forest lake brisbane Archives

Forest Lake Dazzles with Christmas Light Displays

Looking for a festive outing to brighten up the holiday season? Forest Lake is home to some of the most enchanting Christmas light displays in Brisbane.

Read: Forest Lake Dad Revels in Unbelievable Fortune with Second Million-Dollar Prize

From streets sparkling with LED creations to homes decked out in elaborate holiday themes, Forest Lake offers a magical experience for visitors of all ages. Here are some must-see displays that are guaranteed to spread holiday cheer and make your nights merry and bright.

Display at 15 Paluna Place, Forest Lake (Photo credit: christmaslightsearch.com.au)

Forest Lake comes alive during the holiday season, with many homes embracing the spirit of Christmas through dazzling light displays. Streets like Paluna Place, Brushwood Circuit, Centennial Way, and Renoir Crescent are adorned with twinkling decorations and creative setups.

At 9 Renoir Crescent, the owners invite families to walk through their festive display, take photos in Santa’s sleigh, and enjoy lollipops or candy canes, with lights and inflatables glowing from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Christmas light — Display at Renoir Crescent (Photo credit: Nicole Ghilardi/Facebook)

Whether it’s traditional nativity scenes, giant inflatables, or synchronized light shows, Forest Lake offers a variety of displays that captivate visitors of all ages.

22 Hinchinbrook Circuit, Forest Lake (Photo credit: christmaslightsearch.com.au)

Besides Forest Lake, nearby suburb Calamvale is another hotspot for Christmas lights, with homes in Pinecroft Close, Benhiam Street, Golden Avenue, and Orania Crescent pulling out all the stops. The displays in this suburb range from elegant and understated to bold and vibrant, featuring everything from sparkling reindeer to colorful LED cascades.

The owner of a home on Benhiam Street in Calamvale explained that they’ve been putting up Christmas lights for about five years, with the setup taking over a month. They said the tradition is something they truly enjoy, as it helps bring the community together.

Many residents collaborate to create themed streets, enhancing the immersive experience for visitors. Calamvale’s warm and welcoming vibe makes it an ideal place to explore, whether you’re driving through or strolling along the footpaths.

Tips for Visiting

Plan Your Route
Focus on one suburb per evening to fully enjoy the displays without feeling rushed. Start with well-known streets like Paluna Place in Forest Lake or Pinecroft Close in Calamvale.
Bring the Kids
These areas are family-friendly, with plenty of safe spots to explore on foot.
Support Charity Efforts
Many homes raise money for charities, so be sure to bring some coins or small donations to contribute.
Go Early in the Evening
Arriving early ensures you can find parking and enjoy the lights without large crowds.

Read: Calamvale Joins Million-Dollar Club as Working-Class Suburbs Gentrify in Brisbane

Celebrate the Season

Forest Lake and Calamvale perfectly capture the magic of Christmas, offering dazzling displays and a sense of community that warms the heart. Whether you’re marveling at synchronized light shows or enjoying the simplicity of glowing nativity scenes, these suburbs provide the perfect backdrop for festive memories. Pack your snacks, grab your loved ones, and head to Forest Lake and Calamvale to experience the joy and wonder of the season!

Published 5-December-2024

Events In And Around Forest Lake

Experience great live Science shows, or perhaps a musical night with talented students? Don’t miss out on an icon playing in August in the suburb! Here are some of the events that you can look forward to in and around Forest Lake!

26 July

St John’s Anglican College 25th Year Community Concert

Celebrate the St John’s Anglican College’s 25th year anniversary starting at 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The event will be headlined by James Morrison. Other entertainers will be the school’s performing arts students.

There will be a bar with some food available on-site.

Tickets are now available. You can get it here.

Address: College Ave, Forest Lake QLD 4078, Australia

8 August

Signature Music Night – Heroes

Presented by the Forest Lake State High School (FLSHS), enjoy a musical night starting at 6:30 p.m. at the FLSHS Hall. There will be a concert band, jazz band, drumline, and string orchestra.

Entrance is free.

Address: High St, Forest Lake QLD 4078, Australia

11 August

Brisbane Science Festival 2018

Street Science and other Queensland Science communicators, educators and research institutes will be present during this big National Science Week event. There will be a lot of activities as well as live Science performances.

This event will have two sessions within the day.

First session – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Second session – 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Each session will feature these hands-on exhibits:

Forces, Fuels & Flight
Chemistry Chaos!
EXTREME Liquid Nitrogen
D.I.Y. Science
Street Science Mega Show

Kindly note that free general admission ticket allocations are no longer available. You can get your VIP tickets here instead.

Address: South Bank Piazza, 410 Stanley Street, South Brisbane

Forest Lake Kerbside Collection 2018: The Unspoken Rules

On 18 June, Forest Lake will have its kerbside collection. This annual service by the Brisbane City Council helps residents dispose of large household items.

