Hervey Bay Gossip

The ABC is reporting that a new study has identified several areas on the east coast of Australia that would be suitable for the construction of a nuclear power plant. Included in those areas are “the Sunshine Coast and other areas in Queensland”.

Watch out folks - vested interests want to build one and the PR push is just getting under way.

You can read the ABC’s report here

With whales already spotted off the Queensland coast, the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) has stepped up preparations for this year’s migration season.

Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said that due to the ever increasing population of whales travelling along Queensland’s coastline it was inevitable that some would become entangled in shark control equipment.

“DPI&F have a range of measures in place to ensure whale entanglements are infrequent, and that those animals which are caught have the best possible chance of being freed quickly and unharmed,” Mr Mulherin said.

“For example, pingers have been fitted to all shark nets from Mackay south (the migration route does not usually take whales any further north than Mackay) to help in deterring whales from coming too close to the equipment during this migration season.

“Should a whale become entangled, DPI&F have highly-trained Marine Animal Release Teams which can respond.

“In general, entanglements occur later in the season around September when young inexperienced whales are on their way back from the northern breeding waters.

“One of the keys to successfully freeing an entangled animal is early notification,'’ Mr Mulherin said.

“The sooner we are notified, the sooner the Marine Animal Release Teams can be on the scene to assist the animal. To this end, we would encourage the public to report suspected entanglements to the DPI&F Shark Hotline on 1800 806 891.

A stroll on the beach at Hervey Bay on a pleasant Sunday afternoon can always finish up with a cup of coffee at Enzo’s where the atmosphere can remind you of a more elegant age.

Here is another in the occasional series shot on the beach in Hervey Bay. I suppose that technically this shot isn’t ‘on the beach’ but more above the beach.

It was shot in the park at Scarness yesterday afternoon.

Here it is, almost winter and just before we took this photo we had been walking in the water.

The Minister for Education and the Arts has announced that the asbestos roof on one building at Urangan Point Public School will be replaced in the next round of roof replacements.

This roof will be one of 177 scheduled to be replaced at Queensland state schools between June and the end of November this year and is part of the Asbestos Roof Replacement Program that was begun less than 12 months ago.

The work will be carried out during school holidays and at weekends.

Queensland’s first commercial biodiesel plant opened for business yesterday at Narangba.

Biodiesel is made from natural renewable sources and is produced from a reaction of vegetable oil or animal fat mixed with alcohol and can be blended at almost any ratio with petroleum-based diesel. The most common blends are B5, a mix of 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent petroleum diesel and B20, a mix of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel is considered more environmentally friendly than petroleum diesel as it emits significantly less greenhouse gas, is biodegradable, non toxic and sulphur free.

And for the full story and how the plant is a big winner for Queensland’s meat industry you should follow this link to Aussie Motoring

There is no doubt that people who use Apple computers are passionate about them - but sometimes you can go too far.

Die-hard Apple fans camp out on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue for two days in anticipation of opening of new flagship store.

You can read the full story here

If that’s normal behaviour then I must be insane - if I have to wait more than 10 minutes to buy a new computer then I lose interest almost immediately.

Once again the nuclear debate has reared its ugly and unwelcome head as private enterprise begins to push us and the government into accepting that nuclear power stations will cure any future electricity generating problems that we might face.

But there is a cost that comes with nuclear power - it’s a cost that nuclear lobby would like us to forget and that cost is enshrined in Chernobyl - 20 years ago that power plant went into meltdown - and deadly levels of radiation is still leaking into the atmosphere.

For 20 years they have been trying to entomb that reactor cut off the radiation and they still haven’t done it. For 20 years clouds of radiation have been drifting over Europe and they can’t stop it.

Do we want to run that risk here?

The Real Cost of Electricity might convince you that we don’t!

If you’re a fan of Robbie Williams and would like to see him in concert then look for bookings to open soon for a Robbie Williams concert at Suncorp Stadium this coming summer

Yes they were, no they’re not and now it looks as though they really might be coming here.

If they do come to Hervey Bay it seems that they will be one of the occupants of a new centre to be built on the corner of Boat Harbour Drive and Hunter Street in Pialba.