The 13th annual Mackay International Film Festival (Mackay IFF) returns this year with an exciting lineup of thought-provoking and visually stunning films from around the globe. The festival will open with a special screening at Pinnacle Playhouse on Saturday, 26 July, followed by the main program from 1–3 August at BCC Cinemas Mt Pleasant. Since its inception in 2011, the Mackay IFF has brought diverse and powerful stories to regional Queensland, offering local audiences a rare opportuni
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Mackay’s own Riley James was in Canada from July 8 to 14, where he helped defend Australia’s 2022 softball championship title at the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Finals in Prince Albert. Starting his softball journey as a junior with the Angels in 2004, Riley has since represented Mackay, Queensland, and Australia on numerous occasions. Riley James is a pure product of Australia’s highly successful Men's National Team programme. He joined the programme at a young age, and at just 23 yea
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Mackay Road Runners Life Member and Club Asset Manager Andrew Short delivered another unforgettable afternoon with his signature Mystery Run, launched from the Mackay Surf Club. His cleverly written, cryptic course description was worthy of a wordsmith’s masterclass another legendary effort from the club stalwart. Approximately 30 runners took part in the 6km and 10km events, enjoying new and previously unexplored terrain. Perfectly sunny and cool conditions made for ideal running weather
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Future Stars Shine At Ruby North Competition In Mackay Mackay was the heart of Queensland netball last weekend, as the Netball Queensland Board held its regional meeting in the lead-up to Round 3 of the Ruby North competition at the Mackay Multi-Sports Stadium. The action-packed weekend brought together elite competition, community connection, and a shared vision for the future of regional netball. Leanne Coddington, Chair of Netball Queensland, said the board’s visit to Mackay underscored ho
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By Amanda Wright One of Mackay’s most versatile riders is showing no signs of slowing down, as 12-year-old cycling talent Camden Brownsey backed up his national mountain biking triumphs with two dominant wins on the tarmac at the 2025 Queensland Road State Titles in Bundaberg. The rising star proved he’s just as fierce on the bitumen as he is on the bush trails, securing gold in both the Under-13 criterium and road race — an impressive double that cements Camden as one of the brightest yo
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More than 70 young golfers teed off at the Mackay Golf Club last weekend for the 2025 Gardian Mackay Junior Open, a popular event on the regional junior golf calendar. The tournament saw competitors take part across four divisions – 3-hole, 6-hole, 9-hole, and full 18-hole rounds for both boys and girls. The event continues to grow in size and prestige, drawing promising talent from across the region. The club extended its thanks to long-time event sponsor Joe Rickman and Gardian, as wel
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Jennifer-Lee’s Journey Of Talent, Tenacity And Tutus VAULTING At just 14 years old, Jennifer-Lee Houseman is showing that regional youth can lead with talent, creativity, and compassion. Whether she’s flipping on horseback, striking a pose in front of the camera, or rallying support for sick kids, Jennifer-Lee is making her mark across multiple fields, including sport, fashion, and community service. Since joining Sarina Christian Vaulting in February, the Mackay teen has soared to success
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Made of 98 per cent silica, the sand at Whitehaven Beach is so pure it never gets hot under your feet. Even the scientists are unsure how it came to be so pristine, but The Sinkers Masters Swim club isn’t asking any questions, they’re just planning to host the Whitehaven Open Water swim on the King’s Birthday long weekend, October 5th 2025. Choose from a 500m, 1km or 2km swim with medals to be presented on Whitehaven Beach. Come prepared for a day of fun in the sun topped off by the afte
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BRIDGE Mackay Novice Pairs 2025 Sixteen Novice Pairs competed for the title of Mackay Novice Pairs 2025 and red points on Sunday. It was fantastic to see so many brave new players participating in the event. Although scary playing in competitions at first, it’s like any sport or game, the more we play, the better we get! Congratulations to Mary Cruickshank and Geoff Cowan taking out first place with Annie Lynch and Ann Whitmore as runners up. Weekly Results Monday 7 June 2025 –- 6 Tab
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Junior cricketers were back in action on Sunday for their first games after a few months off, and what a cracker of a day it was, with the sun shining and excitement all around! There were two games running at both Walkerston and Harrup Park. Over at Harrup Park, the U17s hit the turf with intent. Matthew Logan lit up the scoreboard with a blistering 100 off just 61 balls before retiring not out! He was well supported by solid contributions from Casey Forrester and Aarnav Reehl, helping t
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Test Flight Of Bowen's Eris Rocket Delayed FRONT Australia’s first private orbital rocket launch has been postponed again, with Gilmour Space Technologies confirming the Eris rocket will now lift off no earlier than July 27. The delay follows operational setbacks and upper wind forecasts that ruled out a safe launch during the original July 16–20 window. The Gold Coast-based company announced the change in a social media update, saying they were “standing down from this week’s launch window” a
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Hi Everyone, Exciting news! The latest issue of Core Life and Tripping Magazine is hitting the stands this weekend—so keep an eye out for the brand-new edition. A huge thank you to our incredible team for creating yet another amazing magazine—an impressive 116 pages of blood, sweat, and passion! Speaking of blood and sweat, in this edition of Core Life, you can read about my Metabolic Diet journey with local nutritionist Bec Tarver. Together with my husband, I spent a month with no sugar, no
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No one knows a stringed instrument quite like Roger Buckmaster. For 60 years, strings have been his profession, from crafting violins to selling handcrafted banjos through a shop in Nashville. Now retired, Roger has been pulling on the heartstrings of the community by freely restoring cherished stringed instruments for those in need. Now 81, Roger has spent a lifetime making and repairing violins, banjos and guitars. Trained in London, and originally from Loughborough, Roger has travelled acros
