Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Wilmar Sugar and Renewables is concerned for the safety of its loco crews and members of the public after three track tampering incidents in the space of a week. Burdekin Cane Supply Manager John Tait said members of the public had switched the points on three sections of cane rail line in the Burdekin region in the second week of the school holidays, causing two near hits and a derailment. One of the near hits involved children. It’s not known who was responsible for the other incidents. “We’
Read more
By CANEGROWERS Chair Owen Menkens The Queensland Government’s announcement to extend the 15 per cent rural irrigation price discount for another two years is a long-awaited and welcome move—and I reckon most of the farmers I know would say it’s about time. This is a common-sense decision and one we’ve been calling for loud and clear. It’s great to see the Crisafulli Government listening to what the agriculture sector has been saying and acting on it. For irrigators like us—especially in high-c
Read more
Local builder Aaron Cursio has never been afraid of hard work—or a new challenge. After more than two decades working for himself in the Burdekin, the hands-on tradesman is now branching into something he’s been eyeing for years: supplying and installing hot dipped galvanised structural steel sheds at very competitive pricing. “It’s another opportunity to diversify and grow my business,” Aaron says. “I’ve been doing sheds for a long time, and now we can offer a superior shed at a more competiti
Read more
Home Hill’s The Prawn Shop has become a local seafood sensation—and it all started with four humble prawn rolls. “We opened with just seafood, but to get people through the door, we started the prawn roll,” owner Melissa Wiles says. “On my first day, I made four. By the end of the week, I was making 40 a day.” The prawn roll’s popularity skyrocketed, gaining even wider recognition after featuring on Channel 9’s Today Show. Melissa was contacted through the local council about the opportunity,
Read more
Wednesday's Home Hill Chamber of Commerce meeting was once again full of high spirits, local updates and passionate conversation. The evening kicked off with Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort providing updates on council affairs, including funds being set aside to address the flying fox issue. She then fielded questions from the audience before handing over to officer Sam Pyke of Home Hill Police, who delivered a local crime update, highlighting the successful seizure of a sizeabl
Read more
Dubbed "Australia's own Bocelli," acclaimed Ingham-born tenor Paul Tabone returns to North Queensland this September with his celebrated show Viva Pavarotti at the Burdekin Theatre. A graduate of the Central Queensland Conservatorium and an alumnus of Italy’s Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, Tabone calls the performance “a celebration of Pavarotti and more,” with “a little bit of opera, a bit of music theatre, and some pop.” Inspired by the famed Pavarotti & Friends concerts, the show revisits the
Read more
At The Australian UFO Festival In Cardwell This August Have you ever gazed up at the night sky and wondered what else might be out there? Or wanted to dive into the fascinating mysteries of UFO sightings, unexplained encounters, and alien life – all while enjoying a weekend of fun, community spirit, and tropical hospitality? Then mark your calendars for Friday 8 to Sunday 10 August, and head to Cardwell for the 2025 Australian UFO Festival. Now in its eleventh year, this unique event celebrates
Read more
At just 22, Caleb Hill has already worked a string of jobs—from macadamia plantations to night-fill shifts at Woolworths—but it’s his current role in electrical sales at Harvey Norman Ayr that he calls “the only job I’ve fully enjoyed.” “I’ve worked in a few different places,” Hill said. “I left school thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll find something to do.’ I worked on a farm, with Ford for a bit, did solar installation, and even night fill at Woolies. But this is genuinely the best thing I’ve done—I’ve act
Read more
Eloise Rayner, a passionate local speech pathologist with a knack for heartfelt songwriting, has just dropped her latest single, There Goes My Heart—a stirring country track inspired by that moment when your emotions take over before your mind can catch up. The song emerges naturally from Eloise’s long-standing love of songwriting and her involvement in a collaborative nationwide songwriting group. “I’ve been songwriting since I was in my teenage years,” Eloise shared. “For the past four years
Read more
Representing the Ayr Golf Club At The 2025 Burdekin Water Festival After playing golf for as long as she can remember, 11-year-old Hunter Oar was over the moon when she was asked to represent the Ayr Golf Club as a 2025 Burdekin Water Festival Junior Ambassador! “I’m really proud to be representing the Ayr Golf Club as a junior ambassador for the 2025 Burdekin Water Festival as I’ve been playing golf since I was little, and I’m excited to help promote junior golf in our community as part of thi
Read more
Representing The Rotary Club of Ayr At The 2025 Burdekin Water Festival Eliza Worlein is no stranger to the spotlight, and after being part of the Burdekin Water Festival as a Junior Ambassador many years ago, accepting the Rotary Club of Ayr’s invitation to represent them as a Senior Ambassador in 2025 was one of the easiest decisions she could have made! “I am representing the Rotary Club of Ayr, an organisation that is well known in the Burdekin community for their generosity and tireless ef
Read more
Friday 25 July Eliza’s Trivia Night 6pm onwards Brush up on your facts and prepare to become the next trivia champion at Eliza Worlein’s Trivia Night! Representing the Rotary Club of Ayr as a Senior Ambassador, Eliza’s event will be held at the Rugby Union Clubhouse at Casalengo Field for an evening of fun and friendly competition. Rugby Union Clubhouse–Casalengo Field Saturday 26 July 50 Years Anniversary Celebration Weekend 10am Market Day & Exhibition to mark 50 years of Pottery in the Burde
Read more
