Garage Remotes

Here we show the three types of Garage Remotes that you might have been issued. Also we show what battery they may use.

When your battery gets low, the indicator light that shows when a button is pressed will blink. That shows it is time for a new battery.


Type-1

Type-1 Remotes

This shows the original style of the Garage Remotes. Ignore the orange colour of the buttons as the more recent PTX5V2 versions had grey button areas.  This style takes a CR2032 lithium button battery.


Type-2

Type-2-reverse

Type-2 Remotes

This shows the second type of remotes we issued. They are a good design but the attachment can fail at an early stage.

To open for battery (Type A23 battery) replacement, see the small access screw on the back. The screw may be beneath a label.


Type-3

Type-3 remote

This shows the third style of remotes we have provided.  These are more robust and have a sliding protective section.

Access to change battery ( CR2032) is the 4 small screws on the reverse.


Carnival of Flowers – Toowoomba

On Monday 22 Sept a group of Waves residents ventured to Toowoomba on a bus tour. The day was organised by Lena Nizeti. Many thanks to Lena for organising the day out.

Lena takes a break in the Winners Flower Garden

On the tour were Lena, Candace, Jill, John, Kathy and Lynne. Midge and Mike had planned on joining in but had to cancel at last minute.

Jill, Lynne, Lena and Kathy at Picnic Point Lookout.

After an early 7:00am start, followed by several pick-ups between Redcliffe and Taigum, we were finally on our way. Coach driver Mark made a stop in Marburg, right at the edge of the Black Snake Creek where some morning teas and cakes were enjoyed. Luckily no one saw any black snakes.

B S Creek, Marburg, QLD

I estimate that several months of planning and research found this underwhelming location for a Morning Tea. It was just a short stroll across the local Skate Park to the toilets, shown in the background.


Then it was off to Picnic Point, Toowoomba for the first “Flower” stop. On a clear day there you can see for miles. Luckily it was a clear day.

After Picnic Point, the tour stopped at the home of the winner of the Festival home garden competition.

The front garden area of the home on Burke St had every square cm filled with different flowering plants. It was very colourful. A plea from the Owner for some regular volunteer gardeners did not elicit any takers.


Next stop was at Queens Gardens where we parked near the Botanic Gardens.

There were many very colourful garden beds around the Botanical Gardens area.


Many garden beds had carefully placed plants with attractive designs.


Next Stop- Lunch

Ten minutes back on the bus and we were at the “Blue Mountain Hotel” for our included lunch.

Lunch was served “alternate-drop” and you got either a chicken schnitzel and chips, or a few slices of roast pork with vegies.

Those with the Chicken Schnitzel mostly managed to stretch the meal to three mouthfuls. Those with the roast pork were able to separate the pork to show three slices.


After Lunch

The next and final “flower” stop was at Laurel Bank Park. Here many more flowering attractions than were at the Botanic Gardens. We had an hour here to explore the many garden beds and attractive grounds. In the south-west corner of the park were some garden beds with several different coloured tulips.

There was a wide variety of plantings at the Laurel Bank Park. An hour here passed quickly as there was a lot to see, and it is a large area. Luckily it was not very crowded and there were many shaded seating spaces.


Back on the Coach

Now as 3:15pm approached, it was time to get back on the coach and head home. we managed to hit the City area right on 5pm so traffic was considerable. We had several drop-off stops starting in Aspley, then Taigum, Sandgate, Brighton, Clontarf, Margate and finally to the Redcliffe stop at 6:10pm. It had been a longgg day and most were exhausted.

The tour was provided by Red and White Tours, Sandgate. Our driver was Mark and he was assisted by Abigail.


Fibre Internet at Waves

TPG Has a great offer at present for new subscribers to the Fibre To The Building (FTTB) here at Waves Redcliffe. The first six months are Free. Yes $0 per month. You only pay $10 for a modem/router delivery.

Click the image to see the TPG site where this offer is available. You will need to pay a $10 delivery fee for a new WiFi modem they will supply.


As more units get connected to the TPG FTTB, we will possibly have the fibre connection upgraded to be capable of 500 Mbps, but for now the maximum available speed at Waves is 100 Mbps. And that’s plenty fast enough.


Updated with New Pricing from December 2022

This article updated as TPG and iiNet have increased prices for new customers. It is still a great deal for a great service.

