Minute With The Mayor Acting Mayor Mary Brown

The improving weather conditions locally, is witnessing a return of the visitor drive market to the Hinchinbrook Shire for 2025.

Welcoming visitors to the district is a very important milestone for the Shire, in terms of the community recovery and signifying some return to routine, as well as providing economic benefit to the community.

This current tourism season is already witnessing encouraging trends in overnight visitation at the local RV Parks and reflects a steady presence of visitors in the wider community.

The strong early start of the drive market visitation this year, is raising hopes for positive growth and improvement to tourist numbers recorded this year.

These are encouraging statistics help guide decision making in relation to Council investment in supporting the growth of the tourism sector in the Shire.  As the community is aware, a number of Council assets have been damaged during the flood event and are still awaiting repair.

Sadly, the Hinchinbrook Visitor Information Centre has been impacted, yet the very dedicated staff who support the tourism industry locally, have worked tirelessly to continue their service delivery from a demountable on-site.

Our passionate team continues to welcome travellers from across the globe with big smiles, tailored travel tips, and a whole lot of local pride. From self-guided strolls through the stunning TYTO Wetlands to exploring hidden gems across our region, the visitor experience is still alive and well — because at the end of the day, it’s not the building that makes the magic, it’s the people.

Thank you to our staff and volunteers for their resilience. It’s certainly not going unnoticed.

Another example of our community spirit is the upcoming Lucinda Coastal Clean Up on Saturday 19 July 2025. Volunteers will help remove flood debris along the beaches, mangroves, and foreshore from Dungeness to Gentle Annie Creek, with all waste collected and disposed of. The clean up will kick off at Borello Park Lucinda at 7.30am and we hope to see you there.

This event is proudly supported by Hinchinbrook Shire Council as a Reef Guardian Council, alongside our partners: Lucinda Progress Association, Herbert River Catchment and Landcare Group, Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, and the Ingham Rod and Reel Club. Lunch will be provided, and to register, simply call Council on 4776 4600.

I also encourage all residents to take part in the 2025 February Severe Weather Event Community Feedback Survey, which closes on Sunday 20 July 2025. Your feedback is vital to helping us plan, respond, and recover more effectively in the future.

Let’s keep building a Hinchinbrook that’s ready for anything.