There are certain rules that must be followed to ensure that all of the items you place outside will be taken by the council.

Here you can find the acceptable and unacceptable items. You can also download the Brisbane Bin and Recycling App on your smartphones to keep up-to-date and at the same time, be fully informed when it comes to recycling, kerbside collection dates, and other relevant information.

Now, let’s talk about the unofficial rules. These rules also promote efficiency for kerbside collection.

If you think an item is still useful, you can donate it to an op shop instead.
You can get items from other people’s piles before collection time, but make sure to keep kerb tidy.
Should you get an item from other people’s piles outside of their homes, you are not allowed to knock on their front door and ask them questions about the items.
Keep your kerb as neat as possible.

Have a great kerbside collection!

Itchy Grubs Spotted In Forest Lake & Other South East Areas

Hairy caterpillars are taking over the South East Queensland. In Forest Lake, a local has also seen quite an infestation in their neighbourhood.

It all started when a resident in Noosa Heads area posted on Facebook a photo of caterpillars that have inhabited her home. After that post, other residents also shared photos of caterpillars in their properties.

Such species is called the Ochrogaster lunifera, a sub-species of the bag-shelter moth. They are also referred to as “itchy grubs” and can be a threat to humans and pets. Their hairs can cause irritation to the skin and eyes.

The sudden outbreak of the caterpillar may be due to the weather. Normally, these insects are seen between September and November. However, the recent wet weather, combined with extreme heat that Queensland has experienced, could have affected the life cycle of the insects. This has caused the increase in their numbers this month.

Last year, a sudden outbreak also caught the attention of many. In May 2017, hairy caterpillars were spotted in various areas in south-east Queensland.

University of Queensland professor, Myron Zalucki said these caterpillars are social creatures that form a chain or what is mostly referred to as “procession.” Each procession is most likely one family group and they stick together as one.

Forest Lake Residents Petition To Return Lake To Its Former Beauty

Forest Lake residents are eager to see a cleaner and more beautiful lake in the suburb. For this purpose, the Forest Lake Community Crime Watch has launched a petition demanding Brisbane City Council to take action.

Algae, Weeds, Pest Fish Problem

The petition asks the council to clean the lake by removing algae, weeds, and pest fish.

Earlier this year, the fish ban in the lake was lifted for the Chillout Fishing Event. Participants were taught how to fish and they caught plenty of pest fish.

As they saw the huge number of pest fist in the lake, the locals as well as the participants felt more eager to catch pest fish in the lake and looked forward similar events in the future.

However, the council hasn’t committed to a regular fishing event in the area or to lifting its fishing bans.

Ibis Infestation Continues

Ibis infestation is another issue plaguing the area. Trees have been stripped of leaves, leaving other birds with no place to live.

There are also bird droppings that are not only an eyesore, but are causing an unpleasant smell around the area.

The Ibis issue has already been raised last year and the council has implemented rules such as reducing the food sources as well as installing signages that warn visitors not to feed the birds. They have also started cleaning picnic areas.

When the Ibis issue was raised, the council also encouraged residents to make an effort and contribute to reducing the number of ibis in their properties.

Filtration System

Locals are also asking for a better filtration system to make the water clear again. The surrounding infrastructure around the lake also needs attention with parks and pathways in need of maintenance whilst some needs upgrades or repair.

Lighting Upgrades

More lighting around the lake is also requested by residents for night time walking. They also seek for GPS coordinates for the Emergency Location signage around the lake. More rubbish bins are also needed to prevent littering in the area.

The petition has so far garnered over 800 signatures so far.

Actions Taken

A master plan for a revitalised parklands was revealed by Cr Charles Strunk in November last year to improve the lake and its surrounding areas. However, it will take some years to complete.

There are already some works underway such as the upgrade of walkway lighting, a new picnic area with family barbecue, and a new children’s playground equipment.

Cr Strunk may agree with the residents regarding the improvement of the lake and the facilities that surround it, but he said that there is no plan to change the filtration methods.

QATSIF Continues To Support Young Indigenous Students In Forest Lake & Other Queensland Schools To Finish High School

A good number of young indigenous students in Queensland are getting a good chance of completing their high school senior years, thanks to the help of The Queensland Aboriginal And Torress Strait Island Foundation (QATSIF) scholarship program.

Forest Lake’s Success Story

One of the success stories come from Forest Lake. Student and scholarship recipient Lucina Colbert graduated from Forest Lake College last year. She was also Queensland’s top performing Aboriginal and Torres Strait student.

The Scholarship

The organisation has delivered scholarships to 1,045 students in Queensland since 2010 to support Year 11 and 12 studies. Scholarship recipients are given $1,000 a year on their final two years of high school.

QATSIF aims to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait island student retention in Years 11 and 12. The funding is also used to build on existing school community programs and support for individual students.