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Family Thank Community For Support As Local Dad Faces Fight Of His Life A local family is facing one of the most challenging times of their lives, but their battle has been buoyed by an incredible wave of community support. In February 2024, Brad Lindsay was diagnosed with Testicular Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He spent the next nine months undergoing intensive chemotherapy and radiation, and by October 2024, he was considered in remission. Tragically, several weeks ago, w
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The twelfth annual Smart Arts Exhibition, will open this Friday 18 July and it will be showcasing art work from local artists of Cannonvale Smart Arts. A special feature of this year’s event will be an auction of pieces from the exhibition’s African-themed section, with all proceeds going to Aid for Africa Down Under AFADU). The works will be judged by renowned artist Carol Bell, with the live auction to follow, conducted by Brad Sobott of Taylors Property Specialists. Suzi Hancock, founder o
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The Whitsunday Regional Council’s public consultation regarding Short Term Accommodation closes this weekend Sunday 20 July 2025. Open from 11 June Council has asked the community to ‘Have your say” relating to Council’s scheme. The Whitsunday Regional Council announced change to the Whitsunday Planning Scheme 2017 following resident's concerns that short term accommodation was conflicting with the availability of housing for long-term residents. Council said that the changes were to help bet
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The Airport: More Than A Gateway It’s fantastic to see Whitsunday Coast Airport (WCA) reaching new heights and truly flying high. In the past year, we welcomed over 522,000 passengers, smashing our previous record and cementing WCA as one of Australia’s top regional gateways. But this milestone is about much more than numbers. The airport is a powerful driver of our regional economy, creating local jobs, opening doors for small businesses, and strengthening our tourism and hospitality sectors.
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Whitsunday Conference Reveals Next Program Rounds The Whitsundays Chamber of Commerce and Industry has released the next wave of program highlights for the 2025 Whitsunday Business Conference, showcasing eight practical breakout sessions designed to give local businesses real tools, insights, and strategies to grow and adapt in a changing regional economy. The conference—scheduled for Thursday 28 August at TAFE Queensland’s Whitsunday Campus—will feature two more rounds of concurrent sessions.
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As a business owner I spent many years, 10s of 1000s of dollars, and a lot of lost time on training my teams and seeing no difference. Big spend – zero shift. Sound familiar? If you’re like me you gave up. So why doesn’t it work No accountability after the training – Your key people attend the session… and then nothing. No follow-up, no expectations, no change in behavior is tracked. One-off events don’t create new habits - A single-day workshop can't undo years of habits. Without repe
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Coral Sea Marina’s Better Boating Expo, held on Friday, 11th July, welcomed a vibrant crowd of locals, visitors, and members of the boating community for a day packed with education, entertainment, and environmental advocacy at the Coral Sea Marina Gardens. From safety at sea to sustainability tips and local reef knowledge, the expo offered a fun-filled and informative day for all ages. Families and children, in particular, were thrilled by the live life raft demonstration presented by Voluntee
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More than 30 people gathered at the Proserpine Swimming Pool on Saturday, June 28, to honour the extraordinary legacy of Des and Janet Erricker, two beloved community members whose selfless contributions helped shape generations of local swimmers. The unveiling of a commemorative plaque was a long-overdue gesture recognising the couple’s efforts in not only helping to fund and establish the original Proserpine pool, but also teaching countless children to swim, completely free of charge. Des,
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Jack Tyree Remembers I came up to North Queensland after the war where I met an old sailor in Mackay who asked, “Why don’t you come and get a job on the boats on Hayman.” It was when Ansett had just bought the island … so there was a lot of construction to be done and materials to be transported. When I arrived, accommodation was in tents with fly sheets and floorboards in rows for all the workers. There was a ranch house where the meals were served. It was a great time to work there … a good
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For over 15 years, long-time locals Marie Bailey and Marg Hurst have been the warm and welcoming faces greeting visitors at Bowen’s iconic foreshore information booth located by Bowen’s Little Mango. As two of Bowen Tourism and Business's longest-serving volunteers, the pair have become familiar figures for travellers seeking insights into the region's hidden gems. Whether it’s recommending a stroll along the jetty, a swim at Horseshoe Bay, or a scenic visit to Flagstaff Hill and Mullers Lagoon
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It’s been a fantastic start to the school holidays in The Whitsundays. Occupancy is up on the same time last year, and it’s been great to see so many families out making memories, whether it’s a reef trip, a sunset sail, a mainland adventure or hopping between the islands. We’re also celebrating our biggest year ever for website traffic, with 1.16 million page views- up 10% on the year before. Bounce rate is also down 5%, meaning visitors are staying for longer and engaging more deeply with our
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Whitsunday Christian College students are proving themselves as forces to be reckoned with on the athletics circuit, delivering a string of impressive results across regional events and setting their sights on state-level competitions. Annalise Kennelly placed 6th in the Under 16 girls division at the Regional Cross Country Trials in Townsville before powering into 1st place in the 16-19 girls category at the Mackay Marina Run. She is gearing up for another major event: The Queensland Sta
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