Food, friends and fun: the ladies behind Foodie Friends
With good friends, there are no limits to where life can lead. This is certainly true for Lisa Headon and Iona Lilburne. The dynamic ladies behind Foodie Friends are faces which most Hay people would know. The story behind their inception and rise from strength to strength is a fascinating one.
5-star accommodation for Naracoorte
Naracoorte will soon boast a hotel with five-star accommodation. Dean Group, a family-owned and operated South Australian group – consisting of the Largs Pier Hotel, Walkers Arms Hotel, Macs Hotel, Peninsula Hotel Motel, and London Tavern – have taken ownership of Naracoorte’s Kincraig Hotel on Smith Street...
Temperance is at the top
A community-owned Riverland hotel’s restaurant was cemented among the best culinary destinations in the state at a recent major industry award event. Hotel Renmark’s Temperance restaurant last week won the best country restaurant award at the 2024 Australian Hotels Association SA Awards for Excellence, with executive chef Hugh Hazelwood also being named Chef of the Year.
Getting tourism back on the rails
For most people travelling is a means to an end – getting somewhere. For us in the vastness of outback Australia it’s an end in itself, an adventure, a buzz, something you brag about to your mates ... the five star hotel on rails, The Ghan, named after the Afghans who were doing it on camels ... may well have the formula for rescuing our ailing tourism industry.
Roseneath, Allora’s first self-contained B&B
Looking back on how Roseneath started 25 years ago with Lynn Close. "Our journey to Roseneath really started back in 1985 when we moved with our 3 children to acreage at Mt Marshall 6kms out of Allora. For 18 years afterwards we built a house and gardens, had thoroughbred horses, a Southdown sheep stud and numerous bird life.
60 Day Cap kicks in today for Byron Shire: Smith
From 23 September the community in Byron Shire is the first in NSW to have a legally enforceable means to regulate holiday letting beyond the State caps. After a decade of campaigning Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) in Byron Shire is capped at 60 days for un-hosted holiday lets in most of the Shire.
AirBNB tax risks Maldon tourism eco-system
The proposed Short Stay Levy Bill 2024 will contribute to unsustainable financial burdens on accommodation providers in our region while not easing the rental housing crisis, local businesses claim. The so-called ‘AirBnB Tax’ was introduced by Assistant Treasurer Danny Pearson to the Victorian Parliament on Tuesday 27 August and passed the Lower House last week, paving the way for a 7.5 per cent levy to be imposed on short stay accommodation bookings from 1 January 2025.
Nostalgia as café closes
It seemed natural that café owner Katrine Elliott would reflect and become nostalgic when speaking about the closure of the business that she has steered through more than 17 years. The iconic Berryman’s Café and Tearooms will cease operations on Sunday 29 September and hold a clearing sale in the following week.
Kyogle chef and councillor bring home the frypan trophy
Kyogle chef Shelly Snadden cooked her heart out at the Sample Food Festival in Bangalow ... Kyogle councillor Danielle Mulholland was by her side in the My Mayor Rules cook-off. Kyogle mayor Kylie Webster was unable to attend so former mayor Danielle stepped up.
Barham Rock ‘n’ Roll draws huge crowds
The biannual cluBarham Rock by the River Rock ‘n’ Roll Festival attracted 250 attendees from local and interstate to enjoy four days of live music and dancing ... The four days of entertainment were complemented by dancing lessons and the opportunity to buy the perfect attire or pair of swanky shoes to complement one’s moves on the dance floor.
Maclean first in Airbnb’s top 50 Australian tiny towns
The Lower Clarence town of Maclean has been named first on Airbnb’s Tiny Towns Guide of the top 50 small towns across Australia, winning a $30,000 grant that will help the future of the town’s famous Highland Gathering ... “Maclean offers a unique blend of cultural heritage on the banks of the picturesque Clarence River,” an Airbnb spokesperson said.
Nhill Coastbusters successful luncheon
The Nhill Coastbusters hosted a successful event on Sunday ... as part of their Coastrek walk to raise funds for the Heart Foundation. The event featured locally grown foods and talents, with Chef Cat Clarke from Dimboola providing delicious meals to all attendees—an exciting first for many.
Pokie loss shock
Shaun Hollis. Yorke Peninsula poker machine players lost over $3 million more in the past financial year than any other 12-month period in the region’s history, setting an alarming new record high. The steep rise in losses in the YP region was more than triple the state average increase.
Kaniva lights up with new film campaign
It was lights, camera, action in Kaniva as filmmaker Chris Hilder of Cholly Media visited Kaniva to produce short film clips for the Kaniva and District Progress Association (KDPA). With the closure of Out and About tourism magazine, KDPA sought fresh ways to highlight Kaniva’s attractions and tourism operators. Collaborating with KDPA’s Helen Hobbs, Chris came up with an innovative concept to expand their "Eat, Stay, Play" campaign.
Renmark icon’s restoration
Madison Estmond. “Around 10 months ago, a 5kg concrete slab fell off the building’s soffit onto the road,” Hotel Renmark general manager Darren Baker said ... With the project approved by Stage Heritage and the hotel’s community board, Hotel Renmark will also be painted.
Local pub does its bit for hospice
The local pub at Greenmount, which sports the unusual name Get Chopped, threw its hat into the ring to help raise funds for the Toowoomba Hospice during this year’s Hang Ya Boss Out To Dry event. Publican Brendon Quirey volunteered to be hoisted skywards and became part of a highly successful event for 2024.
Local couple reopen Club Hotel
The iconic Club Hotel, renowned for its feature on Selling Houses Australia in 2019 with its striking Porky Hawker beer garden mural, has once again changed hands. This time, it’s under the local ownership of husband and wife team, Steve and Michelle Martin.
Marne fast tracks her hospitality career and buys a cafe at 25
At 25 years old Marne Petherbridge has her own cafe – she has bought Espresso Edge on Summerland Way, Kyogle ... Saturday, June 9 was Marne’s first day of trading at Espresso Edge ... And while she is keen to bring new items to the menu she is also aware of keeping some of the favourites the regular customers like.
Restaurant rises from the ashes and finds new home at pub
Kristina Nhen is almost crying as she talks about the support she’s had from the Casino community after a fire destroyed the Mun Tien restaurant on April 29. The fire started in the early hours of the morning at the laundry and haberdashery next door to the Chinese Restaurant.
Heartfelt addition to hotel’s community meat tray raffle night
The newly re-opened Bidgee Hotel at Narrandera is proud to host a special charity event ... A beautiful artwork print by the talented Lesley Jane and a very special one-of-a-kind art piece by Stewart James, the artist behind Carlton's Indigenous guernsey will be raffled.
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Publican’s beer dream of a microbrewery for Woodburn close to coming true
For 20 years publican Daniel Simpson has wanted to brew his own beer at the Rod n Reel Hotel in Woodburn. That dream is close to becoming a reality. After the floods, Daniel bought the pub building and has put in a Development Application for a microbrewery.
