Softball Australia and the tournament’s Organising Committee announced the partnership in May 2026, with the event set to take place in Redcliffe from 5 to 11 April 2027.
Under the agreement, KBL will manage transport operations for athletes and officials throughout the tournament, with a focus on delivering safe, reliable and punctual service across every trip.
A Local Business on the World Stage
Photo credit: Google Maps/Kangaroo Bus Lines
It has taken more than 47 years of showing up for southeast Queensland communities to get here, but Kangaroo Bus Lines has earned its place on a genuinely global stage. Softball Australia cited the company’s local knowledge and strong community roots as central to the decision to bring them on as a partner.
Softball Australia CEO Sarah Loh was unambiguous about what the appointment represents. Writing on Instagram, she said she was “delighted” to confirm the partnership, calling KBL “a proud, family-owned business with deep roots in the region.” In her view, the company’s team will “play a critical role in ensuring athletes and officials from the world’s top eight softball nations experience Australia at its very best, with every journey safe, reliable, and seamless.”
The ripple effects, Ms Loh suggested, stretch well beyond the final whistle. Each bus on the road, she wrote, “represents local expert drivers, local businesses showcased to an international audience, and local pride on display to the world.”
KBL CEO Darren Webster echoed that sense of pride. Mr Webster said that while KBL has long focused on serving its local communities, being chosen to support elite international sporting teams is a genuine honour, and one that speaks to the standards his staff work hard to uphold every day.
The tournament itself carries stakes that go beyond a world title. The Finals will double as the first Olympic qualification event for softball ahead of the LA28 Games in Los Angeles, with one Olympic berth available to the highest-ranked nation at the Finals, excluding the USA as the Games’ host country.
For a Burpengary business that has spent close to five decades keeping this corner of Queensland connected, it is a moment that is hard to overstate.
Bribie Island’s beaches are becoming one of the few places in Queensland where cooler sand temperatures may still help produce male turtle hatchlings, giving marine experts and local volunteers fresh hope for the future of Australia’s loggerhead turtles as warming conditions reshape nesting beaches further north.
Ahead of World Turtle Day on 23 May, the City of Moreton Bay confirmed that 26 loggerhead turtle nests were recorded on Bribie Island during the latest nesting season. The nests were tracked between November and April by the volunteer group Bribie Island Turtle Trackers, which patrols beaches across the island during breeding months.
The figures may appear small beside Queensland’s major nesting regions near Bundaberg and the Great Barrier Reef. Still, researchers and conservation groups say beaches like Bribie Island are becoming more important as rising temperatures affect turtle breeding patterns across Australia.
Warmer Beaches Are Changing Turtle Hatchling Ratios
Marine turtles do not develop sex in the same way humans do. Instead, the temperature of the sand surrounding the eggs determines whether hatchlings are male or female. Scientists working across Queensland have found that hotter nesting beaches are increasingly producing female hatchlings at much higher rates.
According to information shared by the City of Moreton Bay, sand temperatures on Bribie Island averaged about 27 degrees Celsius during the latest nesting season. That is lower than some northern Queensland beaches where temperatures above 29 degrees have been linked to heavily female hatchling populations.
The issue has become a growing concern for conservation workers monitoring turtle populations across Queensland. Research and conservation programs at places such as Mon Repos near Bundaberg and parts of the Great Barrier Reef continue to track how climate conditions are affecting nesting success.
On the southern Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island has also become a major focus for turtle monitoring, particularly during breeding and hatching season when visitors and researchers gather to observe nesting activity along the shoreline.
Bribie Island Residents Are Taking Part in Turtle Protection
Long before hatchlings begin moving towards the water, local volunteers are already on the beach before sunrise checking dunes, marking nests and recording turtle activity.
Photo Credit: Supplied
The Bribie Island Turtle Trackers work alongside Moreton Bay council officers to monitor nesting sites and help reduce threats around breeding areas. Council teams have installed shade structures near vulnerable nests and adjusted lighting near some beachfront locations to reduce the risk of hatchlings becoming disoriented at night.
