Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Hi Everyone, News of the devastating car accident that claimed the lives of two women and an un-born baby on Sunday afternoon sent shockwaves through the community this week, with the outpouring of grief palpable. As I welcome my own family, who have just arrived from the UK to visit, I can only imagine what Mary Joy’s family are going through, having had their own holiday turned into their worst nightmare in the blink of an eye. My thoughts go out to all that knew the family and our large Fi
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All our hearts feel sad when we see somebody homeless and struggling, especially in such a small community like our own. Local resident John Burke shared this publicly on a local community chat site when he expressed his feelings after seeing a man sleeping on a footpath next to Flour & Eggs lunch bar. John posted onto the Whitsundays Noticeboard Facebook chat asking for the community to help. He explained that he had been contacting services to aid the man for over an hour, but no one was av
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The Whitsundays are set to experience a significant boost in tourism and connectivity with the introduction of direct flights from Adelaide launching on September 1st. This new route, developed in partnership with major airline Jetstar, is strategically designed to open the Whitsundays to new markets while providing an affordable and convenient travel option for visitors. The decision to add Adelaide as a direct destination was driven by the airport's goal to expand beyond traditional eastern c
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Council’s work on the eradication of the Yellow Crazy Ants has been a long process but this week they have begun more infestation treatments. In the Whitsundays we have five small infestations in Shute Harbour, Mandalay, Woodwark, Funnel Bay and Hamilton Island. From 12 – 16 August council are working on the mainland ant infestations. In the Whitsundays, the five combined infestations equal 51 hectares. It is important to remove Yellow Crazy Ants because they are pests and impact our ecosyste
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Tourists are flocking to the Big Mango and Bowen Tourist Information Centre, with the iconic gateway to the town proving to be a popular stopping point where motorists are encouraged to venture into Bowen for the day or even longer. The popularity of the centre has reached new levels this year with record-breaking visitor numbers announced. Bowen Tourism and Business released figures this week confirming they welcomed more visitors than ever before during the 2023/34 financial year. This inc
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On Thursday 8th August, a pop-up Chamber event, consisting of BBQs, coffee and prizes was held at Porters Metre 10 Whitsunday. Local businesses gathered to meet other business owners, get up-to-date on Chamber developments and express their opinions. Whitsunday Chamber of Commerce and Industry members, Porters Mitre 10 Whitsundays, opened its store in Cannonvale in 2002, at its current location, after a long history of servicing the Whitsunday region from its Mackay locations. Recently, Porte
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With the Whitsundays ‘events season’ well underway and gathering steam, our region comes alive with iconic events and festivals. Congratulations to the Whitsunday Running Club, the Coral Sea Marina Resort Triathlon Festival, and the Great Barrier Reef Festival for their recent hugely successful events – packed with visitors and contestants. With the Airlie Beach Race Week and Hamilton Island Race Week now upon us – the visitation and exposure that these events bring to the region is incalculabl
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Army and Vietnam veteran Brian “Weary” Dunlop is encouraging his local community to take a moment to recognise and support all veterans this Vietnam Veterans’ Day. Weary volunteered for national service and joined the 5RAR in 1967 at just 20 years old. After training with the 5RAR, Weary was deployed to Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. After his service Weary moved to Proserpine in early 2000 and joined the Proserpine RSL Sub Branch in 2010. Commemorated annually on 18 August, Vietnam Veterans' Day
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Billie, an adorable little puppy, was found dumped in a puddle between Proserpine and Bowen on Christmas Eve. Billie was found by a young teenager who took her in and cared for her until she was nursed back into a healthy puppy. Billie is now a whirlwind, full of love and joy. Unable to provide Billie with the love and attention she needed due to her studies, the lovely young lady, though saddened, chose to entrust her to Christina at Animal Rescue Whitsundays. Christina has since successfully
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The new Airlie Beach Seagrass Nursery project is happening soon with its official opening this Saturday 17 August. The launch of the new Airlie Beach Seagrass Nursery project will take lace at Coral Sea Marina. The test nursery has been with us for over two years and following its success CQ University has secured grant funding for an upscaled nursery project. The day will start at 11am with a Welcome to Country, an introduction and project overview, and photo opportunities. At 11.45 time
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Fines for not controlling your dog in public places have increased to $806. This includes having your dog off-leash in designated on-leash areas, or if the dog is in an off-leash area, you must be able to control the dog using voice commands. For everyone's safety, let's make sure our furry friends are always well-behaved in public spaces!
