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Queensland Insurance Report Revisits Bracken Ridge’s Devastating 2022 Flood Year

Bracken Ridge recorded Queensland’s highest number of home insurance claims linked to extreme weather during the devastating 2022 floods, according to newly released data examining five years of storm damage across the state.

The Suncorp Insurance analysis, released in October 2026, examined more than 126,000 home claims lodged between the 2021–22 and 2025–26 financial years. Bracken Ridge led Queensland in 2021–22, when extraordinary rainfall and widespread flooding affected Southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Six days of exceptional rainfall across Brisbane

The 2022 flood disaster followed one of Brisbane’s most intense periods of sustained rainfall, with several consecutive days of heavy downpours overwhelming waterways and drainage systems.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Brisbane recorded 792.8 millimetres of rain between 23 and 28 February 2022, equivalent to 78 per cent of its average annual rainfall at the official city gauge.

The city’s February rainfall reached 887 millimetres, making it the second-wettest February on record after 1893. Daily totals exceeded 200 millimetres on three consecutive days from 26 to 28 February, an unprecedented sequence in Brisbane’s historical rainfall records.

Saturated catchments and sustained heavy rain contributed to widespread river, creek and flash flooding across the region. The exceptional conditions coincided with the financial year in which Bracken Ridge topped Suncorp’s claims ranking, although the insurer did not publish a separate breakdown of flood, wind or storm claims for the suburb.

As It Happened in 2022

Cabbage Tree Creek remains part of local flood monitoring

Bracken Ridge forms part of the wider Cabbage Tree Creek catchment, which extends through Brisbane’s northern suburbs towards the coastal lowlands around Deagon and Sandgate.

The suburb is included in Brisbane’s Greater Deagon flood alert area, alongside Deagon, Sandgate and Taigum. The Brisbane Severe Weather Alert network provides access to local flood monitoring information, including creek conditions during periods of heavy rainfall.

Flood exposure differs considerably between individual properties according to elevation, drainage and proximity to waterways. Inclusion in the catchment or alert area does not mean every Bracken Ridge home is exposed to creek flooding.

Bracken Ridge hosts flood insurance support

The scale of the 2022 disaster prompted the insurance industry to organise face-to-face community meetings across Queensland as households dealt with damaged properties and insurance claims.

Bracken Ridge Tavern was selected as the Brisbane North venue for an Insurance Council of Australia meeting scheduled for 15 June 2022. The event was intended to give flood-affected policyholders an opportunity to discuss their claims with insurers, raise concerns and obtain information about the recovery process.

Similar sessions were arranged in Gympie, Maryborough, Forest Lake and Ipswich. The Insurance Council also identified delays involving building supplies and contractors among the difficulties facing flood-affected households across Queensland.

By September 2022, the Insurance Council reported that the February–March disaster had generated more than 233,000 claims and approximately $5.28 billion in insured losses across affected regions.

Bracken Ridge’s ranking gives way to other hotspots

Bracken Ridge’s position at the top of Queensland’s 2021–22 claims ranking was followed by a succession of severe weather events affecting other parts of the state.

Maryborough led the insurer’s records in 2022–23, followed by Gympie in 2023–24 and Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast in 2024–25. Manly West became Queensland’s leading hotspot in 2025–26.

Suncorp Executive General Manager Home Insurance Anna Cartwright said the latest analysis demonstrated how quickly the concentration of claims could change between communities following major weather events.

The rankings cover Suncorp Insurance and AAMI customers rather than all Queensland households. No suburb-specific claims total was published for Bracken Ridge, and its absence from the top position in subsequent years does not establish that its weather-related risks have diminished.

Where residents can check their flood risk

Bracken Ridge homeowners can access Brisbane’s FloodWise Property Report service to check available flood information for their address, including relevant flood levels and hazards where modelling exists.

Brisbane’s Severe Weather Alert network also provides information on local flood monitoring, while residents can prepare for future heavy rainfall by checking gutters, downpipes and drainage around their properties.

Published 16-Oct-2026

Dementia and Home Fire Safety: When a Smoke Alarm Isn’t Enough

According to Dementia Australia, an estimated 446,500 Australians are living with dementia in 2026, and that number is projected to exceed one million by 2065. For families caring for a parent, partner or loved one, keeping them safe at home involves plenty of everyday considerations. One that can easily be overlooked is what happens if a fire breaks out.

