Usually though there are logical explanations for most of those things that seem a little strange but on this occasion there’s a hole in the roof and a lot of photos of the meteorite.

You can read more about what the guy who had the hole in his roof calls the meteorite from the moon by following the link.

And while we’ve been gazing at the fluff on our navels we’ve tended to forget about all the things that are right with this place. Perhaps it’s time we all took a breath and enjoyed the scenery for a while.

This was sunrise on the 26th … taken from the pier at Scarness

… and looking west.

Liuzzi Street may not be the best known street in Hervey Bay but with a varied and growing group of businesses calling the street home it won’t be long before most people find where it is.

A new kind of therapy has come to Hervey Bay in the form of Salt Haven. Visit their website by following that link and you’ll find an interesting therapy for people who suffer from respiratory diseases.

Break ins
Local businesses here in Hervey Bay continue to be plagued with people who think that they have some right to smash windows and steal stock … even if there’s nothing to steal these people still think that it’s ok to heave a rock through the window.

Sadly for some small businesses the cost is measure in much more than broken glass and missing stock. Every time something like this happens insurance premiums go up and up until it reaches the point where small business can’t afford to remain in business.

I wonder if anyone ever considers the  the real cost  to the community when these businesses close up and go away? No one in authority seems to care all that much about the business owners when investigations are off-hand and cursory and penalties are weak when someon is actually caught and convicted.

Tourism rust belt?
So backpacker numbers are down and that means that Hervey Bay must be a tourism rust belt … at least that’s what the Chronicle seems to think.

Sure backpacker numbers are down but I wonder if the reporter who wrote that story actually looked beyond the end of their nose? Right now we’re in one of the quiet tourist times that we have each year yet we’re no seeing far more “No Vacancy” signs up at the resorts and motels along the Esplanade than we were this time last year.

A tourism rust belt? Just another Chronicle beat up!

Elections
Well they’re over for a few weeks but was I the only one who was surprised when they got to the polling booth to find that we actually had five candidates to vote for and not just four? You just have to wonder if some of the candidates were really serious about trying to be elected.

Since when did a business card take the place of a genuine how-to-vote pamphlet?

Perhaps the candidates for the local government election might make an effort to be more visible than what some of candidates for the state seat did.

Soupa!
During the cooler months Swell Cafe … it’s down at Urangan … is running Soupa nights on a Thursday.

You get to design your own soup from a range of ingredients and you’ll find that it’s a tasty and rather filling alternative for dinner. Bookings aren’t essential unless there are five or more in your party.

We enjoyed it so much we’re going back again next Thursday night.

It’s only been open for three nights and things are a little quiet at the moment so you won’t have to book in advance.

We dined there last night and it’s definitely a place that we’ll be going back to … and taking a few friends. The menu isn’t extensive but there’s something for everyone and the prices for food, wine and spirits is quite reasonable -we can happily recommend the chicken or the Bug.

The service was bright and cheerful too.

The Bay Bar and Grill is open from 5pm till late 7 days a week and this weekend (18-19 February) they’ll also be open for breakfast.

The three time Olympian and Commonwealth Games shot-putter took time out to attend the championships and present medals and coaching tips for future Olympic champions.

Junior shot-put athletes and their parents were treated to a free coaching clinic on the art of shot-put and discus, which saw a huge turnout.

Mr Anlezark said it was a great weekend of competition with some talented young athletes.

“It’s inspiring to see so many talented athletes coming up through the ranks,” he said.

“There were over 200 athletes competing with some very strong performances by the new regional clubs, with records been broken and set across all events.

“It was pleasing to see the medals were shared amongst all the clubs, which shows that the clubs have some fantastic development plans for their athletes.”

The visit is part of Justin’s Proactive Future program, aimed at teaching grass-root athletes about nutrition, fitness andgoal setting and is proudly supported by Amalgamated Pest Control.

Since retiring from competitive shot put, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist has devised the Pro Active futures program, which has seen him travel across Australia mentoring grass-roots athletes on the importance of a healthy life.

“The Proactive Future program allows me to share my experiences as an athlete, promote the benefits of healthy living and teachathletes how to set goals.”

“Amalgamated Pest Control’s support makes it possible for me to attend these events and offer support to these young athletes andtheir families in developing their future athletics careers.”

