Spike up your children’s creativity this holiday by bringing them to Krispy Kreme Redbank for a doughnut decorating session that is guaranteed to provide sweet memories of summer.
Enjoy a nice cup of coffee with your doughnut whilst you wait!
Photo credit: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Australia
Krispy Kreme’s Doughnut decorating sessions will be happening on selected dates, starting from the 3rd of January 2019 up to the 31st of January 2019. Check out the complete list of participating stores here.
For just $6.50 a child gets two original glazed doughnuts and gets to choose from a wide range of toppings to use for decorating. To complete the overall doughnut decorating experience, each child will also receive a balloon and a Krispy Kreme paper hat.
Terms and Conditions
Limited dates and sessions are available. Also, this is not a drop in event, so please secure your slot through booking online.
Purchased tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged to other services offered.
Parents or guardians are advised to supervise their children (must be age 4 or above to join) at all times during the session.
Available decorative toppings may vary from store to store.
Is the summer heat taking a toll on you and your family? Well, don’t sweat it because this local water park is just waiting for you and your family to make a great, big splash!
The Orion Lagoon, a.k.a. Springfield Water Park, at the Robelle Domain parkland is deemed to be a water paradise for all. They offer various and extensive interconnected pools that are suitable for all ages. Plus, there is no longer a need for you to bring and treat your family to an expensive summer getaway because admission here is free!
Photo credit: Destination Greater Springfield / Facebook
Why not consider taking a plunge into the 50-metre lap pool, or cool off at the 600-millimetre deep sculpture pool? Toddlers may also play and do water activities at the extended part of the lagoon — having a low depth of 300 millimetres with stepping stones and water squirts that are designed for the little ones.
Providing fun is not the only priority of the lagoon. The safety of all the guests is also of paramount importance. Lifeguards at the water park are on duty at all times; however, parents or guardians of children below 13 years are advised to supervise them whilst in the water.
Photo credit: Destination Greater Springfield / Facebook
If you prefer to relax and unwind by simply reading a book, or by savouring good food instead of bathing and playing around the waterpark, the area also has covered picnic tables and chairs, air-conditioned cafes, and restaurants that you may want to try out.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to make unforgettable memories with your family this summer only at the Robelle Domain’s Orion Lagoon!
The Orion Lagoon is located at 155 Southern Cross Circuit, Springfield Central.
Operating Hours:
Summer (1 September – 31 March): 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Winter (1 April – 31 August): 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Starting from the first service on Saturday, 22 December 2018 until the last service on Saturday, 29 December 2018, there will be track closures on the Ipswich, Springfield, and Inner City lines.
Railbuses will be replacing trains between the affected stations so commuters can plan their journey in advance. Timetables will also be available to inform commuters about the schedule of the arrival times.
Take note that normal services will resume from the first service on Sunday, 30 December 2018.
Plan Your Journey
Check if the closures will affect your journey. Following are the dates and the lines that are part of the closure:
If your journey will be affected by the closures, make sure to plan in advance and allow time to transfer between bus and train services. Check TransLink’s Journey Planner for further information.
Track closures are part of the improvement works on Queensland Rail’s network. Train signals between Roma Street and Corinda stations will be upgraded and new track crossovers will be installed near the Milton station.
The benefits of these upgrades include:
replacement of old signals infrastructure, some of which is over 50 years old
integration of signals with new, sophisticated train control systems
installation of new track crossovers, eliminating congestion and potential delays.
As the school holidays and the festive season start, you might be wondering how to keep the kids entertained and ward away cabin fever. Fret not as a great line-up of school holiday activities and family friendly events are coming up.
Here are just a few Christmas events for kids to enjoy in and around Springfield.
Story Time – Christmas Countdown
Tuesdays and Fridays, 11, 14, 18, and 21 December 2018 (9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.)
Photo credit: Ipswich Libraries/Facebook
Little ones can enjoy the magic of picture books and make new friends with stories, songs, and movement. This library event is filled with fun stories, rhymes, songs, and games to build important language and reading readiness skills.
Ideal for kids up to six years, Springfield Central Library will have Story Time – Christmas Countdown twice a week so families can choose which day suits best. Each week the same stories and songs will be shared at both sessions.
Wednesday, 5 December 2018 to Sunday, 23 December 2018 (7:00 p.m.)
Photo credit: The Magical Christmas Show and Christmas Carnival/Facebook
Denver Productions proudly presents The Magical Christmas Show and Carnival at Orion Springfield Central. The spectacular 90-minute variety show includes singing, dancing, pantomime, magical illusions, and circus acts on stage.
The event also includes a carnival precinct with a 26-metre tall Ferris wheel, giant slide, dodgem cars, and more fun rides and games for all ages. Hungry carnival-goers can grab a quick bite from Santa’s Dining Hall where a food truck will be serving a large variety of food.
Costs for show tickets start at $15 whilst rides and games start at $5 each. Combined Show and Carnival Ride packages are also available. Check the pricing guide for more information.
Thursday, 13 December to Monday, 24 December 2018 (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.)
