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Michael Takes Over Kumbia Pub May 15, 2006 - The Kumbia Hotel at 46-48 Bell Street has new owners. Michael Souter-Robertson recently took over the well-known Kumbia icon, which is located in the heart of town. The pub is open from 11:00am-midnight seven days with meals on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Accommodation is also available. Phone (07) 4164-4166.

Changes at Petzarama May 12, 2006 - Leeann McGovern's pet grooming business Petzarama has relocated to Shop 1, 49 Drayton Street, Nanango. Leeann offers cat and dog grooming, professional clips, hydrobaths and blowdrying and is now also branching out into pet food and pet accessories. Dog obedience classes can also be booked. Petzarama can be contacted on (07) 4163-2664.

New Restaurant In Nanango May 11, 2006 - Brian Meskanen's Biente Restaurant and Bar is the latest eating establishment to open in Nanango. Biente, located inside The Palace Hotel at 77 Drayton Street, is open for lunch from noon to 2pm and dinner from 6pm-8:30pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays. Brian can be contacted on (07) 4163-2572 or by email.

Two B&Bs Open At Wondai May 10, 2006 - Two new B&Bs have opened in Wondai Shire, conveniently located halfway between the Murgon and Kingaroy legs of the South Burnett Wine Trail. Sleepy Hollow B&B and Farmstay is a free-standing cottage on a working cattle property at 252 Flats Road. Owners Felicity and Murray Evans welcome both children and caravaners and also have farm produce, flowers, plants and art for sale. They can be contacted on (07) 4179-9070. Rosie's Place Bed and Breakfast is situated at 15 Slaters Road. Chris and George Suter offer affordable accommodation in their family home and a continental breakfast is included in the tariff. Rosie's Place can be contacted on (07) 4168-5022 or by email

Go Back To A Magical Time May 9, 2006 - Enter the age of knights, dragons, myth and magic ... right here in the South Burnett! Sonja Walker has opened Medieval Majik at Shop 2, 195 Haly Street, Kingaroy. Medieval Majik sells books, incense, clothes, gifts, candles and swords as well as pewter and resin figures. Sonja can be contacted on (07) 4162-2224 or by by email

Bushland Hideaway at Hillsdale May 8, 2006 - A new B&B will be opening very soon at Hillsdale (near Booie). Hillsdale Hideaway is located at 166 Hillsdale Road and is set in native bushland not far from cellar doors and all the best the South Burnett has to offer. Owner Maureen Allott said handicapped guests are especially welcome with the floor-plan on ground level. The modern-style colonial has five rooms available with two shared bathrooms (one with handicapped facilities). Maureen can be contacted on (07) 4162-4689 or by email

Vikki Is Going Nuts For Kingaroy May 5, 2006 - You have probably seen Vikki Jimenez's highly decorated car on South Burnett streets - emblazoned with "Vikkis.CJB.net" - and guessed she was an artistic type ... and you'd be right! The Nanango-based artist and author mainly sells her works on-line however she also has some artworks on display at the Kingaroy Motel in Knight Street. Now she is branching out into some special souvenirs just for Kingaroy. Her "Little Nuts" are baby peanut fridge magnets and bookmarks and can be purchased at the Kingaroy Motel, RC's Cafe and the South Burnett Visitor Information Centre - Kingaroy. Vikki can be contacted on 0415-686-539.

Michael Takes Over Commercial May 4, 2006 - There's a new face at the Commercial Hotel in Kingaroy with Michael Ward taking over this week. The kitchen has been briefly closed for renovations but it won't be long before the pub - located at 167 Haly Street - will again be offering hot lunches and dinners. It's also business as usual at the drive-thru Liquorwise bottleshop. All contact details for the Commercial remain the same.

More Talk About Tourism May 3, 2006 - South Burnett Local Government Association Tourism Project Officer Narelle Duggan has released the April edition of South Burnett Tourism Talk, her regular newsletter on tourism happenings around the region. This edition includes an explanation of the structure of the official tourism infrastructure (to help you sort your RTOs from your LTOs!), a report back on the 2006 Brisbane Escape Expo and the good news that the Great Bunya Drive signs are now being erected throughout the region. Click here to download Tourism Talk (304kb PDF).

Nanango Quarry Re-Opens May 2, 2005 - South Burnett Quarries has reopened the former Readymix quarry on Hodgeleigh Road (conveniently located just off the D'Aguilar Highway between Kingaroy and Nanango). The quarry is open Mondays to Fridays from 6:30am to 4pm and on Saturdays by appointment. It supplies road base, top course and sealing chip, concrete aggregates, rockery and landscaping stone, crusher dust, filter rock and scalpings. Site manager Allan Harris can be contacted on (07) 4162-2811 or by email

Quilters Rest Joins SBBiz Family April 28, 2006 - Quilters Rest, the unique accommodation venue on the outskirts of Kingaroy which caters exclusively for quilters, scrapbookers and other "crafty" types, is the latest South Burnett business to take advantage of a free poster page on the Internet from Southburnett.biz. Marion Lees also offers craft and sewing classes. The latest schedule of classes is available to download from their new web page. Quilters Rest can be contacted on (07) 4162-3987 or by by email.

