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Peter Retires From A&S March 31, 2006 - Peter Shanahan has retired from Kingaroy engineering company Ashcroft and Shanahan Engineering Services, leaving Steve Ashcroft at the helm. However A&S, located at 1-3 Stolzenberg Rd, isn't planning on changing its name which is well-known throughout the South Burnett. A&S do commercial and industrial welding, boilermaking and fitting and also have a mobile service which can come to you. They can be contacted on (07) 4162-8299 or by email.

Building Up Business in Goomeri March 30, 2006 - A new listing on SBBiz is Kovatex Pty Ltd, the business name for Goomeri builder John Taylor. John, a member of the HIA, is registered with QBuild and says "no job is too big". As well as home-building and commercial sheds he also does renovations. Kovatex can be contacted on (07) 4168-4416 or by email.

All Installs From All_Installz March 29, 2006 - Wondai couple Steven and Leah Good have opened a specialist business to service the satellite and radio communications market. All_Installz handles the installation of CBs, UHF and VHF radios in cars and trucks as well as mobile telephone hands-free kits. However they also handle the installation of satellite equipment to handle pay TV and free-to-air services. The business services the whole South Burnett as well as west to Chinchilla and north to Gayndah. It can be contacted on (07) 4164-1047 or by email

March Tourism Talk March 28, 2006 - South Burnett Local Government Association Tourism Project Officer Narelle Duggan has released the March edition of South Burnett Tourism Talk, a regular newsletter on tourism happenings around the region. This edition includes information about the 2006 Brisbane Escape Expo, the Qld Wine Business Conference and the Great Bunya Drive project. Click here to download Tourism Talk (327kb PDF)

The Peanut Van Features In Tourism Newsletter March 27, 2006 - The Autumn 2006 edition of South East Queensland Country Club newsletter (right), which is distributed to subscribers all over Australia by Tourism Queensland, features an article on Kingaroy's very own The Peanut Van. Owners Rob and Chris Patch have been around peanuts all their lives. Chris is the daughter of local growers John and Lorna Bauer and Rob has been growing peanuts for 37 years. They purchased The Peanut Van off Ruth Davis in 1999. PS. Did you know The Peanut Van originally began its life under the name "Murrumba Star"?

New Map For Qld Wine Industry March 24, 2006 - Queensland's first wine tourist map - covering all wine regions including the South Burnett - has been released by Hema Maps. The new map, which will sell for $9.95, was officially released yesterday by State Tourism and Wine Industry Development Minister Margaret Keech however local tourism operators got a sneek preview at the recent South Burnett Tourism Association AGM at Moffatdale Ridge cellar door. The map includes 170 wineries in 10 wine-producing regions and will be available both nationally and internationally.

Mark Relocates To Kingaroy March 23, 2006 - Mortgage consultant Mark Newman, formerly operating out of Nanango, has opened an office in Kingaroy. South Burnett Mortgage Solutions is located upstairs at 26 King Street. Mark offers house and land finance services as well as access to car and personal loans, commercial lending and debt consolidation. He can be contacted on (07) 4162-5574 or by by email

Sapphire On The Move March 22, 2006 - South Burnett businesswomen Giulia Bonfanti will be relocating her Sapphire Natural Therapies business from Wondai to Kingaroy from April 1. Sapphire, which had been based on a rural property, will re-open at Shop 4, 193 Haly Street. The new telephone number will be (07) 4162-3388. Giulia offers massage therapy, Sekhem and Reiki healing, meditation and manufactures her own natural cosmetics under the Soul Sisters brand name.

Official Opening of $2.5m Aquatic Centre March 21, 2006 - The $2.5 million South Burnett Aquatic Centre in Nanango will be officially opened at 10:30am today by Andrew Fraser MP (Parliamentary Secretary to Premier Peter Beattie). This is the official ceremony (and the public are welcome to come along!) but the centre has actually been open to swimmers since September 19 last year and has been attracting good crowds. The centre includes an eight-lane indoor pool, learn to swim pool and a full-size hydrotherapy pool. Also in attendance at today's opening will be representatives from the Federal Government and Tarong Energy who contributed to the project.

Workshop To Focus on Demographic Changes March 20, 2006 - A workshop on the "impacts and opportunities" presented by an ageing population will be held in Kingaroy on April 6. The workshop, to be held at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre from 10am-noon, will discuss the "Wide Bay Region: Demographic and Economic Change Analysis" report commissioned by the State Government and the Wide Bay Burnett Regional Organisation of Councils. For more information, contact the Bundaberg State Development Centre on (07) 4151-9700.

Two New Faces on SBTA Executive March 17, 2006 - Moffatdale Ridge cellar door was packed last night for the annual general meeting of the South Burnett Tourism Association. Two new members were elected to the Executive: John Boland (vice-president) from Shadylane Farm Cottages and John Bjelke-Petersen (management committee) from Bethany Cottages. Re-elected were president Carolyn Stone (Passchendaele Farmstay), secretary Tricia Wheaton (Barambah Bush Caravan Park) and treasurer Max Lehmann (Rock-al-Roy). Management committee members re-elected were Bruce Hurley (The Left Bank) and Allan Walters (Yallakool Tourist Park).