Burdekin Library hosted the launch of Doug Sockhill’s memoir on Saturday. Over thirty attendees enjoyed Doug’s stories and video presentations referencing his memoir, “The Franklin River Springs to Life”. Attendees also learnt the back story of the book, met Doug’s publisher, Belinda Walker, from Just Sparkle Books, and were entertained with stories from Doug’s long-term friend and Burdekin Mayor, Pierina Dalle Cort. Doug spent over 30 years in the Burdekin and has had an adventurous life both h
Read more
A good weekend, for a change. for the Panthers, winning three, drawing one and losing one of the five matches. On Saturday, at home against Rebels, the Premiers won 5-0 as did the Reserves. On Friday, in Townsville the Ladies drew with Warriors 1-1, the Division 1 Men lost 0-1 to JCU Riverway but the Division 2 Men defeated Olympic 4-3. In the Mooney Cup Charity Match, Rainbows defeated Blue Balls 3-0 after leading 2-0 at half time. Jake Lacey scored twice after Mick Lejarraga had opened the sc
Read more
The Burdekin Roosters’ A-grade side delivered a performance that could only be described as “chalk and cheese” compared to last week’s 64–10 loss to Souths. On Saturday, before a large crowd that included many attending the annual Ladies Day, the Roosters turned on the style against strong contenders Brothers, only to go down by two points in the dying seconds. With captain Joel Mason sent off for dissent 16 minutes from full-time, the locals were forced to hang on “like grim death” against an
Read more
Alex and Gary played a singles match on Rink 4 that Alex won on the 26th end. Twenty-eight players turned out for another North Queensland winter afternoon. Today's winners were Steve Doig and Bruce McCallum, who unfortunately had to leave before the photo, so visitor Gary Bibby from Augusta Bowls Club in Perth, WA, was thrilled to step into the winners’ photo. People come from far and wide to play on our hallowed green (pictured). The singles match between Alex Bojack and Gary Nosworthy on Ri
Read more
Burdekin Clay Target Club saw 30 shooters compete on Sunday 13th July. Conditions of a cool breeze made for a very pleasant day for shooting. Thank you to our sponsors for the day, Lui Populin, Glen Rea & BK Constructions. Our next shoot will be on Sunday 10th August. Event 1-20 Target Double Barrel 15m AA Grade 1st Phillip Scalia, Ron Gough, Aaron Lemphers, Lindsay Groat, Michael Zabala 20/20 A Grade 1st Michael Jones, David Stitt, Cornelius Venter 20/20 B Grade 1st Pedro Le Blowitz 19/20, 2nd
Read more
The Burdekin Mixed Touch Football competition is back for another exciting season, with pre-season games now underway at the Wickham Street fields. Eleven teams have nominated so far, including East Ayr, First in Physio, Jigsaw, Nrgize, Petrol Heads, Pink Piggies, Redskins, Renegades, Royal Touch, Slush Puppies, and Touch n Tease. Pre-season games will continue over the next two Wednesdays before the official season kicks off on the 13th of August, which also marks the final day for team nomina
Read more
The community gathered at Regis Aged Care Home, Ayr, on Wednesday, 9 July to celebrate 100 years of beloved Burdekinite Violet “Vi” Liebrecht. The event welcomed family, friends, and familiar faces from across the region, who were greeted by a vibrant, elegant, and warmly decorated hall. Among attendees was Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, who was especially proud to celebrate the milestone with Vi. “Vi is one of our pioneers, and has contributed so much to the Burdekin community,” said Mr
Read more
Don West Toyota has thrown its support behind Queensland PCYC's 'Lessons for Learners' driver mentor program, generously donating $5,000 to help sustain its operations. "We donate every year to organisations that we think are essential to the community," said Dealer Principle Don West. "For the last two years, the target has been the youth." Lead by QPS Officer Andrew Sherrington, PCYC’s Lessons for Learners program has focused on assisting Burdekin locals between ages 16 and 25 with obt
Read more
After taking a break from soccer for a while, I’ve had to start getting creative with my methods of exercise. I tried jogging up Mount Inkerman the other day. Mate—what on earth was I thinking. I barely made it a third of the way up before reducing myself to a slow, wobbly walk. Not sure how you guys do it! Maybe I’m just THAT out of shape right now. After that failed mission, I looked for some alternatives. That’s when I stumbled upon Home Hill Swimming Pool. I’ve never been much of a s
Read more
If there was ever a story to illustrate the essence of the Burdekin, it’s four-month-old Zaleyah Codega’s—in more ways than one. It was on Christmas Eve that Burdekin locals Kris and Natalie Codega learned during a routine 30-week scan that their unborn baby had congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)—a rare, life-threatening condition that restricts lung development. “Once we found out, we were sort of left to our own devices to do a bit of research, and to be honest, it was the worst
Read more
The recent state budget includes $1.8 Billion to extend and expand the Surgery Connect program that has already reduced the waiting list for elective surgery by over 2,500 patients in just one month. With 30,000 more surgeries expected to be delivered this financial year, Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, said the program provided obvious benefits to patients on the waiting list. “Over the last decade we have seen the number of Queenslanders waiting for elective surgery more than double,” Mr
Read more
Kelli, Suzette, Michelle, Simone, & Kellie take on Coastrek Kelli Dabelstein, alongside her friends, Suzette Wallace, Michelle Oats, Simone Casey, and Kellie Keates, will tackle the mammoth 30km Coastrek Hike in the Sunshine Coast this Friday, the 18th of July in support of Beyond Blue. Established in 2009, the national fundraising initiative encourages women to take part in a 20km to 50km hike through some of Australia’s most breathtaking coastal trails. Over the years, Coastrek has supp
Read more
The year 2025 marks a centenary since Agatino Rigano arrived in Brisbane alongside his cousin, Constantino (“Con”), in search of a better life after the devastation of World War I. Two years later, Agatino’s wife, Vita Concetta, joined him aboard the Re di Italia, and the family’s Australian story began. To commemorate the milestone, the third Rigano Family Reunion was held on May 4, 2025, with over 100 attendees gathering at Home Hill Memorial Park. The Rigano name traces back to 1453,
Read more