A revised policy that provides incentives to encourage development in the Mackay region will remain in place for at least another 12 months, with an amendment approved hoping to attract a diversity of housing development.

The Facilitating Development in the Mackay Region Policy has been in place since late 2014 and reviewed and amended annually. Since the policy was first established, a total of 59 applications have been approved. The approved applications have a combined construction value of $484 million, which is modelled to generate $1.147 billion economic output and 2163 construction jobs.

The most recent review was brought forward following a resolution of council and included a workshop with councillors and key stakeholders.

Mayor Greg Williamson said, following that major review, councillors agreed it was important to keep such a policy in place and include more incentives for housing diversity.

“Although Mackay has seen increased demand for housing, the majority of this has been for detached dwellings, with units not seeing similar increases in demand,’’ he said.

“Most other comparable local governments offer some form of incentives for development.

“There is competition among local governments for investment and it is an important consideration.”

An ordinary meeting of council last week adopted the revised Facilitating Development in the Mackay Region Policy for one year, starting February 14.

A key focus of the amended policy is to contribute to housing diversity and a greater choice for the community.

Among the amendments to the previous policy is a change to Schedule 7 (Housing Diversity).

Since the introduction of Schedule 7 in December 2020, only one application has been received, with a further three in the Expression of Interest stage.

“This shows that even though there is a surge in demand for housing, the existing 25 per cent infrastructure charges discount, up to $250,000, isn’t attractive enough to promote additional unit type developments,’’ Mayor Williamson said.

“To promote the development of alternative housing types and increase the potential viability, the revised policy increases the reduction in infrastructure charges from 25 per cent to 50 per cent,” he said.

“It also increases the maximum amount from $250,000 to $500,000.”

There are other minor amendments to other schedules within the policy. The ongoing monitoring is an important consideration of the Policy review as it allows for a more accurate representation of the concessions likely to be realised and reduces the risk to council of approving disproportionate concessions and forfeiting excessive revenue.

An ordinary meeting of council last week adopted the revised Facilitating Development in the Mackay Region Policy aimed at attracting diversity in housing development. Image supplied: Mackay Regional Council

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From rescuing a missing bushwalker lost in the wilderness, to assisting with a high-speed chase following an alleged kidnapping, RACQ CQ Rescue provided an eye in the sky for the police last weekend.

The helicopter service was tasked at about 11.30pm on 12 February by the Queensland Police Service to ‘assist, trace and tail’ a vehicle which reportedly had a kidnapped child on board last seen headed south of Mackay at high speed.

With a police officer on the chopper, the RACQ CQ Rescue crew departed base at Mackay Airport and quickly located and tracked the Toyota Corolla as it sped south along the Bruce Highway just after midnight.

It is believed police stingers/spikes were deployed near Bakers Creek, but only one wheel of the alleged offenders’ vehicle was punctured. The helicopter crew reported seeing sparks and smoke coming from the rim of the vehicle as it continued along the highway.

The car finally stopped on Sarina Beach Road and the rescue helicopter crew reported seeing at least two people running from the vehicle into a residential area nearby.

The helicopter continued to ‘help from above’, assisting police by flying over the area and using the spotlight and Night Vision Goggles (NVG) to locate the offenders who were seen jumping fences and entering yards in the vicinity of Millennium Drive.

Mackay detectives have since charged two young adults allegedly involved in a deprivation of liberty incident in Sarina on Saturday night (12 February).

19-year-old Storm Michael Spurling has been charged with one count of deprivation of liberty, dangerous operation of a vehicle, unlawful possession of suspected stolen property and common assault.

18-year-old Kate Elizabeth Hill has been charged with one count of deprivation of liberty and unlawful possession of suspected stolen property.

It was alleged that two teenage boys, aged 13 and 14, were walking along Coles Hill Road, at around 7.20pm when a blue sedan pulled up. The 14-year-old boy, who did not know the pair, refused to get into the vehicle and it will be alleged a bladed weapon was then produced and the boy made to enter the car.

