Man fined $15k for felling trees
A man as been fined $15,000 by the Cooktown Magistrates Court over the felling of 113 old-growth trees in the Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park. In 2020, a timber export company entered into an agreement to log Cooktown Ironwood trees (erythrophleum chlorostachys) on two Cape York stations that border the national park.
Government war chest to buy more Cape property
The state government says it has a war chest to spend on land purchases in Cape York in a bid to right the wrongs of the past ... “Since the Goss government, we’ve united more than one million hectares of protected areas and Aboriginal land. But there remains about 400,000 hectares of national park and reserves and more than 200,000 hectares of other state land yet to be transferred": Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon.
CAPS is back on track
Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch believes he will be able to soon cut the ribbon to open the CAPS animal welfare facility after discussions about the centre were fast-tracked. Last week’s Cape York Weekly was the most read edition since publishing began and the front page story about the future of the $2 million facility generated plenty of discussion in the community.
Servo owner speaks up on prices
The high cost of fuel around the nation has put service station owners in the spotlight – sometimes for the wrong reasons. Richard Ireland is one of the directors of Weipa Servicentre and explains why the price in the Western Cape is different to other outlets.
White elephant – $2 million animal centre empty
Described as a palace for the cats and dogs of Weipa, this multi-million dollar vet clinic and animal welfare centre was meant to be a game-changer for Cape York. However, it sits unfinished and unoccupied. Matt Nicholls looks at what the problem is and what the future looks like for this purpose-built facility
Diatreme rapt with new discovery
Mark Knowles. Emerging silica sands explorer Diatreme Resources believes it has struck gold near Cooktown after announcing significant growth to its project’s resources. Last week, the ASX-listed company said its Si2 North Project resource had recorded a significant increase of around 134 per cent to 124 million tonnes (Mt).
Cook MP impressed on trip north
Member for Cook Cynthia Lui said a trip to Cooktown and Hope Vale had highlighted some of the positive contributions made by councils and community groups in the region ... “Given the vast size of my electorate, it is always fabulous catching up with locals in Cooktown and Hope Vale to see and hear first-hand the progress of state-funded projects, programs and matters where I can assist,” she said.
