Maroubra Archives - Page 13 of 14

Maroubra’s Pacific Square, Other Mini-Gun Shopping Centres Remain Resilient

Mini-gun shopping centres, or those with a Gross Lettable Area (GLA) between 6,000 to 20,000 square metres, such as Maroubra’s Pacific Square, are thriving under the pandemic lockdowns better than the big guns or big retail hubs.

A report from the Shopping Centre News revealed that 133 mini-guns in Australia collectively raked $13 billion in sales between 1 August 2019 to 31 July 2020, with Pacific Square performing above the numbers of bigger malls following the addition of new food retailers.

Pacific Square had an 18 percent improvement in sales ($18,805 in turnover per square metre) by remixing its retail and food choices months before the pandemic struck. The Maroubra shopping centre also had $173 million in annual earnings, improving its previous year’s numbers by 1.5 percent.

According to Michael Lloyd of the Shopping Centre News, mini-guns have had high levels of trading because they are “local and convenient” and have shop owners or managers who know the pulse of the community.

In recent years, smaller shopping centres have also been managed by a sophisticated team of workers who got their training under the big guns. The right mix of local influence and refined corporate guidance has equipped the mini-guns to deliver peak performance during an unprecedented and unexpected public health crisis.

*Rank*	*Centre*	*Moving Annual Turnover* *per sq m*
1	Pacific Square, NSW	$18,805
2	Lane Cove Market Square, NSW	$17,727
3	Norwood Place, SA	$16,648
4	Bentons Square, Vic	$16,271
5	Shoreline Plaza, Tas	$16,007
6	Bridgepoint S/C, NSW	$15,630
8	St Ives Shopping Village NSW	$15,456
9	Kenmore Plaza, Qld	$15,430
10	Gasworks, Qld	$14,801

Sweet Whale Maroubra Serves the Coolest Treats You’ll Need to Beat the Summer Heat

Maroubra locals will say that this beachside suburb has been missing a decent ice cream joint, with a good number of flavour selections for many years. But with the opening of Sweet Whale Maroubra, a gelato and drink shop at Marine Parade, ice cream lovers now have something to talk about.

Sweet Whale Maroubra has opened its doors at the former stall that housed a news agency next to the pharmacy on Marine Parade, an area that draws a lot of foot traffic from families with kids strolling in the summer months.

Easily accessible either by car or foot, the ice cream shop is quite spacious for long lines of customers and whilst there’s not much to sit, the shop has a happy and vibrant feel.

The owners of Sweet Whale aren’t new to the ice cream business as they’ve successfully been running the award-winning gelato shop, Lello’s, at Westfield Eastgardens four kilometres west of their latest business. Some of Lellos gelato flavours are also offered at the Maroubra store, such as the colourful and creamy Unicorn gelato (cotton candy flavour).

Aside from ice cream, the store also serves bubble tea, coffee and fresh juices. They’ve just debuted their Crystal Mermaid Tear, a cool combination of icy crushed mango and butterfly pea flavours topped with lychee popping pearls. It promises to be an “adventurous and chilly rush”!

The store opens daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and you can follow them on Instagram.

Coral Sea Park Playground Upgrade: Maroubra Community Asked for Inputs

Coral Sea Park Playground at Yorktown Parade is set for an upgrade, which will be ready for public use by the end of 2021. However, the Council wants the community’s inputs in the development before any work is done on the site.

The new playground must be designed to cater to people of all abilities, including those with mobility, sensory, sight or hearing issues.

The plan will be funded by the NSW Government and the Randwick City Council under the Everyone Can Play grant that supports playspaces in neighbourhoods.

“The effects of Covid-19 have reminded everyone about the value of our playspaces, as these spaces along with open space have become places of welcome respite from increased time indoors,” a statement from NSW Government outlined.

“Playspaces exist at the heart of our neighbourhoods and should cater for everyone – young and old, families and carers, and people of all abilities.

“Playspaces should be welcoming and comfortable, easy to navigate and interesting. They should offer a range of physical challenges, a variety of landscape settings and provide opportunities to connect with others.”