The car then drove to Slade Point where Ms Hill and Mr Spurling pulled over and parked the vehicle. The 14-year-old took this opportunity to flee and ran to a nearby business where police were called. The 13-year-old boy, who knew the pair, remained with the vehicle and its occupants. No one was injured.

Ms Hill and Mr Spurling appeared in the Mackay Magistrates Court on Tuesday February 15. Mr Spurling was denied bail and will appear in court in March. He denied using a knife to force the 14-year-old into Ms Hill’s car. Ms Hill was granted bail as it was determined she was the passenger. Ms Hill was already on probation for dishonesty and drug-related offences and has also been further charged with possession of stolen property.

Earlier the same evening, RACQ CQ Rescue successfully searched for and rescued a lone bush walker from a rocky shoreline near Smalley’s Beach at Cape Hillsborough.

A 57-year-old Mackay woman was reported missing by her husband when she didn’t return to their campsite from a walk in the area, about 40km north of Mackay.

After nearly two hours of low-level flying and using the aircraft spotlight to scour the bush land, rocky hills and beaches of the national park, the crew finally spotted the walker in the dark, waving her mobile phone flashlight. She was located south of Smalley’s Beach on a rocky shoreline after becoming disoriented on a walking trail and cut off by the incoming tide.

RACQ CQ Rescue conducted five search missions in three days earlier this week, from assisting Police in an erratic car chase, to searching for people lost, missing or fleeing and assisting an ill fisherman at sea. Photo credit: RACQ CQ Rescue

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Jules Thompson of Broken Ballerina has highlighted two instances of “disgraceful” housing for domestic violence survivors in Mackay - housing that is part of the state government's public housing scheme which allegedly smells like cat urine, is brimming with mould, and is host to illegally few smoke alarms.

Local Charity Exposes Substandard Living Conditions

Jules Thompson of Broken Ballerina Inc., the non-for-profit charity supporting Mackay’s female domestic violence survivors, has uncovered conditions in two homes which “no normal rental property would get away with”.

The housing in question is run through the public housing scheme, which is essentially a property rented out by private entities, whether that be an individual, organisation, or company, for the express purpose of public housing.

People who have suffered instances of domestic violence are often approved to homes through these housing organisations as the rent is subsidised by the government.

The first of Ms Thompson’s clients at one of the public houses is a young mother with two very young children who escaped a domestic violence situation.

Broken Ballerina helped her move into the new premises, where they were greeted with the smell of cat urine, moulded together curtains, no bedroom door on the main bedroom, as well as free-hanging cords on the blinds, which are illegal strangulation hazards.

Most notably, the rental property housed a single smoke detector at the rear of the property, which is now illegal, as all rentals are required by state law to meet minimum requirements for fire alarms.

“She was afraid to speak up, because she is and was afraid of being kicked out, because it’s either that or homelessness,” Jules said.

“This is not the first property that’s been brought to my attention either.”

Ms Thompson said that the young mother was incredibly grateful to be able to have her own home for her and her little ones, but that “just because someone was homeless and in a refuge, it does not mean that this is ok.”

The situation is still ongoing at the time of writing, and Ms Thompson has reached out multiple times to the property manager to seek to remedy the conditions but reportedly had been refused, as well as told for her client to give two weeks’ notice and leave the property.

The other instance prior to Christmas was related to Ms Thompson’s clients was a property with no air conditioning, in which the residents, another mother of young children, had been unwell due to the heat with multiple nosebleeds, and her younger child even vomiting.

The home also had no insulation in the ceiling.

The residents were redirected to medical professionals, being told that they would need to prove that the children’s sickness was related to the lack of air conditioning, and then the property managers would act.

Luckily, through Broken Ballerina and the Mackay community, the family received a series of portable air conditioners.

Items were donated by Mad Cow Coffee, Betta Home Living Mackay, as well as $1000 from Scott at Enlightened Financial Services for air conditioning.

