Tourism

The Gunbower Racing Club’s annual race day was held on Saturday, but in yet another blow to the club, the 45ml of rain received ... saw all horse racing cancelled ...the club went ahead with all planned off-track events and was blown away by the support of the almost 2,000 people who still attended ... “Our track was in beautiful condition, and that’s what made it so hard."

The annual Spirit of the Land festival made its return over the weekend making Lockhart a haven for sculptures and fine arts. The event opened early on Saturday the 7th and finished off on the following Sunday with stalls, galleries, exhibitions and sculptures galore to enjoy.

Situated in the Goomburra Valley The Long Neck Farm has now re-opened. Tanya and Corrie Ross of Long Neck Farm tell us that the renovations are now complete so the welcome mat is out ready for visitors to call in and enjoy the fun attractions and facilities.

Patrick Goldsmith. They came in their thousands to celebrate 150 years of the Edithburgh jetty across Saturday and Sunday ... Those who had wandered down the street, or driven from further away, to join the celebrations were met with a hive of activity, including shearing and diving demonstrations, museum open days and market stalls offering an array of food and drink options.

Excitement is building for this year’s Dunolly Gold Rush Festival to be held on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October. The weekend will kick off on Saturday 21 October with the Dunolly Gold Rush Music Festival ... There will be a variety of stalls, prizes, great music in the Rotunda, the favourite “Hold the Gold” competition, Festival merchandise sales, displays of classic cars ...

Six men stand on chunky logs; axes poised in the air. It is the woodchop final at the Kyogle Show on Saturday, October 7 ... The winner is James Livingstone from Fairy Hill. James puts his win down to the “exceptionally good wood” which was flooded gum.

The Wallaby Creek Festival 2023, held from September 22 to 24 at Shipton’s Flat Road in Rossville, Tropical North Queensland, proved to be an overwhelming success, marking its 21st anniversary in grand style. Festival Director Jen Midgely expressed her delight, saying, “This year’s Wallaby Creek Festival has been a phenomenal celebration of music, art, and community.

Alyssa Walker. An empty throne; a kingless crown; a floating title. It’s been a long 35-years for Jim Russell and Sue Hart atop the rocky seat of Mount Wycheproof, but, last Saturday, that reign came to an end. Word spread quickly about the ruler usurped, and, with the crown up for grabs, people flooded into the home of the Demons, sights hungrily set on claiming the title of the next King and Queen of the Mountain.

Over the first weekend in August, Maldon played host to the second Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas. The events were well attended and brought hundreds of visitors into town, many of whom had never visited Maldon before ... "Just like our friends at Dark Mofo, we’ve found the existing business model for Goldfields Gothic doesn’t work in the present environment": Festival Director Valentina Tansley.

A draft strategic plan to bolster the Hume and Hovell Track has been released ... [following] consultations and workshops with tourism groups, community members, local councils, Aboriginal organisations, and agencies including the National Parks and Wildlife Service and NSW Forestry Corporation.

The red dust at Barellan is a long way from the sparkling water of a pool but former Olympic swimming champion Shane Gould was taking a keen interest in the sound of a single furrow plough slicing through the clay at the Barellan Good Old Days Festival at the weekend ... She was a keen spectator at the single furrow ploughing completion on Sunday at Barellan, drawing heavy horse and bullock teams.

Narrandera hosted the Annual Big Country Hoedown Line Dance Competitions recently at the Narrandera Ex-servicemen’s Club, which is one of the event’s major sponsors since it transferred to Narrandera in 2017. These annual events started off with a fabulous Welcome Social at the Exies.

Lockhart Picnic Races made a return to racing after a three year hiatus with horses once again gracing the track last week. Racegoers gathered from as far as Melbourne to attend the event with around 1000 people filling the venue.

Known as the biggest gathering of teamsters in the nation, the 2023 Good Old Days Festival drew 6000 visitors for the unique working heritage display of blade shearing, chaff cutting, harvesting, ploughing, log snigging, log obstacle course, shoeing, blacksmithing, butter churning, Furphy rebarrelling, working yard dogs, whip cracking, dog jumping, billy boiling and the Australia Light Horse display.

Ian Hutton. Since 1978 the Lord Howe Island Museum has acquired many valuable artefacts reflecting the long human history story of the Island ... Libby Baker, regular visitor to the Island and the Museum, has arranged for her family foundation the KEDJE Foundation to sponsor an Island resident to carry out this project putting the LHI Museum artefacts on eHive Lord Howe Island Museum.

Murtoa’s Big Weekend will bring the region new and exciting elements in the 3-day event during October 6 to 8, 2023. A stunning line-up will offer the local community and visitors to Murtoa an opportunity to come together and enjoy a large variety of features to suit every age.  

Mark your calendars as the renowned Mt Tarrengower Hill Climb makes its thrilling return 14 to 15 October. This much-anticipated event, known for its exhilarating showcase of classic vehicles and motorcycles, holds the record as Australia’s oldest and lengthiest uphill climb.

Rex said the airline is forced to make further reductions to its regional network as the major carriers, particularly the Qantas Group, continued their relentless pillaging of Rex’s pilot group. The reductions, effective from 30 October, all involve the regional routes serviced by Rex’s fleet of Saab 340 turboprop aircraft.

Serena Kirby. Nearly 100 classic vehicles lined Strickland Street last weekend for Denmark’s annual classic car show. The event, now run for the third time, again drew a large crowd of car enthusiasts ... Owned by Albany resident Bill Dixon and one of only two in WA, the lovingly restored 1917 Rauch & Lang vehicle featured seven batteries in the boot and seven under the bonnet.

Monday, September 18, saw the Webb windmill restored to its former location at Apex Park. The completion of a near-on 20-year project, funded by Donald 2000, involved the use of a crane from West Cranes, Stawell, and the erection drew the attention of many locals and visitors alike to the popular park and camping site at Donald.

“The Australian Musical Theatre Festival was developed to bring a cultural festival to our state’s north during winter, and it is now an established feature of our annual events calendar,” Minister  Street said.