Home Page

AutoPro Shifts A Few Doors Down June 24, 2005 - There's new owners and soon there'll be a new location for automotive spare parts and accessories business AutoPro Nanango. The sale of its building is forcing the business to shift a few doors down from 49 Drayton Street to 53 Drayton Street. The shift is also coinciding with a new owner, Dave Thompson, taking over. AutoPro Nanango can be contacted on (07) 4163-3222.

B&B Just A Short Stroll From Town June 23, 2005 - Another new B&B has opened in the South Burnett, this time just a short walk from the heart of Kingaroy. The Two Front Rooms B&B (right) is located at 99 Markwell Street on the Nancarrow family's 15ha Zenith Park endurance horse property. Two Front Rooms is just that ... in a lovely old Queenslander. Guests also have their own shower and spa and a sitting room with refrigerator, TV and tea and coffee-making facilities. All meals can be provided. Contact David and Leslie Nancarrow on (07) 4163-6012 or email

New Spare Parts Outlet Opens June 22, 2005 - Peter and Vicki Wainwright, from the Kingaroy Exhaust Centre and Kingaroy Tyre Centre, have added a new business to their automotive one-stop shop on the corner of King Street and the Bunya Highway. Kingaroy Spare Parts can be contacted on (07) 4163-6631 and sells common automotive spare parts such as brake pads etc. Kingaroy Exhaust Centre repairs and installs truck, car and 4WD exhausts as well as doing other mechanical repairs.

Ruth & Bunny At Motel Kingaroy June 21, 2005 - Well-known Kiwi entertainer Bunny Walters and his wife, award-winning chef Ruth Walters (right) have taken over the management of the Motel Kingaroy in Knight Street, Kingaroy. The pair, who formerly ran Bunnies Restaurant at Wondai, have transferred their moniker to the old Gazebo Restaurant at the motel, ensuring the Bunnies name and reputation lives on in the South Burnett. As well as a la carte meals, the restaurant boasts live entertainment from Bunny and Kiwioke Col (the "Bobs Yer Uncle" band - phone ahead to see if they're playing). Motel Kingaroy can be reached on (07) 4162-1966 or by email

Loot Homewares Opens in Kingaroy June 20, 2005 - A new furniture store - part of the expanding Loot Homewares franchise - opened its doors for the first time today in the old Sew-N-Circle premises at 25 Alford Street, Kingaroy. Owners are Jo Baulch and her brother Josh Baulch. However the "new faces" behind this venture aren't really that new ... Jo is Kingaroy born and bred but has been away for 18 years ... she's back now and is very pleased that "Kingaroy's going ahead". Josh is a well-known local builder. Loot Homewares has furniture, soft furnishings and homewares, candles and incense, lamps and jewellery. They can be contacted on (07) 4162-8118.

Economic Development Newsletter Online June 17, 2005 - The latest newsletter from Kilkivan Shire's trial of a micro-economic development program is now available online The newsletter details projects supported by Community Gold facilitator Bob Neville over the past three years and includes information about many businesses in the Kilkivan, Goomeri, Widgee, Lower Wonga and Woolooga areas. The Micro-Economic Development Model now has a new sponsor Feijoa Australia.

BizSafe Workshop To Target Shop Crime June 16, 2005 - If you own or operate a business, you and your employees are invited to attend a crime prevention workshop being held by the Queensland Police in Kingaroy next week. The BizSafe workshop will be held at Kingaroy RSL Club on Tuesday June 21 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Cost is $5 per head which includes hot finger food, tea and coffee. Topics to be covered include shop stealing, fraud, armed robbery prevention and personal safety. Please RSVP today to Senior Constable Stephanie Vogler by email

Community Bank Launches Share Prospectus June 15, 2005 - The Yarraman Community Bank Project has officially released its prospectus seeking shareholders from the local community. Chairman Wayne Emms said this was a unique opportunity for people to purchase $1 shares in a community company which would directly benefit the Yarraman area. Closing date is June 30. Wayne said the aim was to have the bank up and running at the start of next month in the current Bendigo Bank premises on the corner of Margaret and Toomey Streets, Yarraman. For more information, contact Wayne on (07) 4163-8901 or 0414-594-480.

Have Your Say On Hospital Services June 14, 2005 - The Queensland Health Review team will be holding a Community Forum at the Town Hall Reception Room, Glendon Street, Kingaroy from 7:00pm-8:30pm on Thursday night (June 16). This is an opportunity for all South Burnett residents to have their say about the public health system in the region and is part of a Statewide review organised by the State Government in the wake of the Bundaberg Hospital investigation. No doubt the changes occurring at Wondai Hospital will enter into the discussion at some point!

Workshop To Target Marketing June 10, 2005 - Queensland's Department of State Development and Innovation will be hosting a two-hour workshop on "Smart Marketing" in Kingaroy on Wednesday July 20. The workshop will run from noon to 2:00pm at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre in Cornish Street and is designed to raise awareness of basic marketing principles and practices. Cost is $27.50 and seats are limited. Phone 13-26-50 for more information or download this PDF (91kb).