Evan Corry, co-owner of Corry Cycles, also contacted Ms Thompson and organised a working bee for the young client.

“It’s fantastic, but it shouldn’t be on the community to supply these things for people, the organisations and the housing should be supplying or already have them,” Ms Thompson said.

“These places that provide subsidised housing, receiving government funding to operate and I would like to know why some of these properties are not kept up to standards that are legally required.

“It’s time that the public housing sector was audited, and every single public housing property looked at by an independent body who knows the tenancy laws inside and out.”

Jules Thompson, Broken Ballerina Inc. said that the housing conditions for Mackay’s domestic violence survivors were abhorrent. Photo: Declan Durrant

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The long debated and recently approved high-rise development at Port of Airlie is meeting with continual backlash from the Save Our Foreshore community group who are determined to fight against what they see as a “total travesty.”

Over 40 people gathered at the site of a new billboard on Shute Harbour Road on Sunday, one of three road signs that have been funded by Save Our Foreshore to raise awareness for the cause.

They depict the favoured low-rise development next to the recently approved high-rise.

In 2010, Council approved a visually pleasing three to five storey resort complex for the site.

This vision was in-tune with both developers and local activists who are eager to see Airlie Beach retain its small-town feel.

Then, in 2016 the results of a Hotel Needs Study completely changed these plans and the reclaimed land, which was previously Muddy Bay, has now been sub-divided into 10 lots, creating a need for developers to extend upwards in order to make profits.

Plans for the new development include a 180-room five-star hotel, luxury apartments, shopping, entertainment, food and beverage facilities as well as bowling and cinema, restaurant, bar and function centre.

Late last year it was controversially approved by Council that the development could exceed the statutory 18-metre maximum building limit and extend to 47 metres in height.

“We gave up Muddy Bay for this!” said Suzette Pelt from Save Our Foreshore.

“People come to Airlie Beach for the lifestyle and low-rise village feel – this tourism branding has taken 40 years to create, and we have spent 20 years fighting to maintain it.”

At a recent Whitsunday Regional Council meeting, the developers asked to reduce the amount carparks on the site, to which Council refused.

Once this issue has been resolved, Save Our Foreshore will be starting legal action and lodging an appeal with the Planning and Environment court.

This can be costly exercise, and Ms Peel said that if it goes to trial, they can expect to pay upwards of $70,000.

If you would like to show your support, simply head to the Save Our Foreshore Facebook page where you can follow the links to donate to their GoFundMe page.

Over 40 residents meet up to show their support for retaining a low-rise development

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Back by popular demand, the second annual Whitsunday Emergency Services Field Day has been announced for July this year and organisers are excited to welcome the community to another action-packed day hosted by our local heroes.

Children of all ages will be excited to get up close to the flashing lights of the fire engines and take a tour inside an ambulance, meet a police dog, and explore a rescue boat while the adults can chat with volunteer organisations such as the State Emergency Service (SES) and Whitsunday Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) to see how they can get involved.

There will be a number of Emergency Services on display including Queensland Police Service (QPS) and members of the Water Police and Road Policing Units, rural fire department, Queensland Fire Emergency Service, Queensland Ambulance Service, Volunteer Marine Rescue, SES and Whitsunday Council Disaster Management.

The large green oval at Coral Sea Marina will be the venue for the day with activities kicking-off at 8am and wrapping-up by 12pm.

Coffee vans will keep attendees hydrated and a sausage sizzle will ensure everyone is fed.

While much of the itinerary is still in the planning stages, Constable Jessica Leech said we can expect some exciting activities which could include water displays and real-life action scenarios.

With a cross section of emergency services personnel present and available to talk with, residents will be able to ask any questions they have and become familiar with different sectors.

“This will be a great opportunity for the community to understand what we do and for us to build better working relationships with everyone,” said Constable Leech.

The event takes place at the Coral Sea Marina Oval on Saturday 30th July.

