Tourism

Chocolate eggs rained from the skies at Casino Airport on the weekend. Tyson and Kevin Dodd, who have a property at Dyraaba and live in Sydney, organised the event with NSW Aeromodellers. There were 120 aircraft and owners travelled from Queensland and Victoria to be at the Richmond Valley Casino Airport Fly In ... NSW Aeromodellers saw the fly in as a test run for a much bigger event in 2023.

Emma Pritchard. The unmistakable sounds of the bagpipes and drums which filled the air above Maclean during the Easter long weekend, signalled the triumphant return of one of the Clarence Valley’s most characteristic, culturally significant and popular local events. After being cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and faced with the possibility of history repeating itself this year, the 116th Maclean Highland Gathering went ahead as planned on April 2 and 3.

“Many of our tourism industry work hard to ensure they have their product listed across online travel agency platforms like Wotif, showcasing the region and all of the wonderful experiences we have in our backyard, like our easy access to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, our food and drink heroes, our parks and gardens. This increases visibility for the Bundaberg Region and supports all of the other businesses in the region that benefit indirectly from the visitor dollar," says Bundaberg Tourism CEO Katherine Reid.

Bendigo and region is Australia’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, so this is the perfect way to highlight all we have to offer and help people design the perfect day trip or weekend away.

Cape York’s fragile tourism industry has been exposed as a result of this month’s spotlight on supposed closures of the Tip. And even though there will be no closures to sites this year – just as predicted by Cape York Weekly – something must be done about the region’s tourism industry.

The star-gazing project at Mallanganee Lookout is exciting and ambitious. With expansive views across the Richmond Range, Mallanganee National Park and Hogarth Range Nature Reserve, the under-used lookout has the potential to attract thousands of visitors of the star-gazing kind.

Flights between Geraldton and Perth are on the rise with the City of Greater Geraldton and Qantas remaining committed to enhancing the flight schedule. Qantas has now increased the number of weekly return services from seven to 12, allowing same day return on weekdays.

A scare campaign driven by the Cairns Post to deter tourists from visiting Cape York will fall flat after Traditional Owners said they did not want to close the Tip to southern visitors. However, tourism operators are asking for strong leadership on the matter to make sure that both the Tip is kept open and that better facilities are created to cater for the growth in visitor numbers.

After hosting their largest exhibition on record, the 2020 Archibald Prize Regional Tour, the team at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre is jumping straight into the next big exhibition, Sidney Nolan's iconic Ned Kelly series.

A new creative art exhibition highlighting the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail will be on display at the Somerset Regional Art Gallery – The Condensery in Toogoolawah from Saturday, 20 March. The exhibition, Somerset Country – Canvas and Cloth, by Somerset artists Noela Lowein and Jodie Wade features a diversity of work.

Join us for this one-off event weekend where some of the Port Macquarie-Hastings region’s most talented creatives are opening their studios and workshops to the public, many for the very first time. Meet the artists and gain unique insight into their creative process. View first-hand the techniques and processes of a diverse range of artistic pursuits from painting, drawing, sculpture, glass, pottery, ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, textiles and more. Some works will be available for purchase direct from the artist.

Sunshine Coast foodie Martin Duncan said he started the Scone Time events as a way to combat isolation experienced by our elderly residents and to breathe life into Sunshine Coast heritage halls. “Now, Scone Time is about bringing everyone together for a good old-fashioned chat, in person, while enjoying a sweet treat,” Mr Duncan said.

Back with a brand new format, Whyalla's award winning uneARTh Festival is sure to offer a great experience for everyone.

The Brolga Theatre in Maryborough is getting back to normal with the first sold out performance since COVID-19 emerged and a bumper line up of big name shows over the next few months ... “One of Australia’s favourite comedians, Carl Barron, will have a full house in stitches next Tuesday night (23 March) when he brings his new show ‘Skating Rink for Flies’ to the Brolga stage,” Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said.

Kirstin Nicholson. Organisers of Sunday’s AWMA Water Control Solutions 28th Cohuna Bridge to Bridge are thrilled with the day. Cooler weather presented ideal conditions for entrants who competed in seven running and cycling events from as early as 8am ... Entrants travelled from across Victoria and New South Wales to participate, with many staying overnight and injecting cash into local businesses. With events catering for all ages and abilities, participants ranged from serious runners and cyclists to those out for a leisurely Sunday walk, with many ex-locals returning for the event.

The Wakool Show was back with a fantastic flurry of fun, food, music and entertainment. This year’s show was rolled into one action packed evening and the community support was fantastic with families coming from Wakool, Moulamein, Koondrook-Barham and Deniliquin.

There will be no Laura rodeo and races this year after both committees decided to pull the pin for a second straight year. Last year’s events were made impossible by the closure of Cape York to outsiders and this year’s event was abandoned as a result of strict COVID-19 rules.

A misleading front page story went viral on social media pages last week, causing great angst for Cape York tourism operators. The Cairns Post ran the headline “CAPE ACCESS DENIED”, with a story pointing to a number of Cape York locations that were closed to visitors.

What a great weekend for golf in our area. The 48th Northern Victorian Triple Golfanza was played over the Labour Day weekend, at Cohuna on Saturday, Barham on Sunday and Kerang on Monday. Attracting capacity fields each day, this event was patronised with representatives from 37 different clubs, with large contingents from Goonawarra, Carrington Park, Mooroopna, Belvoir Park, Cardinia-Beacon Hills and Neangar Park Golf Clubs.

ArtSouthWA is delighted to be inviting the artists and craftspeople of the greater southern region of WA to make their applications to be part of the 2021 Southern Art and Craft Trail Event. The 2 week event takes place during the September October School holidays.

The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale has welcomed two recent announcements which show bipartisan support to grow the region’s local tourism industry ... “We welcome these funding commitments from the major political parties as we work to grow and enhance our local trails and tourism industry, together,” Cr Rich said. “Domestic tourism has never been more important, with Western Australians looking to their own backyards for holiday ideas.

There are two ideas on how to use the rail corridor between Casino and Bentley. The newly formed Northern Rivers Rail Ltd wants to see trains on the track with a bike path alongside.