Artificial light remains one of the biggest dangers for newly hatched turtles. Hatchlings naturally move towards moonlight reflecting off the ocean, but strong lighting from homes, streets and beachfront areas can pull them inland instead.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Community education campaigns across Queensland have increasingly focused on practical changes residents can make during nesting season. Conservation groups encourage people living near beaches to switch off unnecessary outdoor lighting at night, avoid walking across sand dunes and keep dogs under control near nesting areas.
Volunteer-led programs are also expanding in other parts of the state. The Australian Marine Conservation Society recently highlighted community volunteers in Queensland helping turtle hatchlings safely reach the ocean during breeding season.
Queensland’s Turtle Conservation Efforts Stretch Beyond Bribie Island
Queensland remains home to some of the world’s most important marine turtle nesting sites. Six of the world’s seven marine turtle species have been recorded in Moreton Bay waters, while beaches along the Great Barrier Reef support major nesting populations for loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles.
Programs run through Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service continue to monitor turtle migration, breeding success and long-term survival rates through tagging and conservation work.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Elsewhere in Queensland, other turtle species are also facing pressure from habitat changes and flooding. Recent reporting examined ongoing efforts to protect the endangered Mary River turtle, which remains one of the state’s most vulnerable freshwater species.
Across coastal communities, conservation workers say local involvement continues to shape the success of turtle protection programs. Beach patrols, responsible boating, reduced light pollution and community awareness campaigns are all playing a role in helping hatchlings survive their first journey to sea.
Small Actions on the Coast Can Shape a Turtle’s Survival
Turtle season has become part of the rhythm of coastal life in Bribe Island. Early morning beach walks now often include checking for turtle tracks in the sand, while volunteers continue sharing nesting updates with local families and visitors.
As World Turtle Day draws attention to turtle conservation around the world, beaches on Bribie Island are showing how local communities can support species that have travelled Australian waters for millions of years.
A new centrepiece is beginning to take shape at Vantage Lilywood, where construction has started on a $17 million clubhouse and amenities precinct for the emerging over-50s community in Waraba.
The project marks the next visible stage for Vantage Lilywood, a 296-home community being developed in the area formerly known as Caboolture West. After construction began on the first homes late last year, attention has now turned to the shared spaces planned to support daily life for future residents.
AVID Property Group marked the start of clubhouse construction with a sod turn on Wednesday, 13 May 2026. Hutchinson Builders has been appointed to deliver the facility, which will sit at the centre of the Vantage Lilywood community.
The clubhouse precinct has been planned around recreation, wellness and social connection. Outdoor and activity spaces are expected to include a resort-style pool and spa, heated lap pool, sauna, gym, tennis and pickleball courts, bowling green, workshop and art studio, yoga area and an off-leash dog park.
Inside the clubhouse, residents are expected to have access to a private cinema, golf simulator, library, games room, residents’ kitchen, bar and lounge, barbecue area, private dining rooms and alfresco dining spaces.
The staged rollout of Vantage Lilywood is set to continue in June 2026, when the sales and information centre and first showcase homes are expected to open. The first residents are also expected to move in during June 2026.
The clubhouse and wider amenity precinct are expected to open in winter 2027, giving the community a central shared facility after the first homes are occupied.
The Waraba project also sits within AVID’s broader Vantage portfolio, which includes clubhouse projects at Vantage Bloomdale in Victoria and Vantage Hervey Bay. The Bloomdale clubhouse has opened, while the Hervey Bay facility is expected to open in the coming months.
Once complete, the Waraba community is expected to include 296 homes for people aged over 50. The clubhouse will form the central shared space for residents, bringing together recreation, leisure and social facilities within the new Lilywood precinct.
The Moreton Bay Art Prize is returning to Pine Rivers Art Gallery with a free exhibition of shortlisted local artworks, alongside an outdoor display that brings selected pieces into high-traffic locations across Moreton Bay.
The Moreton Bay Art Prize is back for its 32nd year, bringing together local artists through a free public exhibition at Pine Rivers Art Gallery.
The exhibition will run from 30 May to 18 July and will feature 36 shortlisted artists competing for the 2026 prize pool. The works were selected by a professional panel, with entries assessed on their ideas, technical execution and originality.
