Qld

Richmond Field Days, 2 June 2022

Start getting excited for some adrenaline pumping fun, because the Rockhampton Agricultural Show has announced its entertainment line-up! “Along with our entertainment line-up make sure you don’t miss viewing the outstanding competition entries in the pavilions. The horse show jumping and competitions will again be a major drawcard in Centre Ring with late entries for horses being accepted on the day” : Cr Ellen Smith.

“Protecting and restoring habitat is crucial in order for Queensland’s native species to thrive – it’s why we’re investing $1.4 billion in the environment to expand and maintain our protected areas, for wildlife care and ongoing research,” Minister Scanlon said. “This is the most ambitious koala project this region has ever seen. And it adds to a swathe of initiatives aimed at protecting species like koalas, including the addition of more than 1.2 million hectares in Queensland to our protected area estate since 2015." ... ARR.News asked some questions of the Minister and was given a considered response by a departmental spokesperson.

On the night of Thursday June 2, Quilpie Shire lit the way for Outback Queensland by staging special Platinum Jubilee celebrations for HRH Queen Elizabeth II at the spectacular Baldy Top lookout. The red earth of the renowned tourist destination turned purple as special purple coloured lights and fireworks were lit, along with several huge bonfires.   More than 250 locals and tourists alike gathered to pay respect to the Queen for her Jubilee.

Cook Shire Council has refused to be intimidated by lawyers for the Irwin family and Australia Zoo, voting unanimously to keep the track known as Bertiehaugh Road open. The track, accessed via Stones Crossing, north of Weipa, has been a hot issue in the Cape for more than a decade.

The Cowboys didn’t get the result they wanted but Margaret Mara was still proud of their performance in jerseys she designed.

A slow tourist season should spring to life in the coming weeks as travellers embark on their trip of a lifetime to Cape York... “The tourist park is running as per usual and we’ve got live entertainment every night” : Ken Godfrey, Bramwell Station ... Cape York Mountain Bike Adventures has become popular ... ride all the way to the Tip via the Old Telegraph Track.

Australia’s oldest organic beef company – OBE Organic – is putting sustainability in the spotlight ahead of World Environment Day this coming Sunday, June 5 with the release of a new report that details industry-leading practices in sustainable agriculture, supply chain management and human resources.

The Joint Declaration of Intent for Cooperation in Bioeconomy was signed by Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick and German Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger. Bioeconomies are an emerging model for government and business, with a greater focus on sustainably using renewable biological resources to produce food, energy and industrial goods.

... when it came to it, when the ALP was clearly still in a minority, yet desperately wished to form Government and appoint themselves as Ministers of the Crown (nice cars, overseas trips, bigger offices, extra staff, higher pay, etc) the independents rolled-over like pussy cats wanting their bellies patted. Or should we say, five independents, three of them from rural seats, those selected carefully by the ALP, rolled-over.

Train tracks have been repaired after the floods in March and the XPT service can now run between Casino and Brisbane with buses no longer needed to replace trains.

The main event, the three-day show, will this year take place on the 24th, 25th and 26th of June which is the first weekend of the school holidays – perfect timing for families from afar to plan a trip to the Atherton Tablelands.  

Citizen scientists are once again being called upon to help record the call of the rare Albert’s Lyrebird to map and protect this vulnerable bird ... Data from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 winter calling seasons has been collected from sites at Mount Nullum and Numinbah near the NSW/Qld border.

GreaseBoss, an Australian start-up founded in 2020 on the Sunshine Coast, is going for gold in the global award program dubbed the Innovation World Cup Series ... Three mining industry engineers launched the company after developing a novel system to automate the lubrication of heavy equipment and avoid the costly hassle of breakdowns.

Warren Entsch says he has no intention of pulling the pin early and will see out his ninth and final term in parliament ... “I have kept just about every single promise I have made in politics and I will see out the full duration of this term ... It was a respectful campaign from Labor but they sensed their chance and put a lot more work in this time around.”

One of the Far North’s popular events returned on the weekend as the Great Wheelbarrow Race was run and won. Now in its 19th year, the three-day race was proposed to inject cash and visitors into small towns like Almaden, Dimbulah, Chillagoe and Mutchilba.

The Australian Rural & Regional News webinar held on 21 April 2022 is now available for public viewing.