Most of us know what a smoke alarm means. We hear it, recognise the danger and understand that we need to get out. For someone living with dementia, however, that familiar sound may cause confusion rather than prompt an immediate response, particularly if they are woken suddenly in the middle of the night.

Hearing loss and reduced mobility can complicate matters further. Someone may not hear the warning clearly or may need assistance to reach an exit, even in a home they have lived in for decades.

Families supporting older relatives often spend considerable time thinking about medication, mobility and preventing falls. Fire safety deserves a place in those conversations too, especially when a person’s needs are changing.

The Risks Behind the Numbers

An Australian study examining 900 preventable residential fire deaths between 2003 and 2017 found that nearly 47 per cent of those who died had at least one identified disability. When researchers excluded cases where disability status could not be established, that proportion rose to approximately 62 per cent.

Although the findings cover a broad range of disabilities rather than dementia alone, they raise an important consideration for households: a working smoke alarm is only one part of keeping people safe. Someone must also be able to recognise the danger and respond, which may be difficult when memory, hearing or mobility is affected.

Cathy Brand, CEO of Australian fire-safety company Brooks Australia, says household protection needs to reflect the abilities of the people living there.

“An alarm only works if the person can actually hear it, see it and understand what it means. For someone living with dementia, that’s not always the case,” Ms Brand says.

When a Familiar Sound Becomes Confusing

Dementia affects people differently, and the changes are not always obvious. Someone who manages comfortably during the day may struggle with an unexpected alarm or decisions that need to be made quickly.

An alarm sounding overnight can be especially disorienting. Even a person who knows the layout of their home may become uncertain about which way to go, while someone with hearing difficulties might miss the warning altogether.

Fire-safety technology offers additional ways to alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Interconnected smoke alarms activate together when one detects smoke, allowing a warning to reach other parts of the home without waiting for smoke to spread to each detector.

Compatible systems can also incorporate flashing strobe lights or vibrating pads placed beneath pillows, providing another way to alert someone who may not hear an audible alarm. Brooks Australia is among the manufacturers offering these options, including visual alert accessories and bedside vibration systems.

Ms Brand sums up the value of interconnection simply: “You want the warning travelling through the house faster than the smoke.”

While these devices can help people receive a warning, they cannot necessarily overcome the confusion or difficulty interpreting danger that some people with dementia experience. Families therefore need to consider how a person is likely to respond, as well as how they will be alerted.

Making the Escape Plan Fit the Person

Families often adjust a home gradually as an older relative’s needs change. Loose rugs are removed, bathroom handrails installed and furniture rearranged to make moving around easier. Fire safety deserves the same attention, particularly when someone may need help leaving the house quickly.

Ms Brand encourages families to approach an escape plan much as they would fall prevention.

“We’d also encourage families to think about a fire escape plan the same way they’d think about a fall prevention plan — walk through it together, practice it, and make sure it’s realistic for the person’s current abilities, not the abilities they had five years ago,” she says.

For someone using a walking frame, that could mean ensuring hallways remain clear and doors can be opened easily. In other households, the greater concern may be whether a person will recognise an exit or remember what to do when frightened.

Overnight arrangements deserve particular thought, including who could provide assistance if someone cannot evacuate independently. Rehearsing an escape route can help, but a plan should not depend entirely on a person with dementia remembering instructions during an emergency.

Small Changes Worth Making Now

A home fire-safety review need not involve major renovations. Testing smoke alarms, checking their age and location, clearing escape routes and keeping combustible materials away from heaters and cooking areas are sensible starting points.

Where someone has hearing loss, visual or vibrating alerts may provide an additional warning. Households supporting someone with dementia or significant mobility limitations may also benefit from discussing their arrangements with carers, relevant health professionals or qualified fire-safety installers.

There is a timely reason for Queensland homeowners to review their existing alarms. From 1 January 2027, the final stage of the state’s smoke-alarm reforms will apply to remaining domestic dwellings, including existing owner-occupied homes. Required alarms must be interconnected and installed in prescribed locations, including every bedroom and relevant hallways.

Meeting those requirements provides an important foundation, although families may need additional measures depending on who lives in the home.

