Tourism

Communities from across the Riverina region are being urged to get behind their local volunteer finalists for the 2024 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards to be held in Sydney on Tuesday December 10. They include the Riverina Volunteer Team of the Year the Barellan Working Clydesdales Committee.

Tangible progress has been made with the Local Development Strategy (LDS) ‘Innovation Upper Murray’, with several opportunities now at Stage 3 of the process - developing projects, with community members and experts, through Innovation Working Groups (IWG).

Greyhound Australia reveals its top ten locations for travellers in 2024. Brisbane has retained its crown as the most-visited destination in Australia for coach travellers in 2024, highlighting the River City's appeal and popularity among tourists from around the world.

Anne Longworth bowed out as the final president of Bishop’s Lodge Management Committee last Wednesday when the final meeting took place after the last of Hay Shire Council’s Section 355 museum committees was dissolved. This reluctant step was taken at the request of the committee due to the chronic volunteer fatigue experienced in Hay over the last few years.

Creativity within the silo world will take a new twist in Rainbow’s addition to the Silo Art Trail. Contractors are preparing to start construction of the Llew Schilling Silo Tourism Development within the next week or so. However, this innovative project will offer much more than one large-scale painting on the outside of a silo, according to Hindmarsh Shire CEO Monica Revell.

Love Lord Howe. Recently won Gold at the NSW Tourism Awards. Benny’s Fish Truck. Recently awarded second-best fish and chips on offer nation wide. Thornleigh Farm Marmalade. Recently won Gold at the Australian Marmalade Awards.

Renowned industry professionals Heather Ellis, Linda Tillman, and Shaun Leisegang will share their expertise and insight on day one of the national gathering of Australia's 582 agricultural shows. In ‘AI for the Show Movement: Simplifying Operations for Better Focus’, Shaun Leisegang, General Manager at award-winning technology services provider, Tecala, will show attendees how artificial intelligence can streamline key tasks in the show movement.  

Sarah Herrmann. Calls for increased local consultation as part of the progressing Moonta Mines World Heritage bid were made at a community forum last week. The forum gave those interested the opportunity to quiz UK-based World Heritage consultant Barry Gamble, who had travelled to the Copper Coast for the official celebration of the tentative listing...

Rachel Hagan. Price is a town with a deep history and has been a key part of Yorke Peninsula, but one key feature it has been missing is a museum — that is until now. By mid to late January, the Price Museum will be structurally ready to go ... Price Progress Association secretary Karen Newbold says it all needs to be finished by April 20, 2025, and she is confident all the work can be achieved by that deadline.

STUDIOCANAL has unveiled the first trailer for Kangaroo, a heartwarming family comedy filmed in the breathtaking Red Centre earlier this year ... The Northern Territory Government contributed $900,000 to the production through Screen Territory’s Production Attraction Incentive Program (PAIP), creating significant opportunities for the local community.

Set aside Friday 20 December – the annual Lockyer Valley Christmas Carnival is back! Gatton’s North Street is set to resemble a winter wonderland for the beloved event, which is set to be a fun-filled family night … “The Winter Wonderland theme was so well received in 2022, we simply knew we had to bring it back.

Greenmount was the place to be last Saturday as those magnificent billy cart drivers and their rolling machines took on the Ramsay Street downhill course in front of a packed crowd who enjoyed every moment of juniors and seniors races. Drivers and their carts came from as far away as Byron Bay and the Gold Coast to participate in the Greenmount Billy Cart Challenge in a sure sign that this event is a winner for the town.

The president of the Corryong Show committee reported to the recent annual general meeting that an enthusastic band of helpers and improvements to the show site have ensured the future of a great community event. "We have ticked the boxes with what we had aimed and hoped to achieve with our Spring Show," Evan Nicholas said, "with great attendance from our community and also from afar.

The 55th Massive Murray Paddle finished on Friday in Koondrook having started four days earlier in Yarrawonga on Monday, November 18. Top athletes from all over Australia, New Zealand and the USA competed, along with at risk Indigenous youth paddling in teams following the Dungalayin Mileka Team model.

Sebastian Calderon. Loxton has become the Murray River Queen's (MRQ) new home after the boat’s successful voyage from Renmark ... The Paringa Bridge crossing was one of the highlights during her trip, as cars and people gathered to see the bridge go up and give way to Donna Neale and her team steaming the MRQ.

An important milestone in constructing Lismore’s new $3.9 million Lismore Skatepark was reached this week, with the pouring of 2400m2 of concrete set to begin ... The facility includes both ‘street’ and ‘park’ (bowl) sections and a covered mini ramp, which is eagerly anticipated by the local skater community.

When is a bowlo more than a bowlo – when it’s at Bonalbo and the bowling club is a place to meet, eat, have a drink and even get your kit off. Bonalbo Bowling & Recreation Club is making sure it’s doing what it can to thrive. Club board president David Whitney ... quoted a shocking statistic that one bowling club a week is closing.

As has been the case for over three decades, the 2025 Heritage Weekend will see all roads leading to Allora on the Australia Day weekend, 25 and 26 January with a stream of historical vehicles and machinery converging on the Allora township and picturesque Showgrounds ... Having been featured in British historical machinery magazines, the Allora Heritage Weekend can be said to be known internationally.

The Tchum Lake Aquatic Club has ushered in a new era of leadership, with Alex Noonan taking the helm as president following Andrew Lee’s dedicated eight-year tenure ... One of the first challenges facing the new executive team is tackling the lake’s significant weed problem.

The Victorian State Parliament has passed the contentious ‘AirBnB Tax’ law to impose a 7.5 per cent levy on short-stay accommodation platforms ... Michele Waddington, owner of Fairbank House holiday home rental, believes the levy will have an impact on local accommodation providers and beyond: "The legislation, which taken with other recent taxes, has significantly impacted Maldon’s economic recovery."

The last of four largescale artwork pieces was installed at Towong ... as part of Stage 2 of the Great River Road touring route project. The newest sculpture depicts two brolgas in a Brolgas return to Towong courtship dance on the Towong Walking Trail.

Toowoomba’s Will Brown has taken out the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship with a win at the Adelaide 500. Brown said he couldn’t have been happier to finish off the year with a win. "I was pretty stoked to finish off the year with a win to be honest," Brown said.