North Lakes Archives - Page 2 of 16

Bruce Highway Ramp Upgrade Takes Shape at Murrumba Downs

Artist’s impression of the extended north-facing ramps at the Dohles Rocks Road interchange, Murrumba Downs. Photo Credit: TMR Queensland

Work on the $290 million Bruce Highway upgrade at Murrumba Downs has moved into a more visible phase, with new ramps taking shape between Dohles Rocks Road and the Anzac Avenue interchange and a key local road connection now closed.

Access to Goodrich Road East directly from Dohles Rocks Road has closed as construction progresses on the new southbound highway exit. Drivers can instead reach Goodrich Road East via Silvereye Drive.

It is one of the biggest changes so far in a project that will alter how traffic enters and leaves the Bruce Highway between Murrumba Downs and the interchange serving North Lakes and Mango Hill.

New Ramps Between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue

Stage 1 centres on two extended north-facing ramps at Dohles Rocks Road.

The new northbound entry will take traffic from Dohles Rocks Road onto the Bruce Highway, continuing towards the Anzac Avenue exit as an auxiliary lane.

Heading south, another auxiliary lane will extend from the Anzac Avenue entry ramp to a new Bruce Highway exit at Dohles Rocks Road.

That means additional road capacity between the two interchanges, rather than the new infrastructure ending immediately after vehicles join or leave the highway.

Ramp-metering signals will also be installed on the northbound entry to manage the flow of vehicles joining the Bruce Highway.

Dohles Rocks Road Is Being Reworked

Changes are happening off the highway as well.

The existing signalised intersection on Dohles Rocks Road is being upgraded to accommodate traffic using the new northbound ramp. A separate signalised intersection will cater for the new southbound exit.

The closure of the former Goodrich Road East access makes room for that southbound ramp, while new and upgraded noise barriers also form part of the works.

Main construction began in April 2025 after early works started the previous year. The Australian Government is contributing $232 million towards the $290 million project, with the Queensland Government providing $58 million.

Bigger Changes Planned Around the Bruce Highway

The Murrumba Downs works are also part of a much larger rethink of the Bruce Highway and Gateway Motorway corridor through Brisbane’s northern fringe and southern Moreton Bay.

Immediately south of Dohles Rocks Road, detailed design is now underway on a separate project that would build collector-distributor roads on both sides of the Bruce Highway between Dohles Rocks Road and the Gateway Motorway and Gympie Arterial Road.

That proposal includes two new bridges across the Pine River, a shared active transport connection and a fauna underpass. Construction funding for that stage has not yet been committed.

Future stages between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue are also proposed. These include collector-distributor roads, changes to the Anzac Avenue interchange and a shared pedestrian and bicycle path along the eastern side of the highway.

Those later works remain subject to further approvals and funding.

For now, the most immediate changes are happening at Dohles Rocks Road, where the new ramps and intersections are steadily changing a familiar part of the Bruce Highway for motorists travelling between Murrumba Downs, Griffin and the North Lakes area.

Published 8-September-2026

Petrie Campus Scholarship Program Reaches Milestone Supporting Nearly 100 Undergraduates

Twenty-three students scattered across the bustling North Lakes, Petrie, Mango Hill and Kallangur corridor are suddenly finding room to breathe as fresh financial backing targets the escalating costs of modern higher education.

Strengthening the Local Pipeline

Why should a bright academic future depend entirely on the state of a bank account? Local leaders refuse to let household budgets dictate who gets to succeed. Operating out of the Petrie campus, the annual City of Moreton Bay Scholarship Program has steadily built a reliable net for local learners since 2020.

Ninety-one students have now navigated their university years with this backing, transforming raw potential into professional capability right where they grew up.

Adapting to Economic Realities

Bursaries jumped from $2,000 to $2,500 this year, responding directly to the pinch of inflation. Administrators also introduced the programme’s inaugural Indigenous Study Support Bursary, widening the gates for regional participation. Beyond these sixteen flexible cash grants sit seven major undergraduate scholarships, each worth $8,000 annually for the entire duration of a degree.

Could a few thousand dollars really mean the difference between dropping out and earning a diploma? For many young adults juggling rent and textbooks, the answer is an absolute yes.

Fueling Tomorrow’s Economy

Petrie is expanding at breakneck speed. Where will the region find the engineers, teachers, and innovators it needs tomorrow? The answer is sitting in today’s lecture halls. By removing financial barriers, the collaborative initiative ensures homegrown talent stays put rather than drifting away to bigger cities.