This project will also preserve and maintain Molly’s Park, the garden memorial within the playground. The space was dedicated to a teenager, Melissa ‘Molly’ Dunn, who died at the park in 2012.

The park is also next to a sporting ground for rugby and soccer fields, a cricket pitch and practice nets, as well as an off-leash dog exercise area.

To participate in the public consultation, locals may either complete a survey or share their stories about their experiences at the park. The public consultation will run until 28 Jan 2021.

Christmas ‘Eat Drink Play’ Pop-Up Heading To Barwon Park

Have you been to one of the Eat Drink Play weekend food truck events hosted by Randwick City Council? On the weekend before Christmas, this pop-up is heading to the gorgeous open air space at Barwon Park on Franklin Street and will feature seven eateries.

Happening from 17 Dec to 20 Dec 2020, the Christmas Eat Drink Play will bring a variety of sweet and savoury treats to delight your taste buds. The stores will begin trading from 4:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, and from noontime to 10:00 p.m. from Friday to Sunday.

The Council has rounded up the following food truck participants for the last weekend before Christmas:

BarbiCrew

BarbiCrew offers authentic Brazilian fire-roaste meats, sauges, seafood and veggies or vegan dishes. This eatery has been around Sydney for a decade and managed by two Brazilian-born entrepreneurs.

Ben & Jerry’s

Who can say no to a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream? Their food truck is going to be at Barwon Park as well because you’ll need something cold and sweet when you’re out in the summer heat.

Happy as Larry Pizza Truck

Happy as Larry Pizza Truck is a regular at this pop-up, specializing in authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza. They also offer tasty, delicious desserts and shakes, as well as a dose of good vibes!

Hut Dog

Hut Dog is a full-service catering bar offering gourmet free-range smoked meats, hot dogs and a wide vegan option. German, American or customized to suit your preference, this food stand has something for everyone to try.

Knafeh

Knafeh’s specialty is Jerusalem street food as prepared by The Bearded Bakers. The group travels between Sydney and Melbourne to “create experiences that last forever” with their followers, so better catch them at the park before they leave town.

The Chronicles of Crepes

Taste the heavenly desserts at The Chronicles of Crepes from passionate bakers who love to create exciting menus and share these with their diners. Their recipes are original and made fresh with every order and they serve savoury crepes as well.

Wholly Schnit

Wholly Schnit is also a regular in Sydney’s food truck scene, offering “handmade golden, crispy, succulent schnitzels” by the street. Each order comes with a side of chips or coleslaw and gravy, as well as your choice of special sauces.

A couple of artists will also provide the party vibe with their live performances from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hot Potato Roaming Band will play on Saturday, whilst Soulganic is performing Sunday.

So, tag your group or family and spend the weekend enjoying the food and the vibe at the open air space.

Work at Overflow Car Park in South Maroubra’s Arthur Byrne Reserve Begins

The first stage of the upgrades to the overflow car park at the Arthur Byrne Reserve has begun. Per Council’s advice, areas within this South Maroubra site will be temporarily blocked off while improvements are underway.

Stage 1 will entail the following scope and work is expected to last until the middle of January 2021:

Resurfacing of the existing overflow car park area
Planting of new trees
Provision of new accessible car spaces
Upgrade of existing line marking
Additional car parking along Bernie Kelly Drive

Council, however, assures that the car park’s completion will be fast-tracked as visitors to the Arthur Byrne Reserve are expected to increase with the summer months rolling in.

The reserver is an ideal picnic, BBQ and activity site for walking, jogging, ball sports and even kite flying.

Once completed, upgrades to the amenities building will follow, pending the approval of the development application, which will be filed in January 2021.

“The popularity of the area has prompted the need for additional amenities to service the park and beach users, as well as the coastal walk users and the adjoining surf club,” Council stated.

