Trip To The Village Markets Stones Corner

The Village Markets Stones Corner

Burleigh Heads huge fashion market is making waves in Brisbane.

We know that sometimes after a ruff week, you just want to paws and head out to breakfast with your furry friend. We were in a dog walking group a couple of years ago and we had breakfast at Brown Dog Café so we decided to drop in there again before heading to Stones Corners Markets.  Woollongabba's cafes often have queues around the block, a trend that is unique to Queensland diners.

Brown Dog has to be one of the undisputed gems if Brisbane. Brown Dog Cafe occupies a tiny ex-corner store in a bit of a no-man’s land outside of the Woolloongabba’s antique quarter, but that doesn’t stop the crowds piling in on a regular basis. The vibe is cool urban retro, and the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming.

The lures are many - the friendly spot on service, well made Di Bella coffee and food that miraculously appears from the airline-galley sized kitchen, not to mention the park-your-dog spaces outside. On that note, one of the standout dishes happens to be the Dog breakfast – scrambled eggs, haloumi, avocado, roma tomato and spinach. Even though they are really busy, they always greet all clients, and happy to take orders. We could stay all morning, but the markets were beckoning.

Our favourite Burleigh Heads market, The Village Markets, expanded North to Brisbane at Stones Corner on a quarterly basis. This was our second chance to drop in and check out the stores.

The Village Markets at Stones Corner Village lined up with boutique market stalls, live music, creative workshops, family fun, pre-loved designer and vintage Rack Sales and good vibes. Alongside this is a beautiful street filled with boutiques, eateries, eclectic establishments and more.

One thing we like about visiting different markets is that they are all unique; they all sell perishable commodities from varied suppliers but there will always be a few stallholders distinctive to each market.

Fashion, art, homewares and handcrafted goods as far as the eye can see — that's The Village Markets. A Burleigh Heads favourite ever since setting up shop over a decade ago, this regular browsing and buying mecca combines a specially curated stall lineup with food, drinks, live local music and creative workshops, plus a super relaxed vibe.

It’s great news for us living north of Burleigh Heads, TVM now makes the leap to Brisbane. Forget driving down the highway — all we need to do is make our way to Stones Corner Village once a quarter.

Regardless of the time of year, the market is perfect for anyone looking for a gift — for others, and for themselves. Think everything from colourful dresses to luxe jewellery to accessories for your puppy, plus the Brissie version of TVM's famed pre-loved designer and vintage rack sales.

Stones Corner - The Village Markets

#brisbanefoods #brisbaneeats #brisbanecafe #brisbanecoffee #brisbanebloggers #igersbrisbane #brisbaneanyday #brisbanecity #viewsofbrisbane #queensland #thisisqueensland #discoverqueensland #qld #browndogcafe #stonecornermarkets

Mito Foundation 10th Anniversary Lunch Brisbane

Mito Foundation 10th Anniversary Lunch - Brisbane

2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the Mito Foundation. While there is still much to do, the Minto Foundation wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the progress that has been made and thank everyone for their continued support.

Kim was invited due to her outstanding contribution in helping out the Bloody Long Walk in Brisbane and Gold Coast. The Bloody Long Walk is owned and operated by the Mito Foundation so 100% of profits go directly to support people affected by mitochondrial disease, find treatments and cures, and fund education and advocacy programs.

We enjoyed a buffet lunch at Kedron Wavell RSL among other volunteers, friends, family, while we listened from key members of the Mito community.

Doug is a Radiologist & Nuclear Physician who has been active in both public and private medicine in Australia for over 30 years. He is a cofounder of the largest Diagnostic Imaging practice in Australia, Pittwater Radiology & Medical Imaging Australasia Ltd. He and his wife Margie are the parents of two children with mitochondrial disease.

Melinda was 20 when her left eyelid started to droop. This was her first symptom of mitochondrial disease, but it took 17 years for her to receive a diagnosis.

Rebecca was working towards her dream job as a hairdresser when she began experiencing chronic stomach pain. It took multiple doctors and tests before she was diagnosed with mito.

The Mito Foundation supports people affected by mitochondrial disease (mito), funds essential research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cures of mitochondrial disorders, and increases awareness and education about this devastating disease.

Fashion Store Spring into Style VIP Night Ferny Hills

Spring into Style - VIP Night

When it comes to buying designer fashion, everyone needs a bit of pre-lovin’ now and then. And luckily Brisbane delivers, with a smattering of pre-loved fashion boutiques scattered throughout the city and suburbs. Herein, with a bit of rummaging, leading labels can be found at a fraction of the retail price and often in mint condition.

Lee Martin of Ferny Hills is giving residents the opportunity to look good and feel good all at once. Lee used her retail background to open up Style Your Way, a preloved fashion store that donates to the Joining Hands Foundation. Joining Hands is an organisation that provides access to health and wellbeing services for homeless and vulnerable youth. Inspired by Kylie Lowe, social worker of 20 years, cancer survivor and creator of Joining Hands, Ms Martin wanted to make a difference. 

