New Whyalla airport flying high
Residents jetting into or out of Whyalla as of 1 November will be able to experience the impressive new Whyalla Airport, which is now open for flights!
Lovell seeks certainty to ensure running of Bendigo Easter Fair
The Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has sought a guarantee from the Andrews Labor Government that will ensure the running of the 2022 Bendigo Easter Fair.
Scenic Rim named in Lonely Planet’s Top 10 regions in the world
Global travel authority Lonely Planet has announced their Best in Travel 2022, three lists encompassing the world’s hottest countries, cities and regions, and have included the Scenic Rim as number eight in the top regions to visit in 2022.
Milbi Festival kicks off this weekend! 29 October – 7 November
Join us for the annual celebration of all things art, culture and entertainment.
New app to guide self-drive holidays in the Pilbara
A new app developed by the Pilbara Tourism Association with support from the McGowan Government is helping self-drive tourists to explore Western Australia's vast and beautiful Pilbara region. The Warlu Way, named after a spirit snake featured in Pilbara creation stories, provides four routes between Exmouth and Broome, taking in the Pilbara's major tourism attractions on sealed and unsealed roads.
Illuminated jacarandas a sight to see
Emma Pritchard. From sundown until 10:30pm between October 21 and 24, one of Grafton’s most popular recreational areas lit up the exuberance of Clarence Valley residents and visitors to the region, with a dazzling display of lights, colour, and natural beauty. Created as an additional attraction during the 2021 Jacaranda Festival, the blossoming jacaranda trees in See Park were stylishly illuminated to showcase their exquisite purple radiance, allowing them to be admired during the day and night.
Emotional day for mayor as new Aurukun airport terminal opened
Aurukun mayor Keri Tamwoy was a little emotional at the opening of the town’s new airport terminal last week, paying tribute to her late mother Alison Woolla, of whom the passenger lounge was named in her honour ... Local builder Cameron Herbert is thrilled with the final product ... Mr Herbert makes his own concrete, the only one to do so in Aurukun, and said he was thrilled he could use locals to help with construction.
Cape Willoughby set to be latest drawcard on Kangaroo Island
The oldest lighthouse in South Australia is set to host the newest tourism destination on Kangaroo Island, with work commencing on the redesign and roll out of the Cape Willoughby visitor precinct.
Council waives permit fees for outdoor dining
Bass Coast Shire Council will waive permit fees for hundreds of hospitality venues to encourage more outdoor dining to help the region bounce back from pandemic lockdowns.
Lighting up Grafton with a crowning affair – but 2021 Jacaranda Festival postponed
Emma Pritchard. The 2021 Jacaranda Festival has been postponed for five weeks due to community concerns amidst Grafton’s rising Covid-19 case numbers ... "we were also expecting no restrictions on who could attend, but the double-vax rule has since meant many who haven’t been fully vaccinated won’t be able to. Moving the festival back five weeks will alleviate both of these issues and enable us to keep its tradition very much alive:” Jacaranda Festival Manager, Mark Blackadder
Telstra fails … again
Mobile phone services went down in Coen, Laura and Lakeland last week, prompting criticism of Telstra ahead of the wet season, when telecommunications struggle to cope with the heavy rainfall. Travellers were left with no mobile reception between Cooktown and Weipa as a result of the outage, which Telstra said lasted around 30 hours.
A favourite Mt Archer view point is ready to re-visit
The Grass Tree Lookout at Mount Archer is ready for visitors once again, following upgrades completed by Rockhampton Regional Council and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) ... “In addition to the amphitheatre and the skywalk, we are really pleased that residents and visitors can once again enjoy this beautiful vantage point, taking in the incredible views Mount Archer has to offer."
2021 Mt Tarrengower Historic Hill-climb cancelled
2019 saw the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Mt Tarrengower hill-climb ... There are not very many combined car and motorcycle events in the Australian historic events calendar. This combination contributes to making the Mt Tarrengower hill-climb a unique event and one of the oldest such events in Australia ... The event was so popular in 2019 that capacity was reached within a week of entries being opened.
Salty singers not too shabby at shanty show
Denmark's sea shanty singers, the Salty Seadogs, gave audiences at the Albany International Folk ’n’ Shanty Festival renditions of old and new shanties with heaps of gusto ... Nine shanty-singing groups and 26 Australian folk music acts and seven international acts played in several venues around Albany waterfront including the Albany Entertainment Centre.
Tune in to the Cleve Harvest Music Fest, 30 October 2021
Cleve Harvest Music Fest is the newest live music festival on the South Australian calendar, situated in the thriving Eyre Peninsula, agricultural town of Cleve.
State invited to co-invest in SA tourism with Tumby Bay jetty refurbishment
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has been presented with a ground-breaking opportunity for the State to work with the District Council of Tumby Bay on significantly refurbishing the Tumby Bay Jetty to benefit cruise ship tourism on Eyre Peninsula, as well as tourism and the community at large.
Strategy to increase angling participation in Tasmania
Tasmania’s lakes and waterways are enjoyed by thousands of recreational anglers and their families and friends and the Tasmanian Government wants to encourage more Tasmanians to take up angling. The Government has released its Strategy to Increase Participation in Tasmania's Inland Recreational Fishery 2021-28 on national Gone Fishing Day.
Conquer the Corrugations tests
Sunburn and blisters were the order of the day for the dedicated walkers who braved the scorching heat at this year’s Conquer the Corrugations. Around 180 people walked the 42km between Archer River and the Coen biosecurity centre over Saturday and Sunday.
Reel in the million dollar fish and turn your catch into cash
Hooking a barra in the Territory is about to make some lucky fishos a lot richer as Season 7 of Million Dollar Fish has officially opened.
Pub yields compress further
Continued thirst for pubs, particularly in regional Australia where demand has increased by 135%, has pushed yields down further, according to Real Capital Analytics. Benjamin Martin-Henry, RCA’s head of analytics, pacific said despite rolling lockdowns across much of Australia over the last 18 months, property investors have shown a remarkable interest in acquiring pubs, with transaction volume on course to eclipse previous highs.
Daintree National Park returns to Eastern Kuku Yalanji people
The world-famous Daintree National Park has been handed back to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, part of 160,000 hectares of land in Cape York that is again in the hands of traditional owners following an agreement with the Queensland government. The planet’s oldest rainforest joins Uluru and Kakadu as UNESCO world heritage sites under management of First Nations people.
Visitor centre future secured
Patricia Gill. The Denmark Chamber of Commerce will run the Denmark Visitor Centre for the next three years as a ‘dynamic’ shared space to welcome tourists and the community. The Denmark Shire Council made the decision to hand over the running of the visitor centre at the September 21 meeting in line with the draft Sustainable Tourism Strategy ... The service will include the community-valued face-to-face model of visitor servicing.