Graduates step straight from campus into local enterprises, feeding their newly minted expertise back into the neighbourhoods that supported them from the start.

Updated 2-September-2026

How Costco North Lakes Food Donations Reach Beyond One Charity

Photo Credit: Nourish Street Inc/Facebook

Surplus food from Costco North Lakes is being turned into meals for people experiencing homelessness and financial hardship, with much of the donated meat extending beyond Nourish Street Inc’s own programs to other community meal services.

The North Lakes store has supported Nourish Street for more than a year by donating meat and other food. Meat approaching its use-by date is frozen at the store before being collected by the charity and transferred to its own freezers.

From there, donated meat is sent to licensed kitchens that prepare meals for Nourish Street’s programs.

How Costco North Lakes Donations Travel Further

Nourish Street prepares about 850 meals each week but uses only around 30 per cent of the meat it receives. The remainder is passed to other community groups, including organisations operating soup kitchens and other meal programs.

That redistribution allows food collected from one North Lakes store to continue through a broader community network rather than remaining within a single charity.

A recent donation from Costco North Lakes included a large supply of mince as well as cans for recycling. Nourish Street said the mince would be sent to licensed kitchens preparing meals for people experiencing homelessness.

Additional meals prepared from the donation can be frozen and passed to other charities and community organisations. Nourish Street estimated that the mince donation would ultimately help feed thousands of people across the wider community.

Ongoing Donations Support Weekly Meals

The charity has also acknowledged other bulk meat donations from the store, describing the support as helping keep hundreds of people fed each week while saving usable food from going to waste.

The donations have drawn positive comments from community members, with people thanking Costco North Lakes and recognising both the store’s contribution and Nourish Street’s work.

The cans supplied with the recent mince donation are also being recycled, providing another form of support for the charity.

Nourish Street’s Wider Community Work

Nourish Street began as a self-funded family effort led by Beau Haywood, Jenny Ignacio and Haywood’s sons Kane, Zion and Isaac before developing into a registered charity supported by volunteers.

Its work includes hot meals, groceries, tents and other essential supplies for people sleeping rough. The organisation also works with other frontline groups to share resources and help people in crisis access services and support.

Nourish Street says it assists more than 100 people five days a week across Moreton Bay and Pine Rivers. Its stated service areas also extend to West End and Brisbane CBD.

Published 24-August-2026

Wildlife Crossings Built Into Major Bruce Highway Plans North of North Lakes

Photo Credit: TMR

Underground wildlife crossings have been included in plans for a major expansion of the Bruce Highway north of North Lakes, putting fauna movement into the design of one of Moreton Bay’s busiest transport corridors.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads’ preferred plan covers 18 kilometres of the Bruce Highway between Anzac Avenue at North Lakes and Caboolture-Bribie Island Road.

The project is primarily about carrying more traffic. It would add a fourth lane in each direction between Anzac Avenue and Uhlmann Road, while further north, new collector-distributor roads would separate local traffic from vehicles continuing along the highway.

But the plans also make room for wildlife.

Wildlife Movement Included in the Design

TMR’s fly-through of the preferred design identifies an underground fauna crossing spanning the highway south of the northbound and southbound service centres in the Burpengary-Morayfield area.

Another fauna crossing is shown further north.

The locations are well north of Anzac Avenue and are not the wildlife crossing previously sought near North Lakes. They do, however, show fauna movement being factored into plans for a highway expected to become substantially bigger.

It is also not happening in isolation.

South of North Lakes, the $948 million Bruce Highway upgrade around the Gateway Motorway interchange includes fauna fencing and a fauna underpass running east-west beneath the Gateway Motorway, Bruce Highway and Gympie Arterial Road interchange.

The next stage, extending north across the Pine River towards Dohles Rocks Road, includes another fauna underpass on the northern side of the river bridges.

Together, the projects put several wildlife connections into plans for the motorway and highway corridor running towards North Lakes.

A Corridor Carrying 160,000 Vehicles a Day

The scale of the transport challenge helps explain the size of the works being planned.

TMR says about 160,000 vehicles travel between the Moreton Bay Region and north Brisbane each day on the Gateway Motorway, Bruce Highway and Gympie Arterial Road. Traffic levels across that wider corridor are expected to increase by about 50 per cent by 2041.

North of Anzac Avenue, the preferred 18-kilometre Bruce Highway upgrade would also overhaul the Uhlmann Road, Buchanan Road and Caboolture-Bribie Island Road interchanges. New highway bridges are proposed over Burpengary Creek and the Caboolture River.

