Shining 'Green Season' images

We are now approaching the 'green season' in the tropical areas of the state. Rob West from BTS Tours in Port Douglas has suggested that the industry send in examples of just how beautifully the regions shine at this time of year.

"This is the most colourful time of the year, when the area becomes truly tropical. Our rainforest are at their best, the ocean is often like glass and the tropical rain that generally builds up then falls late afternoon and overnight is so heavy and refreshing it is an attraction on its own. How about a campaign to get operators up here to bombard social media sites with wet season pictures that are easy to get, download and post. A campaign that costs nothing but time (and using equipment we all most probably have). Just requires a bit of coordination."

We love the idea and now we need you ... the Queensland tourism industry to send us images from your regions showcasing the shine factor of the 'green season'. We are after images of your region similar to the images below. Email images or questions to info@tq.co.au.  

40kms north of Balyando - source North Qld Wet Season Buildup Cardwell to Bowen

Mossman River - source Tourism Australia

Mossman and Port Douglas turn-off during the green season - source

The island’s lush and green at this time of year as its wet season - source Earth Check TV

Wet Season Sunset at Cooktown Queensland - source Kim_Wirth's Photostream

Take a magical hike to Australia’s ‘Green Cauldron’

Images and copy by Tourism Queensland Digital Publicist Nikki Dudley

Pack your walking shoes and camera, pick up stumps and head south west to Brisbane’s nearest “outback”.

Rich in rural scenery and characters and located a short ninety minute drive from Brissie or the Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim is home to a welcoming mix of locals, from retired anthropologists and charming petrol station assistants, to couples making a good go of small businesses. After an hour of calf-wrenching trekking through low-hanging cloud to get to Yellow Pinch Lookout, I swear it’s even home to hobbits ready to jump out from the clumps of grass.

But that has more to do with my over-active imagination – and perhaps a lack of water – than the mysterious light that peeks through today’s cloud cover casting eerie shadows on the Gondwanan rainforest around me. I’m told that no-one else who has hiked Mt Barney has encountered weird little creatures, unless of course you count the fanatics who regularly climb to the top just for the fun of it.

At any rate, the reward for fighting imaginary elves is spectacular. Mt Barney is a single emerald in a necklace of ancient volcanic peaks that wraps around a green caldera stretching from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast and west toward the Great Dividing Range. Standing at Yellow Pinch Lookout, it is easy to see how this volcanic mass was formed millions of years ago when plates of earth collided and pushed the mountainous baubles higher and higher.

I’d love to stay here but our host for the night has promised a sunset tour of the property as soon as I master the trip down (note: hiking boots and a moderate fitness level are needed to navigate the descent).

One half of the management team at Mt Barney Lodge, Innes Larkin is a second generation owner and a nature enthusiast at heart. Alongside his wife Tracey and two kids Caitlyn and Connor, the family’s infatuation with the land and its history is infectious. Right from the start, you can see they care. Accommodation consists of three quintessential Queenslanders that have been relocated from various Brisbane suburbs and revamped into charming heritage digs suitable for couples, families and groups of friends. There are also camper-trailers and camp sites to cater for those with more mettle and leaner budgets.

Innes shows us around the property, proudly signalling the red mahogany trees he planted to lure the black Eagle to nest, and the trickling creek which he and the family have restocked with fish, creating a magical setting when entering the property. That night “blue fairies” (aka Caitlin and Connor) play happily on the banks; what a cool way to spend the afternoon after school.

He also introduces us to the Sandpaper Fig Tree, one of nature’s supermarket plants, once used by the indigenous people for shade, polishing tools and creating fire sticks. Apparently, it’s also quite the thing to cure ringworm, if you are in the market for it.

Tracey calls the tree “gold” as the tiny black fleshy fruit can be transformed into a heavenly tasting paste, not unlike Maggie Beer’s quince paste but grainier. Like the real metal, it takes hours of labour to extract just enough to make two small jars a year.

As the sun falls and the mercury plummets, we savour this “gold” alongside other local delights - rich cheeses from Witches Chase Cheese purchased at nearby Mt Tamborine and a few bottles of red and white wine from Mt Barney Vineyard (also known as ‘Beds and Reds’), all the while knowing that the snugly blankets and doonas in our rooms will protect us from the cool Autumn night.

If Innes is the David Attenborough of the mountain, then Tracey is the Masterchef in the kitchen. Adopting a paddock to plate concept, she uses freshly grown herbs and other garden produce to serve marinated chicken wrapped in bush leaves followed by a chunky Beaudesert steak topped with a red pesto and all washed down with home-made Lemon Myrtle tea. Her home-made berry pie with vanilla ice-cream is to die for.