Get Funded

The secretariat director of the organisation, Michael Nayer, has also invited parents who attended the recent scholarship grants ceremony this year at the Australian Catholic University to apply for the 10th round of scholarships in mid-June.

Families can approach their schools to apply for these scholarships.

Forest Lake Residents Appeal for More Cops

Forest Lake residents have started another petition to deploy more cops in their suburb. The petition calls for an increase in the number of police officers in the area especially in the early morning and early mid-afternoon.

The demand for more local police officers is brought by the increase in crimes happening in the suburb. During the last Community Crime Watch meeting, a local police officer said that there were only two police cars patrolling the suburb after 8:00 p.m.

The petition has so far garnered over 300 signatures.

Currently, there is no stand-alone station in the area. The two police officers that patrol the suburb at night are from the Inala Police Station, the largest in the South Brisbane District.

Coffee With a Cop

In light of the residents’ concerns, they are encouraged to join the Coffee With A Cop on 10 March at Simple Bliss, which will start at 9:30 a.m. This is the perfect opportunity to discuss their concerns and for the police to hear them out.

Crime Hotspot

From June-August 2017, the suburb had reports of serious assault and break and enters between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In March 2017, statistics from the QPS Crime Map show Forest Lake on the second spot on the list of the biggest burglary hotspots in Brisbane’s South.

Termite Infestation May Get Worse Due to Humid Weather In Forest Lake & Other Suburbs in Southeast Queensland

The humid weather in southeast Queensland has given rise to more termite infestations. In particular, Gold Coast houses have found an increasing number of termite infestations. Amongst the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Forest Lake is one of the places with identified infestations.

Termites thrive in the summer. However, as the weather has gotten more humid throughout the year, termite infestations have become present all-year long. Plenty of homeowners in Forest Lake and the surrounding suburbs have dealt with termites in their properties. Termite control and eradication can be very expensive. In some extreme cases, people have had to rebuild their homes.

Forest Lake’s close proximity to bushland and the prevalence of large gum trees become more susceptible to termite attacks. In fact, termite nests can easily be spotted in the trees on almost every block of the suburb.

Early detection is very important. Residents are advised to keep an eye out for cracks in walls and termite mud. Pest controllers are urging residents to have regular termite inspections. They recommend inspections every six months.

To report an issue to the Brisbane City Council, click here.

Forest Lake Anglers Eager To Catch More Pest Fish

The existing fish ban in Forest Lake was lifted for the Chillout Fishing Event last 6 January. Now, anglers are more zealous to catch pest fish inhabiting the lake following the number of pest fish that were caught during the event.

The Chill Out Event is for 10-17 years old that helps them learn to tie fishing knots, bait hooks, cast a rod and hook up fish with two bent rods. They will be fishing for pest fish whilst native fish caught will be released. The program is fully funded by the Brisbane City Council’s Health & Active Program – Chill Out and is one of Brisbane’s most popular youth programs offering free and low-cost recreation activities for young people.

Over 100 pest fish were caught during the youth workshop. The species identified as pest fish inhabiting the lake are:

Tilapia
Carp
Barred grunters
Eel-tailed catfish

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries identifies these species as noxious fish. These species must not be released into Queensland waters or be used as bait. After they are caught, they must be killed and not returned to the water.

Today, fishermen are willing to catch pest fish in the lake and are asking for opportunities to do so. Cr Charles Strunk responded to their pleas and said that he would advocate for more events like this.

Matthew Bourke, Brisbane Lifestyle and Community Services chairman said that they are open to exploring opportunities to involve the community in keeping Brisbane clean and safe. However, the Brisbane City Council hasn’t committed to a regular fishing event at the suburb or lifting fishing bans across the region.

For now, pest fish sightings can be reported here.

A Giving Heart and An Open Home in Forest Lake For the Lonely & Alone on Christmas Day

Christmas is a time of giving and a Forest Lake resident made sure that she gives more than she receives.

Ms Elizabeth Ferguson first posted on the Forest Lake community page weeks before Christmas looking for strangers to have lunch with on Christmas day. She specifically posted that she’s looking for someone “who has nowhere to go and might not be able to have a nice X’mas lunch due to finances.”

The lunch will be for four adults in their 60s and 80s. Her kids couldn’t come for Christmas lunch so she was left with two empty seats. However, she thought that no one would come having no response for a few weeks but at the last minute, two adults turned up, one from Spring Lake and the other from Forest Lake.

Ms Ferguson was very happy to have the empty seats filled and the fact that she has gotten to know these strangers more.

According to her, she always wanted to open her home to the less fortunate and lonely but her family discouraged her in the past. This also comes from her parents dying many years ago and how she would always feel sad during Christmas day.

Next year, she plans to start a register to connect people spending Christmas alone with families willing to open her homes.