Photo credit: Ipswich City Council/Facebook
Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas at the Nerima Gardens in Queens Park. Starting on Thursday, 13 December 2018, families can get into the festive spirit with enchanting light displays, Christmas movies, kids performances, and more.
Santa Claus is also visiting the venue and great food awaits from various food trucks.
Bring your own water bottle and rug or picnic blanket. BYO food is also permitted in the event.
For further information including the nightly programme, visit the official event page.
Thursday, 13 December to Saturday, 15 December 2018 (5:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.)
Photo credit: Ipswich City Council/Facebook
View a selection of the best displays from the 2018 Ipswich Christmas Lights Competition from the Stonestreets Coaches. Enjoy the VIP Christmas lights walk at Queens Park and a light supper with surprise visitors at the Visitor Information Centre.
The tour includes commentary from friendly guides, VIP Christmas lights access at Queens Park, supper, pick up and drop off from the council car park on Roderick Street.
Bookings are essential. Tickets cost $35 for adults, $30 concession, $25 for children (up to 12 years), and $99 for family (two adults and two children or one adult and three concession).
For this year’s summer season, The Workshops Rail Museum at Ipswich is holding a number of activities for the summer school holidays. The Summer Days at the Museum will start on Saturday, 15 December 2018 until Friday, 18 January 2019.
Activities for the Summer Days at the Museum are ideal for ages 3 to 10 and includes a circus train, circus camp zones, train simulator, and more.
Event Details
What: Summer Days at the Museum
When: Saturday, 15 December 2018 to Friday, 18 January 2019
For the school holidays, children will get the chance to run away with the circus and try juggling, hula loop, balance and more at the Circus Train.
Kids can also practice their acrobatic skills in the Circus Camp zone, or sharpen their aim and hand-eye coordination in a game of Bean Bag Toss and Crazy Quoits.
Photo credit: www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au
Train Exhibitions
Apart from getting active at the circus, children can also learn more about trains and see real-life steam and diesel locomotives. They can even drive one with a train simulator or play at the Nippers Railway indoor adventure playground.
Photo credit: www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au
Underworld: Mugshots from the Roaring Twenties
Workshops Rail Museum also prepared a fun learning activity for parents whilst the kids are having fun. In the Underworld: Mugshots from the Roaring Twenties , adults will be able to see 130 compelling mugshots taken by police between 1920-1930. Visitors can also earn about the era, justice and photography, and snap a family mugshot at the selfie wall.
If you want to head over to The Workshops Rail Museum during the school holidays, plan to spend more than three hours at the venue to enjoy all the activities. You may also pack a picnic and snacks to enjoy on the grounds or buy lunch at the cafe.
Ticket prices cost $14.50 for adults, $12.50 for concession, and $11.50 for ages 3-15. Children below three years may enter for free. A family package is also available for two adults and up to four children for $44.50.
Workshops Rail Museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Free parking will be available onsite.
Storms may have postponed the Springfield Lakes State School Spring Fair but nothing can stop the fun-filled day from happening on Sunday, 9 December 2018.
From 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the Spring Fair will be featuring up to 50 market stalls and food trucks. This will be a great time to finish off your Christmas shopping whilst enjoying good food, rides, and sideshows with family and friends.
Event Details
What: Springfield Lakes State School Spring Fair
When: Sunday, 9 December 2018; 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Kids of all ages can enjoy a variety of rides and bouncy castles as well as various stalls from SLSS Class including face painting, plaster painting, crazy hair, second-hand bookstall, and more.
Following is a list of the ten inflatables and rides available at the event :
Trackless train (all ages)
Teacup ride (all ages)
Laser tag (age 6 plus)
Storm (120cm to ride)
Tractor obstacle course
Commander slide
Toddler bouncy castle
Princess castle
Dinosaur castle
Hungry hippos
Photo credit: Springfield Lakes State School Spring Fair/Facebook
Ride passes will be available at the event for $30 for unlimited rides and $6 for a single ride. Discounted unlimited ride pass will also be available on Flexischools for $25 until Wednesday, 5 December 2018.
Photo credit: Springfield Lakes State School Spring Fair/Facebook
Choco lovers, brace yourselves as the event will also feature a game of chocolate pong. Can’t get enough of sweet treats? Class stalls will also have $2 mixed lolly bags.
Shopping made more fun at an iconic venue. That’s what the Museum Twilight Markets is. Considered to be one of the interesting event destinations in Ipswich, the markets will offer interesting finds at the historic The Workshops Rail Museum on Friday, 14 December 2018.
From 5:00 p.m., guests can enjoy a cool beverage whilst browsing a variety of stalls offering locally handcrafted products. The Museum Twilight Markets is a great way to find unique gift items and support Ipswich’s thriving creative community
Event Details
What: Museum Twilight Markets
When: Friday, 14 December 2018; 5:00 p.m.