Focus On Great Bunya Drive June 9, 2005 - The Winter edition of the South East Queensland Country Club flyer - distributed by Tourism Queensland - has a special feature on the new "Great Bunya Drive" touring route through the Darling Downs and South Burnett. The drive is being promoted as the "long way around" south-east Queensland, linking Toowoomba to Gympie via Dalby, Jimbour, the Bunya Mountains, Kingaroy and Murgon. Also featured in the new flyer are the new Boonara Homestead B&B and Moffatdale Ridge cellar door.

New Farmstay Cottage Opens In Kingaroy June 8, 2005 - Husband and wife team Kevin and Gavina Lee have opened a new farmstay cottage with the aim of attracting more international tourists to the South Burnett region. Lee Farmstay is located at 27 Harchs Road, just 15km from Kingaroy in the heart of the Shire's wineland area. The brand new two-bedroom cottage boasts reverse cycle air-conditioning as well as a potbelly stove and two-person spa. The Lees' 64ha farm runs miniature horses, sheep and Scottish Highland cattle as well as featuring a large aviary of native parrots. They can be contacted on (07) 4162-5103 or by email

Clovely Estate Shiraz Makes Top 100 List June 7th, 2005 - Congratulations to Moffatdale winery Clovely Estate! Clovely's 2002 Reserve Shiraz was today named one of Australia's top 100 wines in The Courier-Mail newspaper's Wine Guide 2005. Wine experts Ken Gargett, Andrew Corrigan and Peter Scudamore-Smith said the Clovelly 2002 Shiraz was an example of fine winemaking with blackberry and sweet jam fruit, liquorice notes and some French oak subtlety. Clovely Estate Wines is located on Steinhardts Road at Moffatdale. As well as the vineyard and winery, it boasts a cellar door, cafe and B&B.

Fine Food in Yarraman June 6, 2005 - Earlier this year Herbert's Food and Fuel in the main street at Yarraman morphed into Yarraman Fine Food and Fuel under the new ownership of Keith and Tina Walters. This mixed business, located on the D'Aguilar Highway, offers fuel, newspapers, fishing and camping gear, a range of hardware, video hire and tourist information. However Keith and Tina are also putting a greater emphasis on the food side ... offering takeaway food and meals in their 30-seat cafe. Yarraman Fine Food and Fuel can be contacted on (07) 4163-8447 or by email

Public Meeting To Preview Water Plan June 3, 2005 - A public meeting to discuss draft amendments to include the Barker-Barambah Creek Catchment in the Burnett Basin Resource Operations Plan will be held at Murgon Town Hall at 7:00pm next Thursday evening (June 9). The meeting has been called by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines to report on the outcome of public submissions received into the proposal which will affect water users throughout the South Burnett region. After the meeting, further submissions on the plan will be accepted until mid-July. For more information, phone 1800-135-531 or visit the Department's website

Raggy Dolls Becomes A South Burnett Poster Biz June 2, 2005 - Anne Facer's Raggy Dolls is the latest South Burnett business to take advantage of Southburnett.biz's free poster page service. Anne is a registered breeder of ragdoll cats in Kingaroy. The kittens can be seal, blue, lilac, cream or tortoiseshell (depending on the litter). Raggy Dolls ragdolls can be contacted on (07) 4162-5604 or by email

New Faces At Old Pub June 1, 2005 - Gavin "Spud" Jones and his wife Wendy have taken over as publicans at the historic Cooyar Hotel (left). The pub, which is located on the corner of the New England Highway, offers large double room accommodation as well as lunches and dinners (Tuesday to Sunday). A beer garden is available for functions and once a month hosts live music. There are also Trivia Nights and social bowls, darts and quoits groups.

Coach Service To Link Towns 31 May, 2005 - Toowoomba company Greatway Coaches is planning to start a daily coach service linking Gympie to Toowoomba with pick-ups and set-downs in all major South Burnett towns along the way. Graeme Bliesner, formerly from Nanango, and Beryl Noll, ex-Kumbia, know the South Burnett well and recognised the need for a daily service to link local towns. They will be running an air-conditioned 34-seat coach with toilet facilities on the service (morning trip to Toowoomba via Kilkivan, Goomeri, Murgon, Wondai, Kingaroy, Nanango and Yarraman with afternoon return to Gympie). The services will start soon; for more information phone Graeme on mobile 0404-038-624.

Yummy Chow in Yarraman May 30, 2005 - Their Morayfield-based Asian foodmart was getting so much business from the South Burnett that owners Les and Rowena Fairhall decided six weeks ago to open a local branch at Yarraman. Located at 13 Margaret Street, the Yummy Chow Asian Foodmart specialises in groceries and foodstuffs from the Philippines, Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and India. There's also cooking utensils and tableware. Yummy Chow also wholesales to clubs and restaurants and Les can arrange air and sea freight services to the Philippines.

The Peanut Van On The Move! SCOOP! May 27, 2005 - Kingaroy's multi-award-winning tourism attraction The Peanut Van is expanding to Childers. Owners Rob and Chris Patch announced today they will open a van on the Bruce Highway (Churchill Street) at Childers during the first week of August. It will be located adjacent to Pioneer Park, just on the outskirts of town. "We're very excited about this," Rob said. "As well as selling our range of great peanut products we also hope to do a good job of promoting the whole Burnett region to tourists." Kingaroy need not fear ... it'll also be business as usual here too for The Peanut Van!