Webcam Gives Tourists A Preview March 16, 2006 - Did you know there's now a tourism webcam overlooking Kingaroy's O'Neill Square which allows you to watch what's happening in real time? The webcam, which is mounted on a pole above the Old Railway Station, can be accessed here. It is part of a larger regional project which will also eventually include webcams at the Bunya Mountains and Hervey Bay. The controls are in Japanese but are easy to use. Clicking on the large button allows you to control the camera for a limited time. The sliders rotate the lens and zoom.

Dream With Me In Cyberspace March 15, 2006 - Most of the businesses listed on SBBiz are "bricks and mortar" shops or home-based tradespeople but there are some that exist in cyberspace alone. One such Internet business belongs to Kingaroy-based artist and writer Cindy Laws who sells her artwork through her Nangami Janaiwee website and EBay store Nangami Janaiwee, or "Dream With Me", features artworks by Cindy, Adam and Shannon Laws as well as cultural items such as boomerangs, coolamons and didjeridoos.

Scholarship Solution To Fill Skills Gaps March 14, 2006 - Do you have experience working in a business environment (paid or volunteer) that would be equivalent to a Certificate III, IV or Diploma level in Business Services? If you are, you may be eligible for a scholarship worth $950 offered by Skilling Solutions Queensland to allow you to complete skills gap training to get a qualification from TAFE. Sharon Lofthouse, from Southern Qld Institute of TAFE (Kingaroy), has the full details ... but don't delay as Skilling Solutions will be in Kingaroy on March 29 to conduct interviews. Phone Sharon on (07) 4160-4415.

Burning Beats Duo Too Hot For The Competition March 13, 2006 - The 2006 PCA South Burnett Culinary Competition turned out to be a family affair with Paul Stoddart (owner of Kingaroy's Burning Beats cafe) taking out the overall prize and his daughter Aimee (right) winning an encouragement prize. Other winners were: Matthew McMurdy (Kingaroy State High School hospitality student) - Encouragement award Judy Andrews (Bunnies Bar and Brasserie) - Best matching of dish and local wine Jana Van Boxtel (Explorers Restaurant) - Most innovative use of peanuts.

Come Along For Some Wine and Food In The Park! March 10, 2006 - One of the South Burnett region's premier events, the annual Tarong Mine Wine and Food in the Park festival will be held in Kingaroy's Memorial Park tomorrow from 10am (with music on-stage from 11am). Nine local cooking wizards will be competing in the 2006 PCA South Burnett Culinary Competition which will be held in a large marquee in the Festival grounds. All recipes prepared during the competition will be published on the PCA website next week. Nine local cellar doors will be represented in the Wine Tent and there'll also be exotic food, market stalls, amusement rides, street entertainment and some great music which will continue late into the night! For more information, visit the Festival's website

How To Master Networking March 9, 2006 - Robyn Henderson, a global networking specialist, will be presenting a confidence-building workshop for all women in business in Kingaroy on Wednesay, March 21. The "How To Master Networking" workshop, presented by the Department of State Development, Trade and Innovation, will be held at the Kingaroy RSL CLub from 7:00am to 9:30am. Cost is $33 which includes breakfast. Bookings must be made ny March 17 to (07) 4121-1780. For more information and a registration form download the attached brochure (117kb PDF).

Dogged with Pain? March 8, 2006 - One of the more unusual listings added to SBBiz recently belongs to Sue Vacher, an animal physiotherapist. Sue, who is based at Wilkesdale in Wondai Shire, offers physiotherapy services for horses and dogs, including assessment and treatment and the development of exercise programs. She can be contacted on (07) 4164-1141 or by email

Grants, Grants, Grants! March 7, 2006 - Need help finding the grant that's right for your business? The Department of State Development has scheduled a Grants For Business seminar in Kingaroy on April 3 with guest speakers including Steve Wilson from the new-to-Kingaroy company Dean Wilson Aviation. The seminar will be held at the Kingaroy RSL Club, corner Markwell and Short streets, from 5:15pm. The seminar is totally FREE but bookings are necessary as refreshments will be served. Download the attached information brochure (1.2MB PDF) and fax the registration form to (07) 4123-1874.

Two New Businesses Listed March 6, 2006 - Two new businesses recently listed on SBBiz reflect the continuing interest in the building industry locally. Dan Large has opened Blueprint Drafting Service in Kingaroy. Blueprint offers building design and general drafting services for new homes, extensions and renovations and commercial and industrial projects. Dan can be contacted on (07) 4162-5425 or by email. Wooden Hut Plumbing, at 12 Wooden Hut Road, Kingaroy, does general plumbing maintenance including plumbing and drainage, roofing and gutters, toilets and tap repairs. They can be contacted on (07) 4164-3272.