The boutique-style store runs off donations, selling women’s and children’s clothing as well as jewellery, shoes and handbags. She is beyond grateful for every donation and only sells items of a certain standard to uphold her vision of providing affordable yet stylish fashion. Everything she doesn’t put in the store she passes on to other preloved stores. Kim went down Saturday night to the Spring into Style - VIP Night. Style Your Way hosted an after hours shopping event, and guest were invited to see their collection of pre-loved spring/summer clothes, shoes and accessories. There was lucky door prizes up for grabs, bubbles on arrival and pre-dinner nibbles.

Mona had the VC Café open for the event. VC Cafe is a secret pocket-sized Persian cafe found in a tiny suburban laneway attached to Vince & Charlie's Fruit Market, next to Style Your Way in Ferny Hills. The cafe, which features laneway seating, serves homemade Persian cuisine such as lentil curries, cakes, biscuits, toasties, and healthy breakfast omelettes. Beverages at VC Cafe include Mio coffee, pots of tea (Persian herbal, rose flower, saffron, spicy chai, English breakfast), smoothies (detox green, berry blast, choco lover, colour full), and fresh juices (summer smash, spring bliss, mr lean, the cleanse).

Pre-loved clothes can be a quirky and unique addition to any wardrobe. So get shopping and search for your unique history-filled piece of clothing. There is a charm behind owning a piece of original pre-loved apparel.

Volunteering At Brisbane To Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

VOLUNTEERING BRISBANE TO GOLD COAST CYCLE CHALLENGE

Queensland’s biggest and best bike ride turned 15!

The Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge is the largest cycling event on the Bicycle Queensland calendar.  The 100km cycle challenge began on the Eleanor Schonell Bridge (Green Bridge) at UQ for the 15th anniversary with an uninterrupted traffic-free 15km start along the South East Busway. After exiting the Busway the course then followed a combination of service and suburban roads all the way to the Broadwater Parklands at Southport on the Gold Coast with a couple of rest stops in between. The Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge teamed up with Mater’s Smiling for Smiddy in 2019. Funds raised through Smiling for Smiddy support vital cancer research at Mater Research, Mater’s world class research institute.

It’s 5.30am and we dropped into the start barrier on the Brisbane to Gold Coast 100km bicycle ride to take a few photos before we headed to Southport Parklands. The sun was rising steadily into the sky, casting long shadows across the road. Riders assembled the length of the Green Bridge in their nominated speed category with the VIP’s leading the riders into the busway.

Wave after wave riders left the start and a few hundred metres were zipping down the South East Freeway busway. It’s a dedicated two-lane bus road that runs next to the highway for about 20km. The surface is amazing for cycling and it has short sections of tunnels in which we whoop and holler, creating a loud echo.

Known for being Brisbane's biggest and best one-day bike ride, B2GC is about more than just raising money. It is about reaching personal targets, sharing an experience with friends, and celebrating the wellbeing that comes with living a healthy, active, cycling lifestyle.

There were all sorts of bikes out today from  flash carbon fibre road bikes, steel framed beasts, full-suspension mountain bikes, touring machines, a kick-bike, teenagers on BMX bikes, women on step-through ladies bikes,  folding bikes and anything else you can imagine. People were wearing everything from team lycra to shorts and t-shirts with lots of feet claded in clip-in cycling shoes, many in joggers, some in work boots, and even a few in thongs.

Most of the cycle route is not a scenic one and after the fun of the busway cyclists spend many kilometres riding through industrial and residential areas. At 40km is the first rest area where the organizers provided oat, apples, sports drink and water. This section is quite scenic through the cane fields. You reach the second rest stop at 80kms with fruit buns, bananas, Honey Shotz, sports drinks and water.

The last 5km took the cyclists along the water, which today, was beautifully clear and inviting. It was fantastic to see families picnicking, people swimming and fishing, dogs playing fetching sticks and boaters enjoying their craft before finishing at Southport Parklands.

This was Kim’s forth year volunteering for this event. The past 3 years she has been with the Heart Foundation Cheering everyone home at the finish line. This year the Heart Foundation was not involved so she helped with Bicycle Queensland as a finish line Marshall. The cyclist could easily hear her cow bell kilometers away.

The event was not a race. It is a recreational, mass participation ride which aims to get more people cycling more often and raises vital funds for Mater Foundation’s Smiling for Smiddy, as well as helping to increase physical activity in our community.

Tony and Kim Outdoor Adventures want to acknowledge and thank Bicycle Queensland and all of the volunteers and services who made the event well organised and safe. Secondly thank you to every cyclist who participated in the event.  We hope that there were milestones achieved and personal bests attained for all of you.

#volunteering #volunteer #volunteers #community #nonprofit #charity #socialgood #bctogc #givingback #giveback #love #communityservice #socialimpact #dogood #lifegoals #makeadifference #volunteerabroad #bicyclequeensland #extraeffort #donate #voluntariado #volunteerism #volunteerwork #volunteerlife #travelbloggers #photgraphy #fun #getinvolved #bloggers