Waves now has about 18 units connected and all are happy with the service.

Latest Technology News – Internet

TPG Communications has connected a glass fibre network connection to our building.

This opens up opportunities for those wanting faster unlimited internet services to help resolve some video streaming issues.

You can sign up via TPG or via  iiNet. iiNet is a TPG subsidiary company. Internode is another option.

You also have an opportunity to save on existing NBN internet costs, depending on your service speeds and capacity packages.

Today, 22-June-2021, four units were connected to the recently available TPG FTTB (Fibre To The Basement) at Waves.

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Things to Consider Before Switching

  • You may be locked into a contract with your existing internet provider
  • You may be using an email address bundled with your existing NBN provider.
  • You may have an existing Mobile phone bundled with your existing NBN provider
  • You may be getting some other bundle add-ons from your existing NBN provide
  • Another thing to consider is your use of a “landline” phone number. The packages offered by TPG offer a new phone number, and differing levels of included calls, from pay-as-you-go to included. If you want to retain the landline number you may currently use, then the number can be “ported” across to TPG in lieu of getting a fresh number.  To port the number to TPG, you will need to speak to their Sales Dept on 13 14 23

If you only use a mobile phone, then the free included phone line with the TPG-FTTB packages may be ignored.

DISCOUNT COUPONS

There is also a secret TPG Coupon you may be able to use that will waive your first month charge.

The coupon to try  is  FTTBFREE1   note: coupon may have expired

If you are an iiNet NBN customer, then you can sign up with them. They have a promo code at present of  ULTRA6 for 6 months @ $79.99. This may be only for new iiNet customers – not sure…

for TPG Sign Up:   TPG Link   or Phone  1300 403 211

for iiNet sign up:  online – iiNet Link  or Phone  13 19 17

TPG Package Details Below (iiNet are Similar)

Basic Bundle

New Pricing applies to new connections from December 2022

This bundle costs just $59.99 per month $79.99 for the first 6 months, then 89.99 per month  and would suit internet usage for emails and web browsing.

With a download speed of 90 Mbps, it would be way faster than any of your prior ADSL2 or NBN connection.

Upload speed is 17 Mbps,

Is very suitable for video streaming.

Includes a phone line with Pay As You Go.  Call rates are good, but most people today use Mobile Phones.

see TPG for further details

 

Carpet at Waves

Thinking of replacing some carpet in your Waves Unit?

If so, then please be aware that there are fire safety requirements issued by Building Codes Australia.

Waves is a Class-2 building. We do not have fire-sprinklers within Units.

This extract from the Minimum CRF table as provided by Building Codes Australia shows that Units should have carpets/floor coverings with a CRF of at least 2.2


The Brochure from Building Codes Australia can be downloaded here:-

You should advise any retailer of the 2.2 CRF minimum when selecting carpets.


Balcony Retiled-U15

Due to a large area of balcony tiles tenting a few weeks ago, and an inspection by a Tiler to assess the best option for repair, we opted to do a complete retile. Our unit is on the North of Waves and gets significant sun in the winter. Tiles expand more than the concrete slab beneath and they become un-stuck. The unit directly below us had the same issue a few years ago and had to do a complete retile of their balcony.

We found a nice grey replacement tile at Tile Merchants, in Virginia. Size is 450mm square. The colour is slightly darker than the original tiles, and very close to the shale-grey used around the Waves building.

Step one was to have the air conditioner disconnected and stored away from the balcony. This proved more costly than anticipated, but was necessary.

Then we had to clear the balcony of all our furniture and plants and storage boxes. Luckily we had room in our parking bay for some of this temporary relocation of “stuff”.

The start day arrived and we had a skip bin delivered to get rid of the old tiles and dust. This was an extra expense we were advised of as we had to organise the bin.

Having previously had bathroom renovations, we were mindful of protecting our flooring. We found a roll of temporary floor protection at Bunnings. We had a path from the lift to the balcony doors.

Jack hammering started about 8:00am on Monday. By about 11am all the tiles had been lifted. The crew left that afternoon and cleaned up the tiles the next morning and dumped them in the skip bin.

Next stage was to sweep the area ready for grinding. They only ground back to the glue/screed layers ready for levelling and application of waterproofing. Two applications of waterproofing were applied over two days using “Hydra Ban Slurry”.