The preferred option was released for community consultation in July 2025. Consultation closed in September, with TMR saying the feedback is being reviewed and will be considered in future project phases.

Crossings Are Planned, Not Yet Built

There is an important distinction between what appears on the plans and what motorists — or wildlife — will eventually see.

The Anzac Avenue-to-Caboolture-Bribie Island Road upgrade remains in planning. The preferred design is subject to further project development, and construction funding would still need to be secured.

Further south, work is more advanced. Detailed design is underway on the Gateway to Bruce Upgrade, which incorporates the $948 million Bruce Highway Stage 1 project. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026, subject to environmental approvals.

The adjoining Pine River-to-Dohles Rocks Road stage is also in detailed design. The Australian and Queensland governments have committed $30 million towards its design, but further funding is required for construction.

For North Lakes and surrounding suburbs, the plans offer an early look at how one of the region’s biggest transport corridors could change as Moreton Bay continues to grow.

More lanes and bigger interchanges dominate the engineering. But wildlife movement is now on the plans too.

Published 20-August-2026

Australia’s Test Setback Puts Batting Depth in the Spotlight

Australia faces immediate questions over its batting after Bangladesh completed a historic nine-wicket Test victory in Darwin — while closer to home, North Lakes is building a growing junior cricket base.

Bangladesh secured its first Test victory on Australian soil on Sunday and only its second Test win over Australia anywhere.

The result leaves Pat Cummins’ side under pressure ahead of the second and final Test in Mackay, starting Saturday, 22 August.

Bangladesh Takes Control in Darwin

Australia was dismissed for 198 in the first innings before Bangladesh responded with 426, establishing a 228-run lead.

Cameron Green led Australia’s fightback with 104 in the second innings — his first Test century on home soil — but Australia was dismissed for 284.

Bangladesh needed just 57 to win and reached 1-57 in 14.2 overs.

Hasan Mahmud finished with nine wickets for the match, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 5-66 in Australia’s second innings.

The result was Bangladesh’s first Test victory in Australia. Its previous Test win over Australia came in Dhaka in 2017.

Preparation Comes Into Focus

The manner of the defeat has prompted discussion about Australia’s preparation, despite players undertaking a structured build-up before the series.

Australia had no competitive matches immediately before the Test, with players instead using extended training sessions to prepare for the demands of five-day cricket.

Josh Hazlewood said before the series that the break from matches had allowed Australia’s bowlers to structure their workloads specifically for Test cricket, including long morning and afternoon sessions.

Bangladesh’s preparation had offered few clues about what was coming. The tourists were bowled out for just 54 by a Cricket Australia XI in a warm-up match in Darwin.

Once the Test began, however, Bangladesh took control. The visitors built a substantial first-innings lead and dismissed Australia twice before comfortably completing the chase on day four.

Junior Cricket Growing in North Lakes

For North Lakes readers, the national debate over Australia’s depth comes against the backdrop of a sizeable junior cricket community close to home.

The Lakes Knights Cricket Club was established in 2007 and has grown from about 100 members to more than 500 players, supporters and volunteers.

The club describes itself as the only cricket club in North Lakes, with local facilities including Woodside Oval and North Lakes State College.

Its junior program caters for players from introductory cricket through to older junior age groups. During the summer season, teams compete through the Brisbane North Junior Cricket Association, while winter cricket provides another avenue for players wanting additional match experience.

The club also offers senior cricket, including a summer team competing in the Queensland Sub District Cricket Association, although its main focus remains junior development.

That growing grassroots base provides a local backdrop to the questions now confronting Australian cricket about batting depth and how the next generation of players is developed.

Australia’s Batting Faces Questions

Australia’s top order will be closely watched heading into Mackay.

Marnus Labuschagne made 1 and 31 in Darwin, while opener Jake Weatherald scored 23 and 0.

Cummins acknowledged after the match that Australia had to consider whether its batting problems represented one poor Test or a trend requiring changes.

Matthew Renshaw is among the batting options available to selectors, while Josh Inglis was the spare batter in Australia’s 13-man squad for the series.

There could also be changes to the bowling combination, with Scott Boland available after missing the Darwin XI.

Mackay Suddenly Carries More Weight

Australia now heads to Mackay unable to win the two-Test series.

Another Bangladesh victory would deliver the visitors a historic series win in Australia, while a draw would also be enough for Bangladesh to take the series 1-0.

Australia must win to level the series.

For cricket followers around North Lakes, the national team’s problems provide a sharp contrast with a local game that continues to attract hundreds of players at grassroots level.