With dinner done, I soon learn that I have committed the ultimate city slicker sin, leaving my room light glaring and the window open – issuing a massive country welcome for a plague of mountain mosquitoes to join me. But it’s nothing that a few candles and a can of Rid can’t fix and I’m soon snuggled into the perfect bush slumber.

The second day of our 24 hour Scenic Rim tour has us zipping over cattle grids and driving on ungraded roads to sup gourmet olives at the superb Rathlogan Olive Grove with Colin and Marilyn followed by an eclectic pizza making class with Desley and Pietro at Cassi di Cucina Italiana.

Then it’s back to the Gold Coast leaving behind the rolling mountains speckled with fat cows and juicy fruit trees for some hedonistic fun and aquatic adventures. It’s hard to believe that behind the staggeringly high buildings that frame the 46 kilometres of golden sand there’s a rural oasis just 90 minutes drive away.

Mt Barney Lodge
http://www.mtbarneylodge.com.au/

Green Cauldron information
http://www.australia.com/campaigns/nationallandscapes/AustraliasGreenCauldron.htm

Rathlogan Olive Grove
http://rathlogangrove.com.au/

Cassi di Cucina Italiana
P: 07 5544 1008

Witches Chase Cheese
http://witcheschasecheese.com.au/

Beds & Reds (Mt Barney Creek Cottages and Vineyard)
http://barneycreekcottages.com/

Festive facts and figures

Tourism Queensland is getting into the festive spirit and gearing up for a bumper summer break. We want to know what everyone else is doing to get ready for the Christmas rush? How many decorations, beach towels, seafood etc. are you ordering in for visitors? Any quirky facts and figures are welcome. Also feel free to send us some suggestions on why you think Santa should top of his Vitamin Me levels and spend Christmas in Queensland this year.

Email info@tq.com.au with 'Xmas rush' in the subject line.
Thanks!

Turtle season begins with special celebrations at South Bank

With the season’s first loggerhead turtles now coming ashore to lay their eggs, Tourism Queensland staged an interactive turtle promotion in Brisbane on Sunday to encourage more families to visit the Bundaberg region.

The free event was held at South Bank’s Riverside Green from 10am-2pm on Sunday, November 13, as part of TQ’s $200,000 turtle marketing campahttp://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4784596928200268925#editor/target=post;postID=9086097971921874412ign promoting Bundaberg’s famous Mon Repos.

South Bank was crawling with turtle fun, with a variety of free family activities and a chance for the littlies to get up and close with real-life turtles. The idea of the event was to promote the 2011 Bundaberg turtle season in a fun and quirky way to Brisbane locals and to inspire them to jump in a car, hop on a plane or catch a train and experience the real thing first hand.

Thanks to more than four decades of conservation efforts by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers, there has been an increasing number of turtles coming ashore, with almost 500 loggerhead, flatback and green turtles visiting Mon Repos last season, which extended into April to cater for the late arrivals.

The marketing campaign, which also includes billboard, print and online promotions, is an initiative of Tourism Queensland and Bundaberg North Burnett Tourism. The first loggerhead of the season made its way to the Mon Repos turtle rockery last weekend to lay its eggs. The Bundaberg region supports the largest concentration of nesting sea turtles on Australia’s east coast and is one of the best places to experience one of Queensland’s unique natural encounters.

The Bundaberg region at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef is home to the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on Australia’s east coast and the best place to experience one of Queensland’s most fascinating natural encounters and one of its most affordable”.

Priced at $10.20 for adults and $5.40 for children (five to 17 years), bookings are essential for the nightly ranger-guided tours of Australia’s most accessible sea turtle rookery.

For more information on Queensland’s turtle season and to plan a visit – www.queensland.com/turtles. All images - Honysnaps Photography. 

We're celebrating service that shines

Queensland’s tourism industry is getting ready for a bumper summer holiday season, following the launch of the next phase in Tourism Queensland’s Queensland Pledge campaign, which aims to unite the state’s tourism industry, showcase the Queensland spirit, and encourage operators to ramp up service levels.

As part of this Queensland Pledge promotion Tourism Queensland with The Sunday Mail are encouraging Queenslanders to share shining examples of Queensland hospitality that they experience. The Queensland Pledge is designed to boost Queensland tourism industry morale and reinforce the importance of great service leading into this summer holiday season.