Where: The Workshops Rail Museum
Museum Twilight Markets
Photo credit: www.brisstyle.com.au
On offer are quality handmade market stalls, food vendors, a licensed bar, and a free craft workshop. Other activities in the event include children’s entertainment, live music, and $10 torchlight tours of The Workshops Rail Museum.
Torchlight tours will be running throughout the evening at a cost of $10 per person. Limited spots are available with bookings available on the night only at the Museum Shop Stall, located in the undercover ‘Moving Goods’ area of the venue.
Entry costs $2 per person with children under the age of 12 free with an accompanying adult. Free on-street parking will also be available.
The Queensland Government is spending $114 million to expand several park and ride spaces across South East Queensland, and Springfield Central Park ‘n’ Ride will get the biggest chunk of the budget.
Springfield Central Station will receive $44.5 million of the state budget to increase its park and ride spaces from 492 to 1,142. The project is out to tender to architects, and plans are set to come in by Christmas 2018.
Photo credit: TravellerQLD/Wikimedia Commons
Construction at Springfield Central Station is expected to start in early 2019.
The state government’s plan is to add more than 2,300 new park and ride spaces in SE Queensland over the next five years. Currently, there are 30,000 park and ride spaces for commuters in SE Queensland.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said that this should reduce road congestion as it becomes easier for commuters to access public transport.
“Park ‘n’ ride facilities are an important element of the transport network and, when delivered in the right locations, allow customers to connect with high frequency public transport where walking, cycling and connecting public transport options are limited,” Mr Bailey said.
See the complete list of park ‘n’ ride sites in South East Queensland at the translink.com.au website.
Connor Johnson-James of Springfield Lakes continues to bring honour to his hometown, as one of the ten finalists in this year’s TAFE Queensland Apprentice Chef of the Year for 2018.
Connor Johnson-James, who is currently completing a Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery at Bella Cosi Modern Italian Restaurant at Chermside, took part in a Master Chef style competition for a chance to take this year’s top title.
“To know that I am competing against the best-of-the-best in my class has been both exhilarating and nerve-wracking,” Connor said.
Ten reasons to study at TAFE Queensland Video credit: TAFEQueensland/YouTube
Connor Johnson-James was one of the ten who were selected from the more than 280 TAFE Queensland apprentice chefs to compete for this year’s top title. The top ten were selected from interviews and the cook-off took place on Monday 8 October at TAFE Queensland’s South Bank campus.
The finalists in this year’s cook-off should be proud of their achievements, said the Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman. “TAFE Queensland has shown to be the best when it comes to training our future master chefs,” she said.
“We know that by 2020 it’s projected that we will need an additional 20,000 skilled workers in the growing tourism and hospitality industry, so continuing this training is vital to growing our economy and filling the jobs of the future.
“Queensland’s tourism industry is evolving in leaps and bounds, and our highly skilled students will play an important role for many years to come,” she said.
Applicants were required to design a five-item canape menu and address several criteria in a written application. On the day of the competition, the finalists, using a mystery box of ingredients, were required to prepare one of their five menu item canapes as well as an entrée and main meal.
Emma Arkinstall, a 23-year-old from Beaudesert, was named the TAFE Queensland Apprentice Chef of the Year on 22 October at 66 on Ernest at TAFE Queensland’s South Bank campus. Her seafood canape creation featuring scallops, finger limes and vodka and the focus on sustainable eating and cooking, won for her the award.
Connor Johnson-James is not new to such a competition. He was also a finalist at the ACOTY 2017 and have won a number of industry awards, including the 2017 Hospitality and Catering Award – Excellence Apprentice Chef of the Year.
The new primary school in Springfield West has now been given its official name — the Spring Mountain State School. Prior to the official naming of the school, it was called Springfield West State School.
The school is part of the $1.51 billion Queensland Schools Project Public Private Partnership with Plenary Schools. The partnership aims to deliver a number of Queensland schools and the Spring Mountain State School is the last one that is being built under the project.
The project has schools delivered at the following areas across southeast Queensland:
Pimpama
Burpengary
Pallara
Ripley Valley
Springfield
Griffin
Bellbird Park
Caboolture
Redbank Plains
Plenary Schools will construct, design, commission, partially finance, maintain and deliver facilities management services for the schools over a concession period of 30 years. The construction of the schools started in 2014.
The school’s name was inspired by the location of the school, which is located on the corner of the Spring Mountain Boulevard. It was the top name choice at several public meetings thus the final decision of using the name. Other names suggested were Springfield Rise and The Rise State School.
Spring Mountain State School will officially open in 2019 and will accommodate 760 students. It has a maximum capacity of 900 with 30 classrooms, a music and science block, resource centre, administration building, multipurpose hall, tuckshop and uniform shop, facilities officer’s room and an oval.
Photo credit: Spring Mountain State School / Facebook
Also, in July 2018, Cherie Moore was announced as the principal of the new school. She was the principal at the Moggill State School and Runcorn Heights State School.
Currently, the school is working with locals to create the school’s motto and uniform. They have released a uniform concept design and is also discussing the school’s vision statement.
To keep up with the latest updates, you can visit their Facebook page here.
