Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Just before 10.00am on Saturday 6 December, emergency services received a Triple Zero call reporting a vegetation fire along Kingfisher Terrace, with smoke visible across the area. Initial alerts listed the warning zone as Airlie Beach, Jubilee Pocket, Cannonvale, Woodwark and surrounding areas. As the incident escalated, multiple crews were deployed, including a mix of Rural Fire Service and Queensland Fire and Rescue units. Due to the location and size of the fire front, an aerial water bombe
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The Whitsundays Chamber of Commerce and Industry has launched its “12 Days of Christmas Business Preparation” campaign to help local businesses navigate the pressures and opportunities of the peak festive trading period. Designed as a practical, day-by-day guide, the initiative provides targeted advice across business continuity, staffing, customer service, cash flow, cyber safety, and wellbeing. The campaign recognises that the Christmas and New Year period represents both a critical revenue o
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Georgia McDonald We would like to welcome our new Production Co-Ordinator, Georgia McDonald. As one of our newest additions to the team, Georgia brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role. Georgia initially started in hospitality, working as an assistant manager for a hotel back in England. After moving to Australia, she continued her hospitality work, working at Beaches Bar & Grill in Airlie Beach for two years before deciding to pursue a different career path. As a fan of journa
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Friday 12 December Airlie Beach Hotel: Andy Mammers (7pm - 10pm) Grand View Hotel: Ash Smith (from 8pm) Sorrento: Kaedan McCarthy (4pm - 7pm) KC's: Bear Brewer (from 8pm) Saturday 13 December Airlie Beach Hotel: Xmas Party (2pm - 5.30pm) Airlie Beach Hotel: Andy Mammers (7pm - 10pm) Grand View Hotel: Zed Charles (from 8pm) Coral Sea Pavillion: DJ Bad Girl (1pm - 5pm) Sorrento: Will Heta (4pm - 7pm) KC's: Shaun Diver (from 8pm) Sunday 14 December Airlie Beach Hotel: Xmas Party (2pm - 5.30pm) Ai
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by Corrine Hendrikse This week's photo of the week was taken by Corrine Hendrikse. The theme was Summer and the photograph depicts a common scene during summer in the Whitsundays – irrigating sugar cane.
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Proserpine’s Bicentennial Committee. An offer of land at the junction of Shute Harbour Road and Gregory Cannon Valley Road suitable for a botanical park was being considered but the cost may be a problem. Sugar. World Sugar prices on the World stock markets remained depressed Heavy rains on Monday delivered a final blow to the 1985 crushing season causing the mill to close finally for the season. Instrumental Music Teacher Appointed. Ron Patrick was appointed as instrumental music teacher for
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Club Whitsunday officially kicked off their jam-packed December last weekend with an appearance from Santa Claus and The Australian Grinch. For those that missed out, it's okay! Santa will be making weekly appearances, visiting the club every Sunday before Christmas on December 14 and 21 at 2pm - 3pm. Next Sunday brings a highlight for local families, with a free kids’ disco hosted by DJ Bad Girl from 10am to 12pm. Parents are welcome to drop the children off for two hours of supervised entert
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The recently formed Whitsundays Surf Life Saving Club hosted a Family Fun Day last weekend at Bowen Pool, and the event was both educational and entertaining. Sunday’s event drew strong community interest, with Queensland Ambulance, local fire crews and Surf Life Saving Queensland offering demonstrations on CPR, stinger treatment and how to respond in emergencies. A pool rescue display highlighted the importance of water awareness heading into the wet season, while rescue boards and games gave
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Carols by the Beach On a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon, friends and family gathered to celebrate the emerging festival season. Families headed to the Airlie Beach Foreshore for an evening of music, festive cheer and good times. Cannonvale State School sang with passion and whimsy, marking the beginning of a beautiful, celebratory season. The weather was soothing, the mood was up, and the atmosphere was beaming, resulting in a fantastic event that signified the Whitsunday region's immense exc
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Coral Sea Marina Resort Airlie Beach Triathlon At National Awards The Coral Sea Marina Resort Airlie Beach Triathlon has been named runner-up in Australia for the Best Triathlon with under 500 competitors. This is an outstanding achievement for our region. To finish runner-up is an extraordinary result for a smaller regional event and reflects the huge community effort behind the Triathlon Festival. Race Directors Michael and Val Kimpton were honoured to accept the national runner-up award at
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U11 Boys The U11 Boys headed to Fitzgerald State School this weekend to take on Souths Blue, with Souths winning the toss and choosing to bat first. With the bat, the boys cruised into their chase with confidence. The Pitbulls wrapped up their innings on 149, outplaying Souths with both bat and ball—a dominant performance full of bite, discipline, and a few well-aimed yorkers for good measure. U11 Girls There was plenty of excitement at Vigaro Fields as the pink-collared Pitbulls lined up a
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It's been a busy time leading into the end of the year. A special thanks to all who have been giving their time to help us host special events and Christmas parties with barefoot bowls at this time of year. Without members volunteering, these events become far more difficult for those who do give their time and effort. This past week we hosted barefoot bowls Christmas events for both Wilmar and JJ Richards. On Wednesday, Arthur Griffith, Trevor Parsons and Mike Harrison drew with Dale Curtis,
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As we approach the end of the competition year, Medal Of Medals 2025 winners and other major Honour Board event winners will be announced and rewarded at the presentations to take place on Turkey Day. Nick Watson was the lucky drawee for the “Putt or Cash” and whilst all of his 3 attempts were close, they were ALL closer than Roger’s 1 chance to beat him. $1250 on offer next week, watch this space. More Christmas jollies and fun to follow. RESULTS : WEEK ENDING 7/12/25 TUESDAY 2/12/25 PGC - S
