Council

Magic will be in the air at this year’s Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival featuring yet another stellar line-up of local and West Australian authors, illustrators, storytellers, poets and musicians.

One of the Sunshine Coast’s most picturesque locations is in the spotlight with Sunshine Coast Council embarking on a study to understand how much we love the area and how we use it.

Port Hedland Council has endorsed a proposal from Aviair to provide financial support to continue operating four return weekly inter-regional flights from Port Hedland, connecting the port city with Karratha, Newman and Broome over the next five years.

New artwork and informative signage has been revealed at Robert Dixon Park at Kingscliff to draw attention to the rare Glossy black-cockatoo. The Glossy black-cockatoo, also affectionately known as Glossies, is listed as vulnerable in NSW. The Tweed is lucky enough to be home to both the Glossy black-cockatoo and the Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo however, there isn’t enough reliable data to confirm Glossy black-cockatoo numbers.

Rocky the conservation dog will be sniffing out fox dens this month as part of an expanded Coastal Fox Control Program. Rocky and his handler Tom Garrett  will survey coastal areas south of the Maroochy River to detect fox dens between September 10 and September 27, 2021. Previously Rocky worked in areas north of the Maroochy River.

The team behind Blackbutt Avocado Festival is pleased to launch the Blackbutt Shopfront Art Trail from Saturday 11 September ... Arts Project Officer Olivia Everitt said, “The Blackbutt Shopfront Art Trail celebrates an opportunity for artists and businesses to come together. We thank the businesses involved for embracing this exhibition concept, and encourage locals and visitors to enjoy the artworks as you shop in town, stop for a coffee or enjoy the Rail Trail.”

Lismore City Council recently accepted a tender to design and construct a $600,000 ‘Solar Carpark’ in the Council-owned Clyde Campbell carpark. The infrastructure includes the installation an architectural ‘butterfly-shaped’ awning, clad with photo-voltaic solar panels and covering 40 carparks. It also includes the installation of two EV fast chargers, making them Lismore’s first.

Wanted: young people and children living in Greater Bendigo to contribute to a new public art project to be located at Pennyweight Walk in the city centre.

Council is seeking community input to help shape the future vision and management of Norries Headland at Cabarita Beach on the Tweed Coast.

A new exhibition that pays tribute to the resilience of the Scenic Rim region following the devastating bushfires that raged across the region during the Black Summer of 2019-2020 has opened at The Centre in Beaudesert.

Traditional Owner knowledge was shared among land managers in a Cultural Burning workshop held on Kabi Kabi Country at a Sunshine Coast Council environment reserve near Kenilworth recently.

The amazing astrophotography competition, Capture the Cosmos, is back and this year it is expected to attract some out of this world entries!    

Now is the time to ask the people in your world how they are really going, with R U OK Day officially taking place on Thursday, 9 September ... “This year’s theme is ‘Are they really ok?’, encouraging people to ask the question, but also ask the question again.”

Gannawarra Shire businesses may see more visitors this summer as copies of the new Gannawarra Visitor Guide have been distributed to Visitor Centre’s throughout Victoria and across the border.

Shire of Gingin brigades will join City of Wanneroo brigades in having access to their own thermal imaging cameras this bushfire season ... The cameras help firefighters identify hotspots in bushfires, enabling them to target specific areas and deploy their resources accordingly. They are also an important tool to detect fires burning underground, which are a common threat in Western Australia and can cause bushfires to reignite after they have been extinguished.

Budding citizen scientists are being called upon to help record and map sightings of the reclusive Albert’s Lyrebird as part of a project to help conserve the beautiful rare bird.

Deeply concerned about the impact of discarded fishing line and tackle on the environment, 2019 Tweed Sustainability Awards Youth category winner Josh Carpenter felt compelled to act. Josh came up with the Tackle Bin Project, an initiative to trial bait bins at 3 locations across the Tweed.

Following months of record rainfall and vegetation growth residents are urged to start preparing their families and properties for the coming bushfire season. City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said a well prepared home and property is more likely to survive a bush fire and can also be easier to defend.

Emma Pritchard. Twelve of the state’s most inspiring and motivational leaders of the future have been appointed to the 2021-2022 Youth Advisory Council. Among them, is 13-year-old Mae Carroll from Grafton ... Deeply passionate about social justice issues and the vital importance of support for mental health services in regional communities, Miss Carroll said recognising the opportunity to speak openly about topics close to her heart motivated her to apply again.

This week Rockhampton Regional Council will be sending out copies of a new book full of age appropriate, tips and hints to help children be prepared and stay safe during a disaster.