Attention now shifts to Mackay to see how Australia responds.

The second Test begins at Great Barrier Reef Arena on Saturday, 22 August.

Published 17-August-2026

Free Camping Site Opens at Wyllie Park in Petrie

A free camping site in Moreton Bay has opened at Wyllie Park in Petrie. For people who need somewhere to stay, it gives a no-cost option in a monitored public space.

The site sits within an existing overnight camping area. It has toilets and refuse facilities. City of Moreton Bay says it will also keep watch through CCTV and regular security patrols.

Council responds to pressure on parks

Mayor Peter Flannery said the site is not crisis accommodation or long-term housing. He said the State Government remains responsible for those services.

Still, he said Council has seen growing pressure on public parks and open spaces. That pressure has pushed Council to look for a practical response.

Division 8 Councillor Jim Moloney said Council faced a difficult task. He said it does not run crisis accommodation. However, he said public parks have come under increasing pressure.

Cr Moloney said Wyllie Park offers a viable alternative to public parks. He also said it provides a free camping option for people who need it.

A place close to support

Council says the site is voluntary and no-cost. It also says the location keeps people close to support services.

That matters. For people living rough, distance can make every step harder. A site near help may offer a little more stability when life is already uncertain.

Encircle Community Services welcomed the move. CEO Barb Power OAM said the organisation has long pushed for better housing outcomes and stronger support for people experiencing homelessness.

She said demand for affordable and social housing continues to exceed supply. That shortage, she said, keeps pressure on already stretched local services.

Ms Power said the free camping site in Moreton Bay may give people a place with more stability. She also said it could help them stay near the support they need.

A local issue with no easy fix

Council has been clear that the site is not a solution to homelessness across Moreton Bay or South East Queensland. It has also called on the State Government to back not-for-profit groups that provide crisis accommodation across the region.

Even so, the move will be noticed across North Lakes and surrounding suburbs. Housing stress is not something that sits in the background anymore. It shows up in local conversations, in service demand, and in the strain on public spaces.

The new free camping site in Moreton Bay is a practical step, not a final answer. But in a climate like this, practical steps still count.

For now, Wyllie Park is open as a free camping option for people who need it.

Published 12-August-2026

North Lakes, Mango Hill and Kallangur: Three Neighbours, Three Very Different Property Markets

From a $2 million sale on Nicklaus Parade to multi-million-dollar acreage deals on Kinsellas Road East, the latest property data reveals why North Lakes, Mango Hill and Kallangur are no longer moving as one market.

North Lakes, Mango Hill and Kallangur may share schools, shopping centres and transport links, but the latest property data shows they’re heading in different directions.

A new Property Market Overview by Moreton Bay Area Properties, covering house sales to 27 July 2026, found North Lakes and Mango Hill recorded softer short-term median prices, while Kallangur continued to gather momentum.

Five Things We Learned

North Lakes and Kallangur each recorded 41 house sales, the highest activity in the comparison.
Kallangur was the only suburb where the three-month median exceeded its annual median.
Mango Hill remained the highest-priced mainstream market, with a median of $1.065 million.
Homes sold fastest in Kallangur, taking a median of 21 days.
Ryan Suhle, Matt Phillips and Simon Booker topped the agent leaderboards in their respective suburbs.

At a Glance

Side-by-side summary of all three suburbs — trailing 3-month vs 12-month house medians.

Market Indicator	North Lakes	Mango Hill	Kallangur
3-Month House Median	$1,011,000	$1,065,000	$945,000
12-Month House Median	$1,050,000	$1,125,000	$920,000
vs 12-Month	-3.7%	-5.3%	+2.7%
3-Month Sales	41	26	41
Median Days to Sell	27 days	36 days	21 days

A Tale of Three Markets

North Lakes remains the area’s established premium market. Its three-month median house price eased to $1.011 million, about 3.7 per cent below its rolling annual median, but buyer activity remained solid with 41 sales and a median selling time of 27 days.

The suburb’s biggest sale—a $2 million home on Nicklaus Parade—showed buyers are still willing to pay top dollar for standout properties.

Monthly Median Sale Price — North Lakes

12-month rolling trend, August 2025 – July 2026. Houses only.

Mango Hill continued to command the highest median price at $1.065 million, although homes generally took longer to sell, with a median of 36 days.

The report notes that two acreage sales worth $8 million and $7.025 million helped shape the suburb’s results and shouldn’t be viewed as typical residential transactions.

