The world's most beloved children's entertainment group, The Wiggles, are thrilled to announce their brand new live show, WIGGLY BIG DAY OUT! Tour, proudly presented by Huggies. This spectacular event will treat families to an enchanting carnival-inspired extravaganza, as The Wiggles perform live to the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC). Promising a festive day filled with music, dancing, and laughter for the whole family, audiences can expect an unforgettable event filled with
Read more
The Sarina Rugby League Club and the Sarina Neighbourhood Centre are hosting a free “Happy As” barbecue and mini expo to celebrate Men’s Health Awareness Month (Movember). The event, to be held at the Sarina Sporting and Services Club beer garden this Saturday (November 4), from noon to 2pm, will be a great social event with a positive health and wellbeing theme. There will be live music, random lucky door prizes, ten cars on show from the Mackay Vintage Car Club and various expo displays from l
Read more
The invaluable Whitsunday Lions have celebrated another great period of success, helping and supporting local community groups and organisations, with a social barbeque and a game of social bowls, at the Airlie Beach Bowls Club.
Read more
Mackay’s emerging cricket all-rounder Jack Law has been named Player of the North Queensland Cricket Alliance Under 15 Championships. The talented Brothers junior produced stand out performances with bat and ball to help the Mackay-Whitsunday team finish second overall at the recent representative carnival staged at Harrup Park. All conquering North Queensland claimed the title, winning all three matches with Townsville young gun Hunter Brischetto leading the way. Playing on his home turf, t
Read more
A stray grassfire shut down the Bruce Highway near Gregory River, between Bowen and Proserpine last Saturday afternoon, leaving the region splintered for hours. With Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) battling the blaze from midday on Saturday, all lanes on the Bruce Highway were closed until 9pm that evening.
Read more
In an exciting development, the Mackay Cutters have secured a significant two-year affiliate club agreement with the North Queensland Cowboys. This partnership is set to bolster the pathway from Hostplus Cup and BMD competitions to the coveted NRL and NRLW, providing our region's budding talents with a clear route to the top. This agreement will see half of the Cowboys NRL squad allocated to the Cutters, with players not selected to play NRL will be eligible to play for the Cutters. Cutters H
Read more
A young Whitsunday local who sadly lost his battle with brain cancer last year has been remembered as part of a national initiative through Coles Supermarket to raise money for Hummingbird House.Cody Gibbs spent his last days at Hummingbird House, a palliative care support service which helps create memorable moments for families, allowing them to make the most of their time together.
Read more
Across Airlie Beach, Cannonvale and Proserpine, there are now 16 more trained suicide prevention experts. Undertaking the free training at Proserpine Community Centre, facilitated by Ross Romeo from Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES), 16 community members are prepared and ready to intervene when they encounter an individual they believe to be suicidal. “This is a community focussed, non-clinical training,” explained Ross.
Read more
When schoolboy volleyball rookies Joshua Venz and Tage Guzowski took to the court for the first time earlier this year, they didn’t envisage the boom times ahead. The promising duo were identified as natural talents when St Patrick’s College assembled a squad for the local Mackay Secondary Schools Volleyball competition. With passing hitter Venz and middle blocker Guzowski leading the way, the raw-boned St Patrick’s Open Boys team discovered their groove with skilful performances against more s
Read more
The highly anticipated upgrades to the Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) Whitsundays have started, with scaffolding erected around the property. “We’ve been working on this for four years, and it’s all coming to fruition,” VMW Whitsundays President, Mal Priday said. “We are expanding the operation, giving us room to train, hold meetings, and grow as a community asset.
Read more
Flourishing into a haven for creatives, Whitsunday Social Craft Group and Boomerang Bags has blossomed over the last three years. Tina Everett, who started the group, did so with a desire to bring fellow crafters in the community together.“This is such a transient area, so you get lonely and sort of get stuck in your own thing at home crafting,” explained Tina.