Stage 2 will cover the following scope of works:

Male and female amenities including toilets, showers, baby change areas and bench seating
Accessible amenities
A well-ventilated communal wash area
Storage areas for the local surf lifesaving club, Surfing NSW and lifeguards
External bench seating
Improved landscaping and pedestrian connections

For questions, comments and other enquiries about these upgrades, contact the project managers Zaman Shamsuz (car park) and Peter Petro (amenities) at 02 9093 6763 and 02 9093 6000, respectively.

Maroubra Stormwater Harvesting Project Nears Completion

The fences around the Maroubra Stormwater Harvesting Project are coming down before Christmas! The largest stormwater recycling system will soon be filled with million litre tanks of flowing stormwater to irrigate the parks and the toilets at the Maroubra Surf Club and South Maroubra.

Danny Said, the Mayor of Randwick, visited the Maroubra Stormwater Harvesting Project near the beach last week to check on the progress of the final phase. He confirmed that the facility will be finally ready after nine months of construction.

This is the 14th stormwater project from the Council, which will harvest from the following sites:

Arthur Byrne Reserve (existing irrigation)
Broadarrow Reserve (existing irrigation)
Jack Vanny Reserve (existing irrigation)
Maroubra Beach (existing irrigation)
John Shore Reserve (future irrigation)
Murranborah Reserve (future irrigation)

Since March, contractors have been hard at work in building two one-million litre stormwater harvesting facilities, including filtration units, pumps, and an automatic irrigation system.

“This system will save up to 40 million litres of potable water each year,” the Council said. “There are two one-million litre tanks under the ground. First, the water goes through a GPT and is then filtered for coarse and fine sediment. Then it’s pumped through a UV treatment filter, which kills any viruses or pathogens, before it’s pumped through to our parks and reserves to water the grass. We’re excited about it!”

Drones to Monitor Maroubra Beach this Summer for COVID-19 Safety

The Randwick City Council has endorsed a $1.2 million plan to have drones monitor the crowds and ensure physical distancing at Maroubra beach and other popular beaches in eastern Sydney this summer

Four devices will be purchased and used by 1 Dec 2020, which will provide beachgoers with real-time details about the crowd capacity. Similarly, there are also steps to hire about 12 COVID marshalls who will look after the crowd and facilitate social distancing.

Additional toilet facilities will also be provided at the Maroubra beach to lessen the lines and avoid a convergence, which can help limit the spread of the virus. The beaches in Clovelly, Coogee, Frenchmans Bay, La Perouse and Yarra Bay will also have more temporary toilet installations.

“COVID marshals will be out and about providing a prominent visual reminder of the need to social distance and I encourage people to follow their advice for everyone’s health and wellbeing,” Randwick City Mayor Danny Said in a press release, whilst acknowledging that access to beaches is vital to a person’s mental and physical wellbeing.

“Additional technology such as live beach cameras will give people real-time information to view crowd numbers at the beach before leaving home. We’ll also be publishing daily updates on crowd capacity at popular beaches to help people make informed decisions as to when to visit the beach.”

Randwick City Council has live cameras around the beaches so locals may check the crowd before planning a trip. The mayor also reiterated the need to wear masks while heading to the beach. Swimmers are also encouraged to avoid visiting during peak hours or leave the site after they’re done swimming.

“These simple steps will help Lifeguards and Life Savers keep our beaches open so that people can safely enjoy them this summer,” the mayor added.

More Shark Activity in Maroubra Coast as Great Whites Move to Nursing Grounds

A top shark scientist warns of increased shark activity off the NSW coasts, including the Maroubra coastline, as great white sharks head to their nursing grounds with the advent of summer.

Dr Vic Peddemors said there will be more potential sightings or shark encounters as the great whites move in numbers toward Port Stephens. However, Peddemors also said that shark attacks will not likely increase.

In a radio interview on ABC, Peddemors said that great white sharks’ movements have increased since October.

Researchers don’t have much data on the exact location of their breeding grounds but over the years, young sharks in the first five years of their lives have been swimming up and down the NSW and Victoria coasts before moving on to New Zealand or New Caledonia.

