The team from Artspace Mackay will call the Dudley Denny City Library home over the holiday season, as the gallery undergoes critical facility maintenance works. The team of curators will set up in the quiet space of the library, allowing them to deliver some fascinating public programs and work on the Mackay Regional Council Art Collection. Artspace Mackay closed on Monday, December 4, and is anticipated to re-open early May 2024. This closure will extend to both the gallery and Foodspace Café,
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Right now, there’s only 17 more sleeps until Christmas. That means there’s just over two weeks to finish your Christmas shopping, or in my case, start my shopping. Let me say Christmas shopping isn’t really one of my strong points. Coming up with ideas as to what presents to get someone really doesn’t seem to be that hard, but when it comes to my brain, nothing is that easy. I reckon this weekend I’ll head up to the shops at Mt P and spend some cash on the kids, buy a few lollies in readines
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Some of our local resort islands are set to become more accessible thanks to a round of State Government funding which will facilitate the construction of public jetties and pontoons. Hook, Long and Keswick Islands will each receive $1 million for new and upgraded visitor access infrastructure that aims to improve visitor access to natural areas. Hook Island Eco Lodge CEO, Glenn Piper said the Whitsundays is one of Australia's most significant and alluring tourist destinations, but accessibili
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Mackay’s City Centre Offers A Treasure Trove Of Christmas Treats Mackay Farmers Market A weekly operator at Mackay Farmer’s Market is Venton’s Tropical Blooms, who offer a comprehensive range of heliconias, gingers and tropical foliage to beautify your home or gift on special occasions. Venton’s have an array of banana varieties, including Cavendish, Ducasse and Dwarf Ducasse. Paw paws, papayas, passionfruit, black sapotes, carambolas, star apples, mangoes, lychees, limes and lemons are also s
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Coral Sea Marina has stepped up to the plate to back Whales of Whitsundays, as they endeavour to achieve Whale Heritage Site certification for the Whitsundays and become the first Whale Heritage Site in a World Heritage Area. Whales of Whitsundays is committed to conserving, protecting, and respecting the whales critical birthing habitat and ensure that the animals thrive in the Great Barrier Reef. The waters of the Whitsundays are uniquely special for whales, as their birthing place, who trave
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Last week, approximately 100 stakeholders from the port industry and local community gathered at the Mackay Surf Club to celebrate their collective achievements at the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) End of Year Stakeholder Event. This year amongst the achievements was a bumper trade year at the Port of Mackay thanks to strong sugar, grain and fuel trade, strong environmental results and $120,000 donated across NQBP’s port communities. Thank you to all stakeholders for their s
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Graduates from the latest intake of Whitsunday PCYC’s Get Set For Work Program were celebrated at a special ceremony on the Airlie Beach Foreshore on Saturday. The program, which is dedicated to helping youngsters between the ages of 15 and 19 who are not currently at school, has been a huge success over the past year. The ten-week course gives them training in everything from how to participate in a successful interview, how to write a resume and the importance of punctuality. Most important
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The ladies of Zonta Club of the Whitsundays are about to wrap up their annual 16 Days Of Activism, which began on November 25 with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, and will conclude December 10, with Human Rights Day. Erecting 10 Orange Ladies across the region, Zonta Whitsundays aimed to raise awareness that sadly every week, an Australian woman is murdered by an intimate partner. Club President Dianne Trueman said nearly 730 million women worldwi
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The Jubilee Community Centre is buzzing with excitement as it hosts a series of vibrant celebrations to mark the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) this week and the next. Under the theme "Working Together for a Fairer World," this year's IDPwD aims to create a more inclusive society for individuals with disabilities. Organised by the Bee Creativezzz team and backed by council support, a spectrum of engaging workshops and activities are captivating participants at the Jubilee Co
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Stall holders from the Lions Airlie Beach Markets were given just a few weeks' notice about the relocation of the markets to the large green vacant lot next to Port of Airlie. Whitsunday Regional Council decided to relocate the weekly markets for a period of three months so that the grass at the current site could be treated to eradicate some troublesome weeds. Many of the stallholders, although supportive of the works, felt it was a poor decision to conduct them at this time of year, with the
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Beam E-Scooters Expand Boundary Beam e-scooter riders can now spread their wings and ride further into Andergrove and Beaconsfield as part of an extension of the boundary area. Initially, 50 of the purple e-scooters were available for hire only within the Beaconsfield and Andergrove area, aiding transport within the two suburbs for work, errands and leisure. But, due to high demand, the area has now been connected to Beam’s existing operational area within the Mackay City Centre. Mayor Greg Wil
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Member for Whitsundays Amanda Camm MP is critical of the State Government’s move to reduce and limit Spanish Mackerel catches. According to Ms Camm, while in session, the state government closed discussions prematurely regarding a Spanish Mackerel debate. “Last night in Parliament, the Government cut the debate short, so Members like myself couldn’t raise critical issues like data integrity, lack of Government transparency or tell the story of the many fishers in my electorate and how they wil
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The sudden departure of the Australia Post mail contractor in Collinsville caused extensive delays and frustration among the local community over the last few weeks, but thankfully a system has resumed and mail is getting delivered once again. Last month the local postal contractor made a “sudden” departure from Collinsville leaving the local community without a home-delivery service. At this time of year, this caused extensive disruption, but a daily delivery of express postal items has now