The annual prize is open to artists aged 18 and over who live in Moreton Bay, as well as Kabi Kabi, Turrbal and Jinibara First Nations artists living in Australia. There is no fixed theme or category, allowing entrants to submit original works of their choosing, provided they were created within the previous 24 months.
The result is a broad exhibition shaped by individual practice rather than a single subject, giving visitors the chance to see a varied selection of works from artists with local and cultural ties to the region.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Outdoor Art Prize Extends The Moreton Bay Art Prize
The gallery exhibition is accompanied by the Outdoor Art Prize, which places selected works beyond the gallery setting.
Six artists have had their works displayed on banners in high-traffic locations across Moreton Bay. The outdoor display runs from 18 May to 15 June, giving the prize a public presence before and during the early part of the Pine Rivers exhibition.
The outdoor element adds another way for residents and visitors to encounter the shortlisted creative work, with selected pieces appearing in everyday locations as well as inside the gallery.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Prize Pool And Public Voting
The 2026 prize pool totals $10,000.
The first-place artist will receive a non-acquisitive prize of $5,000. Second place carries $3,000, third place carries $1,500, and the People’s Choice Award carries $500.
The winners will be announced at the awards night on Saturday 11 July. This year’s winning entries will be selected by guest judge Dr Simon Degroot, Program Director of Visual Arts at Queensland College of Art and Design at Griffith University.
Members of the public can also take part by voting for the People’s Choice Award. Voting remains open until the final day of the exhibition on Saturday 18 July.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Pine Rivers Exhibition Open To All Ages
Entry to the Moreton Bay Art Prize exhibition is free, and the display is suitable for all ages.
With the main exhibition at Pine Rivers Art Gallery and outdoor works appearing across Moreton Bay, the 2026 program gives audiences several ways to view the region’s artists before the prize winners are named.
The exhibition continues a long-running local art prize that supports both emerging and established artists, while giving the public access to a wide range of recent original work.
Waraba is set to become one of Queensland’s biggest housing growth areas after a $2.4 billion infrastructure funding agreement has cleared the way for thousands of new homes in the fast-growing Moreton Bay region.
This will help deliver major road, water and sewerage upgrades needed to support more than 16,000 homes in the Waraba Priority Development Area, where the future population is expected to reach around 70,000 people.
Pressure builds as Moreton Bay population climbs
Families moving into South East Queensland have placed growing pressure on housing supply across Moreton Bay, where new estates have expanded rapidly over the past decade. Local leaders say infrastructure has struggled to keep pace with demand, particularly in outer suburban growth corridors.
Waraba, formerly known as Caboolture West, has been identified as one of the region’s largest future residential communities. The area sits between Caboolture and Wamuran and has been earmarked for large-scale housing development for several years.
The latest package is aimed at speeding up the infrastructure needed before more homes can be built. That includes upgrades to roads, sewerage systems, water services and other essential works linked to new neighbourhoods.
Thousands of homes tied to infrastructure rollout
The City of Moreton Bay said the funding would help support the delivery of more than 16,000 homes by mid-2034 within the Waraba Priority Development Area.
Mayor Peter Flannery said the region’s population growth had made housing infrastructure a major issue for councils across southeast Queensland. He said the funding would help accelerate housing construction in a region expected to continue growing strongly over the next 30 years.
Federal Housing Minister Clare O’Neil stated that the agreement would support more Queenslanders entering the housing market, including future residents in Moreton Bay.
Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie also linked the project to broader housing supply pressures, saying infrastructure delivery was essential before large-scale home construction could move ahead.
Long-term planning reshapes the Waraba corridor
Waraba has increasingly become a focus for long-term urban planning as southeast Queensland prepares for continued population growth. Planning documents for the area have projected schools, shopping centres, transport links and community facilities alongside future housing estates.
While large sections of the development are still years away from completion, the infrastructure agreement marks one of the biggest funding commitments tied to the project so far.
Construction timelines and detailed delivery schedules for the infrastructure works are expected to be released in later stages by state agencies and development authorities.
A local Bongaree volunteer has achieved state-wide recognition after being named a finalist in the prestigious annual Queensland Volunteering Awards, which celebrated the massive collective impact of nearly fifty thousand community champions across the state.