A Conversation Before It Becomes an Emergency

As Australia’s dementia population grows, more families will face the challenge of helping loved ones remain safe while preserving as much independence as possible. Fire safety belongs in that conversation, alongside the everyday adjustments that make a home easier and safer to live in.

“We want families, carers and aged care providers to feel empowered to have this conversation early, rather than waiting for a near miss to prompt change,” Ms Brand says.

For families, a useful starting point is to walk through the home together, check the alarms and consider what would happen if a fire started while everyone was asleep.

The important question is whether the people living there would have the warning, understanding and assistance they need to get out safely.

Published 9-Oct-2026

Bracken Ridge CPR Awareness Gives Locals A Skill That Matters When Seconds Count

Bracken Ridge CPR awareness lands on 3 October, and it is the sort of event that deserves a closer look. It is not flashy nor does not try to be. It simply offers something useful, and that is often the best kind of community event.

There is nothing abstract about it either. Bracken Ridge CPR awareness points straight at a basic truth. Emergencies do not wait for a tidy moment. They turn up in the middle of ordinary life, usually when nobody feels ready.

That is why this session matters. Most people want to help in a crisis. The problem is not kindness. It is hesitation. People freeze. They second-guess themselves. They worry about getting it wrong. A simple, local session can chip away at that fear.

Confidence before panic

That is the real value of Bracken Ridge CPR awareness. It is not just about technique. It is about confidence. CPR awareness gives people a first step, and that first step can change the whole shape of an emergency.

Bracken Ridge is the sort of suburb where that message makes sense. Life moves in a familiar rhythm. Parents juggle school runs. Kids head to sport. Older residents keep an eye on neighbours. People go about their days expecting them to stay normal. Then one day, they do not.

That is where practical knowledge matters. A CPR session does not promise miracles. It promises readiness. That may sound simple, but simple is often what people need when the pressure hits.

The sort of thing that stays with you

Good local events leave a mark without making a fuss. Bracken Ridge CPR awareness does that by putting a life-saving skill into the hands of everyday people. It is the kind of learning that stays tucked away until the day it is needed.

And that is what gives it weight. It is not about theatre or big claims. It is about being able to act before panic takes over. That kind of confidence is worth something.

Bracken Ridge CPR awareness may only last a morning, but the idea behind it lasts much longer. It gives locals something practical, something steady and something that might matter more than they expect.

Published 30-September-2026

Major Gateway Upgrade to Reshape Bracken Ridge Roads, Paths and Access

A major upgrade to the Gateway Motorway and Bruce Highway is set to bring significant changes to Bracken Ridge, with new road connections, redesigned intersections and expanded shared paths planned across the suburb.

The works form part of the Queensland Government’s Gateway to Bruce Upgrade (G2BU), with construction expected to begin in late 2026, subject to approvals.

For Bracken Ridge residents, the project centres on the busy corridor around Barfoot Street, Bracken Ridge Road and the Gateway Motorway — an area set for major transformation.

New paths and a continuous northside cycling corridor

One of the most notable additions is a continuous shared path running along the northern side of the motorway, effectively creating a direct cycling and walking link between Dohles Rocks Road and Barfoot Street.

The route will cross the Pine River, offering a safer and more connected option for commuters travelling between North Lakes, Murrumba Downs and Brisbane’s northside suburbs.

While the path will run alongside the motorway, limiting access points in some sections, it is expected to significantly improve long-distance connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians.

Major changes at Barfoot Street and St John Fisher precinct

Closer to home, the “Bracken Ridge bend” near Barfoot Street and St John Fisher College will see some of the most extensive upgrades.

Plans include wider shared paths, new underpasses, upgraded crossings and improved links between existing and new infrastructure — designed to make movement through the area safer and more efficient.

A new signalised intersection at Barfoot Street and Bracken Ridge Road is also planned, alongside improved motorway access ramps and connections.

Photo Credit: TMR Newsletter/Brisbane North Bug

Wyampa Road overhaul to improve local access

Further north, Wyampa Road is set for a major reconfiguration, including the removal of the existing overpass and the introduction of new connections.

The changes are expected to improve access to Tinchi Tamba and surrounding areas, while also linking into new shared paths and underpasses connecting through to parklands and local routes.