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Last week CEO Warren Bunker, Councillor Clay Bauman and I attended the two-day 2024 Coastal Leaders Forum in Townsville. This annual forum was a vital gathering of elected members, chief executives, and senior officers from across Queensland to showcase coastal council initiatives. The well-attended forum explored current and emerging issues, identified coastal council-specific advocacy priorities and gave us the opportunity to engage with key State and Federal Government representatives and
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Recently, Jade from Tourism Whitsundays had the pleasure of experiencing SeaLink Whitsundays’ Big Island Day Tour. Aboard their new vessel, Reef Quest, Jade went on the five star boat trip to Whitehaven Beach, and said it was a truly exceptional experience! The vessel's luxury is instantly apparent; it has a sleek modern design, air-conditioned interiors, and plush seating, the boat provides a stylish environment, making the journey as enjoyable as the destination. On the journey to Whitehav
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Tourism Whitsundays partners with national media to highlight the best experiences our region has to offer. Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting Dilvin Yasa from 9Honey, the lifestyle arm of nine.com.au, known for uncovering and sharing top local gems. Dilvin's visit focused on showcasing the fantastic family-friendly land-based experiences and accommodation options available in The Whitsundays. During her stay, Dilvin spent a long weekend at the Big4 Adventure Resort, which provides the
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Bowen Community Centre is thrilled to announce this year’s ‘Buy A Pie To Keep Them Dry’ event was a tremendous success, raising over $3,000 to support homeless in the community. The funds raised will be used to provide essential items such as tents, swags, and backpacks to those in need. This year’s event took a different turn from the last, where the Community Centre hosted ‘Hamburgers for the Homeless’, which was warmly received by the Bowen community. During this event, the staff and v
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Creative’s Connections latest Art Exhibition opened last Thursday night to coincide with the start of Airlie Beach Race Week. Over 200 guests attended the opening night, enjoying an array of beautiful paintings and sculptures responding to the theme “Sails and Stories”. The exhibition finished up yesterday concluding with the announcement of the Tassals People’s Choice Award. The winning artist will receive a $500 prize.
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Individuals wore their best blues, greens and aquamarines to enjoy the Airlie Beach Race Week Shoreside Long Table Lunch on Monday. Guests tucked into a gourmet lunch featuring a delightful array of exquisite canapés, followed by a meticulously curated menu that showcased an abundance of fresh and local ingredients. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared to highlight the region's rich flavours and culinary traditions, creating a memorable dining experience that perfectly complemented the elegant at
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Did you know that this year’s Airlie Beach Race Week Festival Village was powered entirely by the sun? Airlie Beach Race Week’s Festival Village was fuelled entirely by Mobile Power Trailers’ solar panels. Founder of Mobile Power Trailers Adam Janczyk said people were excited to see the power trailers driving the Festival Village ever since they announced the new innovation. “Last time when we were here, we announced that we would go off-grid and sustainable, everyone was very excited about i
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Two weeks ago, Andrew Willcox dropped in to congratulate Libby Edge and her team at Eco Barge CleanSeas on receiving a much-needed $4000 volunteer grant to upgrade their outdated computer equipment. Libby requested the grant back in November last year after seeing the volunteer grant opportunity on Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox’s newsletter, and received it in May this year which Libby described as a “great turn around!” Before receiving the grant Libby and her team were using really
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Book Week is an exciting and magical celebration, that captivates the imaginations of children across Australia. This year’s Book Week has an enchanting theme ‘Reading is Magic’ and it is encouraging children to read in a fun way. ‘Reading is Magic’ will be at taking place in all Whitsunday Regional Council libraries and there will be themed story times and activities for children to enjoy throughout Book Week. Families can go in and there are lots of play stations set up, songs are also su
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Alongside the Olympic athletes, students from Bowen State High School have been excelling on the track for the past few weeks. Bowen State High School celebrated 30 years of inclusive athletics at The Challenge Games on Wednesday 24th July. The Challenge Games are an annual event held at the Townsville Sports Reserve, which allows students of all ages with disabilities to participate in a range of athletic and novelty activities. Bowen State High School students represent their school with p
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A dedicated careers’ program has launched for students at Bowen State High School with a focus on know and grow local. Career Academy Grow Local Connection comprises a five-session program for students to explore local career opportunities of which a key feature is the inclusion of local employer guest panels to dig deeper into just what’s on offer locally, and students hear first-hand about the range of job options and opportunities. Bowen State High School Principal, Rob Harris has welcomed
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If there is one place that knows about Lawn Mowers, it's Whitsunday Mowers, the company dates back to 25 years ago, and was bought by Wayne and Sharron Drabsch in 2018. Wayne, a seasoned business owner, brings extensive experience to the lawn mower industry. With over 40 years as a mechanic and a passion for lawn mowers dating back to when he was 13—when he would take community mowers home to study and tinker with them —Wayne combines deep technical knowledge with a lifelong enthusiasm for the f
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Feeling lower than low, after discovering that someone I knew and trusted had been stealing from us for some time, I went to my vegie patch with a very heavy heart. I discovered three things: Firstly, Bandicoots had returned. They had destroyed two of my newly planted garden beds. Totally unsavable. Secondly, when picking what I thought were beautiful red ripe heritage tomatoes, on closer inspection, they turned out to be eaten by caterpillars. I had not recovered the crop after the wind had b
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Events in Paris make Proserpine’s links to previous Olympics very topical. Although there are no Proserpinians competing in the current Olympic Games people, from this great sporting town have certainly made significant contributions to Australia’s success in the Paralympics. And there have also been two wonderful occasions when the Olympic Torch relay has passed through the region involving many locals and attracting large crowds. Alan Dufty, a wheelchair athlete, competed in three Paralympic
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