Janelle Clarke, representing the Bribie Island Church of Christ Op Shop in Bongaree, was named a finalist for the Queensland Volunteer of the Year Award. This recognition places her among the top tier of community contributors across the entire state.
The event highlighted how small, local efforts connect to a massive network of support systems keeping regional communities running. Clarke’s work at the local op shop was thrust into the spotlight alongside other major state groups, showing how crucial neighborhood-level support is to everyday people.
The ceremony acknowledged the massive scale of unpaid help across the state, bringing together representatives for 49,722 individual volunteers who were nominated across six different categories. Out of 275 total nominations submitted this year, only 21 finalists and eight final recipients were chosen.
Among the major individual winners was Carolyn Robinson from Beyond DV, who took home the top Volunteer of the Year honor. Other major individual winners included Jaylyn Rongo for youth volunteering, Phillip Smith for a specialized fundraising campaign, Roger Whyte for lifetime service to rugby league, and Nicole Ashley for excellence in managing volunteer teams.
Organisers noted that the ceremony coincided with the United Nations International Year of Volunteers. Community leaders mentioned that this year’s acknowledgment feels especially important due to the ongoing cost of living pressures that many families face.
As the demand for local services rises across Queensland, unpaid workers are acting as the steady hands holding neighborhoods together. The awards also highlighted organizational impact, giving top marks to Foodbank Queensland for community food relief, Sunshine Coast Health for public sector programs, and Origin Energy for corporate backing.
A Bellara-based home care nurse who once worked in the laundry and dry-cleaning industry has spent the past 17 years helping older Moreton Bay residents stay in their homes instead of moving into aged care facilities, as demand for in-home support continues to grow across the region.
International Nurses Day will be marked on May 12, with Carinity recognising nurses working across Queensland, including Moreton Bay registered nurse Mark Lister. The long-serving nurse now works with Carinity Home Care, supporting seniors living throughout the Bribie Island and Caboolture region.
Lister moved into nursing nearly two decades ago after being inspired by family members already working in healthcare. Since joining Carinity, he has worked in several aged care roles, including frontline infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, his work focuses on helping seniors remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. That includes assessing new clients, developing falls prevention plans and providing clinical care to older residents across the Moreton Bay area.
The Bellara-based service has become part of daily life for many local families caring for ageing parents and relatives at home. Across Queensland, demand for home care services has increased as more older Australians choose to age in familiar surroundings rather than move into residential care.
Long-Term Care Builds Strong Community Connections
Lister’s work regularly brings him into homes where families are managing complex health conditions, mobility challenges and social isolation among elderly relatives.
According to Carinity’s Bribie and Caboolture home care service, nurses and support teams assist seniors with clinical care, daily living support and health management while allowing them to remain connected to their local communities.
Carinity executive manager Heidi Wiebe said aged care nursing required patience, compassion and specialised skills, particularly when supporting older people with changing health needs. She said families and residents regularly expressed appreciation for the work performed by nursing staff across the organisation.
The organisation has operated community services in Queensland since 1949 through aged care, disability support, youth services and chaplaincy programs. Moreton Bay remains one of the growing regions for in-home aged care support due to its large retirement population and expanding senior community.
International Nurses Day Shines Spotlight on Regional Healthcare Workers
International Nurses Day is held each year on the birthday of modern nursing founder Florence Nightingale. The annual event recognises nurses working across hospitals, aged care, disability support and community healthcare services.
While many healthcare workers are seen in hospitals and emergency departments, home care nurses often spend years building relationships with residents inside local neighbourhoods and retirement communities.
In Bellara and the surrounding parts of Moreton Bay, those visits can involve everything from wound care and medication management to helping older residents avoid falls and hospital admissions.
For families balancing work, caregiving and medical appointments, home nursing support has become an important part of keeping elderly relatives safe and connected to the community.
A 31-year-old man was left fighting for life after he was allegedly robbed and attacked outside a hotel in Caboolture, with police seeking three people who fled before officers arrived.
Queensland Police said the incident happened at a licensed premises on Aerodrome Road on 10 May.
Police allege money was stolen from the man inside the venue’s pokies area before the situation moved into the hotel car park.