Additional connections, including a link under the motorway towards Canterbury Park, are designed to improve local accessibility and create safer movement options for cyclists and pedestrians.

Construction impacts and long-term detours

Given the scale of the project, construction will be staged over several years, with traffic management and detours expected — particularly around the Bracken Ridge corridor.

Cycling and shared path users are also likely to face long-term detours during construction, with authorities indicating that updates will be provided as works progress.

A detailed staging plan is expected closer to the start of construction, outlining how disruptions will be managed for both motorists and active transport users.

The timeline — and what it means locally

While the headline changes are now clearer, the timeline is less immediate. Construction is not expected to begin until late 2026, meaning the project will remain in planning and approvals for some time yet.

Even then, the scale of the works means disruption will be a long-term reality for Bracken Ridge and surrounding suburbs. Staged construction, shifting traffic conditions and extended detours are likely to be part of daily life as the upgrade rolls out.

Beyond the first stage, further upgrades along the Bruce Highway corridor remain in the pipeline, including additional road connections and new bridges over the Pine River. Those elements are still in design and subject to further development.

For residents, the next phase will be less about construction and more about detail — how the project is staged, where access points sit, and how well the final design balances improved connectivity with local impacts.

Updated 29-September-2026.

Gateway Motorway Upgrade Clears Federal Environmental Approval

Photo credit: TMR

A major upgrade of the Gateway Motorway through Bracken Ridge has cleared a significant federal environmental approval stage, removing one of the conditions that had remained ahead of the project’s planned move towards construction.

The Australian Government’s National Environmental Protection Agency granted approval on 23 September for the Gateway Motorway upgrade between Bracken Ridge and the Pine River, subject to environmental conditions.

The decision covers a 5.8-kilometre section from Depot Road to the Bruce Highway and follows an assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

It does not, however, mean construction has started. Detailed design remains underway and, as at 29 September, the Department of Transport and Main Roads continued to list the project in its planning phase.

Why Canberra had to assess the project

The Commonwealth’s involvement dates back to 2024, when the motorway proposal was declared a “controlled action” under federal environmental law.

That decision reflected the project’s potential to significantly affect matters protected nationally, including the ecological character of a Ramsar-listed wetland, listed threatened species and ecological communities, and listed migratory species.

TMR was required to prepare a Public Environment Report examining those potential impacts and setting out measures for avoidance, mitigation, management and environmental offsets.

A draft went on public exhibition between 30 June and 28 July this year, with submissions considered before the final assessment documentation was released for public viewing on 24 August.

Federal approval followed about a month later.

Approval comes with environmental obligations

The Commonwealth approval is conditional rather than an unrestricted go-ahead. TMR has confirmed it will be required to prepare annual compliance reports showing how the project is meeting the conditions attached to the decision.

The environmental assessment process has also shaped measures proposed for the corridor, including fauna fencing and fauna movement infrastructure, rehabilitation of temporarily disturbed areas and environmental management during construction.

Around Bald Hills Creek, TMR’s current project design includes fauna fencing and a fauna underpass, while the broader assessment has examined how construction could affect wetlands, habitat and wildlife movement.

Those environmental requirements will sit alongside the engineering work now progressing on the motorway design.

What Bracken Ridge will eventually see

For local motorists, the project is much more than additional motorway lanes.

Plans include widening the Gateway Motorway from its existing four lanes to three lanes in each direction, with additional capacity around interchanges. Connections involving Bracken Ridge Road, Barfoot Street and the Deagon Deviation are also being changed, while the motorway curve at Bracken Ridge is to be upgraded.

A continuous shared pedestrian and bicycle path is planned along the northern side of the motorway, connecting with local routes including Barfoot Street, Deagon Deviation and Wyampa Road.

The Gateway project has a $1 billion funding commitment from the Australian and Queensland governments and is being delivered with the adjoining Bruce Highway upgrade as the Gateway to Bruce Upgrade.

Detailed design is underway under the combined design-and-construct arrangement.

The federal decision therefore removes an important environmental approval step, but it should not be mistaken for the start of works on the ground. TMR’s published timetable continues to point to construction beginning in late 2026.