The waterproofing was done with 2 coats of Hydra Ban Slurry. It looked very effective once it had soaked in and dried.

Here we show the waterproofed area during drying, ready for some levelling fill and then the new glue and tiles.

Three rows along the balcony edge are done on Day-4. Looking great.

A closer photo of a completed area, ready for grout on Day-5.

As I post this article we are at the end of Day-4. Tomorrow will be the grouting of the tiles, which should be done by lunchtime. Then on Day-6 they plan to return to finish off with some sealant around all the edges. All in all it took less time than expected and the workmanship is great.

Should you want a quote for your balcony then the contractor we used was “Starsh”, and his phone number is 0431 165 919. He was recommended to us by “Tile Merchants” where we bought our tiles.

New By-Laws April 2025

New CMS

Following approval by Owners at the Annual General Meeting held August 2024, the Committee has now had the new set of approved By-Laws incorporated into our Community Management Statement (CMS).  Those new By-Laws were drafted in consultation with our lawyers so that they fully comply with current Body Corporate legislation in Queensland.

Owners should make themselves aware of the new By-Laws.

The latest CMS was registered by the Titles QLD in September 2025.  There was a minor change to two allocated Exclusive Use Areas in September that require a new CMS be registered.
There was no change to by-laws in the latest version of the CMS.

Below we provide a download button so that Owners may obtain their own copy of the latest CMS.

The PDF is 22 pages and the file size 1.1 megabytes.

Cyclone Alfred Thursday Update

The Cyclone Threat Continues

We are still in the path of the Alfred Cyclone. The actual forecast path keeps changing, but currently it is at Deception Bay. Not good for Redcliffe as we will cop the strong winds on the south side of the eye.

 

Thursday Afternoon Track Forecast

Path forecast of 4/3/2025

Alfred Still Aims For Us

Expected Path

 Tuesday Afternoon Update ... Now showed as aiming for deception Bay.

 

We remain in the expected path of the effects of Cyclone Alfred. Today's forecast shows it coming ashore at the north end of Bribie Island.

Being on the south side we expect some strong winds Thursday night/Friday morning.

As At Tues Afternoon

Path forecast of Tues Afternoon

Path forecast of 4/3/2025

Path forecast of 4/3/2025

Alfred Update Mon 3rd March

Get Your Supplies Yesterday

 An update as at 2:00pm Monday 

The local Woolworths at Bluewater Square, and I suspect Margate, are completely OUT OF bottled water. And I suspect Toilet paper.

Also, the queues to check-out are Longgggg.

For water backup, we bought some new plastic buckets from "crap-tastic" just across the lobby from Woolworths.

 

Latest Track

Updated forecast tracking issued Monday 3rd March 2025...

Latest cyclone track shows the landfall is expected further north of us than shown yesterday. This does not help us much as the strongest winds will be south of the eye.

Landfall now shows as happening about 4:00am Friday. See the track shown below.

As we get further into the week we will monitor the changes and report back here.

See also the official details published by Bureau of Meteorology...

http://bom.gov.au/

and TV/Radio/phone alerts.

Latest Track

Cyclone Alfred Alert

Prepare Balconies

There is a chance that the  Cyclone Alfred  will be a direct hit on  Redcliffe  around Thursday 6th March-Friday 7th March 2025.

Here are some path predictions as at Sunday 2nd March:-

The images show the forecast path.  The dashed line shows the closeup location where the cyclone is aiming at the Redcliffe Peninsular.

Be Prepared

A near miss with a cyclone (Oswald) happened on Australia Day weekend 2013. Winds were very strong at Waves and most items on balconies were blown away. This included chairs and tables.  a glass balcony panel was shattered.  All from remnants of a cyclone that went ashore north of Bribie Island.

This time we are in the firing line.

 Some Recommended Actions

Either bring all balcony furniture inside  or  Gather furniture items together and tie them to a balcony column with strong rope.

Remove any items hanging on balconies.

Plants should be brought inside, or taken to your parking bay

Ensure your sliding doors and windows are fully closed and latched. This is important as when fully closed, the doors and frames interlock for added strength. Do not leave doors open even a few millimetres. Our doors and windows are built with glass rated for strong winds.

 

 

25 Marine Pde

25 Marine Parade

Planned Building Next Door to Waves

Newsflash --  5-Nov-2024

Some disturbing news for Waves.

