Tourism

Lismore Friendship Festival will host the second annual Italian Film Festival at Lismore's bccEvent Cinemas on Saturday, August 7 and Sunday August 8 2021. Following the success of the first event in 2019 it was decided that a sweep of historic and contemporary films will attract another audience of movie buffs.

The 2021 show is a grassroots, community focused event. It is the result of the year-long efforts of the local 10 committee members and their families, the Support Officer, an army of over 50 volunteers, tenders and casual workers.

A four-wheel drive track that connects Weipa with the Bamaga Road will be a smash hit with both locals and tourists in search of a new off-road experience. The controversial Bertiehaugh Road has only existed as a line on the map since the Irwins took over the property in 2006, renaming it Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve ... a team of determined locals, who asked not to be named, got the GPS coordinates from Cook Shire and went to work themselves. Using buggies and four-wheel drives, they created a 60km single-lane track that runs from Stones Crossing to Bramwell Junction.

The threat of COVID deterred a number of dance groups from attending, but that didn’t stop a sell-out crowd from enjoying the show at the Laura Quinkan Dance Festival. Around 2000 people filled the grounds around the traditional Bora ground and watched as groups from across the Cape and Far North shared their culture with a crowd filled with mostly southerners.

Bulcock Street Caloundra was one of the finest examples of urban design on display at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) 2021 awards this month. Caloundra Main Street Urban Revitalisation project was awarded the Urban Design and Regional Achievement Awards at the 2021 Queensland Landscape Architecture Awards.

Moreton Bay Regional Council has been recognised for pushing the boundaries of urban design at one of Queensland’s most prestigious awards. The Caboolture to Wamuran Rail Trail project received commendation for the highest quality at the Minister’s Award for Urban Design, in a competition that featured the likes of Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville.

David Waterhouse. Lord Howe Island is a special place and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage property in 1982 in recognition of the global significance of the Island’s beauty and biodiversity. The Island’s isolation and its varied landscape are home to many unique and endemic species. Although Islands only make up a small proportion of available landmass, 61% of recorded species extinctions since the 16th Century have occurred on Islands. The pressure of invasive species has already been linked to the extinction of at least 5 bird species, two plant species, and 13 recorded (although likely much higher) invertebrate species from Lord Howe Island.

Sheryl Lowe. What is the Day of the Dackel you may say? It’s when lovers of the long bodied, short legged bundles of love celebrate all things Dachshund. Approximately 100 Dachshunds converged on Edenhope for the inaugural Day of the Dackel this weekend.

Murrindindi Shire Council is thrilled to announce the completion of the Lake Eildon ‘Floating Cities’ Project. The project has delivered important upgrades to the entrance road to the Lake Eildon Marina, off Sugarloaf Road, which will make access for houseboats much easier. It has also delivered a new, environmentally-friendly wash-bay facility, which will accommodate minor houseboat maintenance, mandatory houseboat inspections and allow easier access for larger houseboats.

Lismore City Council and Rous County Council today signed a three-year lease for Rous to rent the Lismore Visitor Information Centre on Molesworth Street. Lismore City Council’s Director of Partnerships, Planning and Engagement Eber Butron said Lismore Council will work with Rous in delivering tourist information, and environmental and cultural services.

Emma Pritchard. Blessed with beautiful winter weather and clear skies, more than 80 rowers and paddlers in 31 boats took to the waters of the Clarence River on June 26 to participate in the Grafton Rowing Club’s annual Rowathon to raise funds for the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter ... eager participants traveled from Maclean, Iluka, Coffs Harbour, Murwillumbah, Lismore, Ballina, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Port Macquarie, with Grafton Rowing Club seniors and rowers from Grafton and South Grafton High Schools also joining in.

The Shire of Derby/West Kimberley is delighted at the announcement today that local flights linking Derby and Broome will be available three times per week by Aviair from 16 August 2021 for a 12-month trial. Shire President Geoff Haerewa has welcomed the news as it has been a long-term priority for the Shire to have affordable and accessible flights from Derby to Perth.

Thousands of new jobs and significant infrastructure builds in regional NSW will be delivered through the 2021-22 NSW Budget, supporting the recovery and future prosperity of regional communities following drought, bushfires, floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently the mice plague.

[CANCELLED on 29 June 2021] The trucks are back. After last year’s truck show was cancelled because of covid, the North Coast Petroleum Casino Truck Show returns to the Casino CBD on Saturday, August 7 ... The team is expecting up to 300 trucks with chrome polished to perfection and some 40 categories to be won including the prestige Tiny Lollback Rig of the Show.

The highly anticipated 150ZK Truth Telling: Coming of the Light 150 Years (150ZK) exhibition was officially opened with great fanfare at the Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Thursday night. Commemorating 150 years since Coming of the Light, the exhibition is the result of a successful collaborative curatorial project with Torres Strait Artists, Badu Arts, Erub Arts and Moa Arts. It investigates the impact of the London Missionary Society and Christianity on Torres Strait Islanders and the region’s way of life.

Humpback whales have been spotted along the spectacular Ningaloo Coast, with Western Australians encouraged to support tour operators amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the humpback whale swim tour season starting soon, visitors to the Ningaloo Coast have the opportunity to swim with these magnificent creatures in their natural environment.

The Barossa’s landmark play destination, Barossa Adventure Station at Angaston, has been named South Australia’s Park of the Year. The Barossa Council took out the award at the Parks and Leisure Australia SA/NT 2021 Awards of Excellence, and will now vie for the national title later this year.

With the dry season in full swing and school holidays just around the corner, Territorians and visitors are being urged to be Crocwise when exploring the Top End. So far this year, crocodile management teams have removed more than 160 crocodiles from Top End waterways.

Attracting government officials, international dignitaries, visitors and community members from across Cape York and Australia, the Cooktown & Cape York Expo 2021 came to a spectacular close last night with the final performance of the Warrma and a fireworks display over the Endeavour River. The largest event in rural Queensland since the COVID-19 lockdowns, The Cooktown & Cape York Expo 2021 – which ran from 11-20 June – delivered more than 150 events, exhibitions, performances, installations, workshops, and a two-day Dynamic Business Symposium.