The experts said that water is cooler in the breeding grounds thus young sharks stay for a few years. However, the evidence does not suggest that the sharks are populating the NSW coasts, despite increased sightings.

Scuba divers confirmed spotting a number of impressive sharks nursing in the water but they rarely attack people. However, video posts of shark sightings could trend on social media, which might cause unnecessary panic.

Peddemors said that the great whites are “just cruising through the whole time.” The NSW State Government also has programs to keep track of sharks to protect the swimmers and divers.

SunDrive: Solar Panel Inventor, With Roots in Maroubra, Secures $8 Million Funding

Former university roommates David Hu and Vince Allen started building the early versions of their solar power technology at a garage in Maroubra in 2015. Five years later, the partners have scored $8 million in funding to make efficient renewable power commercially available under their now-flourishing company, SunDrive.

Leading capitalists Blackbird Ventures and Grok Ventures led the funding round to help Mr Hu and Mr Allen expand their invention to develop more affordable cells. After securing $5 million from the investors, SunDrive also received a $3 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

SunDrive is working to drive down the costs of solar panels whilst improving its energy efficiency and conserving silver resources. Mr Allen, who has a Ph.D. in solar power at the University of New South Wales, developed a way to replace the panel’s silver electrodes with copper.

As demand for solar power rises, Mr Allen and Mr Hu don’t see silver as a sustainable option because it is expensive and could soon be depleted given the demand. On the other hand, copper is more abundant and available and has more efficient electrodes than silver.

But the technology to ensure that the copper sticks to the silicon onto the solar panel plates was not yet developed until SunDrive came along. The company will use the funding to perfect this technology and sell cost-effective solar panels.

Mr Hu projects that their product will be ready for the market in two and a half years as great ideas need time for enhancements.

From the garage in Maroubra to a workspace in Wollongong with a team of six, SunDrive will be relocating to Kirrawee with 16 staff.

Smoky Sue’s Moves to Maroubra from Neutral Bay

A move to a new location signals better beginnings for Smoky Sue’s, the smokehouse from Neutral Bay. Now burning the pit at its new Maroubra home, owner Owen Brown reveals that they’ve been barbecuing and smoking tonnes of meat week after week since the move to the eastern beachside suburb.

Three years ago, Smoky Sue’s and its Texas-style briskets were also warmly received at its original site. But the indirect effect of COVID-19 forced them out of their old location.

“With deep sadness we have to move on from our Neutral Bay location, as it’s time for us to spread our wings (and briskets),” the company announced before closing the doors of its Neutral Bay shop in mid-June. “Thank you all for your amazing support. Sues wouldn’t be the same without you.”

But Smoky Sue’s has since gained more meat-loving patrons at its new Anzac Parade location. Some come as far away as the United States, who are looking to try the city’s best and most authentic tasting smoked pulled pork or brisket. They’re usually not disappointed as Mr Brown has an American working on the pit.

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And we’re back baby! After months of work behind the scenes, we will be reopening in our beautiful new location tomorrow and we couldn’t be more excited 🥳 Thank you all for your patience, and we are stoked to be able to fulfill your BBQ and burger dreams again 🥩🍔 . . . . . #maroubra #sydneyfood #lunch #dinner #delivery #bopple #brisket #fries #meat #eeeeeats #feedyoursoul #buzzfeast #dailyfoodfeed #foodphotography #feedfeed #smokedmeat #foodies #bbq #foodlover #devour #burgers

A post shared by Smoky Sue’s (@smokysuesofficial) on Sep 15, 2020 at 1:14am PDT

The smokehouse is proud of its smoking technique. Veering away from the traditional, Mr Brown, the pitmaster, combines French (sous vide) and American (smoking) cooking style.

The result is a lump of perfectly side-charred meat with the moist sealed in the center. The meat also breaks apart with the slightest prod of a knife or fork.

To wash down the tender and delicious meat, the restaurant offers a few selections of craft beers, cocktails, whisky, lemonade and milkshake.

For store trading hours and updates on deals, visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.