North Queensland's wet season paints the rainforest a lush green, but it also brings an unwelcome guest – ticks. These tiny bloodsuckers can transmit serious illnesses like Rickettsia and Queensland tick typhus. With increased tick activity during the wet months, here's how to stay safe while exploring those tropical trails. Become Tick-Savvy: Not all ticks carry diseases, but it's best to err on the side of caution. Learn to identify common North Queensland tick species. The paralysis tick, wit
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Mackay Indoor Pickleball club held a very successful inaugural Pickleball Competition throughout the Easter Weekend. It was held at McDonald's Multi-sports Stadium nd welcomed players from near and far. The event consisted of both local players, as well as visitors from across Townsville, Home Hill, Bowen, Whitsundays, Rockhampton, Brisbane and even California. The competition was friendly and social but undoubtedly very intense, with a focus solely on competitions with men’s and women’s doubles
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In a gripping round of rugby league action, the Mackay Cutters faced formidable challenges across divisions. The Hostplus Cup clash against the Townsville Blackhawks showcased a fiercely contested battle at Jack Manski Oval. With an early lead courtesy of Ross Bella's third-minute try, the Cutters traded blows with the Blackhawks throughout the first half. Townsville responded with a four-pointer in the 15th minute, and John Radal crossed for the Cutters in the 25th minute to keep the match leve
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The North Mackay Bowls Club recently hosted the Mackay Ladies District Master Pairs event, spanning over two weeks of spirited competition. Generously sponsored by Carlyle Gardens, this tournament attracted 22 teams hailing from Airlie Beach to Sarina, with the majority of participants representing the host club. It was no surprise as the competition narrowed down to the final four teams that three of whom were from North Mackay. Last year's winners, Joan McGrath and Larda Purdie from Airlie B
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As the countdown begins for the much-anticipated start of the NBL1 competition, basketball fever is reaching its peak in Mackay. This Friday night marks the commencement of an electrifying journey for the Mackay Meteors and Meteorettes as they kick off their NBL1 campaigns with a home advantage at the iconic Crater. This season's opener holds an extra special significance, as Mackay welcomes back one of its own legends – Australian Boomer Todd Blanchfield. Blanchfield's return to the McDonald’s
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Nearly one hundred runners and supporters met Sunday afternoon for the running of the annual five and ten-kilometre, Tilse Toddle handicap start event. The five-kilometre loop course took runners through the West Mackay streets towards Archibald Street and return. The steamy conditions put ten-kilometre runners to the test as they headed out for their second lap. The events had runners in clusters at the start line based on their formal club handicap. This enables the faster runners to start
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Mackay’s table tennis juniors brought home four medals from the state junior championships in Brisbane. Olie Hamelink, Trent Day, YiLin Jiang, Saisha and Misha Palod and Lily Boland competed in the state junior table tennis championships. Lily Boland and Saisha Palod both brought home medals as part of a six-player Mackay squad, who competed against more than 100 from around the state. Lily won silver and bronze in the U19 girls singles and doubles, while Saisha took out silver in the U15 gi
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Saturday saw the playing of the second qualifying GNOT Gold Point Teams event. Twelve teams vyed for Gold Points which are only available to win in certain events or if players travel away to congresses. It was pleasing to see many novice players enter the competition. Once the basics of Bridge have been taught, then the more a person plays the better they get at the game and the more they learn and the better they play. It takes years to become match fit, but it is so much fun to play and learn
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Bowen Orbital Spaceport was officially opened last week, with dignitaries gathered to mark this significant moment in space industry history. With final approvals and permits pending, Gilmour Space Technologies are closer than ever to an official launch date which will see this Queensland-based company become the first in Australia to launch a locally made rocket into orbit. Bowen is now one of only three dedicated launch sites globally, chosen for its precise location, 20 degrees south of the
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Hi Everyone! How cool is it that a rocket ship is about to blast off into space from our region? I am so excited to see this incredible project finally take-off (literally!) and I think it will be a game changer for not only Bowen, but our entire region. It will invigorate a new stream of tourism, create a bunch of highly-skilled jobs and put Bowen on the map both nationally and globally. I was chatting with our Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, earlier this week and he is absolutel
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Having always seen other people post about their experiences of random acts of kindness on our local community chat sites, Madeline Mullet was thrilled to finally make a post of her own this week. The last thing Madeline Mullet expected during her Bunnings shop was a heart-warming gesture, which left her with a desire to express her gratitude. Whilst at the Bunnings register with her young boy, Haines, the Bunnings worker handed Haines a stuffed toy ‘just because she felt like it’. “I’m rea
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Everyone fears waking up in the middle of the night to a creature crawling across your body, or the feeling of it creeping its way across the back of your neck. For unlucky resident, Zack Hinschen, that’s exactly what happened, but it wasn’t a spider like many my think. “I awoke to something landing on the back of my shirt collar, on my neck,” Zack said. “I went to grab it and felt a hard insect of some sort, had a little panic, slipped off my shirt and then reached for my phone to get some l
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In line with the Easter holidays Council is working on upgrading 655 meters of sewerage system running underground near Proserpine State High School Smart planning from Council allows them to work in the school grounds during the Easter break. The project kicked off last week with the underbore under Renwick Road. This project has several critical time components to ensure minimal disruption to the two school properties and to the Renwick Road drainage works being undertaken by the internal
