TOP NEWS

Beam Me Up, Cardwell!

Galactic Gathering At The UFO Festival Cardwell was transformed into an intergalactic hotspot from 8 to 10 August 2025 as the Australian UFO Festival returned for its fourth year, attracting visitors from across the country. After a year’s absence in 2024, anticipation had been building for months, and the festival did not disappoint, offering three days packed with cosmic conversation, community fun, and unforgettable experiences. The action began on Friday with free community events

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Max Has His Boots Firmly Planted In Two Very Different Worlds

Tec-NQ House grade 11 boarding student Max has his boots firmly planted in two very different worlds: the rugged, hands‑on life of a central Queensland cattle station, and the bustling day‑to‑day routine of boarding school in Townsville. “I live on a station north of Clermont called Mazeppa,” Max explained. “When I’m not here at school, I live there with my family.” Home for Max is anything but quiet. Mazeppa Station is a working property that runs both cattle and crops, keeping everyone on th

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Creating A Space You Love

Whether you’re settling into a new home, revamping your garden, or simply refreshing your living space, the way we shape our surroundings has a powerful impact on how we feel. A well-loved home doesn’t have to be perfect – it just needs to reflect your personality, support your lifestyle, and offer a sense of comfort. In recent years, we’ve seen a growing trend towards practical and sustainable design choices in both homes and gardens. People are making the most of indoor-outdoor flow, bringing

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Cardwell Parkrun Bulks Numbers

By Victoria Velton At Palm Creek, it was a bright and fresh morning for our 20 parkrunners, with a gentle breeze making the course all the more enjoyable. Welcoming three newcomers to the Palm Creek track, two from Team Veteran, four PBs were recorded, including the Fastest timer. Down on the foreshore, 22 parkrunners took to the scenic path under cool, clear skies. Joined by a great mix of locals and visitors, no doubt in town for the UFO festival, with six newcomers stepping onto the course f

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A Flood Of Delays For Hinchinbrook Newcomer

February 11, 2025

When Jenni Hopping packed up her life to move to Forrest Beach in December, she expected a few hiccups—what she didn’t expect was a flood of them.

With her new job at Ingham Manufactures Mitre 10 and plans to settle into her new home at Forrest Beach, everything was falling into place. But now, thanks to major flooding that has split the Bruce Highway in half and thrown the region into chaos, Jenni’s fresh start has hit a standstill.

Prior to this, she lived on Magnetic Island and in Hervey Bay.

Jenni has a shipping container in the Gold Coast, and it was meant to be up here in Forrest Beach already, but now Jenni expects the delays to be even longer.

With major flooding breaking the Bruce Highway in half, flooded roads and other priorities Jenni expects her plot of land in Forrest Beach to be a low priority.  

She needs concreting done and telegraph piles erected, but she has accepted that it may be quite some time before her property receives the work it needs.

“Emergency services will be doing emergency-related jobs; they won’t be putting power on my block,” laughed Jenni.

Among other concerns, Jenni cannot work and does not know when she has to work.

“The lack of power and lack of service is the most frustrating because you just don’t know what is happening out there.”

Jenni works at Mitre 10 on a casual contract, and due to limited reception, she is unsure if she has to work or when she can work. She received a text from her employer informing her that the store had reopened, but she got no other information.

“I don’t know whether any water got into the shop or not, there was very little information in that department, but it sounded like they were okay and opened today. (Wednesday 5th Feb).”

“I'm just playing the waiting game. What can you do?”


Jenni Hopping on Forrest Beach after the flooding. Photo credit: Daniel Heggie

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Hinchinbrook Life, Keeping Our Community Connected
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