Hervey Bay Gossip

The first whales of the season have been spotted in Hervey Bay. A local whale boat was up at the top of the bay on Saturday morning and the whales were waiting for them.

It promises to be a good season so if you’re thinking of doing some whale watching this season then come to Hervey Bay to do it. In other places the whales are on the move but here in Hervey Bay they come to play.

Maryborough Sugar has announced that the 2008 crush will begin this week so expect to see some heavy vehicles around the roads in Hervey Bay and Maryborough.

Cutting in the Childers area and further north has been in progress for a couple weeks so if you’re heading north be prepared to stop at cane train crossings. A few seconds before this photo was taken the driver of the white car you see here behind the bus was trying to overtake the bus as the bus driver prepared to stop at the warning lights.

The shadow of the pier at Torquay looks like some strange flying contraption in this earling morning photo we grabbed yesterday morning.

This group of people were one a few of the many who found the beach in Hervey Bay the best place to be first thing in the morning.

There’s no doubt that it has been rather chilly here in Hervey Bay the last few mornings with 3.1 degrees being the lowest on Thursday morning. Fortunately the forecast is better for the next few with the possibility of a low of 14 and a high of 24 on Sunday and Monday.

The temperature at 5am this morning was 9C at the airport but with those temperatures ahead then places like Enzos on the beach at Scarness and Aquavue on the beach at Torquay are definitely going to be the places to kick back and relax this weekend.

Last week the State government held a Community Cabinet meeting here in Hervey Bay and here are the benefits for Hervey Bay that the Premier would like you to remember.

In the week since the Bligh Cabinet met in the Fraser Coast region outcomes are already flowing.

The State Government will contribute $30,000 to a new patient transfer facility for the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Hervey Bay, Premier Anna Bligh said yesterday.

Ms Bligh said that the funding boost will assist the Fraser Coast Council’s planned construction.

“I’m pleased that the Department of Emergency Services is supporting this project,” Ms Bligh said.

“This decision is one of the success stories of the Community Cabinet meeting held just five days ago.

“This facility will provide a more streamlined method of transferring patients from RFDS aircraft into Queensland Ambulance Service ambulances, which will ultimately mean a better service for Queenslanders.

“Upon listening to the deputation put forward by the Council and further investigation within the Department, we acted,” she said.

Member for Hervey Bay, Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation Andrew McNamara said it was a great decision for the region.

“In 2007, the Royal Flying Doctor Service made 550 landings at Hervey Bay Airport,” Mr McNamara said.

“I congratulate the Council on this initiative and the Department of Emergency Services for their support,” he said

The Premier said that there other examples of her government’s quick response.

Mr McNamara met Mrs (’Aunty’) Frances Gala’s regarding her application for a permit to conduct a ‘Women’s Business’ tour on Fraser Island.

“The application was taking too long. Aunty is a Butchulla elder and the President of the K’gari Corporation, managers of Fraser Island’s K’gari Educational and Culture Centre.

“Aunty Gala came to Community Cabinet to discuss her application and see if she could have her application processed faster,” said the Premier.
“Mr McNamara told Aunty Gala his department would do what it c ould to speed up the process.

“I can say today that the assessment of her application has been completed and formal approval will be issued on next Monday (14 July 2008.)”

The Information Notice accompanying the permit will include a number of sustainable activity conditions that still need to be discussed and agreed.

“Another success in the days since Community Cabinet is that the Department of Primary Industries is further investigating funding to help fishers be more efficient in their targeting of specific catches - especially Hervey Bay scallops.

“DPI believes that the more refined approach will cut catch wastage by up to 77% and greatly improve trawler fuel efficiency by reducing drag on their nets.

“As well a submission to Cabinet is being expedited so that by next month a redirection of funding to the fisheries sector will be in place to improve marketing and supply chain issues.

“This is a direct result of the emergenc y meeting held with the sector,” she said.

Well I guess we can’t always have perfect weather here in Hervey Bay and even though it is the dry season we should expect some rain. And that’s what’s being forecast right through till the middle of the week.

But that doesn’t mean that you should stay away from the beach. Even at 7am on a wet Sunday morning the beach in Hervey Bay is still a magical and peaceful place to be.

 The water is calm and the only footprints you see in the sand could be yours. Then there’s the strange early morning light … and the sun’s rays coming through the clouds.

If your visiting Hervey Bay … or you’re a local resident … and your looking for something to see or do then why not take a heavy dose of peace and tranquility out at Bamboo Land?

The nursery and parklands are open 7 days a week and you won’t believe how peaceful a place like this can be till you’ve wandered through the tall stands of non-invasive bamboo and experienced it for yourself.

You can see more of this magical place by following the link.

If you like live theatre then Hervey Bay’s very own Z-PAC theatre has a great production coming up that you don’t want to miss.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will be running every Friday and Saturday night at 7.30pm from July 11 through to August 2 and Sunday matinees at 2pm on July 20th and 27.

Tickets are $22 for adults and $18 for concession card holders and you can purchase them from the Mary Ryan Bookstore in Central Avenue Pialba or from the theatre in Zephyr Street Scarness.

For further details contact Pam Tupper on 4125 1089.

Hervey Bay’s innovative Kan Go flexible bus service has passed its 12-month trial and will be continued.

After his visit to Hervey Bay, the Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations, John Mickel can announced that the “smart bus” had boosted patronage on its route by 45 percent in its first year.

“Kan Go is a wonderful new service for Hervey Bay, and the local community has embraced it, so it will be continued,” he said.

“And the smart bus is set to get even smarter, with an investigation underway to enable people to book the bus by SMS or on the web. We hope to have those systems in place later this year, but for now people still need to ring to make a booking.

“Kan Go has been especially popular among older passengers because of the flexibility it has to pick them up and deliver them to their own homes,” Mr Mickel said.

The Minister said Kan Go used state-of-the-art technology developed in Queensland to direct the driver by GPS to pre-booked pick up sites, such as private homes. It provides 11 weekday and Saturday return trips between Point Vernon and Centro via Pialba and the City Loop.

“For 25 percent of its route - around the City Loop - it is a normal fixed route bus, but once it leaves the city it becomes a flexible service that can take people to their homes,” Mr Mickel said.

“A computer determines the best route from bookings made by passengers and delivers that information to the driver while the bus is on its way.

“It’s popular because this bus comes to the people, rather than the other way around. It’s a real boon to people who have mobility problems,” he said.

“Kan Go has brought a bus service to new housing estates that previously had no service.

“It serves an average 64 passengers each day, with up to 90 on Thursdays and Fridays, compared with only 40 daily for the fixed route service it replaced.

“In a passeng er survey, 81 percent of respondents said they preferred Kan Go to the fixed route service it replaced.” Mr Mickel said.

The Minister said Kan Go was part of a mix of improved bus services in Wide Bay that delivered on the government’s election commitment to improve public transport in the Region.