The vacant lot next door at 25 Marine Parade looks likely to become a high rise apartment building.

Click the link below to see the basic plans for the site.

PDF of Plans

25 Marine Pde

Watch For Scams

Be Aware Of The Risks

We detail here several examples of how scammers may try and get money from you.

Believe it or not, several of these methods have been successfully played out by scammers against Waves residents who have been victims of some of these scams.

The examples given have all been successful against Australians of all ages, even those aware that such scams exist.

Never act in haste when making deals or making payments.

  • You just ordered something online (Amazon, JB, etc.) and you get an email saying there is a Address / ID / tracking issue. You're expecting something so click through because you're distracted.
  • You've been having issues with your PC/Internet (which you don't understand at all) and you get a call from someone saying they've identified the issues and can help you fix it.
  • You're selling something expensive online and the person says they're happy to transfer the full amount into your Paypal or bank account first so you can verify you have all the money. (You still get scammed in the end)
  • Never do a deal where you are asked to buy gift cards to make a payment or to keep your money safe. It’s a scam every time.
  • A family member/friend send you a text message that they have dropped their phone in the toilet and need some cash right away. They can’t talk to you as the phone is not working. Don’t send money, it’s a scam.
  • You do a deal with someone from another city/state for a car/caravan/pure-bred dog/cat. They ask for $xxx now with the balance paid when you collect/receive the item. Don’t send money, it’s a scam.
  • You're looking to get an AirBNB and hit a good value listing. They send back a cancellation (double booked) but with some similar alternatives that are also great value. You click the email provided link to a fake AirBnB site unknowingly.
  • You answer a phone call and the caller knows your first name. Then they ask you to tell them your details so they can confirm they are talking to the right person. They could be from NBN, Telstra, a Bank, Credit Card company (Visa/Mastercard) etc. Next they ask you to download and install some needed software so they can fix your problem. Don’t do it. Hang-up, it’s a scam.
  • You saw a great deal on Facebook by someone you have not dealt with previously and that deal expires today. Click the link and make the payment with your Visa/Mastercard. Goodbye money. You may receive a package with a rock in it.
  • You have been conversing with a business via email and get the final request from them with bank payment details. Turns out the companies email account was hacked and that last email came from the hackers.Maybe this next one will not happen here as we have few who work.
  • Your "boss" emails you out of hours and says he wants to get everyone gift cards as a small bonus for this Friday. Could you get some gift cards from the shops this evening and email him the numbers? Please use the company credit card.

 

Money When Travelling

Wise Money App for Your Travels

If you are planning some overseas travel in the future, you might consider signing up for a WISE account.

WISE is not a Bank, but an international money system with a Visa Debit card. The card has a micro-chip and works as a contact-less payment card. Just wave it near the payment terminal presented to you when making a purchase.  You can load almost any foreign currency onto the card and the exchange rates are way better than Visa/Mastercard or Bank rates. You load the card initially with Aussie dollars, and convert however much you want to spend in the foreign currency using the app on your phone. You will need internet or Mobile Data at the time of transfer. Easy.

I travelled recently to USA and relied heavily on my Wise card for shopping, sightseeing and transport. It worked better than I expected.

 

Some benefits are

  1. the great exchange rates and no MCD/Visa 3% rate surcharge,
  2. being able to choose almost any currency,
  3. paying very small charges.

There is a $10 fee for your physical Wise card, but if you use the affiliate link I have for you below, you will be offered the physical card free.

Here is the link to sign-up and get a free Wise card:-  Sign Up To Wise

Convert Currency

Got Home with Money Left Over

So after your travels, you have some Euros, GB Pounds, Vietnam Dong, Indonesian Rupees, and whatever left on your Wise card.

Easy, using the App just convert the foreign balances back to Aussie dollars and spend the money at Woolworths. Coles, Aldi etc.

 

Coming Events

WOW Afternoon Drinks Nov 22nd

Women of Waves!  A reminder that Wednesday November 22nd  at 3pm, Vicki is hosting afternoon drinks at her apartment #23, East Tower.

Bring your drink of choice and a small plate to share (not necessary).  Come anytime after 3.

 

WOW Luncheon

Also the WOW luncheon will be Friday, December 1st at noon. Venue is the new-look Belvedere.

