Qld

Dougal Finlay. When winter frosts arrive, it heralds that special time on our calendar to catch up with friends, renew acquaintances and generally have a great time at our annual Texas Show. Continued above average rainfall has delivered mixed fortunes to people in the district since our last show. The Texas Show was only one of seven country shows to go ahead in Queensland last year which highlights the determination our community holds to preserve our institution and keep it running well into the future.

Prominent Cairns trainer Stephen Massingham is unlikely to be recognised by regular bush punters at Laura this weekend, but it's not because he's rarely sighted at the non TABs. "I've lost 45kg," ... The rapid weight loss hasn't led to a loss in ability, with the Far North's top trainer still knocking up winners across the region.

Queen Elizabeth’s representative for Queensland has given Cooktown and its annual Discovery Festival the royal thumbs up after visiting the Cape over the weekend. Her Excellency, the Honourable Jeannette Young and her husband Graeme Nimmo were eager participants ... Highlights of the weekend were the markets, with hundreds flowing through the stalls over the weekend, the street parade, inaugural 4x4 muster, the sunset soiree and fireworks, all capped off by the reenactment on Sunday morning.

The world’s most remote music festival – the Birdsville Big Red Bash – is set to return in just over two weeks (July 5-7), drawing more than 9,000 festivalgoers to the remote red sands of Queensland’s Simpson Desert for an epic line-up of outback entertainment and live Australian music acts including Jimmy Barnes, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers, Kate Ceberano, Shannon Noll and many more.

A new, online one-stop information portal for Lumpy skin disease (LSD) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) preparedness is now available to livestock owners and other industry stakeholders ... “With both LSD and FMD confirmed in Indonesia, the key to Australia’s defence is vigilance, early reporting and ensuring every Livestock Supply Chain enterprise in northern Australia has an updated biosecurity plan in place”: Minister Furner.

It’s official! The Sunshine Coast has officially been recognised internationally as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The region now proudly stands as an international site of excellence and an area of natural beauty. Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said recognition was a truly historic moment for the Sunshine Coast.

The Traditional Owners received title deeds and freehold ownership of 155 hectares of land on Normanton’s outskirts: part of the 16,000 square kilometres of land where they already hold native title. Gkuthaarn woman Leanne Edwards said the Gkuthaarn and Kukatj people were progressively seeking freehold title to areas within their traditional lands, potentially to use for housing, and future economic development.

The Awards recognise towns whose tourism operators, businesses and community groups work together to encourage tourism and offer outstanding experiences for visitors. Public voters from across Australia and beyond selected Tamborine Mountain as a favourite destination for weddings, honeymoons, special events and extra long weekend adventures.

Coen artist Naomi Hobson has given four local youths an unforgettable experience by taking them to the launch of her Adolescent Wonderland exhibition in Sydney. It’s the third installation of the much hyped exhibition, which first launched in 2019 and features photographs of Coen youths around the community.

Weipa has once again put on a show to enhance its reputation as the events capital of Cape York. The Weipa Fishing Classic had all the Fs - family, fun, fireworks and, of course, fishing.

Delegates at the  River reflections  annual water conference heard about the challenges we all face due to climate change and how we must work together to make the Murray–Darling Basin ready for a more variable, drier and hotter future. In his address,  The future of the Murray–Darling Basin,  Murray–Darling Basin Authority Chair Sir Angus Houston said we must adjust our approach based on what we have learnt and continue in partnership with experts, communities and First Nations People.

The Mt Larcom Show provides the community with unique friendly atmosphere providing entertainment with a distinctive country flavour.

This year's show will feature Melvilles Animal Farm and Duck Racing as part of the free entertainment.  The arena will feature Ashtons Globe of Death along with Walter Whip.   The fireworks are on at 7pm & 9pm on Tuesday and 9pm on Wednesday.

The new CEO of Cook Shire will stand out in a crowd and says ratepayers should feel comfortable approaching him about council matters if they feel the urge to do so. The seven-foot Brian Joiner will leave his position as the CEO of the Shire of Menzies in Western Australia and make the move to Cooktown in August.

Off-road adventuring has been the backbone of the Cape York tourism industry for decades, yet has somehow survived with the bare minimum amount of support. It has been people power that has kept the 4WD market ticking over – often individuals who have cleared tracks or built makeshift bridges through remote parts of the Peninsula. However, there is a real fear among locals that we could lose the adventure tourism market.

Duncan Taylor can’t wait for the Cooktown university hub to open and for local people to realise its potential ... Mr Taylor said there were many challenges that regional Australians faced that were different to their city counterparts and having a university hub in Cooktown would help the local community.