Hervey Bay Gossip

If you have been reading the Gossip for a while you will have seen mention of Hervey Bay’s very own Seabird Aviation. You can read those stories here and here.

Seabird Aviation is definitely the quiet achiever in the Queensland aviation industry and, while there has been a lot of noise about the industry in Brisbane and even in Cairns, not much has been said about what has been going on here in Hervey Bay.

And what has been going on is really worth talking about because here we have a local builder taking their product to the world. Seabird Aviation’s products are already in use in the middle east but now they are set to move into the American market.

“This is a real coup for a Queensland company and enhances our rapidly growing reputation as a major aviation and aerospace hub of the Asia Pacific region,” Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for State Development, Trade and Innovation Anna Bligh said.

“The first Seeker will be shipped to Seabird Australia’s joint venture partner, Seabird Aviation America Inc, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, later this month. The company expects to sell large numbers of the planes to the United States in the next decade.

“The unique design of the Seeker makes it ideal for roles such as power line surveillance and border patrols. It has greater range, longer endurance and substantially lower operating costs than a helicopter,” Ms Bligh said.

Seabird Aviation Australia Managing Director, Peter Adams, said he was currently reviewing the HerveyBay operations to ensure production can be maintained as its international market grows.

“The Seeker will be demonstrated and trialled throughout America by organisations involved in observation and border security. I’m confident they will be impressed by its many advantages over the helicopter which is traditionally used in this role,” Mr Adams said.

“As we move forward with greater production to meet our sales demands, we will be subcontracting more of our manufacturing process to firms in the WideBay region. This will allow Seabird Aviation Australian to focus on assembly and design of future aircraft.”

The upgrade to Bideford Street at the shopping centre end has now been completed and is a big improvement on what the old road was like.

The Hervey Bay City Council is to be congratulated for moving with the times and working on the site at night when there was little traffic about.

Last month Kingfisher Bay Resort brought a luxury catamaran to Hervey Bay from Tasmania to run three day cruises along the coast of Fraser Island during the winter months. There’s no doubt that the Discovery tends to stand head and shoulders above all the other vessels moored down at Urangan.

We all know that the greater the distance we live from a capital city the more we are going to have to pay for the things we buy. But did you ever consider that there is a hidden cost for ordinary people who want to live in towns that are becoming tourist meccas?

You only have to talk to the local small business people in places like the Eli Waters shopping centre to see that there is a hidden cost for residents and it’s starting to bite.

You see, as Hervey Bay becomes a tourist attraction more and more developers and investors are coming to town to cash in on those tourist dollars. To to that they’re not only buying up land along the Esplanade, they are also buying up shops and complexes such the ones at Eli Waters and down at Urangan.

As they buy up those complexes they are increasing the rent that the individual shops have to pay. At Eli Waters the rent per square metre is going up to over $600 a square metre per month.

Those are prices that the small businesses that cater for ordinary residents simply cannot afford and so they either go out of business because there are very few places in Hervey Bay they can afford to move to or pass on the increases to their customers.

So we pay more for the privilege of living in a tourist hot spot.

It seems that property sales are beginning to happen again here in Hervey Bay. Sold signs are appearing more frequently and houses are even selling at auction.

This particular house had been on the market for quite some time.

In the last few weeks the State Government has been busy announcing workshops for small business in various parts of the state. At the same time the State Government has been announcing workshops for the aviation industry in places like Caboolture and Cairns.

Don’t we have small businesses here in Hervey Bay? Don’t we have an aviation industry here in Hervey Bay?

Come on Mr Macnamara - remind your illustrious leader that Hervey Bay has more than it’s fair share of small businesses and we have an aviation industry too. Maybe we could benefit from some of those workshops or have you forgotten that we exist?

Warren Truss, the federal member for Wide Bay, has declared that the environmental impact studies that must be done before the Commonwealth gives approval for the Traveston Dam could take years to complete.

Mr Truss suggests that the Federal Government may not be in a position to make a ruling on it until 2008.

WIN Television has announced that from ‘late 2006′ it will be broadcasting a regional news bulletin into the Wide Bay region.

WIN Television began broadcasting in Wollongong in 1962 and is now the number 1 regional television broadcaster in Australia. WIN’s network covers an area greater in size than Europe and now has a potential audience of over 5 million people.

WIN Television’s headquarters in the Wide Bay region can be found in Maryborough.

A look around the caravan parks here in Hervey Bay will show you that the way people are holidaying is definitely changing. More and more people are turning to motor homes when they want to go travelling and there is quite a market in motorhome rentals.

More and more people are also buying or building their own and you will see everything from old Bedford buses from the 1960s to much more modern vehicles being turned into motorhomes. The comfort level in these ranges from spartan to quiet luxury.

One Hervey Bay resident, Ross Bonney, has turned a 1997 Toyota Coaster into beautifully appointed home away from home that sets a new standard when it comes to owner-builder motorhomes.

This mobilehome is now for sale and you will find more photos and technical details here.

The Fraser Coast Health District has decided to introduce a total smoking ban at the Hervey Bay hospital.

Smoking is not only banned in the buildings but also in the grounds.