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The Cannonvale Cannons wrapped up their final club night of 2025 with a festive Christmas celebration full of colour, community spirit, and proud swimming moments. With Christmas-themed warm-ups setting the tone, the evening kicked off with presentations. Upgrade awards were proudly received by Oliver Mitchell, Hamilton Anflous, Isla Johnston, Harry Chegwidden and Mackenzie Bennett. The Coaches Award was presented to Isla Johnston for her strong performance in the 25m breaststroke, while the cr
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Wangaratta Bowls featured fierce competition this week. Tuesday afternoon saw a victory by Jocelyn Defranciscis, Lindy Suann and Laurie Land against Stumpy Adams, Deb Retchless and Shirley Jones. The jackpot didn’t go off. The Ladies’ competition consistency final was won by Denise Wallace, who defeated Jocelyn Defranciscis. In the Crooked Kitty, Denise Wallace defeated Penny Warren. On Sunday afternoon, two thrilling triples games were played. Bron Tolcher, Laurie Land and Gavin Charles defea
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Christmas will be here before we know it, but that hasn’t stopped the improvement in lawn bowls we’ve been experiencing lately. There was no Ladies’ bowls on Tuesday as the girls held their Christmas party with great enjoyment. Wednesday afternoon social bowls, brilliantly organised by our lovable Irishman Merve Stewart, saw 18 bowlers vying for the prize. Surprisingly, it was skipper Andrew Butler, lead David Meiklejohn and second Glen O'Brien who easily beat the rest of the field by 13 point
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The world’s most extraordinary ocean adventure is on its way back to paradise, with the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet set to return to Airlie Beach this January as part of Leg 4, the Australian Coast-to-Coast. Coral Sea Marina will once again roll out the red carpet as the official Host Port, welcoming the fleet, race crew, family, friends and supporters after their journey from Fremantle. This will be the fifth time the marina has hosted the race, placing the Whitsundays alongside g
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Hi lovely readers!It’s officially December, can you believe it?Last Friday, I attended the Mackay Regional Council Wonkley Awards, where local media representatives gathered with Mayor Greg Williamson for a night of laughs and celebration.The Wonkleys are Mackay’s light-hearted take on the Walkley Awards, playfully celebrating the region’s journalists and media teams.The evening was full of laughs, good company, drinks, and snacks, which gave us journos a chance to unwind and reflect on a year o
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Whitsunday Anglican School students demonstrated the power of service in action this week, raising more than $29,000 for national charities through two inspiring, student-led initiatives. The Ponytail Project saw a group of courageous students cut their hair to support cancer services across Australia. Participants Matilda, Tilly, Joannah, Chayvae, Senara, Arhamah, Sophie, Jade, Jamaica, Amreen, Emma, Darci, Aarna, Lydia, and Saskia collectively raised over $17,000. The initiative also dr
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The Mayor’s Charity Ball committee have announced the beneficiaries for the 2026 event during a tour of one of the charity’s facilities. While speaking at The Neighbourhood Hub on Thursday, Mayor Greg Williamson said the aim of the red-carpet event was to support two charities for two years to enable significant funds to be raised for each group and to make a real impact in our community. “Proceeds from the 2026 event will be split 50-50 between The Salvation Army’s Family Violence Servi
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Police have declared two crime scenes in Mackay as investigations intensify into the suspicious disappearance of 71-year-old Wayne Pedro Morseu. Morseu, a First Nations man with a slim build, grey hair, and brown eyes, was reported missing on 10 November after failing to contact family or friends. His loved ones describe this as highly out of character. Detective Superintendent Darrin Shadlow said Morseu generally remained in touch with relatives every couple of weeks and was known to be
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Opinion Piece by Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox Most Australians will eventually be touched by the reality of old age. Many of us will one day, if not already, require assistance in our later years. Older Australians have done their fair share and deserve the dignity of reasonable, affordable aged care, should they require it. Older Australians have paid their taxes, fought in wars, raised generations, built and run businesses, farmed our lands and pushed this country forward. T
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Six streets carrying local history and cultural significance were officially unveiled last Wednesday at Mackay Airport’s Milton Precinct, marking a landmark moment in the precinct’s rapidly advancing development. The ceremony coincided with the completion of the first stage of the major infrastructure project, featuring extensive civil works and the construction of new roads. The precinct’s first tenancies are set to open in 2026, promising to bring new opportunities and activity to the r
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Council is inviting the community to have their say on a draft activation plan for the Sarina Field of Dreams precinct. The precinct, located at the southern entrance to Sarina, is a gateway to the Mackay region. It is home to a collection of historical buildings and attractions, including the Mackay Region Visitor Information Centre, Sarina Art Gallery, Sarina Arts and Craft Centre and Sarina Sugar Shed. Mayor Greg Williamson said the precinct was a fantastic place for locals and visit
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Dangerous Bin Mistake Triggers Urgent Council Warning A reminder about battery safety has taken centre stage this week after a waste truck in North Mackay was forced to dump its load when a fire ignited inside the vehicle. According to Mackay Regional Council, the blaze was sparked by a large lithium battery that had been incorrectly placed in a household bin. Several other batteries, including a taped bundle and a power tool battery, were also found in the discarded load. Council said th
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