The Whitsunday Emergency Services Field Day in 2021

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Staff at Daydream Island and Living Reef are elated with the arrival of turtle hatchlings, who bravely made their way to sea late last month, marking the first time in eight years this endangered species has returned to this location for nesting.

The Flatback turtle nest was discovered on Daydream Island by a security guard on Friday 3rd December last year and, by chance, the same security guard was the first to see two turtle hatchlings making their way down to the water on Thursday 20th January at around 2pm.

He soon alerted the marine biology team who attended the nest and watched patiently as more hatchlings tried to find their way out.

After several hours, however, they grew concerned that the turtles were struggling and would eventually weaken, so they decided to carefully investigate the area.

“While the nest was incubating, we had a few very high tides and a lot of coral rubble and debris had been deposited over the nest,” said Living Reef Manager Amelia Keynes.

“So, we decided to carefully clear some of this, and five hatchlings immediately burst through the surface and ran for the water.”

During the course of 30 minutes, the team watched a total of seven hatchlings race across the shingly beach into the wet world that awaited them.

Several days after the hatchlings emerged, when they were sure the hatching was complete, the Living Reef team returned to the site to gather information on the nest itself.

They discovered that a total of 21 eggs had hatched out of the 63 present, with many of the eggs not developed at all which is quite common.

Sadly, it is estimated that out of those that do make it to the sea, only one in 1000 turtles reach breeding age due to marine life predators.

This event, however, does mark an important milestone for the natural environment on Daydream Island.

“It is very exciting and promising and hopefully the mother comes back again in years to come,” said Amelia Keynes.  

“It feels amazing to know that Daydream Island is important in the circle of life for this mother flatback turtle and now her new hatchlings too and it was incredible to see it in action.”

The Flatback turtle hatchlings making their way to sea

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Hundreds of books, magazines and DVDs are on sale now at the Bowen Library as part of their annual clear-out which sees countless gems ready for purchase at an affordable price.

The book sale started this Monday and will continue until Monday 28th February.

Robyn Batman, Team Leader of Bowen, Collinsville and Proserpine Libraries said that every year they weed out older books to make room for the new.

“We are always making room for the new,” she said.

“We have to have a certain percentage that are less than five years old.”

They also look to books that have not been loaned out often or are a little tatty and place these for sale.

Every book is just $2 and magazines are 50 cents. Often the DVDs are free.

All the money received is then re-invested back into the library to pay for additional resources or ‘wish list’ items that in-turn benefit the community.

Mayor Andrew Willcox said it is wonderful to see the old books get a new lease of life and the library benefit from the sale.

“This event offers our residents the opportunity to rehome books, while sharing their support for the services our local libraries provide,” he said.

“Our libraries are such valuable community spaces, where individuals can expand their imagination, knowledge and interests and I encourage everyone to get involved.”

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Just over a century ago this year, a young returned serviceman arrived in Proserpine and set about establishing a tailoring business - a business that would flourish and serve the community with a standard of excellence for a period of 42 years. Tom Leslie Byers went on to become one of our most respected and successful businessmen, creating a substantial pool of employment locally and servicing clientele from near and far. There was no tailor in either Bowen or Collinsville at the time so Tom also serviced their tailoring needs.

Tom was born in Charters Towers on October 3, 1894. He moved to Ayr when he was 16 and began his apprenticeship under his father before later going to Sydney where he finished his trade training as a tailor and cutter with David Jones.

With the outbreak of World War I, Corporal Tom Leslie Byers - Lewis Gunner AIF Military Service No 2127 served his country for four years.

Two years after leaving the battlefields, Tom opened his tailoring business in premises in Main Street, close to the present site of Deicke’s Arcade on April 6, 1921. A few months later, he returned to Ayr where he married Miss Isabella Mary Brook on September 27. Tom and Belle raised a family of five sons and one daughter - Jack, Ray, Athol, Glen, Ken and Rosemary.