Top Sales — Mango Hill

Highest recorded house sale prices in the trailing 3-month window.

63 KINSELLAS ROAD E

4 bed · 2 bath · 2 car · 12,180m² · Not disclosed

$8,000,000

59–61 KINSELLAS ROAD E

— bed · — bath · — car · 8,834m² · Not disclosed

$7,025,000

ⓘ Properties at 63 and 59–61 Kinsellas Road East are large acreage holdings (8,834–12,180m²) and are not representative of typical residential transactions. They are included for completeness as they settled within the period.

Kallangur, meanwhile, was the standout performer.

Its median climbed to $945,000, above its annual median, while homes sold in just 21 days. Combined with 41 recorded sales, the figures suggest buyers continue to see strong value in the suburb.

Monthly Median Sale Price — Kallangur

12-month rolling trend, August 2025 – July 2026. Houses only.

The People Behind the Numbers

The report also highlights the agents leading sales activity across the three suburbs.

Top Agents – Trailing 3 Months

Top agents in North Lakes, Mango Hill and Kallangur by confirmed house sales during the trailing three-month period
Suburb	Agent	Sales (3-Mo)
North Lakes	Ryan Suhle	18
Mango Hill	Matt Phillips	5
Kallangur	Simon Booker	5

Ryan Suhle recorded 18 confirmed house sales in North Lakes during the reporting period, while Matt Phillips topped Mango Hill with five sales and Simon Booker led Kallangur, also with five sales.

The Meaning Behind the Numbers

The figures suggest there isn’t one property market across the North Lakes district—there are three.

North Lakes continues to perform as an established premium suburb. Mango Hill remains a strong family market with a handful of high-end sales capable of influencing headline figures. Kallangur, meanwhile, continues to strengthen as buyers look for affordability without leaving the district.

For homeowners, buyers and investors, that’s the real takeaway: the postcode may be shared, but the market story isn’t.

Explore the Full Report

The full North Lakes, Mango Hill & Kallangur Property Market Overview includes:

Monthly median price charts
Top 10 sales
Agent leaderboards
Bedroom-by-bedroom market breakdowns
Side-by-side suburb comparisons

➜ Read the full report on Moreton Bay Area Properties

Data source: Figures are drawn from the North Lakes, Mango Hill & Kallangur Property Market Overview published by Moreton Bay Area Properties. The report analyses publicly available residential property sales for the three months to 27 July 2026.

Published 5-August-2026

Major Murrumba Downs Wastewater Upgrades To Support Moreton Bay’s Growing Communities

Communities surrounding North Lakes are among those set to benefit from a series of upgrades at Unitywater’s Murrumba Downs Wastewater Treatment Plant, as the utility expands infrastructure to support growth across Moreton Bay.

The treatment plant services approximately 187,000 homes and businesses in Dakabin, Griffin, Kallangur, Mango Hill and Murrumba Downs, as well as Bray Park, Joyner, Lawnton and Strathpine. It processes around 25 megalitres of wastewater each day—the equivalent of about 5.5 million toilet flushes.

The upgrades are part of Unitywater’s $500 million renewals and replacements program, which is aimed at strengthening water and wastewater infrastructure throughout its service region.

Unitywater Executive Manager Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions Mike Basterfield said the works included a range of improvements designed to support the plant’s ongoing operation.

The project involves refurbishing the plant’s bioreactor, replacing aeration diffusers that supply oxygen to microorganisms used in the treatment process, upgrading a cloth media filter tank and constructing a new aeration tank to improve biological treatment.

Upstream of the treatment plant, crews have also installed a 16-metre-high barometric loop—a distinctive U-shaped structure that uses gravity and atmospheric pressure to maintain efficient wastewater flow.

According to Unitywater, the new structure will increase pumping efficiency while helping reduce odour and the risk of blockages in the wastewater network.

Mr Basterfield said the crane lift also drew the attention of children from nearby Green Leaves Early Learning Centre, who later visited the site dressed in miniature high-visibility safety vests.

The barometric loop was installed by Dormway earlier this year, while Downer is delivering the remaining works. The full program is expected to be completed by November 2026.

Published 1-Aug-2026

Meyers Circuit Site Set For 117-Home Development In Mango Hill

Photo Credit: QLD Gov/Azure Development Group

Plans for Mango Hill housing have advanced, with 117 apartments and townhouses set for an underused Meyers Circuit site near the suburb’s train station.

The 1.5-hectare former Department of Transport and Main Roads site will be divided between two residential projects expected to accommodate more than 200 people.

