SATURDAY 25 OCTOBER King & Queen of the Hill 6am–8am Race to the top of Inkerman Hill and back in this thrilling test of endurance. Multiple age categories, cash prizes, plus food and coffee vans on site. Register on the day. Mount Inkerman FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER Cocktails & Convo with Award-Winning Author Friday 6pm Join Burdekin Readers & Writers Association and award-winning author (and former local), Kim Wilkins, for cocktails and conversation at their pop-up book bar. The author of more than tw
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The Ayr Bears have gone one up in the Annual Inter-Town Rugby League series against Home Hill, part of the Town of Origin Harvest Festival celebrations. The series, now in its 11th year, sees the two towns compete across Rugby League, Cricket, and Netball. On Sunday, Ayr won the Cricket 60–59, Home Hill claimed the Netball 40–17, with Krystal Kerr judged best player, and Ayr secured the Rugby League decider 32–4, giving the northern town a 6–5 advantage in the series. Ayr fielded an experience
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The Burdekin Clay Target Club held another successful shoot on Sunday, 12th October, with 28 shooters taking part. The club thanks sponsors Michael and Susy Populin and Torri Davies from Home Hill Engineering, and acknowledges Lui Populin for his continued support in donating meat trays for the raffle. The next shoot is scheduled for Sunday, 9th November. Event 1, the 25 Target Single Barrel, saw AA Grade winners Phillip Scalia, Benji Micallef and Aaron Lemphers achieve a perfect 15/15, while A
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After two wins at home last week, both teams were hoping to replicate that success again on Sunday at the Nutrien Ag Solutions Cricket Complex. The Home Hill Third Grade side faced a disciplined Suburban Parks attack and dismissed for 126 runs. The innings never quite found momentum, with four early wickets falling to J Eldho, who proved to be the chief destroyer for Sub Parks. The partnership of Alexander Romeo (35 runs) and Darcy Walters (39 runs) proved crucial to the total. Despite Home Hi
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The batters dominated at the Nutrien Ag Solutions Cricket Complex last week. In the Blue Group, Kaisen Petersen led the way with an unbeaten 30 runs, including four fours. Jake Cullen also impressed with 19 not out, hitting two fours. Corbett Cross and Kip Nicholas both remained unbeaten on 17 runs. With the ball, Tait Parker and Jake Cullen each took two wickets, while Kyle Wilkie, Henry Cohen and Petersen each contributed a run out. Jake Cullen and Henry Cohen were awarded the McDonald’s Spo
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The Junior Touch Football season kicked off last Friday with an impressive 170 boys and girls aged 4 to 13 registering to play. Teams participate in skills, drills, and games each week from 5.30 to 6.15pm, ensuring young players develop their ball-handling and game awareness while having fun. Burdekin Life member Bob Clerke said, “It’s great to see so many young players. There are over 40 boys and girls aged from four to six years. The aim is to develop their ball and playing skills while makin
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The Burdekin FC Presentation Night will be held on Saturday 25 October at Populin’s Hall. Get your tickets on-line now, or at the Mad House on Tuesday night. Night Soccer The fourth week of competition and with two forfeits, the eighteen games produced sixty two goals, and there were no Sin Bins! Top scorers were Ladies team Body Tune with ten goals. Delta Physio scored four goals and there were six draws with five games being decided by the odd goal. Top individual scorer was Sian Reardon wit
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This week the Ayr Bowling Club was filled with friendship and healthy competition. Tuesday 14th October saw Ladies Social Bowls with 10 ladies giving us 1 triple’s and 1 pairs game. Winners J McDonald, D Soper, and B Schultz defeated M Nixon, K Stuckler and P Power. In the pairs game Karen Shepherd and M Poli defeated M Smith and K Page. On Wednesday, we saw a great afternoon’s social bowling competition. There were two games of Triples. Winners were Cisco, G Nixon and J McDonald defeating D Po
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Twenty players attended, with eighteen taking to the greens across three rinks of Triples. Rink 4: Yogi Bunn, Ron Smith, and Hugh Montgomery battled closely against Bob Young, Sandra Darwin, and Glen Bones Berryman. Rink 5: Paul Vass, Gary Nosworthy, and Joe Linton, today’s winning team, comfortably defeated Michael Young, Trevor Elton, and Steve Doig. Rumour has it that Joe Linton’s team was touched by a fairy, as luck seemed to follow them all day. Rink 6: An on-fire Margaret Chapman, Bruce
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A strong field of young golfers took to the course last weekend for the October Monthly Medal at Ayr Golf Club, with 19 juniors turning out for a great morning of competition and practice ahead of this weekend’s major event — the Karrie Webb Junior Masters. In the three-hole division, Frank McKeough claimed the Monthly Medal, while Patrick Richards took out the gross winner title. The six-hole competition saw Pia Mauro crowned Monthly Medal winner, with Tyler Smith recording an impressive gros
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The inclusion of the Ayr Hospital on a list of 11 locations receiving significant medical imaging upgrades signals another major step forward on the delivery of a CT Scanner at the facility, according to Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP. “It has been a long fight to get to where we are today and I know there will be, literally, thousands of people in the community who will be extremely happy that the project has taken a giant leap forward,” Mr Last said. “Having Premier Crisafulli and the Heal
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Pets Domain Ayr hosted a heartwarming and tail wagging morning last Saturday, the 11th of October for Pets Domain’s Adopt-A-Dog Day! A joint effort between Pets Domain Ayr, Bowen Collinsville Pet Rescue Inc. and Pets Domain Bowen, the day saw plenty of the community’s amazing foster carers and volunteers come together to meet several fun-loving rescue pups searching for their forever homes. Bowen Collinsville Pet Rescue were extremely grateful to the community for showing up to the event and ca
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Just last month, the Graduating Class of 1975 came together to celebrate the 50 years that had passed since leaving the grounds of Home Hill State High School (HHSHS). Over the course of 12 months, Greg McCane and Carmelo Pasquale spearheaded organisational efforts to ensure the reunion would be one to remember, coordinating arrangements down on the gorgeous Gold Coast. HHSHS’ Class of 1975 travelled far and wide to attend the reunion in Southern Queensland to share in three days of laughter, f