 

 

Men of Waves

Not to be out done, Men of Waves will gather for a lunch also on Friday the 1st December  at noon.

Location is most likely to be the Redcliffe Tavern.

 

 

Your Unit’s Tiles

Tiles at Waves

The tiles inside your Unit and on your balcony are your responsibility and you should check them regularly and maintain them.

They will mostly look after themselves so it is not a big task.  Failure to maintain them can cause you significant expense.

Maintenance involves ensuring that pooled water is swept to the nearest floor drain. Any missing grout should be replaced as soon as possible.

In your shower areas, always make sure that all water drains away after use. This is important to minimise water seeping into the screed layer beneath the tiles.

If you see any yellowing or oozing near the silver strip at the bathroom doorway, you have a problem that will only worsen.

Here is a sample of the problem area:

 

Tile Edge Oozing

The primary objective should be to minimize water build up and pooling on the shower floor. This can be achieved by wiping up any residual water with an old towel after each use. If the shower floor drains as designed and all water drained away within say, 15 minutes, then towel drying the floor should not be needed and you are probably not seeing any of the tell tale signs described above.

Another suggested action is to have the tile grout lines in the shower stall treated with a quality sealant, thus minimising water penetration.

If your bathroom floors have degraded to the degree of the one shown above, then the only viable fix is a complete re-tile of the floor, which would entail new membrane applications, new screed and tiling. Several Units have already gone through this process and at the same time have fully modernised their bathrooms.

The money spent will always be recouped any time the unit might be sold.

Problem Area

Problem Detail

Nearby Development

The Location

The old yellow house on the corner of Marine Pde and Ella St looks set to be replaced soon with an 8 storey 24 Unit apartment building.

 

The property shows it was recently sold for the second time this year. It had Development Approval (DA3833) for the new building.

On 27th September 2023 there was a large drilling truck there with a team drilling deep test holes.

The design shows 8 levels, with 3 Lots on each level, and 2 levels of below ground parking. Most  lots have two stacked parking bays and bicycle storage.

There is no indication of when the development might begin.

Before Travelling

So, You Are Heading Off For a While

Background: At a nearby group of strata units, a recently widowed elderly gentleman, lets name him Harry, headed off on a lovely cruise around Australia.

The cruise was about three weeks.  Whilst gone, one of his neighbours noticed they had not seen him for a couple of weeks and they alerted the local police.

Police visited the home and could not arouse anyone inside, because they were gone for three weeks.

Then the concerned police broke down the front door of the unit and discovered that it was vacant and there was some travel information on a table.

Harry arrived home a few days later to find that his home had been invaded by the police, and door had been temporarily fixed.

 

Moral of the Story

This recent story shows how it is important to let your neighbour(s) know when you will be gone travelling, and an approximate return date.

In cases such as this, it is up to the Owner/Resident to repair all damage done when emergency services make a forced entry.

Oh, and don't forget to isolate the water to your Unit. Make sure all un-needed appliances are turned off/unplugged.

Birds

Please do not feed the birds.  Yes, they are great to see and hear, but they should not be encouraged.

Doing so can attract them back to other residents balconies where they can leave a mess on the balcony rail or glass.

They can feed themselves in Nature.

 

Balcony Doors

Your Balcony Doors

The doors to your balcony have an aluminium strengthener bar at the opposite end to the door handle.

This should not be used as a handle to slide the door, as I found out.  The beam is there to weatherproof and strengthen our doors in the case of a cyclone, or strong winds. It is only held in place at the top and bottom by two small stainless steel screws.

I used it once too often to slide the door open, and the lower screw came out of its anchor point.  Luckily I was able to re-attach the beam at the bottom by carefully locating the screw in its original anchor hole.

 

Alum. Brace Beam

The small stainless steel screw is at the bottom. Just under that is the hole for roller height adjustment.

Local Development

4-8 Sutton Street

We have learned that an eight storey apartment building is to go ahead at 4-8 Sutton Street.  Works are scheduled to commence soon.

From the plans, it looks like it will be an attractive building.

One negative comment is that it will use rubbish chutes from each level for rubbish disposal.

There will be some two bedroom, some three bedroom and 2 four bedroom units. 26 Units in all. Most will only have one parking bay.

 

If you wish, click the Download Plans button here. It is a large file of over 10 Mbytes.