Palm Cove News
Tropical North Queensland


NOVEMBER 2006


Fiesta fun

PALM COVE FIESTA on October 13-15 once again gave us a good show.
Spokesperson Colleen Were said Saturday's restaurant events were a success attracting 200 fastidious diners who attended eight of Palm Cove's top restaurants.
"They unanimously voted both the degustation dinners and progressive dinners as great cuisine," she said. Between 4-5000 enjoyed the many delights on Sunday.
Gourmet food and wine stalls, beach events, an excellent Warboys fly-past, sand sculpture, market stalls, street entertainment, fashion shows and more helped keep the crowds entertained. Colleen said it was a good weekend.
"Despite Friday night's movies on the beach being washed out, the sun shone again on Saturday and Sunday," she said.
Four members of a national beach volleyball tour, Lauren McLeod, Kaylah Nielsen, Ryan Carter and Justin Fuerriegel, attended and played a local team. All four visitors said their sights were on the 2012 Olympic Games.
How about the degustation dinner?
Each restaurant had its own menu, but here are the seven courses your editor and wife were served at Nu Nu's:
Italian sourdough lemon bread with cobram estate lemon oil and murray river salt
Hot smoked red emperor miang with green papaya relish and yarra valley salmon caviar
Chilled salad of freshwater crayfish, avocado, shiso cress, toasted sesame and soy
Hand rolled tortellini stuffed with talleggio, rainbow chard and mungalli ricotta, toasted crumbs, red grapes, their juices and reggiano
Lemon and toasted almond crumbed high country pork with pumpkin puree, mustard fruits and saffron butter
Red curry local line-caught big eye and clams, kaffir lime, pak chii and jasmine rice
Blood orange salad with honeyed saffron labna and honeycomb.

The restaurant's choice of red for us was D'Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz. (Delightful, get it at Hedley's.)

Triton Palace now The Royal

FRANK VITA'S purchase of the 1.8 hectare beachfront block between Sea Temple and Angsana was a good investment for him, but one wonders if he might have done even better.
Mr Vita bought the block for $3.65 million in December 2000 and sold it still undeveloped last year for $16 million.
As we revealed in last month's edition, purchasers Thakral and architect Leigh Ratcliffe intend to build a resort of 90 holiday apartments on the site. The old Triton Palace model is no more.
Industry sources said sales of the Royal development should easily pass the $100 million mark, especially if adjacent Sea Temple Palm Cove is any guide.
The complex will be named The Royal Palm Cove. Plans now approved by the council indicate it will be an exceptional resort.
The Thakral/Ratclife consortium will also build The Village Palm Cove, a $500 million central shopping and cultural area with large town square situated between Triton Street and the highway.

Strong buyer interest

INDIGO'S managing director, Mitch Nielsen, says he is delighted with Palm Cove's progress.
He said his extensive research prior to making a committment to $390 million for the Ocean Edge and Drift projects had proved reliable.
"Strong buyer interest in both projects has reinforced the company's enormous confidence in the village's future as a global visitor destination," he told Cairns Post on October 4.
He said more than 70 percent of property at Drift had sold and the balance was expected to go once the resort opened.
The investments of Indigo in Drift and Ocean Edge and Thakral/Ratcliffe in The Royal and The Village Palm Cove will total well over $1 billion.

Novotel's Par 3 Golf Course now on stream

WITH former holes 1,2,3, 4 and 7 demolished for residential estates and four new greens and tees fitted to holes 5, 8 & 15, Novotel Par 3 Golf Course is now up and running.
Local golfers say the course is as tricky as ever. Hole 9 remains as is at par 4.
Talpa Court's Les Barnett said the fairways were still mighty narrow, and you needed an accurate iron off the tee for most greens.
"Pars are hard to come by if you are slightly off the line," he said.
Green fees for Cairns locals are $15 for 9 holes or $25 for 18 holes. Motorised cart $18 (optional), trollies free. No join- ing or annual fees. Bookings 4059 1117.

Cedar Road roundabout still on but not yet

A ROUNDABOUT at the intersection of Captain Cook Highway and Cedar Road is still on the cards but current traffic volumes are not high enough to warrant it at present, Main Roads has said.
"We constantly monitor our road network; and a roundabout in the vicinity of Cedar Road is likely when traffic growth demands it," a departmental spokesperson said last month.
When a roundabout is constructed, it is considered likely that Veivers Road will be closed to the highway.

Licensing Branch petitioned

ADRIAN RATCLIFFE says he is at his wits end.
Part-owner of Celadon Guest House across the road from The Tavern on Veivers Road, Adrian (no relation to Leigh) said his guests had long complained of undue noise from the hotel as late as 3am.
"I've approached the tavern, the police, the tourism people, you name it. Everyone has been sympathetic and supportive, but we are still woken up with music, car doors slamming, inebriated patrons raising voices, and other types of noise pollution," he said.
He said a petition from nearby local residents had attracted nearly 100 signatures.
"Last month we sent the petition to the Liquor Licencing Authority," he said.

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