Little blue penguins at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast are exploring a new Halloween habitat with pumpkins, tombstones and other surprises. The aquarium says the enrichment encourages the penguins' natural curiosity. On Saturday, October 31, the aquarium will host a Halloween Beach Clean-Up at Mooloolaba Beach from 9am to noon. Children are encouraged to collect rubbish instead of lollies, and free face painting will be offered. Marine animals can mistake rubbish for food or become tangled in it.
Former Fraser Coast councillor James Hansen, 57, has been identified as the man found dead in floodwaters at Boompa, police say. He served on the Fraser Coast regional council from 2012 to 2024 and ran for One Nation in 2017. Mayor George Seymour called his death a great loss to the community. Police have begun an investigation and will prepare a report for the coroner. Separately, six campers were rescued from flood waters at Leyburn on the Southern Downs.
Police have charged a 22-year-old Aroona man over a theft in Buddina on Sunday, 25 October. It is alleged he stole a backpack from outside a shopping centre on Point Cartwright Drive at about 4pm. Officers arrested him on Alexandra Parade in Alexandra Headland shortly before 5pm after he allegedly ran off on foot. Police say a knife was found inside the backpack, which was located nearby. He faces charges of unlawful possession of stolen property, possessing a knife in a public place and failing to properly dispose of a needle or syringe.
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Two women are in critical condition after a single-vehicle crash on the Old Bruce Highway at Federal, on the Sunshine Coast, on Saturday, 24 October. Emergency services were called at 1.45pm after reports that a white BYD Seal sedan had left the road. The 59-year-old driver and 18-year-old passenger, both from Imbil, were taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital. The highway was closed in both directions for almost three hours. The Queensland Police Forensic Crash Unit is investigating, and witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage are asked to contact Policelink.
First-home buyers have been locked out of 169 previously affordable Queensland property markets since the federal 5 per cent deposit scheme was expanded a year ago. An analysis of Realestate.com.au data found that 852 of 890 house and unit markets have risen in value. Deagon houses jumped 31.2 per cent to $1.187 million. Since October, new Queensland mortgage lodgements have fallen 30 per cent, with first-home buyer applications down 18 per cent, according to Loan Market. Buyer's agent Lauren Jones said rising interest rates and living costs have cut borrowing power, leaving young buyers largely absent from the market.
Oodgeroo MP Amanda Stoker has been appointed Queensland's new child safety and domestic and family violence minister. She replaces Amanda Camm, who stepped down from the portfolio this week, saying it was her decision. Stoker will also take on the families, seniors and disability services portfolios. The change is the first to the government's frontbench since David Crisafulli came to power in 2024. Camm had returned from six weeks of sick leave a fortnight earlier, and said her recovery was ongoing.
A Queensland adjudicator has rejected an urgent application to shut down an electric vehicle charger at The Pavilion Apartments in Bulimba. Resident Kin Chen had argued that the basement car park lacked adequate fire safety systems for a possible EV fire. The adjudicator found there was no immediate urgency, as the charger has operated since about 2020. The body corporate committee later granted retrospective approval with conditions, including annual servicing. The wider challenge to that approval is still to be decided.
Hope Vale angler Justin Convent won the adult prize, a Quintrex boat with a motor and trailer, at the Cooktown barramundi competition. More than 1100 anglers entered the event held from Friday to Sunday. Junior winner Nickalah Cobus also took home a boat. Thomas Hone caught the heaviest fish, weighing 7.4 kilograms. Local business owners said the weekend brought many shoppers into town.
Gympie Regional Council is asking the community to help shape renewed playgrounds at Crab Creek Park in Tin Can Bay and Clive Colburn Park in Kandanga. Both projects were funded in this year's Budget and aim to deliver modern, safe and accessible play spaces. The Crab Creek playground sits on the foreshore and is popular with locals and visitors. The Clive Colburn playground is heavily used on game and training days at nearby sporting fields. Surveys close at 5pm on Thursday, 12 November 2026, and the renewals are expected to be completed by 30 June 2027.
Isaac Regional Council has announced a delay in kerbside waste collection for Moranbah residents. Due to mechanical issues, the general and recycling collections scheduled for Tuesday, 27 October 2026, will be completed on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Residents are requested to keep their bins at the kerbside until the delayed collection. The council has expressed apologies for the inconvenience caused and thanked residents for their patience. For further details, residents can contact the council's 24/7 Customer Service Centre.
Gleneagle State School celebrated 70 years of play on September 16 with an Under 8s Day attended by more than 150 community members. Children, parents and extended family took part in pony rides, cookie decorating, loose parts play, sensory play and hula hoops. Local police and firefighters also visited. Under 8s Day coordinator and Prep teacher Shannon Taylor said the event gave families and younger children a welcoming way to connect with the school before starting Prep.
Children aged 0 to 5 are invited to a Pop Up Playtime session at the Cooktown Botanic Gardens on Wednesday 18 November. Titled Bugs in my Backyard, the morning takes place at the Botanic Gardens Yarning Circle. Activities include bug hunting, bug-themed stories and hands-on discovery among the plants and pathways. Children can look under leaves for beetles, watch butterflies and find out what else lives in the gardens.
Logan has about 206 hectares of vacant industrial development land, the Property Council says, offering room for new investment as greater Brisbane faces a shortage of industrial space. Property Council Queensland executive director Jess Caire said infrastructure such as roads and water must keep pace with demand. The council is calling for a $500 million industrial infrastructure fund and a coordinated state strategy to unlock more employment land. Average sale prices for smaller industrial sites rose about 44 per cent over the year to June 2026.
City of Moreton Bay and the Brisbane Bullets are calling on residents to nominate people who make a difference in local sport. The Community Hero initiative recognises coaches, volunteers and everyday champions who go above and beyond. Two finalists will each receive four game tickets and a half-time shout-out. The major winner will receive a courtside box experience for four, food and drinks, a signed jersey and an on-court thank you. Nominations close at 11:59pm on Sunday 22 November.