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Hi everyone, it’s certainly been a minute since I’ve written one of these! When you read this, I’ll be enjoying the stunning beaches along the coastline of Albania for a little while longer before heading off to country number 34… how insane! It’s certainly been an amazing year, and I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to jump around the world for so long, writing for you all from three different continents while exploring breathtaking cities, villages and towns. It truly has been a dream! I’ve
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Farmers across Outback Queensland are facing yet another major challenge, with swarms of locusts tearing through more than 5.3 million hectares of pastureland, compounding the devastation already caused by this year’s catastrophic floods. Rural Aid is ramping up its response, providing hay deliveries, financial assistance, and mental health support to affected farming families, and standing ready to scale up operations further as the crisis deepens. “This is a one-two punch for many farming fa
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The potential to transform Burdekin sugar into biofuels is lighting up exciting new opportunities for cane growers across North Queensland, following a recent public hearing in Townsville as part of the Queensland Government’s Sugar Bioenergy Inquiry. The inquiry, which is exploring the potential for biofuel and value-added sugar production across the state, has sparked valuable discussions about how diversification could benefit not only Queensland’s sugarcane industry but also the broader agr
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Wilmar Grower Marketing is committed to helping Burdekin growers market with confidence and get more value from every tonne of GEI Sugar. By combining local knowledge with global reach, Wilmar provides a marketing partnership that’s personal, flexible and backed by international trading strength. When you choose Wilmar as your GEI Sugar marketer, you’re supported by a professional local team that understands both cane farming and the global sugar industry. Our Burdekin team members, Fiona Vil
Read moreFriday 17th October Home Hill Tennis Harvest Fest Trivia Night Event 3 Come along to Home Hill Tennis Association from 6 – 9 pm for a fun evening of trivia. Teams of 4 – 6 players, cost $15, includes supper. BYO platter, bar open. For more information contact Kate 0447384441 or email homehilltennis@gmail.com. Sunday 19 October Burdekin Fights Back Sunday 2pm Join the community for a powerful afternoon of fundraising at Memorial Hall, supporting North Queensland Cancer. This gala event features
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The Ayr Bowling Club has celebrated another excellent week on the greens, with members coming together for a mix of club Championship games and engaging social matches. The atmosphere and enthusiasm around the club is fantastic. Men’s Social bowls on Wednesday saw two games of triples and a pairs game played. Winners on the day were Al Hardcastle and Chris Berkery defeating Ron Smythe and Col Essex. Winners on Wednesday night bowls were Evelyn Wiltshere, Rob Jorgensen and Sam Caltabiano. In ga
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A groundbreaking wastewater treatment project in the Burdekin has taken out the Infrastructure Project Innovation Award (Regional) at the Queensland Water Awards. The award was presented to a collaborative team made up of Burdekin Shire Council, Pacific Biotechnologies Group, and James Cook University (JCU) for their innovative Macro-Algal Bioremediation Facility. The project showcases a nature-based solution to wastewater treatment, using macro-algae to clean water sustainably while deliverin
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In a four-week period that has also seen Opals stars Lauren Jackson and Tess Madgen visit the region, the Burdekin’s young basketballers were treated to another special guest on the weekend when Townsville Fire head coach Shannon Seebohm and his S3 Academy team hit the courts for a high-energy skills clinic. Hosted in partnership with Burdekin Basketball, the event saw Seebohm—joined by his wife Jaimee and assistant coach Miles—run a day of hands-on training sessions focused on teamwork, energy
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Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort Over the last few months Council has been identifying areas around Home Hill and across the Shire that could use a little extra care and attention. We all want our towns to look clean, tidy and welcoming not just for visitors, but for the people who live here and take pride in calling the Burdekin home. As part of this work, Council has sent letters to some property owners asking them to tidy their premises. Most people have been really responsive, and it’s a simple bu
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Member for Dawson and Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability, Mr Andrew Willcox MP, said farmers across Dawson have had an enormous win after Labor retreated on its poorly conceived, reckless, and cruel plan to tax unrealised gains on farms held in self-managed super funds (SMSFs). Mr Willcox said Labor had been embarrassingly forced to give in after The Coalition and industry groups campaigned strongly against the plan, and the government faced a backlash from far
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For Burdekin Christian College (BCC) student Jessica Holmes, 2026 promises a year unlike any other. Accepted into a 12-month internship with 100% Hope Uganda, Jess will immerse herself in a new culture, assist with primary school teaching, and run interest clubs before and after school—a rare opportunity for a high school graduate to teach, serve, and experience life on a global scale. Jess first learned about the internship when 100% Hope Uganda visited BCC. When the organisation’s manager ann
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Another warm spring afternoon set the scene on Rummeny Green as 18 players took to the rinks for a lively session of triples. On Rink 5, Warren “Yogi” Bunn, Dino Poli, and Steve Doig were in top form, comfortably defeating Margaret Chapman, Bruce McCallum, and Gary Nosworthy. Rink 6 saw Paul Vass, Alex Bojack, and Mick McClosky secure a strong win against Terry Feakes, Ron Smith, and Hugh Montgomery. Meanwhile, on Rink 7, Elaine Young, Michael Young, and Glen Bones Berryman produced a solid per
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