neon-lit atmosphere of the bar.

Once settled, guests can go ahead and sample their signature cocktails, which are as excitingly named as they are fun to try — Mysterio (Butter Vodka, Peach syrup, apple, passionfruit, whites & passion smoke bubble); Harley Quinn (Dry gin, lemon, Persian fairy floss, gold flakes, and rose Cuvee); and Doctor Strange (Violette Rubard & Bramble gin, lemon, lavender, and simple syrup).

1st Edition
Photo credit: 1st Edition / Instagram
1st Edition
Harley Quinn / Mysterio | Photo credit: 1st Edition / Instagram

After a refreshing cocktail (or two!), check out their mouth-watering bites that come in sharing sizes. Try the Cheeseburger Gyoza with Kimchi Mac; MB7 Wagyu with onion soubise and greens; Kingfish sashimi with watermelon yuzu, orange and coconut; Red Duck Curry with Pineapple, Lychee, Slaw; and Spanner Crab with burnt butter, cucumber, artichoke.

1st Edition
MB7 Wagyu / Red Duck Curry | Photo credit: 1st_Edition / Instagram
1st Edition
Kingfish sashimi /Cauliflower Popcorn | Photo credit: 1st_Edition / Instagram


1st Edition can accommodate only 22 guests and offers three 90-minute seatings, so bookings are a must. And if you happen to visit on a Friday or Saturday late evening, expect the DJ to come spinning some club hits from the loft.

1st Edition is located at 22 McLachlan Street in Fortitude Valley. They are open from  5.30 pm till late evening, Wednesday to Saturday.

1st_Edition | California Lane, 22 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley

Get Ready for Plan B! Now Serving in Fortitude Valley

The burger scene in Fortitude Valley just got more exciting! Plan B has opened its second Brisbane store on Wickham Street.

Now it’s your time to wrap your hands around their American-style burgers.



First off, be on the lookout for the ‘Plan_ B special.’ Every fortnight, their brilliant chef cooks up something extraordinary that will surely delight frequenters and first-time customers alike.

In case you’re wondering, the current special is Playing with Fire – lemon and pepper chicken with Fireball BBQ dip, Chipotle Mayo, and bread & butter pickles all stacked in a Plan B bun.

Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire | Photo credit: Plan_B / Facebook

If that still doesn’t pan out for you, then you can’t go wrong with these blockbusters, all served in Plan B buns. 

Plan_B Beef consists of Angus beef with American cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion and Plan B sauce. 

Plan_B Chicken  is a delicious serving of Southern fried chicken breast with shredded lettuce, spicy BBQ sauce and sweet mayo. 

Bucking Buffalo consists of Southern fried chicken breast with buffalo sauce, blue cheese sauce, hash brown, American cheese and shredded lettuce.

 Chicken Burger
Chicken Burger | Photo credit: Plan_B / Facebook


For vegans, it’s a toss-up between Vego (crumbed mushroom patty, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion, and Plan B sauce) and Tofu (deep-fried tofu, bread & butter pickles, Red Eye mayo, and oak lettuce).

Vegan burger and Kids Meal
Vegan burger / Kids Meal | Photo credit: Plan_B / Facebook

Let’s not forget their kids menu. For little people with big appetites, Plan_B favourites include Cheeseburger (Angus beef with American cheese, ketchup, and bed of fries), Hot Dog (American Frankfurter with ketchup, bed of fires and Plan B roll), and Kids Popcorn (popcorn chicken served with fries).

Check out their full menu here.

Plans are already in the works to establish more stores here in Brisbane. For now though, head on out to 540 Wickham Street in Fortitude Valley for the ultimate Plan B burger experience.

Plan_B | 540 Wickham St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, Australia