Tourism

Emma Pritchard. While she stands proudly amongst the blossoming purple trees in Grafton’s See Park, the cost of keeping Jacaranda Jill safe from vandals while on public display has led to the resignation of Jacaranda Festival President Nicholas Buckler. Mr Buckler confirmed his resignation via email late last week, citing issues regarding finances spent on 24-hour security for the 6m tall kewpie doll.

Emma Pritchard. From the moment they walked onto the stage at the Saraton Theatre on October 31, the audience applauded and cheered loudly as they watched two of the most iconic musicians in the country deliver a beautiful acoustic performance. When he told the crowd he “brought a friend along” to his hometown, Troy Cassar-Daley shot Ian Moss a cheeky grin as their fingers glided skilfully over their guitar strings.

From 1 November 2021, owners of short-term rental accommodation (STRA) will be required to register their properties with the NSW Government and will no longer require Council planning approval.

New infrastructure at a Central Australian conservation reserve will help protect prehistoric Aboriginal rock engravings and enhance visitor safety to the site. The new viewing platform and boardwalk at Napwerte/Ewaninga south of Alice Springs, enables visitors to have an optimal view of the petroglyphs which date back around 30,000 years, while preventing inadvertent damage to the works by visitors.

Port Fairy has claimed silver in Australia’s Top Small Tourism Town during a livestreamed event. Six small town finalists from across Australia have competed for the top honour, with Berrima, NSW receiving gold in the population of 5,000 or less category. Moyne Shire Mayor, Cr Daniel Meade, said that he was proud to see Port Fairy as a finalist in such prestigious awards.

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!

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.

Join us for the annual celebration of all things art, culture and entertainment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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."

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.