Tom’s business prospered and at one stage, in the 1940s, he had twelve employees. One such staff member gave an idea of the day’s activity:

‘Our working hours were from 8am to 5pm with an hour for lunch, 5 days/week. Those days most men wore suits ...... We worked in a big room sitting around a very large table. There were three big machines … In the next room, Mr Byers stood for hours at his high table cutting out coats, pants and vests. The ironing was usually attended to by the men, as the iron weighed in at 14lb (approximately 6kg). The cloths had to be dampened to iron the finished articles ... The apprentices swept the floor after sprinkling water to help collect threads which were hard to move because the floor was splintery.’

Many returning soldiers post WW1 had a suit tailored by Tom Byers and most girls who left to be married were able to sew for their families as they were taught so well. Tom Byers was remembered as a “first class boss and a real gentleman”; “always respectful of his staff.”

What a wonderful legacy! A returned soldier and successful businessman; producer of immaculate suits and trousers; a gentleman at all times, fondly remembered by his satisfied customers and his many employees.

Tom Leslie Byers retired in 1963 and maintained an active interest in civic affairs such as the Masonic Lodge and RSL. He died on September 10, 1971.

Story and photo courtesy of Proserpine Historical Museum.

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The first Morning Melodies of the season took place in Collinsville on Thursday this week with the Andrew Sisters Tribute Show taking the audience back to the 1940’s in their sassy and harmonious performance.

The professional variety show ‘Call to Duty’ encourages everyone to get involved as they lift spirits and boost morale encouraging the “troops” to sing, clap along and do an ol’ shoe shuffle.

Touring the state, this is the first instalment of the government funded Morning Melodies program which, through Arts Queensland, brings a host of talented performers to regional areas to entertain the older members of our community.

As soon as the Proserpine Entertainment Centre opens at the end of March, the newly re-built venue will begin hosting Morning Melodies as well as a range of other community focused arts and performance events.

For more information, please check the Whitsunday Regional Council Facebook page which will list all upcoming events for the year ahead.

The Andrews Sisters Tribute Show performed in Collinsville this week

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A Bowen holiday park has been named as a finalist in the national Grey Nomad Awards.

Queens Beach Tourist Village has been shortlisted in the 2021 Best Grey Nomad Large Caravan Park category after proving to tourism leaders that it provided an exceptional experience for visitors aged over 50.

Park owner Jennie Greer said the team was delighted.

“We are proud and honoured to be selected as finalists,” she said.

“It is a great feeling to be shortlisted in this prestigious award and acknowledged as a regional park that caters for mature travellers.  

The park was the Gold Winner in this category in 2019 and chose not to enter last year after a tumultuous 2020.

Awards Director, Kim Morgan, said the Grey Nomad Awards shone a light on regional Australia by rewarding organisations and destinations that catered in an exemplary way to mature age visitors.

“In this way, the Awards are fostering a better lifestyle for over 50s by providing verified information that will guide their decisions on where to travel safely in 2022, where to stay and what to experience along the way,” she said.

Sales and Marketing Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy, congratulated the Queens Beach Tourist Village on being named as a finalist.

“There are a lot of mature aged travellers who love coming to Bowen and places like the Queens Beach Tourist Village go out of their way to ensure that experience is a fantastic one,” she said.

“There are a lot of people who return to Bowen each year for their annual get-away.

“Many of the mature travellers tell us at the Big Mango Visitor Information Centre that they continue to come as they love the community feel and great customer service as well as the natural beauty of our area.”

The Grey Nomad Awards are judged by mature-age tourism professionals, some of whom have experienced the grey nomad lifestyle personally, adding weight to Queens Beach Tourist Village’s success as a finalist.

Queens Beach Tourist Village is set in more than seven acres of tropical gardens. Accommodation includes 140 powered sites as well as cabins.

The park includes modern amenities and laundry blocks, a large camp kitchen, sheltered barbecue areas and two swimming pools.

Winners in all 11 categories of the Grey Nomads awards will be announced on Friday, March 4.

Contributed with thanks to Bowen Tourism.