Police Investigate Violent Confrontation Outside Hotel
According to information released by Queensland Police, the man confronted the group outside the venue shortly after the alleged theft. The man was struck with a bottle before suffering a stab wound to the neck during the altercation.
The injured man was taken to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a life-threatening condition. Police said three people fled the scene on foot before officers arrived.
As of the latest available police information, no arrests had been announced.
Police Appeal For Witnesses In Caboolture
Queensland Police said investigations into the alleged robbery and assault are continuing.
Investigators are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, or who may have CCTV or dashcam footage from the Aerodrome Road area, to contact police.
A Caboolture South woman has died after a head-on crash in Woodford involving an allegedly stolen ute, with a 31-year-old man later located at a nearby school and charged with manslaughter.
The crash happened around 6:10am on Tuesday, 5 May, on Archers Street near Victoria Lane, where an allegedly stolen white Isuzu D-Max ute and an orange Toyota Corolla collided head-on.
The driver of the Corolla, a 60-year-old Caboolture South woman, died at the scene. She has been identified as Carron Scott, a registered nurse who was travelling to work at a Woodford aged care centre when the crash occurred.
Her workplace described her as a respected and much-loved nurse who was valued by colleagues, residents and families. Her husband also shared his grief publicly after her death, describing the loss of his wife of 21 years.
The white Isuzu D-Max had allegedly been stolen from an address on McLoughlin Road in Morayfield around 3:45am on Tuesday, several hours before the crash.
After the collision, the alleged driver of the ute, a 31-year-old Ellen Grove man, allegedly left the scene on foot. He was later found at a nearby educational facility and taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Investigators have been examining the movements of the ute before the crash. Witness accounts suggested the vehicle may have been driven dangerously before the collision, although the exact circumstances remain part of the crash investigation.
The D’Aguilar Highway was temporarily closed after the crash, with traffic diverted while emergency crews responded. The road later reopened.
A nearby Woodford school was briefly locked down after the man was found in a toilet block on school grounds.
The lockdown was put in place as a precaution while police searched the area. Some staff, including cleaners and teachers, were on site at the time, but no students were present.
The lockdown was lifted at 9:10am, and classes later resumed as normal.
Man Charged Over Fatal Crash
The 31-year-old Ellen Grove man has been charged with manslaughter following the fatal crash.
He has also been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle, failing to remain at an incident, disqualified driving, drug driving and two counts of trespass.
He was due to appear in Caboolture Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 6 May.
The Caboolture Criminal Investigation Branch is investigating the incident and has appealed for anyone with information or dashcam footage to come forward.
A development application is currently open for public comment, with Moreton Bay residents invited to have their say on plans that would bring a five-star hotel, full-line supermarket, fast food outlets, a service station, and a range of other commercial facilities to 1780-1820 Bribie Island Road, Sandstone Point.
The application covers two distinct precincts and would be delivered in three stages (with substages). The resort component, proposed immediately south of the existing hotel, includes two 11-storey buildings reaching 36 metres in height, with a combined 202 rooms, basement and ground-level parking totalling 367 spaces, and outdoor recreation areas including pools, wellness and recreation facilities, and open space linked to the adjoining hotel.
Photo credit: City of Moreton Bay DA Tracker
The mixed-use centre, proposed north-west of the resort, includes a full-line supermarket of 4,030 sqm, three fast food pad sites, a service station with convenience store, and a further 4,705 sqm of space spanning food and drink outlets, healthcare services, office space, service industry and indoor sport and recreation. A combined resort complex, indoor sport and recreation, and showroom component accounts for a further 6,875 sqm. Car parking for the mixed-use centre would exceed 1,200 spaces across basement and at-grade levels.
Photo credit: City of Moreton Bay DA Tracker
Access to the mixed-use precinct is proposed via a new signalised intersection on Bribie Island Road, a new left-in/left-out access point, and connection to the existing internal road from Bestmann Road. Bus drop-off, a taxi rank, and overflow parking are also included.
How to have your say
Cr Matt Savige flagged the public notification period on his Facebook page, encouraging residents to engage with the process. Anyone wishing to have their views formally considered should submit a submission before the notification period closes on 27 May 2026.
Submissions must be properly made under Queensland planning law to be formally considered. Details on how to do this are available via the council’s DA Tracker.
