Are they not the most gorgeously beautiful and courageous ladies you have seen? Taking that step out into the Maraka spotlight are our wonderful Queens and Princesses, each putting themselves out there for the chance to claim the crown. You’ll get to meet them at the Wine and Cheese Night, the Afternoon Tea, Kids Big Day Out, and Aquathon, all before Hinchinbrook comes together for the ultimate display of regional pride at the Maraka Festival Mardi Gras Parade and Crowning. Mark your calendars as October runs Maraka royal green, floats and fireworks are just the tip of the festival iceberg!
Read the full storyAre they not the most gorgeously beautiful and courageous ladies you have seen? Taking that step out into the Maraka spotlight are our wonderful Queens and Princesses, each putting themselves out there for the chance to claim the crown. You’ll get to meet them at the Wine and Cheese Night, the Afternoon Tea, Kids Big Day Out, and Aquathon, all before Hinchinbrook comes together for the ultimate display of regional pride at the Maraka Festival Mardi Gras Parade and Crowning. Mark your calendars as October runs Maraka royal green, floats and fireworks are just the tip of the festival iceberg!
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On Saturday 11 October, the Cardwell Coastguard hosted its annual Tropical Plant Expo, drawing plant lovers from near and far. The event featured an impressive range of plants for both display and sale, with many local sellers showcasing exceptional specimens. Visitors enjoyed browsing the stalls, chatting with growers, and picking up new additions for their gardens. Alongside the plants were home-grown fruit and vegetables, a delightful selection of prize-winning homemade jams, and beautiful artworks by Mandy. No Coastguard event would be complete without the classic BBQ, complemented by coffee and cake. It was a wonderful day enjoyed by all who attended.
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TYTO Regional Art Gallery is currently home to two thought-provoking exhibitions, each exploring the world around and beyond, through entirely different lenses. In the main gallery, Flies and Weevils and Cockroaches by Lorraine Lamothe invites visitors to see beauty where they might least expect it. At 75, Lorraine found herself yearning to reconnect with her creativity after a quiet spell. “I thought, well, that’s it, I’ve got to put myself out there again and see what can happen,” she said. When Tyto confirmed her exhibition, she recalls thinking, “You’re not done yet, girl. You’re not done yet.” That moment reignited her passion for creating work that not only excites but also makes people think. Her collection of sculptural insects and woven displays celebrates the misunderstood creatures most people prefer to avoid. “I chose insects that are really disliked,” Lorraine explained. “People need to understand that they’re not all bad. They break down decaying plant material and help the environment. Let’s not be prejudiced about these insects, let’s find joy in them.” Across the way, in the Niche Gallery, artist Ashleigh Jane takes visitors into the realm of myth and legend with Mythical Beasts. Her intricate illustrations breathe new life into creatures drawn from global folklore, from Egyptian hybrids to celestial goddesses. “I’ve always been fascinated by mythology and folklore,” she said. “I wanted to delve a little deeper and rediscover stories that lurk in the darkness, the ones people might not know.” Ashleigh’s exhibition features works from her upcoming second book. Each piece is both a visual story and a modern reimagining of ancient tales. “My favourite story is about Doddle, a rain goddess who milks her heavenly cows to make it rain,” she shared. “But my favourite drawing is the Ikenty, a bird with a cat’s head found in Egyptian hieroglyphs. No one really knows what it was for, but I loved bringing it to life.” Together, these two exhibitions celebrate the power of curiosity, whether it’s found in the smallest of creatures or the myths that have shaped cultures for centuries. Both artists remind us that inspiration can be rediscovered at any stage of life, and that beauty often hides in the unexpected.
Read the full storyOne of the state’s most infamous celebrations of Italian culture will grace the Hinchinbrook Shire once again when the Australian Italian Festival returns on the 7th and 8th of June 2025.
Over the decades, the festival has attracted waves of support and interest across the nation and beyond, and a particular State Library of Queensland interview conducted in 2013 further cemented the festival’s deserving place in the state’s history.
2013 President of the Australian Italian Festival Committee, Mr Pino Giandomenico, also known as Giuseppe Antonio Giandomenico, was enjoying an extended holiday in Abruzzi in Italy when he spoke on the importance and significance of the festival with the Queensland State Library.
At the time, Pino had been the President of the Committee for 15 wonderful years and was also part of the Steering Committee that introduced the festival in 1995.
“We started planning around 1990, and the first festival was a major festival that went for nearly a month – a full week of festivities – it was a month covering all the other little things around the place – and that’s the year we had Tina Arena,” reminisced Pino.
Although the inaugural festival faced many challenges, the Committee and 1995 President, Alf Bowfinger, worked closely with the Hinchinbrook Shire Council as the chairman of the Hinchinbrook Cardwell Development Area to find a way for the festival to live on. The festival transformed into a celebration of Ingham’s mixed Australian and Italian population, and the rest, as they say, is history.
“It’s not an Italian festival that’s only Italian,” Pino explained.
“It’s a festival to show the way in which the Italians have blended in with the Australian culture, and the Australians have blended in with the Italian culture, and vice versa, with other nationalities too.”
In June, the festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary and over the past three decades, the key celebratory components of the event have remained the same.
“If you know the Italian culture, it’s all about wine, food and music,” added Pino.
“We’ve tried to bring in the Italian cuisine, as you know, “Mama’s Cucina” is one of the highlights of the festival – it’s got all of the pasta and the gnocchi and the different types of meat, all made the Italian way – the way Mama used to cook back in the old days.”
Pino explained that the majority of volunteers who cook for the festival are of Italian descent, adding that crafting only the sauce and arancini balls can take weeks of preparation.
“The arancini is a very laborious food to make; they spend weekends after weekends making thousands of those ‘cinis – it’s a lovely, lovely food to eat,” Pino shared.
“Ciao! Benvenuti! Siamo tutto bene! Siamo mangiamo! Mangiamo, cantiamo!” [Hi! Welcome! We are all good! Let’s eat! Let’s eat, let’s sing!]
What: Australian Italian Festival
When: 7th and 8th of June
Where: TYTO Parklands, Ingham
More Information: visit www.australianitalianfestival.com.au, email admin@australianitalianfestival.com.au or call (07) 4776 5288
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