Here in Hervey Bay we seem to be gathering an interesting crop of candidates ranging from councillors from the current Fraser Coast Regional Council to people with business experience who want to see something better for the region than what we currently have and others who are just plain enthusiastic.

In the past it’s been hard for ordinary residents to actually get to know the candidates … and for those candidates to get their message out to the voters. But these days … thanks to all the various types of social media … it’s a little easier than it once was.

These days we have candidates advertising on Facebook and even running their own blogs where ordinary people like you and I can actually question them … and hopefully get a response.

One such candidate is Stuart Taylor … the guy who runs Charlie Bucket’s down on the Esplanade at Scarness. He has an interesting blog that gives you some insight into the man behind the election advertising and if you want to know what his vision is for the Fraser Coast … and Hervey Bay … then head over to this entry.

Perhaps you can even surprise him with a few questions to see if there’s some substance to his ideas. Visions are wonderful things but what’s behind all those wonderful ideas?

Another new candidate who is using the web to get his message out is George Seymour. Follow that link and you will find that he has policies on everything from abandoned shopping trolleys (cattle grids at car park entrances … really?) to bigger recycling bins and cat desexing.

And of course there’s Jim MacKellar who has his own website and at the same time is busy sending out press releases to every local news website he can find … and that’s not such a bad thing.

So let’s have a look at some that have left Hervey Bay and some that have arrived or are in the process of arriving.

If you’re a foodie then you may already know that Dom’s Cantina on the Esplanade has closed as has his other restaurant … the Wheelhouse … down at the marina. It was definitely sad to see Dom go and we wish him well with his new venture in Melbourne.

While Dom’s departure was fairly public with garage sales at both venues the closing of another restaurant here in Hervey Bay happened much more quietly. We lost one of the best chef’s in town when the owner of Smoked Pepper decided to close and move to Qatar.

While we have lost a few cafes/restaurants we have also gained one or two. Hog’s Breath has opened behind Pizza Hut/KFC and down at the Wetside end of the Esplanade at Scarness … next to the Indian restaurant we now have Cobbers Cove Café.

We also have a new café down at Wetside … Whale Tale opened a month or two ago and we would certainly recommend it for breakfast. Sadly early mornings are about the only time you can get parking anywhere near the café.

Other businesses to have moved on include Metaland … on Boat Harbour Drive … and Scrappers Haven in Liuzzi Street.

Danny the hairdresser on the Esplanade at Scarness has also moved on. He decided that it was time to retire and he’s now living the life of a Gray Nomad while a new owner continues to operate from Danny’s old shop.

And coming to Hervey Bay soon is a new Woolworths/Caltex service station down on Boat Harbour Drive between Pialba and Eli Waters.

The servo is currently in the early stages of construction but it shouldn’t be long before we have another servo in town that offers fuel discounts to people that shop at Woolworths.

As conditions have steadily got worse it’s often been the lease conditions that have meant the difference between closing the doors or battling on and that difficult situation that many small retailers find themselves in.

As sales drop it becomes harder and harder to pay the rent and at a time when landlords … especially those in major shopping centres … should be more understanding many have refused to consider reducing rents and have even gone so far as to increase rents when it came time to renegotiate a lease.

Now the state government is reviewing the retail leasing legislation … the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 … that was initially introduced to address a power imbalance between shopping centre landlords and small retail tenants.

The Attorney General is urging Queensland retail tenants, landlords and other stakeholders to have some input into the review and anyone who does want to have their say should start by downloading the discussion paper that’s available at www.justice.qld.gov.au.

Comments will be received until 30 January 2012.

Local Government Minister Paul Lucas has just  announced that the Government had accepted the recommendations of the independent Change Commission to change the Fraser Coast from an undivided council to a divided council.

The Change Commission will now work out where boundaries will be drawn to ensure quotas comply with requirements of the Local Government Act 2009.

And what will all that mean? Only time will tell but perhaps some of the current members of Council will be struggling to make the new Council … and that may not be such a bad thing.

We might even get some Councillors who are prepared to look at their role in a whole new light. Hopefully we’ll at least see an end to complaints that Council is biased towards Hervey Bay or Maryborough.