Published 29-Sept-2026

Fitzgibbon Is Named After the Man Who Changed Queensland Rail

Photo Credit: edq.qld.gov

On Brisbane’s northside, where modern housing meets remnants of bushland, there is little to suggest a place anchored in colonial drama. In Fitzgibbon, the suburban streets hum with the quiet routine of modern life, showing few visual clues to the fierce debates that once shaped the state.

Embedded in the locality’s identity, however, lies the footprint of an Irish engineer who helped convince a cash-strapped colonial government to make a contentious infrastructure gamble.

An engineer with a cheaper way west

Colonial ambition demanded better access to the rich agricultural lands of the Darling Downs, while bullock teams struggled over rough roads vulnerable to bad weather. Abraham Fitzgibbon arrived in Queensland in June 1863 and was soon drawn into the colony’s search for an affordable railway. Appointed Chief Engineer in September, the former New Zealand railway consultant advocated a narrow 3 ft 6 in gauge rather than the 4 ft 8½ in standard gauge.

Photo Credit: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

The narrower system promised cheaper construction and greater flexibility through difficult country. Opposition was fierce. Debate over the 1863 Railway Bill focused heavily on the proposed gauge, while critics in Parliament and the press questioned whether the colony was taking too great a risk on an unconventional main-line railway.

Queensland ultimately backed Mr Fitzgibbon’s approach.

Three feet six inches — and no turning back

Crews broke ground on the first section at North Ipswich in 1864 after months of political argument. Queensland’s first railway opened to Bigge’s Camp, later Grandchester, on 31 July 1865, and the network soon pushed west towards Toowoomba, Dalby and Warwick.

The opening vindicated narrow gauge as a workable railway system, but Mr Fitzgibbon’s own career remained contentious. Professional and political disputes continued around the railway program, and his contract was terminated in 1867.

Abraham Fitzgibbon’s petition to the Queensland Legislative Assembly, dated 2 October 1867, in which the former Chief Engineer of the Southern and Western Railway challenged official reports about his conduct and sought an opportunity to defend his professional reputation.
Photo Credit: *National Library of Australia*

Mr Fitzgibbon later returned to Britain and died at Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, in 1887, but the gauge he championed endured. By the turn of the century, thousands of kilometres of narrow-gauge railway had been laid across Queensland, forming the backbone of a network that connected inland communities with ports and markets.

Much of Queensland’s rail system still operates on the same 1,067 mm gauge.

His name found a home a century later

A century after the first railway opened, Mr Fitzgibbon’s name resurfaced on Brisbane’s expanding northside. The suburb was formally named after him in 1971, giving a comparatively modern community an unexpected link to Queensland’s pioneering railway history.

The declaration of the Fitzgibbon Priority Development Area in 2008 set the scene for substantial residential development across the district while planning documents also recognised significant bushland, open space and ecological corridors.

Nearby Boondall Wetlands adds to the environmental importance of the broader area. Mangroves, tidal flats, wetlands and forest provide habitat for native wildlife and migratory shorebirds only a short distance from established suburbs.

Mr Fitzgibbon helped force colonial lawmakers to decide how far they were prepared to depart from railway convention to build a network Queensland could afford. Today, the suburb bearing his name sits inside another debate over how a growing city accommodates housing while retaining valuable natural habitat.

Updated 26-September-2026

Lions Complete Immortal Three-Peat After Grand Final Finish For The Ages

Seventeen points down. Less than five minutes left. Fremantle had one hand on the first premiership in their history and Brisbane’s bid for football immortality was disappearing by the second.

What followed was scarcely believable, even for a Lions team that has made a habit of surviving the impossible.

Charlie Cameron gave them life. Zac Bailey turned hope into genuine belief. Then Logan Morris, with the Grand Final on the line, took a contested mark inside 50 and kicked Brisbane in front with 64 seconds remaining.

By the time Morris kicked another with just 11 seconds left, the MCG was shaking and Brisbane had completed an extraordinary Grand Final escape.

The Lions are premiers for a third consecutive season, defeating Fremantle 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) in front of 100,023 at the MCG.

Three premierships in three years. Brisbane now stand alongside their own 2001–03 champions and Hawthorn’s 2013–15 side as the only teams this century to win three consecutive flags.

A Grand Final That Refused To Settle

From the opening minutes, there was little indication this game would ever settle into a comfortable rhythm.

