Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
For just over a decade, Airlie Boat Hire has been giving its customers the freedom to explore the Whitsundays independently by becoming the captain of one of the vessels they have for hire. Their exceptional personalised service, selection of quality vessels and the convenient extras, such as their range of water activities and eskies, make Airlie Boat Hire an easy, exciting and affordable way to get out on the water. Airlie Boat Hire sits securely at the heart of Coral Sea Marina surrounded b
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On International Nurses Day hospitals and nurses were awarded for their hard work and contribution to the world of nursing, with Bowen Hospital recognised amongst the winners. James Cook University (JCU) awarded Bowen Hospital for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning for Nursing and Midwifery. Students from JCU said they experienced great opportunities, were treated respectfully, encouraged to be involved and felt supported by the registered nurses (RN) at the hospital, whilst completi
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Experience the thrill of a Red Cat Adventures, an award-winning tour orbiting the Whitsunday Islands in a single day. Explore iconic destinations like Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet lookout as well as snorkeling spots on the Great Barrier Reef. Departing from Airlie Beach, this all-inclusive package welcomes families, couples and groups seeking unforgettable adventures. Meet Reece Fearnside, a seasoned skipper with Red Cat Adventures, who has spent the last 18 months orchestrating memorable marit
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The Whitsundays was on show at the Townsville Expo last weekend. Three team members from Bowen Tourism and Business and a representative from Tourism Whitsundays all attended the expo, along with several Whitsunday operators. Manager of Bowen Tourism and Business, Leanne Abernethy said all expos and trade shows were a great way to showcase what we have to offer in the region. “We spoke to thousands of people who were interested in visiting our piece of paradise,” she said. “Growing the drive
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The winners of North Queensland Bulk Port’s (NQBP) ‘Design your Dream Jetty’ art competition were announced last week. There were close to 100 entries in the competition, with the youth of Bowen submitting their designs in a special art competition which invited them to highlight ideas for a future jetty. There were three categories - Lower Primary, Upper Primary and High School, and each category had two winners, the Winner and the Encouragement Award. Piper from Bowen State Primary School w
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One of the country’s up and coming Opera stars, Marcus Corowa, is a Bowen boy who spent most of his childhood in the region and is now hitting the big stage and performing in Queensland’s biggest opera productions. But how did he get there? Marcus grew up around music, going to the local church with his family and playing a lot of instruments. With this passion for music at a young age, Marcus decided he wanted a career in singing and song writing. To make this dream come true he moved to S
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Calling all Aussie rock fans to The Pub at The Airlie Beach Hotel! Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel tribute acts are hitting the stage and bringing with them, the iconic songs everyone loves. You’ll hear hits like Khe Sanh, When the War is Over, Cheap Wine, Flame Trees, You Got Nothing I Want and Choir Girl from Cold Chisel. And from Midnight Oil you’ll be belting out the hits of Power and the Passion, US Forces, Dreamworld, King of the Mountain, Forgotten Years, Beds are Burning, Blue Sky Mine a
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Māori man Josiah has always loved music. Music is a big part in the Māori culture and growing up around that, Josiah developed an interest at an early age. Despite having his first gig at 16, Josiah never imagined music would be his full-time career, but fast forward to today, and it is. It’s been seven years since Josiah became a full-time musician and he has never looked back. He has been hitting stages around Airlie Beach and displaying his talent. Josiah said he primarily plays reggae,
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Gizelle Lee, a beautiful young Whitsunday resident is about to head to Paris Fashion Week, having been selected by a Sunshine Coast Based modelling agency to represent their brand. Gizelle is just 16 years old, and, for over a year, she has been pursuing a career in modelling. Following her first modelling experience with Belle Le Chic, Gizelle was selected to be their signature model at the widely known fashion week. Belle Le Chic also included a picture from the shoot on a billboard in Time
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When it comes to transport today, we are fortunate to have considerable choice in our means of travelling from point A to point B but not so in the early 20th century. In the 1920s, there were initially only two cars in Proserpine – one belonging to Mr A J (Jack) Setter and one to Mr Laurie Fox. It is said that lots of school children paid 6 pence to have a ride in Mr Fox’s car. Mr Setter had the first car in 1913 – a Studebaker and later two others including an Overlander. He established a li
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Whitsunday Regional Council is showing support for the local arts scene by sponsoring the main prize at the upcoming Great Barrier Reef Festival Art Exhibition. They have contributed $3000 to the prize pool, affirming their commitment to fostering local artistic talent. Mayor Collins expressed Council’s dedication to promoting a thriving arts culture in the Whitsunday region. “It’s important we support opportunities for artists to showcase their creations and connect with local audiences,” h
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James Reyne from Australian Crawl is coming to town! With him he brings his amazing band and they’ll be performing all of the classic Australian Crawl hits, that’ll have you belting out the lyrics. From Reckless to The Boys Light up, Hammerhead and Fall of Rome – there are too many iconic tunes to list here – you’ll have to go and see the performance instead! James and his band have been performing this tour since January of this year and so far, every show has been sold out and has rocked ou
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The North Queensland Battle Of The Young Bands and Young Whitsundays Got Talent are two very special events which invite our region’s youth to showcase their musical abilities, giving them an opportunity to play live in front of big crowds. If you’re in a local band or a solo musician this is your chance! First-up is North Queensland Battle Of The Young Bands competition and the winner receives $1000 in prize money and a gig at Northerlies Beach Bar and Grill. Open for young people of all ag
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St Catherine's Catholic College celebrated its annual Under Eights Day last Friday, bringing together over 200 students from kindergarten to Year 2, students from St Mary's Catholic School travelled from Bowen to also enjoy the day’s fun activities.
