Tourism

Operations of the Jondaryan Woolshed will transition to Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) following a decision at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 20 July.

The developers of the proposed highway service station at New Italy have said the design of the project is “deliberately understated”. Memphis Strategic town planner Wayne Gersbach said the single-storey and ‘shed-like’ design will be constructed of raw, uncoloured concrete with a Colorbond roof and cladding to complement, and not overawe the nearby New Italy Museum buildings.

Rappville felt the love on the weekend, dog trial organiser Janelle McLennan said. Despite Covid restrictions causing cancellations from Queensland, there were 200 entries and 40 competitors at the NW Working Cattle Dog Trial. Competitors came from across the state to the Resilience NSW Rappville Rebounds dog trial, the first in Rappville since the 2019 fires.

The barramundi is Australia's most recognisable estuarine sportsfish, with many recreational fishers travelling to northern Western Australia to try to catch one. Local recreational fishing and indigenous communities have long pressed for the restocking of barramundi into their natural range within Lake Kununurra, and eight years ago their dream became a reality when the first fingerlings were released.

The streets of Alice Springs will be transformed into an alfresco art gallery when the Alice Springs Street Art Festival (ASSAF) takes place from 23 July to 8 August 2021. The festival will see four of Australia’s top street artists Kaff-eine (Vic), Gus Eagleton (Qld), Brontë Naylor (Qld) and Miss Polly (Darwin) team up with local creatives Tamara Cornthwaite, Karine Tremblay, Mark Circus and Kim Donald to paint six new murals across the CBD.

A staff shortage in Bamaga has led to criticism of a policy change that snubbed NPA from employing overseas workers. Companies in Weipa, Cooktown and Thursday Island can employ Australian-based overseas workers in hospitality jobs, but businesses in Bamaga cannot ... “There is now a very small and limited pool of skilled labour, especially in the hospitality industry where chefs and food and beverage professionals are as scarce as hen’s teeth," says Chris Foord, Bamaga Enterprises GM.

Australia's northernmost pastoral property, Bramwell Station, has been put up for sale amid heightened demand for domestic travel and some of the best seasonal and market conditions seen in living memory. Located 240 kilometres south of the tip of Cape York, Bramwell Station spans 131,900 hectares and is the last stop before the tip of Cape York and at the start of the famous Old Telegraph Line four-wheel-drive track.

Gabrielle Duykers. After almost 20 years behind the bar, Jack Jennings and Rhonda Brown say they are excited to get their weekends back, as they rejoice in the successful sale of the Bushman’s Arms Hotel ... Upon reflection of his time in the industry, Mr Jennings said pubs had been unfairly given a “bad rap” in recent years. “I think people forget the good that pubs do for the community,” he said. “Over the years we’ve sponsored nearly every sporting group going around and even the sporting groups from out of town. Pubs are a centre of a community, they’re fantastic for the communication of people, and in really small towns when the pub dies, the town dies.”

Casino is about to get fresh with its own weekly farmers market. John and Frieda De Kleuver are organising the market for the Casino Lions Club. The plan is to hold a market every Saturday morning at Crawford Square in South Casino, starting in September.

Wendy Kozicka believes the state government could buy Cape York’s most northern cattle station for conservation. The owner of Bramwell Station said it wouldn’t surprise her if the Queensland government made an offer to buy the property before it goes up for auction on August 11.

With James Blundell officially opening on Saturday at 12pm, you’ll be wowed with the monster trucks and thrilled with all the action of a two day campdraft. Plus, rock climbing, side show ally and plenty more.

Rottnest Island will come alive to the inaugural Island Jazz Festival to be held across three days, between July 23 and 25. Those keen for a weekender on Rottnest can immerse themselves in top-class performances from sunrise to late into the night. There will be 13 free performances from some of the best talent Perth has to offer, including Adam Hall and the Velvet Playboys, Band of Soul featuring Solomon Pitt and Rubaclava.

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.