Cameron kicked the first goal — remarkably, the first time Brisbane had opened the scoring across their four consecutive Grand Final appearances — before Josh Treacy answered for Fremantle. In slippery conditions, both teams left opportunities behind during an absorbing opening term, with the Lions taking a one-point lead, 3.5 (23) to 3.4 (22), into quarter-time.

The second quarter became a contest of punch and counter-punch. Fremantle’s smaller forwards were creating problems, while Patrick Voss was dragging Harris Andrews into uncomfortable positions and becoming an increasingly dangerous target. At the other end, Conor McKenna produced another superb finish from a difficult angle for Brisbane.

The lead kept changing hands, but neither side could escape. By half-time there had already been 10 lead changes, and the scoreboard reflected the deadlock perfectly at 6.7 (43) apiece.

It was the second consecutive Grand Final to be level at the long break. Fremantle emerged from it looking ready to take control.

Fremantle Make Their Move

Jye Amiss kicked the opening goal of the second half and Fremantle’s strength in the air was becoming increasingly difficult for Brisbane to contain. By that stage the Dockers had taken 10 contested marks to Brisbane’s two, despite conditions hardly appearing made for tall forwards.

Then came a brutal turn. Captain Alex Pearce collapsed while running and was forced from the game with an Achilles injury, leaving Fremantle to reorganise an undersized defence. Rather than retreat, however, the Dockers initially surged, with Isaiah Dudley kicking his second goal.

Brisbane eventually found their response. The Lions strung three goals together, Oscar Allen helping bring them back before Cameron — despite appearing troubled by an ankle problem only minutes earlier — put them ahead 61–60.

Fremantle answered immediately through Hayden Young, who struck again late in the quarter with a superb snap from a tight angle. The Dockers went to three-quarter time leading 10.12 (72) to 9.8 (62) and, after a Grand Final that had swung repeatedly all afternoon, were one quarter from history.

A Chase That Helped Keep Brisbane Alive

The Lions attacked early in the final term but initially could not make it count. Hugh McCluggage and McKenna missed opportunities before Morris finally kicked Brisbane’s first goal of the quarter, cutting the deficit to three.

Fremantle did not blink. Michael Frederick converted from around 35 metres to restore a nine-point advantage with 7:32 remaining, and soon the Dockers had an even bigger opportunity.

Treacy broke towards an open goal square with the chance to put one hand on the cup, but Ryan Lester refused to concede it. The veteran Lion chased from behind and applied just enough pressure to throw Treacy off as he kicked from only metres out, sending the shot wide. In a Grand Final ultimately decided by seven points, it became one of the afternoon’s enormous defensive moments.

Fremantle found another blow barely a minute later anyway. Voss marked metres from goal and kicked his third, stretching the lead to 17 points with about four minutes remaining and triggering “Wharfie Time” around the MCG. After everything the Dockers had survived, their first premiership suddenly felt close enough to touch.

It lasted only seconds.

Four Goals That Changed Everything

Cameron pounced and kicked his third to drag Brisbane back to 11 points, then Bailey followed almost immediately. In the space of barely a minute, a 17-point lead that had looked decisive was down to five and the mood inside the MCG had completely changed.

Fremantle were suddenly trying to protect a premiership rather than chase one, with Brisbane throwing everything forward. The Lions kept coming until, with 64 seconds remaining, Morris took a contested mark inside 50 and was handed the kick that could turn an extraordinary comeback into a premiership.

The 21-year-old went back and converted, putting Brisbane ahead 90–89.

There was still enough time for Fremantle to answer, but the Lions would not give the game back. Instead, Morris found himself with another opportunity as the clock disappeared and, with 11 seconds remaining, kicked his third to push Brisbane seven points clear.

This time, the Lions knew they had it.

The siren confirmed an astonishing 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) victory. Brisbane had been 17 points down with the premiership slipping away, then kicked four unanswered goals in the final minutes to rip it back from Fremantle.

The Lions Join Their Own Immortals

Cameron and Morris finished with three goals each, while Oscar Allen and Kai Lohmann kicked two apiece. Voss led Fremantle with three, with Young, Dudley and Amiss each adding two.

For the Dockers, there will be moments that linger. Pearce’s injury forced a reshuffle of their defence, Treacy came desperately close to stretching the lead at a critical stage, and with fewer than five minutes remaining they were 17 points ahead in a Grand Final.