New Faces At Yarraman Produce April 27, 2006 - Richard and Annette Speedy have taken over Yarraman Produce & Hardware, the landmark business located on the corner of Emmert Street and the D'Aguilar Highway at Yarraman. The Key Hardware outlet stocks a wide range of rural merchandise including stockfeed, irrigation equipment, water tanks and pumps, fencing and gates, as well as regular hardware lines. Richard and Annette can be contacted on (07) 4163-8639.

Changes at Golf Course Shop April 26, 2006 - Roger Naumann has opened Burnett Golf Cars and Pro Shop at Kingaroy Golf Course. The shop specialises in sales and servicing of golf cars (apparently "karts" is no longer the preferred term amongst golfers!) as well as stocking all the usual golf accessories and clothing. Roger can be contacted on (07) 4162-7699.

State Govt Releases Discussion Paper For Small Businesspeople April 24, 2006 - Small and medium-sized business operators have until May 12 to respond to a Discussion Paper released by the State Government. The paper covers such matters as the importance of competing in a "fair" marketplace, the difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled employees, management skills development, the administrative burden of State taxes and charges, and the need to reduce red tape for business. The Discussion Paper is available online and responses can be made via email, post, fax or online. STOP PRESS! A forum will be held in Hervey Bay next Wednesday (May 3) to consider this Discussion Paper. Phone the State Development Centre on 13 26 50 for more information.

Open Day To Mark Sir Joh's Anniversary April 21, 2006 - The Bjelke-Petersen family is holding an open day at 'Bethany' this Sunday (April 23) to mark the first anniversary of the passing of former Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. "We want to say thank you to the local community for all the support we received during the time of Dad's illness and passing," daughter-in-law Karyn Bjelke-Petersen said. Local residents are invited to visit Bethany (and Sir Joh's gravesite) from 1:30pm to 3:00pm. Tea and coffee will be available and entry is a gold coin donation to Blue Care.

Sign Up For a Fun Day of Golf! April 20, 2006 - The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry's annual golf day for local business people (it doesn't matter if you're not a member of the Chamber!) is on again this Saturday at the Kingaroy Golf Course (April 22). It's a three-ball ambrose and is open to all players – novice, juniors and seniors (or basically anyone who can swing a club ...) Activities will get underway with a BBQ at 11:00am followed by tee-off at noon. Cost is $20 (which includes the BBQ). Further information is available from the Golf Club on (07) 4162-1720.

Regional Employment Solutions? April 19, 2006 - Do you have some great ideas that would boost employment in the South Burnett region? Then the Wide Bay Burnett Regional Community Forum is keen to hear your thoughts! Forum members, which advise the State Government, are concerned that statistics may not be accurately reflecting the region's employment situation. Unemployment has officially fallen from 11pc to 7pc in the Wide Bay Burnett over the past three years but the region is still identified as a "high unemployment" area. At the same time, the South Burnett has a shortage of skilled workers. Written comments should be sent to Mark Rewald at PO Box 1939, Bundaberg, 4670 by Friday April 21; or you can fax them to (07) 4151-9750 or send an email. Forum members will be discussing their findings with the State Government at a meeting in Kingaroy on June 19 but unfortunately there will be no opportunity at this meeting for public input ... so this is your opportunity!

Unleash The Power Within With TAFE Training April 18, 2006 - The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SQIT have joined forces to present some short training to assist local businesses. These are the courses you have asked for! Time Management and Email Management using Outlook - Wednesday, April 19, 5:30pm-8:30pm, $33 (inc. light supper) STOP PRESS: This course has been postponed until Tuesday May 9 so there's still time to book! Make Your Point with Powerpoint - Monday, April 24, 9:00am-11:00am, $31.25 Customer Service - Wednesday, April 26, 5:30pm-8:00pm, $23.75 (inc. light supper) Design Effective Fliers - Thursday, April 27, 8:30am-10:30am, $30 Create Simple Web Pages - Monday, May 8, 9:00am-noon, $26.75 Use the Internet More Effectively - Wednesday, May 17, 5:30pm-7:30pm, $26.75 (inc. light supper) Market With Imagination - Wednesday, May 10, 5:30pm-8:00pm, $30 (inc. light supper) Quick Tips (Word) - Friday, May 19, 8:30am-10:30am, $31.25 Concession prices also available. Participants must be enrolled at least 24 hours before the class to enable computer access to be organised. Phone (07) 4160-4400 to enrol.

Internet Access At Visitor Info Centre April 13, 2006 - If you're visiting the South Burnett over the Easter long weekend you may be interested to know that there is now public Internet access available at the South Burnett Visitor Information Centre - Kingaroy (opposite the peanut silos in Haly Street). Cost is just $3.00 per half-hour (or part thereof). No bookings will be taken and temporary internet access registration forms must be completed and identification sighted. The Visitor Information Centre will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday but will be open every other day from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Enjoy your Easter break and drive carefully!

Encourage Pride In Workmanship April 12, 2006 - The Rotary Club of Kingaroy is giving local employers the opportunity to reward workers who display "pride in workmanship". Rotary says the sense of responsibility to do a job well ("Do It Once, Do It Well") is one of the greatest intangible assets in the community. For this reason, the local club is giving employers the opportunity to nominate one of their employees whom they believe is displaying this quality. For more information and nomination forms (which must be returned by April 28), contact Merewyn Wright on (07) 4171-6200.