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Hamilton Island announced this week that it will no longer accept cash, a controversial move that has seen many customers reeling at the thought of extra fees and charges while on holiday. The issue made national news, with some holiday makers saying they will boycott the island and vowing never to visit again. One social media post said, “Everybody should boycott it, nobody go there and see how long it lasts”. Another said, “Goodbye Hamilton Island! Never again!” “Sorry Hamilton Island, ha
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Significant redevelopment of Lindeman Island is now underway with the announcement last week that a range of trades people are now being employed to work on the island. The job description called for both skilled and general labourers, carpenters, plasters, painters et cetera. Applications are open now. Food, accommodation, and transport to the island are all provided. The first team on site will be restoring the staff accommodation. This comes after Singaporean based business, Well Smart
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The Queensland Police Service has announced new police officer growth allocations for the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday Region. A total of 20 extra police positions have been allocated to the Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday Region this financial year with academy training and recruitment efforts at record levels. With over 500 police recruits currently at the Queensland’s Police Academies and almost 2,000 applicants in the police recruit pipeline, the Queensland Police Service is seeing its largest training
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This week, the Whitsunday Healthy Heart (WHH) project continued its good work with a new online workshop that inspired attendees to reduce the carbon footprint of their businesses. Participants were taught how to implement sustainability principles into their business, manage risks and get recognised for their efforts through innovative marketing tips. The WHH Project is part of the Reef Islands Initiative, the largest reef habitat rehabilitation project of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
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The notoriously treacherous stretch of road which floods quickly whenever there is significant rainfall, is now open to a community petition which is set to appeal for works to urgently commence after another lengthy wet season. Hamilton Plains is the main arterial road which connects the townships of Airlie Beach and Proserpine, cutting the entire population of the Greater Airlie Beach off from both the local hospital and airport whenever it floods, which is several times a year. In 2019 a to
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Curtains are about to open for the much-anticipated Proserpine State High School ‘rock opera’, ‘Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’. The big event includes four shows from April 18-20 at the school’s impressive Performing Arts Centre, with catering of delicious food and chilled beverages at all shows. This entirely student-run production is led by the school’s Seagrass Theatre and Music Company, which is comprised of students from Year 7-12 who do everything from performing on sta
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C’mon Try Lawn Bowls is currently being run at the Airlie Beach Bowls Club and is an initiative supported by the Queensland Department of Sport and Recreation. The first clinic commenced on the 2nd of April and the sessions will run until the 7th of May. Taking place from 10am – 12pm, every Tuesday, the workshop times allow women with family commitments to fit in a bit of leisure time into their busy days. The C’mon Try program is specifically for women and girls. It is never too late to jo
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The LNP has offered in-principle support for a range of projects crucial to Bowen ahead of the state election later this year. Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie was in town earlier this month to outline the party’s stance on several projects at the Bowen Chamber of Commerce's monthly meeting. Issues included Bowen Hospital, the jetty, harbour redevelopment, Whitsunday Shores estate, Abbott Point industrial estate and the Bowen Water Scheme project from Home Hill to Bowen. These were al
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On Tuesday evening around 15 people attended a lively and informative ‘Insurance Explained’ event at The Reef Gateway Hotel in Cannonvale. Attendees had the chance to listen to and interact with three industry experts from a range of fields - the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, Insurance Council Australia, and the Office of Queensland Small Business Commissioner. Senior Ombudsman, Chris Liamos from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority gave people an understanding of what t
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The latest Get Set For Work Program drew to a close last month with five out of the nine participants graduating from the 10 week program. Program Coordinator Scott Lynch said, although this is not the highest number of graduates to date, he is proud of each individual and positive about all their futures. He added the three that did not graduate left the program early due to personal reasons or they found a job. Standout graduate was a young man that secured a butcher’s apprenticeship and Sc
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The Whitsunday Regional Council is hosting a Come N Try event in Bowen next weekend and the whole community is invited to come along and have some fun. The Come N Try event is designed to bring people together, improve overall physical fitness and inspire positive mental health by providing a fun and easy way to try out a new activity with others! The event encourages all ages to get outdoors and try new activities while having social interactions and exercise. Manager of Bowen Tourism and Bu
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Why Do We Need Sleep? Sleep is essential and many important bodily functions occur during sleep, including memory consolidation, hormone regulation, information processing, removal of brain waste and maintenance of immune function. Aside from the obvious of being tired and cranky if you don’t get enough, it can also increase the risk of numerous health conditions. Most common being, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Atrial Fibrillation (AF), metabolic disorders such as diabetes and mental hea
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