Coast2Bay Housing Group will develop 56 one, two and three-bedroom apartments for people eligible for affordable housing. The apartment component will occupy a 3,000-square-metre section of the site and include 68 resident and visitor car parks.

Plans also provide for communal indoor and outdoor areas facing Meyers Circuit. The apartments will be contained in a single five-storey complex as part of the wider residential development.

Coast2Bay intends the project to provide affordable rental options for essential workers and local residents seeking to live closer to employment, schools, services and everyday facilities.

Townhouses Planned For Homebuyers

Azure Development Group will build 61 three and four-bedroom townhouses on the adjoining 1.2-hectare section of the property. The townhouses are intended for build-to-sell homebuyers.

The developer identified the site’s access to public transport, retail, employment areas and education options as features supporting the project. The Mango Hill development will also form part of Azure’s northern corridor housing pipeline.

Together, the apartment and townhouse projects will create a mix of housing types near Mango Hill train station. The site is also close to North Lakes Shopping Centre, Mango Hill State School and the wider North Lakes precinct.

Photo Credit: QLD Gov/ Coast2Bay Housing Group

Construction Planned From Late 2027

Construction on both projects is planned to begin in late 2027, subject to the required approvals. Homes across the two developments are expected to be completed by late 2028.

The site has been underused since 2017 and was previously used for rail-related works. It has now been declared a Provisional Priority Development Area to accelerate planning, assessment and housing delivery processes.

Economic Development Queensland is leading the Land Activation Program, which identifies underused government-owned land that may be suitable for housing and works with agencies and industry to bring sites forward for development.

Since the program began in February 2026, market submissions have been assessed for 191 sites involving 25 agencies across 23 local government areas. The Mango Hill site will now move through approvals, contracts and delivery before construction begins.

Published 22-July-2026

Robo Pets Bring Dementia Support To North Lakes Library

Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

The soft purr of a robotic cat and the steady presence of a lifelike dog are now part of dementia-friendly support at North Lakes Library, where companion pets are being used to help people living with dementia and their carers feel more connected.

Gentle Companions Arrive At North Lakes Library

North Lakes Library is among three City of Moreton Bay libraries introducing robotic companion pets as part of dementia-friendly programs for people living with dementia and their carers.

The new companions include two robotic cats and one robotic dog, with the pets available through Redcliffe, Caboolture and North Lakes libraries. While they are not real animals, they have been designed to feel familiar and comforting, with soft fur, gentle movement and simulated heartbeats.

The pets are intended to help reduce feelings of anxiety and loneliness while encouraging interaction and emotional comfort during library-based activities.

Robotic dog in library program — Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

Robo Pets Add A Calming Presence

The companion pets will be used in dementia-friendly programs, including the Dementia Sharing Circle and other library activities designed for residents living with dementia and those who care for them.

Their pet-like movements and appearance offer a simple point of connection. For some participants, the presence of a cat or dog can provide a gentle focus for conversation, touch and shared activity.

The pets also sit alongside dementia kits available through the library network. These kits can be used on site or during library visits to aged care and other facilities.

Robotic cat for dementia support — Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

They include weighted plush comfort dogs, classic board games such as checkers and snakes and ladders, simple jigsaw puzzles and reminiscence books. The books are designed to prompt memories, acknowledge personal history and support cognitive recall.

The weighted comfort dogs work in a similar way to a weighted blanket, using deep pressure stimulation to create a soothing effect. They are designed to help ease anxiety, reduce evening agitation and improve sleep quality.

Robo pet at North Lakes Library — Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay/Facebook

North Lakes Part Of Dementia-Friendly Library Network

North Lakes Library is also one of the locations offering Magic Tables, which provide interactive activities for people living with dementia. The tables are available at Bribie Island, Caboolture, North Lakes, Redcliffe and Strathpine libraries.

Libraries across City of Moreton Bay are working towards becoming dementia-friendly spaces through staff training, community education, accessible facilities, inclusive programs and suitable collections.

Other support includes Quiet Hour sessions, where lights are lowered, music is turned off and noise from phones, computers and announcements is reduced. The sessions are held weekly.

A home library service is also available for eligible people who are unable to visit their local library because of dementia.

At Redcliffe Library, a Dementia Sharing Circle is being piloted for people living with dementia, care partners and loved ones. The sessions offer a place to connect over a cuppa, with support from a dementia doula.

For North Lakes Library users, the robo pets add a gentle new element to the dementia-friendly resources already available through the wider library network.

Published 4-July-2026