In partnership with News Queensland, Tourism Queensland inviting Queenslanders to share their experiences of tourism operators who have provided outstanding service for a chance to win one of four $5000 Queensland holidays via – www.thesundaymail.com.au/thepledge

It could be a helpful receptionist, a cheerful taxi driver, a tour host with the most or someone in a visitor information centre who recommended you visit a hidden gem.

Queensland tourism businesses have also been tasked with bringing the Queensland Pledge to life, by demonstrating how they are honouring the pledge and why Queensland is the world’s richest source of Vitamin Me. Tourism operators who sign or re-sign the Queensland Pledge and send a photo or their own words showing how they're 'shining' will go into a draw to win a weekly prize of $1000 with a major $10,000 prize up for grabs at the end of the month-long promotion.

The Queensland Pledge can be downloaded from Tourism Queensland’s website – www.tq.com.au/pledge which can be printed, signed and displayed for visitors as a clear indication of their commitment to the state’s tourism industry. So get shining and send us your entries!

Tourism campaign unearths new natural resource

A new natural resource which is environmentally friendly, 100% renewable and contributes to health and wellbeing is the cornerstone of a new tourism campaign to demonstrate why Queensland is where Australia shines.

Launched in Brisbane today, Tourism Queensland’s latest campaign - Vitamin Me – based on a naturally-occurring essence touted as an antidote for negativity, stress and feelings of disconnection with loved ones.

Vitamin Me is a remedy for the pressures of daily life, it’s in unlimited supply and Queensland has the highest concentrations on earth. Tourism Queensland had devised a fun way for people to “test” their Vitamin Me levels via a five minute quiz on www.queensland.com. Once quiz-takers received their Vitamin Me “results”, they are be directed to a range of Queensland holiday deals, from short breaks and experiences to give a quick boost, or longer holidays to help maintain levels.

By taking the quiz, visitors to the www.queensland.com website would also be in the running to win the ultimate Vitamin Me boost – a $10,000 Queensland holiday.


Australians have more than 123 million days of annual leave stockpiled*, making us one of the hardest working nations in the world.

The first stage of the $4 million Vitamin Me campaign aimed to drive bookings during the peak summer holiday period will roll out from Saturday, 22 October through cinema, online, radio, print and outdoor channels.

Queensland tourism operators have offered a range of holiday deals such as accommodation in Tropical North Queensland from $109 a night, or stay three nights and pay two at a Sunshine Coast resort from $124 per room per night which can be found on www.queensland.com

Fo the Vitamin Me media kit click here.

Whales go people watching in Hervey Bay

Hervey Bay is a splash of activity right now with the highest numbers of whales in 25 years taking time out to play and teach their new young the moves.

With whale watching boats operating into mid-November, there’s still time to have an incredible close encounter of your own and be on the lookout for a possible Migaloo junior!

These amazing photos taken late last week show just how close you can get to the action.

Wally Franklin from The Oceania Project said there are a record number of whales migrating down the coast, with an estimated 14,000 whales in the eastern Australian humpback population.

“This is most certainly the highest number of whales we’ve seen and I have absolute confidence calves will continue to be seen into early November, with plenty of other adult whales accompanying them,” he said.

Mother humpbacks are busy teaching their calves to breach, lob-tail, pectoral-slap and head-lunge and you can get front-row seats on any of the whale watching tours taking place daily from Hervey Bay. They might even give you a cheeky wink and a nudge.

Jill Perry from Hervey Bay Whale Watch said they have had plenty of repeat business with very happy customers doing up to five trips on their high-speed vessel, That's Awesome.

“September has been a bumper season in Hervey Bay with more whales than ever in our 25 years of operation,” she said.

“Hervey Bay is the ONLY place the whales go people watching.”

Like a chance meeting with your lifelong idol, a close encounter with the humpbacks is an intimate and humbling experience, and definitely one to tick off your bucket list.

Meanwhile, the world’s largest sand island, Fraser Island has been showcased with the launch of the $2 ‘Island Dream’ Instant Scratch-Its series.

The tickets, which feature a stunning humpback whale shot by Ashleigh Frater, are particularly timely as we head into the tail end of the season.

The Island Dream series, featuring four Instant Scratch-Its tickets, are in newsagencies in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, The ACT and the Northern Territory now.

Plan your whale encounter now at www.queensland.com/whales

For more information and/or high res images, contact:

Celeste Mitchell
Publicist | Communication & Publicity

T 61 7 3535 5027 | F 61 7 3535 5563
E celeste.mitchell@tq.com.au | W tq.com.au