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St Mary’s Catholic School in Bowen is hosting its Family Fun Day this weekend and the whole community are invited to come along to what is expected to be an entertaining day out. There will be free wildlife encounters with Wildlife Whitsundays, and a variety of carnival rides for all ages including a chair-o-plane, inflatable obstacle course, climbing wall, super slide, mini-Jeeps and a Disney-themed jumping castle. Several local organisations will also be present on the day, providing differe
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Whitsunday Dirt Riders are once again excited to be hosting Round 2 of JR's Tropical North QLD MX series this coming weekend 25th & 26th May. With over of 180 riders expected from Rockhampton all the way to Cairns and out to Charter Towers participating, we are set to enjoy some spectacular racing from the best Motocross riders in the north. Gates open to spectators Saturday and Sunday from 8am. Gate entry $10 per car. WHAT: Tropical QLD MX Series WHERE: Drays Park in Gunyarra WHEN: 25-26
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Young athletes from the Next Stars Sports Academy have experienced outstanding success at recent cross country races held in our region. At the North Queensland Cross Country Championships held in Cannonvale on 28 April, Penelope Shields secured an impressive 2nd place finish in the 2km girls U11 race, followed closely in 3rd by Willow Kenny. Also finishing 3rd was River Shields in the 1km boys U9-10 race. The U7-8 races were full of Next Stars with Archie Oberg (1st), Nate Millard (3rd) a
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Two inspiring local athletes have just returned from competing oversees triumphant, having both finished in first place in their respective categories, which enables them to now progress to the Ironman World Championship Events later in the year. President of the Whitsunday Triathlon Club Michael Kimpton competed in his 4th full Ironman in Port Elizabeth, South Africa last month and prior to his departure he said: "I hope to swim faster than the sharks, cycle faster than the tigers and outrun
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The first of two AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Rounds were played on Saturday which celebrates, recognises and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, peoples and their cultures. Whitsunday Sea Eagles travelled to Harrup Park and Sarina this round to put on a mighty display against Mackay City Hawks in Seniors and Under 17s whilst Under 12s romped it home against Sarina Demons. In one of the most special rounds of the year Sea Eagles Senior Men scraped it home 48– 37 in a tight match
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The days are starting to cool which is producing some fabulous bowls both in the pennant competition and in social bowls. On Wednesday Social Bowls Arthur Griffith, Dale Haack and Mike Harrison defeated Bruce Uhe, Dale Haack and Barry Zillmann 27 – 10. Alen Sanderson and Peter Lawton defeated John Anderson and Philip Brown 22 - 19. In Sunday Social Bowls Alen Sanderson, Mary Hedgelong and Heather Brown defeated Arthur Griffith, John Anderson and Philip Brown 23 - 19. On Saturday both division
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Tuesday social bowls winners were Lyn Danvers, Ron Hyde, Mark Drummond and Geoff Danvers who defeated Sue Shearing, Greg, Keith Armstrong and Greg Colquhoun. Merle Elphinstone, Isobel Wheeler, Marg Wilson and Penny Warren defeated Robyn Stitt, Deb Retchless, Lorraine Knight and Maureen Hyde. The jackpot didn’t go off. The Crooked Kitty final was won by Penny Warren who defeated Robyn Stitt. A Singles semifinal Fely Duncan defeated Denise Wallace. The final of the A singles was played Sunday m
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On Saturday a single stableford competition was played and was sponsored by Sportspower Bowen, thanks to Marg and Andrew for their support. Ladies' Winner was Linda Scells 40 points, Runner up on a countback was Pauline Martin 39 points, and 3rd Place was Linda Vincent with 39 points. Men's winner on a countback was Jack McEniery 39 points, Runner up Danny Borgh had 39 points, and 3rd Place Mike Strickett 38 points. Shoutout to John Lawson who had a Hole in One on Number 7. Pin shots to
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Aaron Prosser edged out Brendan Spann with a nett 70 in Tuesday's competition, with Tina Badenhorst on nett 71 and Rehab Hull on 74 leading the ladies. Pins went to Aaron Prosser, Brendan Spann and John Bissell. Wednesday's PDLAW monthly medal went to Lyn Muller on 73 nett ahead of Tiina Randmae on 77 nett. Two pins went to Tina Badenhorst and the other to Pauline Redpath. Chris Brett won Thursday's stableford competition with 38 points; one more than Jason Bourke in the A division, while To
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This week’s 9-hole stableford saw Michael Bond in first place with 21 points, second place with 20 points c/b was James Mathews and third place with 20 points was Justyn Durbin. Fridays 9-hole stableford saw Peter Bitz take the win with 23 points, second with 20 points was Glenn Rees and third place with 19 points c/b was Gary Goddard. This Sunday 26th May will be the monthly medal tee off at 8.30am -9.30am.
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Excitement Builds as Finals are about to start! The twelve rounds of WTA’s Season have been completed and final positions decided in all 4 Divisions. Teams positioned 1, 2, 3 and 4 will contest the Final Series. Next week 1 v 2 will see the winner go straight to the Grand Final Friday 7 June. Round Twelve Results: Mixed A In the Crear 6 d Vipers 3 Raiders A 7 d G.E.T. Touch 3 Mixed B Flametree Flames 7 d Raiders B 6 Ray White d Full Boar (forfeit) Whitmonday Eagles 12 d Stingers 3 Mixed C
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