Tourism

As they stood in the shadow of the heritage 1960s 621/721 class rail motor at Grafton City Station, volunteers from the Rail Motor Society reflected with heartfelt pride and passion on the unequivocal diligence and resoluteness of their ongoing work which enabled local railway enthusiasts to experience the sensation of travelling in historic style over the weekend.

What is it about a street parade? ... Beef Week Street Parade draws a massive crowd into the CBD ... St Mary’s Primary School principal John O’Brien wore an 80s inspired outfit and with the students sang 80s hits  Poison  (Alice Cooper) and  Girls Just Want to Have Fun  (Cyndi Lauper) as they walked behind a truck where a gorilla(!) played drums.

With renewed bucket list charm, the Great Northern Brewing Co. Cairns Amateurs Carnival gets the fun back on track in 2024 with three days of fashion, horse racing, social events, and pure springtime revelry from Thursday, 12 to Saturday, 14 September. Injecting more than $3 million into the region’s coffers each year, all eyes will once again be on Tropical North Queensland in September when Cairns’ iconic and time-honoured event puts on a show, drawing up to 10,000 city and country folk together in a colourful spectacle dating back to 1959.

After many years of planning by DownsSteam, the engine "Pride of Toowoomba" made its first official trip to and from Wyreema on Saturday morning. After waiting for many years, steam train fans were not going to miss out on the chance to ride the rails aboard carriages hauled by the refurbished "Pride of Toowoomba" ...

Barham is currently hosting the inaugural bowls Over 60s State Carnival. The previous format of Over 60s State Championships had 16 bowlers participating. With the new State Carnival event, 750 bowlers with 1,000 entries have made their way to Barham.

Kimberly Grabham. ‘Make Balranald great again’. This was the resounding message and vibe of a recent meeting held at the Discovery Centre Café ... Recently appointed Director of Governance, Business and Community Services, Glenn Carroll said it was time for Balranald to take the reins and benefit from the significant boom the area is having...

Wilson McShane. Twenty-three hours and 56 minutes. A lot can be achieved in this time, but few can say they have run 100 miles, or about 160 kilometres, in such a short timeframe. But this is what Kadina man Scott Martin achieved on Saturday, May 13, when he won the Irrational SOUTH 100 Miler through the Flinders Ranges.

The 2024 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is a celebration of the mountain and adventure sport world.  Sharing over 2 1/2 hours of the most exhilarating short films from  explorers, runners, mountain bikers, skiers, paddlers and climbers  from around the globe.

Andrew O’Toole. The annual "Two Cups" Race Day at Hagan Park in Tennant Creek on Saturday is always a fixture to look forward to, being the only meeting held in the town of just over 3,000 people and 500km north of Alice Springs. Six races have been assembled for the meeting, and a total of 33 horses will do battle around the sand course in the Barkly.

Riders and spectators from around Australia will converge on the Region this weekend for the 22nd annual Paradise Lagoons Campdraft. The Paradise Lagoons Campdraft Association received $10,000 towards the event during round two of Council’s 2023/24 Community Assistance Program (CAP).  

After making the difficult decision last year to put the zoo they founded on the market, Steve and Stephanie Robinson have had a change of heart, deciding to retain ownership of the Darling Downs Zoo at Pilton ... Mr Robinson said he wanted to ensure the zoo remains as a breeding facility for rare and endangered animals, as well as a family and educational facility that attracts visits from many local schools.

What's happening rather soon is the gallery’s bi-annual Clay Works Exhibition; expect to find all things clay related ... If you are walking past the G check out Max the Crocodile in the window, I think perhaps Sir Max may be more appropriate.

All 12 of South Australia’s tourism regions welcomed an influx of foodies and festivalgoers thanks to this year’s Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel. More than 150 events delivered a deliciously diverse program of eating and drinking experiences, helping drive visitation and expenditure across South Australia.

The biggest beef exposition in the Southern Hemisphere just got bigger with the return of international guests and a throng of passionate locals fuelling record crowds at Beef2024. Support for the event has boomed post-Covid as people converged on Rockhampton, the Beef Capital of Australia, for the week-long festival of cattle culture.

A day on Dalrymple Creek.

Counting family, friends and players, over 100 people gathered at St Brigid’s Church last Saturday for the third Maldon Petanque Club tournament. Following two last-minute scratchings, 22 teams of three players took to the pistes to play five games apiece.

Hay, New South Wales, is a small town basks in the golden glow of the outback summer sun. It is a community whose history is deeply intertwined with the iconic figure of the Australian shearer. Here, amidst the vast sheep stations and dusty plains, lies Shear Outback...

Mark Blythe. In the best Melbourne Truth fashion, grab ‘em with a killer headline, then let them down slowly. What really happened was, as usual on the weekend of the All British Rally, Maldon was chuffed to have its annual ‘impromptu bike show’.  

National Alpaca Week kicks off on May 4th with a host of celebrations including open farm days, Mother’s Day picnics and educational programs for kids. The week serves to educate, entertain, and bring awareness to the alpaca industry, while promoting the production and use of high-quality alpaca fleece this winter season.