They had pushed the reigning premiers to the brink, but this Brisbane generation has spent four Septembers building a remarkable resistance to pressure. The heartbreak of the 2023 loss to Collingwood was followed by the breakthrough against Sydney in 2024 and another premiership against Geelong last year.

Now comes the flag that completes the three-peat.

Earlier this season the Lions were 6–6. A week ago they had to survive another MCG thriller against Hawthorn just to reach the Grand Final, and on Saturday their three-peat appeared all but gone with minutes remaining.

Cameron started the rescue and Bailey accelerated it. Lester’s desperate chase suddenly looked priceless, before Morris supplied the two kicks that will be replayed in Brisbane for years.

Twenty-three years after the Lions of 2001, 2002 and 2003 completed one of football’s great premiership runs, another Brisbane side has climbed alongside them.

Back-to-back-to-back — and this time, they had to come back from the edge to get there.

Match Details

2026 AFL Grand Final
Fremantle Dockers 12.17 (89) lost to Brisbane Lions 14.12 (96)
Quarter-time: Brisbane 3.5 (23) – Fremantle 3.4 (22)
Half-time: Fremantle 6.7 (43) – Brisbane 6.7 (43)
Three-quarter time: Fremantle 10.12 (72) – Brisbane 9.8 (62)
Final: Brisbane 14.12 (96) – Fremantle 12.17 (89)
Margin: Brisbane by 7 points
Date: Saturday, 26 September 2026
Venue: MCG, Melbourne
Crowd: 100,023

Goals — Brisbane: Charlie Cameron 3, Logan Morris 3, Oscar Allen 2, Kai Lohmann 2, Conor McKenna 1, Sam Draper 1, Levi Ashcroft 1, Zac Bailey 1
Goals — Fremantle: Patrick Voss 3, Hayden Young 2, Isaiah Dudley 2, Jye Amiss 2, Josh Treacy 1, Murphy Reid 1, Michael Frederick 1

Published 26-September-2026

New Housing Rules Boost Capacity Along Brisbane Northside Rail Corridor

Photo Credit: BCC

Brisbane’s northside rail corridor could accommodate a broader mix of homes as planning changes expand opportunities for low-rise development across parts of Zillmere, Fitzgibbon, Nundah, Northgate, Clayfield, Hamilton and Ascot.

The suburbs stretch from established inner-north neighbourhoods to growing communities further north, giving the housing changes a varied footprint. Council’s More Homes, Sooner program is designed to increase housing supply in locations where residents can make use of existing transport, shopping and other services.

Rail corridors put homes closer to established connections

Transport access is a major feature of several affected northside suburbs, with Nundah, Northgate and Zillmere located along Brisbane’s northern rail corridor and Clayfield and Ascot also served by passenger rail.

Greater housing capacity in those areas is consistent with Council’s broader strategy of concentrating more homes near public transport and established centres. Council says well-located development can make better use of existing infrastructure, support shorter trips and give residents easier access to shops and services.

Nundah already combines a major residential population with a commercial centre and transport connections. The 2021 Census recorded 13,098 people in the suburb, with an average household size of 2.0 people and more than 7000 private dwellings.

Zillmere had 9323 residents and an average household size of 2.3 people, while Northgate recorded 4876 residents and an average household size of 2.4.

Smaller lots widen the housing mix

The low-medium density changes provide greater scope for housing between detached homes and large apartment developments.

Qualifying sites can accommodate lots as small as 120 square metres where relevant location, design and servicing requirements are satisfied. Development of up to three storeys is provided for more broadly, while multiple dwellings of up to four storeys may be permitted at designated locations near frequent public transport or centres.

The framework supports housing types including townhouses, row houses, dual occupancies and low-rise apartments. Council says smaller and more varied homes are needed as household sizes change, particularly for people seeking alternatives to larger detached houses.

Different suburbs, a shared push for housing choice

The northside areas affected by the changes are not uniform. Nundah and Clayfield already contain substantial apartment and unit development, while Northgate, Zillmere and Fitzgibbon include a broader mix of detached and attached housing.

Hamilton and Ascot add an inner-north dimension, with established services and transport connections providing another setting for additional low-medium density housing.