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The final Whitsunday Regional Council Community Catch-Up for 2023 took place last week, with over 20 Cape Upstart and Gumlu residents joining Mayor Julie Hall and Councillors at the Molongle Creek Boat Club. Discussions included bushfire resilience projects, road updates, disaster and storm season preparation, Molongle Creek boat ramp and washdown area, and a budget overview. This was the final Community Catch-up for 2023 and Mayor Hall said that, since taking office in August 2022, she has be
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The executive committee of Bowen Tourism and Business has been appointed for the next 12 months. At the November meeting of the organisation, Jenn Honnery was re-elected unopposed as Chair for the sixth year in a row. Manager of Bowen Tourism an Business, Leanne Abernethy, was again appointed to the position of secretary and Leah Darwen was elected unopposed as treasurer. Natalie Lydom will join the executive committee for the first time as the Vice Chair. Bowen Tourism and Business is a not
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A familiar face in the Whitsundays, Jade Richardson has been living in the region for the past seventeen years and as a previous small business owner herself, is perfectly qualified for her new position at Tourism Whitsundays. “In my previous business I was dealing a lot with small business owners and there is a real flow-through with the community and connection I’ve experienced over the years,” said Jade. “One of the benefits of my new role is that I can relate to the other side of it as wel
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Well, to our Asset Management Improvement Team (AMI) at Whitsunday Regional Council it means an exciting challenge of implementing new and innovative software solutions to manage over $1.3B of community assets. This might seem like a headache in the making for most of us, but for our enthusiastic and motivated friendly AMI team, it’s an exhilarating adventure in waiting. A newly initiated team within Council, the AMI team have been working on their curre
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The five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation were compiled and are practiced by Tibetan Monks to regain health, youth, and vitality. They are specific movements that focus on increasing the speed of the seven energy vortexes in the body. These vortexes slow down as we age and have a degenerating effect on the physical body. Practicing the 5 Tibetan Rites can increase the speed of the vortexes hence benefiting overall health whilst rejuvenating the body. “The only inner difference between youth and ser
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The Christmas period is a time for celebration and merriment, where food is plentiful, alcohol is abundant and fitness regimes often fall to the wayside. Not only, however, does this lead to stacking on the kilos over the festive season, it can also lead to making the revival of a solid fitness and health regime even more challenging in the New Year. It is almost impossible to deprive yourself of all the sweet treats at Christmas parties and boozy delights at family gatherings, but it is still
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Sarina's recent Twin Track Event on November 25 didn't just mark a milestone; it drenched itself in the gritty excitement of mud racing, celebrating an impressive 35 years of adrenaline-pumping competitions. The day was a whirlwind of mud-splattering action that showcased not just the sport's thrills but also the tight-knit spirit of this vibrant club. Competitors, members, and Life Members converged from far and wide, all coming together to create an electrifying atmosphere that encapsulated th
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A newcomer to the sport of Futsal, Eli Wallis is a bit of a prodigy. Having played soccer on representative teams for over two years, Eli decided he wanted to give futsal a try at school and joined the Proserpine State High School team. With the school’s competition, he travelled up to Townsville, and while the school team didn’t progress as they had hoped, Eli was able to catch the eye of a professional scout and was selected for the Mackay team. From here, it has been a whirlwind of achieve
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Mahe Fonua, the formidable outside-back with a knack for making tries look effortless, is now set to grace the turf with the Mackay Cutters. His move from Castleford Tigers to the Cutters, inked on a two-year contract starting from the 2024 season, marks an exciting new chapter for the former Tonga international. Described as a powerhouse on the field, Fonua made his debut with the Melbourne Storm back in 2012, showcasing an arsenal of skills that contributed to his impressive stats—a total of 7
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Early birds enjoyed free coffee and other perks at the second in a series of morning pop-up events held by Whitsunday Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday last week. An intimate gathering of business owners, and also attended by local Council representative, Councillor John Collins, the event offered both a casual and informative opportunity for attendees to network and connect. The pop-up was held at Fresh Fields Shopping Centre and Chamber Liaison, Julia Evans, said it was wonderful
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One of Mackay Table Tennis’s most popular and keenest members, Noreen Fredericksen, took out two major awards at the club’s annual presentation night. Noreen won the MTTA Player of the Year Award and the Clubperson of the Year Award, which is voted for by members. Noreen plays both morning and night fixtures and is a keen representative player. Noreen, left, is pictured with club president Janice Kent. Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixture results November 28, 2023: Division 1: Foxtrot (
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Extreme humidity and stifling conditions met close to thirty avid runners at the sixth event on the Mackay Road Runners Shawn’s Summer Social Series 2023/2024 program. Club Captain and Race Director, Jim Ford congratulated the runners on their amazing efforts to get through their respective events due to the tough on course conditions. Junior champion female athlete, Lily Leven courageously led from the start in the 5 kilometre and impressively hung on to place first overall, despite some co
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