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Last Saturday a local lady, who lives in the heart of Airlie Beach, woke up in the early hours of the morning to go to work and realised her Holden Commodore had been stolen overnight.

Believing, like many locals, that she lived in a safe neighbourhood with relatively low crime rates, Jeannine Cadwallader was shocked to see this type of crime take place on her doorstep.

“I got home with my groceries the night before and left the key in the ignition because I had planned to go back and move it into my car space – but I had forgotten” she said.

“When I woke up in the morning, I looked out my window and, when I saw it wasn’t there, I thought I must have parked it out the back - when it wasn’t there either I was really shocked.”

Deciding to head to work so she could be there on-time, Ms Cadwallader called the police station from her office and, later that afternoon around 3pm, she was informed that the police had found her car, burnt out at Kinchant Dam.

“The police told me that this sort of crime happens more than you know and that it was likely someone who was familiar with the [Kinchant Dam] area because they knew where to go to do burn-outs.”

Queensland Crime Statistics show that the Whitsunday region has recently had the highest level of car theft in 20 years, with 35 vehicles stolen in 2020 and 32 last year.

“I was really surprised and so were my neighbours,” said Ms Cadwallader.

“I probably wouldn’t have worried whether my doors were locked previously but I have done all this week – there are other people I know who sometimes leave their keys in their car and they’ve all said they will never do it again.”

Fortunately, Ms Cadwallader had only recently ordered a new car which is arriving this week, but she said that if this incident had happened a year ago the impacts would have been a lot greater.

In addition, she did not have insurance, so she had to pay for the tow-truck to remove the burnt-out vehicle.

“The tow truck guy was really apologetic, but I said to him that it was ok, his fees were cheaper than a year’s insurance anyway!”

Ms Cadwallader’s burnt out car

The melted tyres of the Holden Commodore

Police investigate the crime

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One of the fastest growing regional real estate agencies in Queensland is opening its latest

location right here in the Whitsundays with local property legend, Steve Marks, at its helm.

A forward-thinking coastal brand, Explore Property began just seven years ago in Townsville

and now sells one in five houses in the city.  Its Mackay branch was also established seven years ago and is now the third biggest office

in Queensland in terms of transactions.

While Steve Marks has big shoes to fill, he says he is certainly up for the challenge and

excited to be working with such a progressive brand.

Having been one of the leading sales agents at Ray White for 15 years, deciding to branch

out on his own was a tough decision, but when he found the right fit, he ultimately knew it

was meant to be.

"I am grateful for my long association with Ray White, and to Mark and Belinda Beale the owners of the business, for their friendship and support,” he said.

“They understand and have been supportive of my decision to open my own office, I wasn’t looking to leave, I simply felt an alignment with the Explore brand and the people, and felt I had more to give.”

A brand-new office space at the Whitsunday Business Centre in Cannonvale opened this

week and includes an inviting meeting space for customers as well as a modern open plan

office fitted out with Australian-made high-end furniture.

Using its successful branding and systems, Explore Property Whitsundays will be

the 12th location in the franchise group and Steve Marks says he is ready to bring this unique

collaborative approach to the region.

“The brand really works in the Whitsundays,” he said.

"Our focus will be to deliver an outstanding customer experience whether you are buying, selling or just wishing to keep in touch with the market.

"In recent years we have found the industry has become heavily dependent on technology, and although technology is important, we feel people are more important - we are striving for a  people first policy at Explore."

Founder and Owner of Explore Group, Andrew Acton, agreed saying that the agency has

been set up to be an alternative between a big, crowded franchise and an independent.

“In lifestyle regional markets we seek to align with really good operators who are like us,”

he said.

“There is real room for that regional perspective, rather than coming from the city, we are

regional building out”

Founder and Owner of Explore Group, Andrew Acton

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Expressions of interest are now being taken for the Flagstaff Hill commercial cafe, conference, and gift shop lease.

The newly re-built Council-owned facility is located on one of Bowen’s most iconic sites with breathtaking 360-degree views of the Whitsunday Islands, Coral Sea and Bowen Hinterland.