Read more
Central Queensland claimed bragging rights in their recent North Queensland Men’s Open Zone Cricket championship duels with Mackay-Whitsunday in Rockhampton. Joe McGahan’s Central outfit were triumphant in both the limited overs and Twenty20 fixtures staged at Rockhampton Cricket Ground with spinner Logan Whitfield stamping his mark. On a dicey wicket the Central Queensland X1 recorded a narrow 12-run victory in the one-day clash with the wily Whitfield proving the hero. The spinner snared
Read more
Celebrating Queensland Seniors Month, Bowen Uniting Church and BlueCare have joined forces and held their Seniors Expo and Morning Tea. Seeing over 90 people attend the Expo, with 16 providers setting up information stalls, the day was a massive success for organises and the local Bowen community.
Read more
The Mackay Road Runners have commenced their annual off-season informal training program, in honour of Shawn Claydon who passed away from pancreatic cancer over five years ago. Shawn’s dedication to running and the support of the club, as well as coaching many athletes in the region knew no bounds. The program runs from October through to February every year. Funds leftover at the end of the program will be donated to Pancare, an organisation supporting sufferers like Shawn and their famili
Read more
It was no surprise that Ocean Rafting’s Environmental Manager, James Unsworth, won the Young Achiever of the Year Award at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards recently, but the humble environmental ambassador had kept his nomination quiet, so no-one expected him to take out the top gong.
Read more
The new Bowen calendar is now on sale at the Bowen Visitor Information Centre next to the Big Mango, and at several outlets around the town.The calendar features photos of Bowen’s beautiful beaches, bays, seafood, and fishing spots.The calendar has been produced by Bowen Tourism and Business (BTB) for the second year in a row.
Read more
This week we kick off a series of Whitsunday Regional Council staff profiles to provide insights on the varied services Council provides for our community.Our first staff profile focuses on Civil Construction Worker Luke Handley who joined Council over 12 months ago as part of our Roads and Drainage Team. Luke, or “Handles” as his mates call him, recently won the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year award at the 2023 Queensland Training Awards in Townsville.
Read more
Dogs and cats are often spotted roaming freely in our community, and our Local Law officers are tasked with ensuring their safety. If you've registered your pets with Council, our Local Law Officers will get in touch with you to facilitate the safe return of your beloved companions.
Read more
October was filled with big events for us at Tourism Whitsundays. As you may have noticed in the two editions previous to this, we celebrated the Whitsundays Tourism Awards with two special features for our members in this paper.
Read more
As disaster season approaches, it is vitally important that we all prepare ourselves for the possibility of a cyclone, bush fire or extreme flooding event.Overhanging or damaged trees pose a real threat to both properties and individual safety, but fortunately the professional arborists at WhitPro know how to protect both you and your property from potentially threatening trees this storm season.
Read more
This disaster season be ultimately protected with Lightning Comms, with an up-to-date and fully equipped alarm system and camera security for your home and property. Now, while your alarm system may not necessarily be front of mind during storm season, it is an important factor for keeping your home and family safe, with Lightning Comms, the experts in the field.
Read more
If you haven’t already purchased your 3-day pass for the legendary Airlie Beach Festival of Music, here is another incentive for you!One lucky 3-day ticket holder will win the mammoth chance to meet Frenzal Rhomb, be upgraded to VIP, and be invited on a special Whitehaven Beach Big Island Day Tour, thanks to Sealink Whitsundays.
Read more
Festival fans are buzzing with excitement as next week’s Airlie Beach Festival of Music (ABFoM) reaches fever pitch, with legendary artists from across the country descending on our small holiday town and thousands of music lovers also expected to arrive over the coming week.Straight off the back of its massive 10-year celebrations, the festival is entering a new era, taking its experience and accomplishments into a second decade where new ideas are on the horizon.
Read more
For Ross Wilson, he is not shy to voice his true job at next week’s Airlie Beach Festival of Music. “I am an entertainer. My job is to entertain. I love to get people out of their seats and dancing,” he explained.
Read more
Get ready for another group of massive Aussie legends to grace the Airlie Beach Festival of Music stage, celebrating their own 50 years of rock music stardom. Their announcement in this years’ line-up is only made sweeter by the fact that Dragon was a headliner for the first Airlie Beach Festival of Music, back in 2013, and now 11 years on, they are honoured to be invited once again.
Read more