Palm Cove News
Tropical North Queensland


MARCH 2006


Palm Cove Fiesta 2006

BUILDING on its success of last year, Tourism Palm Cove has upgraded the program for this year's fiesta.
Spokesperson Colleen Were said it would be spread over three days instead of one : Friday October 13 to Sunday October 15.
"It will start on the Friday night with a big-screen movie on the beach," she said.
"On Saturday there will be cooking classes and demonstrations by Palm Cove's master chefs as well as food for sale. On Saturday night (instead of during the day), corporate tables will be in the restaurants with a progressive dinner as well.
"Sunday will be for all the events we had last year but without the corporate tables."

Travelling overseas? Read this

READERS may remember Trivia Street's Boe and her mum Sheila on a visit from the UK a couple of years ago.
Sheila was so delighted with the friendliness of Palm Cove people that she sent in a thank you letter which we printed. She said she would return. She did, and on her 75th birthday had a heart attack. Boe rushed her into Cairns Hospital. After several days of high tech, state-of-the-art treatment, she was given the all-clear to return to England.
Did she have to pay, after all, she was a UK citizen? No, the UK and Australia had a reciprocal Medicare agreement. She had travel insurance as well. What did the insurance company do? They paid the gap expenses and insisted on her being accompanied on the flight home by a young Aussie doctor, with fares paid upgraded to business class.
Sheila, once again, couldn't get over it all.

LOCAL ART EXHIBITION

LOCAL ARTISTS landscape photographer Steve Rutherford and expressionist painter Tracie Worth will combine efforts in an extended exhibition of their work at Paradise Palms Clubhouse.
It will open on Wednesday March 8 and be on show until about June. Ten percent of all sales will go to Cairns Base Hospital, Steve said.

ABORIGINAL ART

In the meantime, Palm Cove resident Donna Gibbs continues to impress tourists with her aboriginal art which she has been selling for several years.
Donna sells out of her panel van on the esplanade near Cedar Road. She is also a mine of information for the visitors.
"I like yarning to tourists about where to catch fish," she told Cairns Post on Feb 1st.

Cooktown's hill up for grabs

ELEVATED land on historic Grassy Hill at Cooktown is for sale with preliminary plans drawn up for 17 units, Cairns' RE/MAX Real Estate said.
The 3466 sq m allotment, designated high density residential, allows magnificent views of Cooktown Harbour, Endeavour River Range, and the Coral Sea.
"Plans are subject to council approval," agent Debra Clune said.

Editorial

A HILLSIDE LOST

It is the year 2020. The road to Cooktown was sealed fourteen years ago and real estate prices in that historic town are hitting the roof.
Down south in Cairns a new tourist icon has emerged and people are arriving in droves to check it out. Icon, what icon? The hillslopes.
"Come to Cairns, see the Great Barrier Reef, visit the tropical rainforests, admire the virginal hillslopes," the tourist brochures are shouting.
Well, it had to happen, didn't it? They started coming to see the reef a hundred odd years ago. No one mentioned rainforests until about the 70s. ("Rainforest, what's a rainforest?") Now they come for the reef AND the rainforests.
Tourists like to see something different, something others didn't see last time. Well, we have it now. It's 2020 and people from all parts of the world are in raptures about the Cairns hillslopes. The lush multigreen tropical type at Palm Cove is a special favourite.
Resort managers are heaping praise on the old Cairns City Council's CairnsPlan of 2005 which banned buildings above a certain line on the hillslopes.
So what about Cooktown? In 2006 the local council approved construction of houses on virginal Grassy Hill, the historic hill that Captain James Cook climbed several times to chart a way though the Barrier Reef after repairing his damaged ship Endeavour in 1770.
A lovely view from the high houses. Bad luck about no hillslopes for the tourists.

Triton Palace sold, also shopping centre

FRANK VITA has sold his Clifton Village Shopping Centre to an undisclosed Sydney buyer for nearly $20 million and also the Triton Palace site to an undisclosed company for $14.75 million.
He said the shopping centre deal had been settled, although settlement on the Triton St site was not until June 30.
Mr Vita said the sale did not mean the three-screen cinema at the shopping centre would not go ahead.
"I'm still responsible to get a permit for the cinema but confident we will get it," he said. He had no idea of plans the purchasers had for the Triton St site
(Ref: Cairns Post, Feb 17)

Jason chats to his constituency

STATE MP FOR COOK Jason O'Brien took to the road with his mobile electoral office on Jan 28 to listen to a few of his constituents.
Parked near the Novotel entry on Cedar Rd, he told Palm Cove News he had been particularly glad to hear views on the Goldfinch Park project.
Coming from a political family, Jason is a former councillor for Division 5.
He admits he is not as well-known as Leslie Clark who once represented Palm Cove. "But I hope to rectify that," he said. His electorate consists of Palm Cove, Clifton Beach down to Deep Creek, and nearly all of Cape York Peninsular including Thursday Island.'
He is married with one child and lives in Bungalow.
Office 1800 816 264.

Published by Jerry Dukes
52 Terebra St
Palm Cove 4879 QLD
Ph 4059 1610 Fax 4059 0058
Email : info@palmcovenewsletter.com
On website : http://www.palmcovenewsletter.com

Palm Cove's Official Website: http://www.palmcove.net