Eligible land will remain within the low-medium density residential framework rather than being converted to high-rise zoning. Design provisions regulate matters including building scale, site cover, landscaping and servicing, with additional controls applying to smaller lots.

The changes increase the range of housing that can be developed across eligible northside sites, particularly around established transport and services. Actual construction will still depend on individual properties, landowners, market conditions and applicable development approvals.

Published 7-Sept-2026

When Dolly Came to Brisbane: A Local Farewell to a Country Music Legend

Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80 will be felt a long way from the Tennessee mountains where her remarkable story began. In Brisbane, there are thousands of people who can remember seeing that story play out in person.

Parton performed at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre 10 times across three visits spanning 27 years, beginning with four shows alongside Kenny Rogers in 1987 and ending with three concerts on her Blue Smoke World Tour in 2014.

The country music legend died on Tuesday, 25 August, leaving behind a career that stretched almost seven decades and produced some of the most recognisable songs in popular music.

Brisbane was fortunate enough to welcome her at three very different points along the way.

Kenny and Dolly Arrive in Boondall

Parton’s first documented Brisbane concerts came in February 1987, when the Brisbane Entertainment Centre itself was barely a year old.

Then came Kenny and Dolly.

Parton and Kenny Rogers were already firmly associated in the public imagination through Islands in the Stream, their huge 1983 duet, and Real Love, released two years later. Their Australian tour reached Boondall for an extraordinary four concerts in five nights, on 23, 24, 25 and 27 February.

For Brisbane audiences, this was Dolly at the height of her crossover fame. She had already made 9 to 5, established herself on the big screen and taken songs such as Jolene and I Will Always Love You well beyond their country music beginnings.

Those four nights also began a long association between Parton and the Entertainment Centre, the venue she would return to on both of her later Brisbane visits.

A 24-Year Wait for Her Return

Brisbane then waited a very long time for another Dolly Parton concert. She finally returned in November 2011 on the Better Day World Tour, playing three consecutive nights at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 25, 26 and 27 November. The middle show was sold out before the tour arrived.

A generation had passed since the Kenny Rogers concerts, but Parton’s audience had become broader rather than smaller. Whitney Houston’s version of I Will Always Love You had introduced her songwriting to millions more listeners, while 9 to 5, Jolene and Coat of Many Colors had become songs parents could share with children who weren’t even born when Dolly first played Boondall.

The 2011 tour marked her return to Australia after a lengthy absence, and Brisbane’s three-night run showed there was still considerable appetite to see her. At 65, she wasn’t simply revisiting an old catalogue either: Better Day, her 41st studio album, had been released only months earlier.

Brisbane’s Last Chance to See Dolly

The wait for the next visit was much shorter. Parton returned to Boondall in February 2014 on her Blue Smoke World Tour, performing on 21, 22 and 25 February.

Australia had a prominent place in that chapter of her career. The Blue Smoke album was released first in Australia and New Zealand to coincide with the tour and went to No. 1 in both countries.

A review of her Brisbane show that month found a 68-year-old Parton still moving comfortably between the old and the new. Jolene appeared early, Coat of Many Colors drew on the Tennessee childhood that shaped so much of her songwriting, and Islands in the Stream and 9 to 5 helped bring the show towards its close before I Will Always Love You finished the night.

There was new material as well, along with the humour and storytelling that had become as much a part of a Dolly Parton concert as the rhinestones.

Few in those audiences could have known that these would be her final Brisbane appearances.

Parton eventually announced in 2022 that she was finished with large-scale touring, although she continued recording and making occasional appearances. She released the rock album Rockstar the following year and remained musically active into her late 70s. In January this year, she marked her 80th birthday with a new recording of Light of a Clear Blue Morning.

For Brisbane, though, the memories lead back to Boondall. Between February 1987 and February 2014, Dolly Parton walked onto the Brisbane Entertainment Centre stage 10 times. Some fans saw her beside Kenny Rogers, others waited 24 years for her return, while a younger generation caught her during those final Australian shows.

She never made it back to a Brisbane stage after 2014, but for the people who filled the Entertainment Centre on those 10 nights, Dolly Parton wasn’t always a legend somewhere far away in Tennessee.

Every now and then, Dolly came to Brisbane.

Published 25-August-2026