The modern, architecturally impressive building can cater for 200 guests and contains a café, conference centre, kitchen, gift shop and an amphitheatre.

Whitsunday Regional Council said that the newly constructed facility offers operators a truly turnkey business opportunity and a minimal-risk fee structure.

Site inspections were held this week and expressions of interest will be taken until Wednesday 2nd March.

The location is just a short drive from the main business centre of Bowen and is a well-known tourist destination, attracting visitors year-round.

With sealed carparking, a 118 square metre café with furniture, 45 square metre fully fitted commercial kitchen which is outfitted with equipment such as crockery and cutlery.

In addition, the outdoor amphitheatre doubles as an indigenous yarning circle and comes with audio visual services, wireless network and landscaped gardens with native flora.

Could this be the right business opportunity for you?

Flagstaff Hill Café and Conference Centre now available for lease

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The Proserpine Lake campgrounds is gearing up for stage two of its development which will see a broad range of facilities added to the scenic recreational site which is proving popular with tourists and locals alike.

Famed for being one of the best places in Australia to catch a metre-plus barramundi and an excellent location for water sports, the Whitsunday Council owned site received funding last year for the first phase of upgrades which included the implementation of on-site managers to supervise activities.

The phase two funding application has now been submitted and the $2.5 million project will see new access roads to the campgrounds, two updated communal open areas with skillion roof shelters, communal dining tables, two BBQs and formalised fire pits.

In addition, a children’s playground will keep the kids entertained, there will be a designated space for food truck parking for food vendors, a new path network for ease of foot traffic access and expanded carparking facilities to improve useability.

On the lake itself, there will be a recreational water sports concession area, an extension to existing pontoon and an additional wash down area.

On the campground, visitors can expect additional unstructured, un-powered campsites, two amenities’ buildings, a manager’s quarters, 10 cabins and 30 campsites.

The works are expected to be progressively completed over the next two years, wrapping up in December 2024.

Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox said that council has always had a clear vision for improving recreational and tourist facilities at Lake Proserpine and has been encouraged by the response to Stage 1 upgrades.

“Since the first round of upgrades and introduction of camping at Lake Proserpine, it has continued to grow in popularity as a first-class fishing and boating destination,” he said.

“Stage 2 will provide a lot more infrastructure and these future upgrades will attract additional drive tourism to our land-based attractions in the region with flow-on benefits including local jobs.”

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For the past six weeks, local residents have been scrambling to find Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) with calls and visits to medical outlets proving unfruitful due to testing kits being in scarce supply.

Pharmacist Alan Milostic from Live Life Pharmacy said that, between the five local pharmacies, they have in excess of 2000 people on the waiting list, having written down their expressions of interest several weeks ago.

Until now, only 3-400 tests have been available per week throughout the Whitsundays, but the gates have finally opened, and Mr Milostic says he is expecting thousands to arrive each week from now on, which will be a game-changer for the community.

“There are thousands of tests arriving,” he said.

“People will be able to do tests whenever they need to and, if they test positive, they will be able to moderate their behaviour accordingly.”

Live Life Pharmacies in Queensland alone have invested $2.5 million in RATs between their 40 pharmacies.

The RATs will be free for any concession card holder or individual with a Department of Veteran Affairs card.

Each person is eligible to claim five tests per month or 10 within a three-month period.

Everyone else will have to pay $15 per test.

“It would have been nice to see a government subsidy for the rest of us,” said Mr Milostic.

“If they expect us to test often, I think there should be a subsidy. Right now, businesses and workers are wearing the costs and I don’t think it’s fair.”

Mr Milostic hopes that our ability to test ourselves more freely will lead to further changes in restrictions.

“I’d like to see us move into the next phase where we modify behaviour rather than go into isolation when we test positive,” he said.

“The current restrictions are counter-productive.”

When to test:

•When you have any symptoms

•When you are visiting someone vulnerable

•If necessary for going back to work

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