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Facelift For Murgon VIC September 21, 2011 - The South Burnett Regional Council has advised that the Murgon Visitor Information Centre will be closed for renovations from Thursday, October 6, to Sunday, October 30. While the Murgon centre is closed, tourist information will be offered to visitors at the Murgon Council Office in Gore Street. Of course, visitors can also seek directions at any of council's four other Visitor Information Centres: Blackbutt (Authentic Slab Hut) - ph (07) 4163-0633 Nanango (South Burnett Energy Centre) - ph (07) 4189-9446 Kingaroy (Information, Art & Heritage Precinct) - ph (07) 4189-9172; or Wondai (South Burnett Region Timber Industry Museum) - ph (07) 4189-9251.

Tourism 'A Pillar' Of Queensland Economy September 20, 2011 - Did you know there are about 400,000 small businesses in Queensland ... and fully one-third of them are involved in the tourism industry? This amazing statistic was shared by the Opposition Spokesman for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jann Stuckey during a briefing session with the executive of the South Burnett Tourism Association in Kingaroy yesterday afternoon. The Member for Currumbin was invited to visit the South Burnett by LNP Candidate for Nanango Deb Frecklington. Jann, who has a background in tourism marketing, said tourism was one of the "four pillars" of the Queensland economy that the LNP believed had to be a government priority, ie Agriculture, Construction, Resources and Tourism. "Tourism is critical for Queenland," she said. "If you took out mining at the moment we'd be in a bad way." She said Queensland had dropped to the Number 3 spot as a preferred holiday destination for Australians and this wasn't just because of this year's natural disasters. "I am very keen to re-position us to Number 1 position where we belong," she said. "Tourism is Australia's second biggest export, more than agriculture." Jann said she believed the South Burnett had a lot to offer tourists, particularly in conjunction with other regions, but had been neglected by the current State Government. "The regions have been totally starved." Funding for tourism had not kept pace with the CPI and had dropped in real terms by between $7-$10 million. She said part of the reason for her visit was to identify the strengths of the South Burnett, see where there are shortcomings and hear the perspective of tourism operators. "Feedback is very important. At the end of the day, the operators should be running tourism and the government should be giving it a guiding hand." SBTA president Kathy Davis (Hillview Cottages) said a change in focus by Tourism Queensland from "destination" to "experiential" marketing had hurt the South Burnett region, particularly the winding back of the South-East Queensland Country marketing campaign. She said some local operators also still required "lifting up" to make use of newer forms of communication such as websites and email. SBTA vice-president Shannon Scott (TASTE South Burnett) made the point that tourism in the local region wasn't going to get any better unless tourism in all of Queensland improves. However he said the "fundamentals" such as road signage had to be fixed. He said he would also like to see the new merged Regional Tourism Organisation, which covers an area from the NSW border to Kilkivan, be given the status and funding of a "Super RTO". "We want to know if we can become a big player," he said. Lack of infrastructure was also identified during the discussion as a key factor holding back the South Burnett, including poor mobile phone and wireless internet reception. Shannon emphasised improvements were also necessary on the D'Aguilar Highway, including more passing lanes. Lee Evans (Yarraman Caravan Park) pointed out that backpackers were discouraged from visiting because of the lack of public transport to enable them to easily get around. He said councils were also being pressured by lobby groups to spend ratepayers' money to establish and service free camping areas on the edges of towns but the visitors these areas attracted rarely spent money in the region. ABOVE: Lee Evans, Jan Stuckey, Kathy Davis, Deb Frecklington and Shannon Scott * * * Brooklands resident Grant Newson officially announced on Twitter this morning that he will be standing for The Greens at the next State Election. He previously stood for the Federal seat of Maranoa but was unsuccessful. He joins Carl Rackemann (Katter's Australian Party), Deb Frecklington (LNP), John Dalton (Independent) and David Thomson (Queensland Party) who have put up their hands for the seat of Nanango.

Help Chris Raise $5000 To Fight Rare Diseases ... Buy A Painting! September 20, 2011 - Don't forget ... Nimue Gallery in Kingaroy is throwing open its doors tonight to help raise money to fight some very rare genetic diseases. Gallery owner Cherry Carroll has asked local and Brisbane artists to donate works which will be auctioned to raise funds for the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. So far 32 artists have donated 56 pieces of art and as there are no reserve prices, there could well be some great bargains to be had! Young artist Chris Sanchez, son of Burning Beats Cafe owner Paul Stoddart, has the extremely rare Kearns-Sayre Syndrome which at present has no known cure or treatment. Chris, who is confined to a wheelchair, has formed a fund-raising team and has pledged to raise $5000 for AMDF. If you can't make it to the auction, you can donate directly to Chris's fundraising team on the Everyday Hero website The Nimue Gallery is located in King Street, Kingaroy, next door to the Carrollee Hotel. The auction will start at 6:30pm.

LNP Promises A Separate Qld Agriculture Department September 19, 2011 - LNP Candidate for Nanango Deb Frecklington says her party consulted extensively with farmers and industry groups before releasing its Agriculture Strategy last week. She said the strategy aims to double Queensland's food production by 2040 to help feed a growing world. "Agriculture has an exciting and productive role to play in the future, not just feeding Queenslanders but feeding an increasingly hungry world," she said. "Food security is vital and Queensland desperately needs a long-term plan and a government that genuinely values food production." Ms Frecklington said the LNP was committed to a stand-alone Agriculture Department to drive and support the growth and sustainability of farms and rural industries. "This department will make research, development and extension a key plank to improve productivity," she said. To ease the growing land use conflicts between miners and farmers, Ms Frecklington said statutory land use planning would give everyone involved a say and a clear understanding of what was required, backed by legislation and local council plans. "The LNP will not only protect our best farm lands but conduct an audit on lands where more intensive agriculture could be carried out and extra production achieved," she said. Further information on the LNP's agriculture policy can be found on the party's website

Murgon SES Supporters Win Award For Being Great PALS September 16, 2011 - Congratulations to the Murgon SES Support Group Inc which has won the Volunteer and Community Groups Category at this year's State finals of the Australian Safer Communities Awards in Brisbane. The group invented, patented and trademarked an efficient, safe, battery-operated LED lighting system known as PALS - the Personal Assistant Lighting System. This was completed with help from the local community consisting of 4000 people and 30 businesses. So far 10 SES groups have benefited from the Personal Assistant Lighting System. A total of $200,000 has been put through the support group since April 2010.

Ruralco Snaps Up BGA AgriServices September 16, 2011 - Diverse agribusiness Ruralco is in the process of wrapping up its purchase of Kingaroy-based BGA AgriServices after acquiring more than 90 per cent of issued shares. Ruralco made a cash offer of $12.17 per share last month. BGA AgriServices' Board unanimously recommended that shareholders accept the offer; this was followed by a similar recommendation from major shareholder Bean Growers Australia Limited which controlled approximately 64.9 per cent of the company. Ruralco has now commenced compulsory acquisition of the balance of BGA AgriServices' shares. Ruralco owns the CRT brand (a large network of independently owned stores) as well as being involved in wool and livestock, real estate, fertiliser manufacture, stock feed, grain storage, handling and distribution, and financial services throughout Australia. BGA AgriServices was already a member of the CRT network. It provides a large range of agricultural products and services in the South Burnett, Wide Bay, Brisbane Valley and Northern NSW regions. Locally, it operates stores in Kingaroy, Murgon, Goomeri and Kumbia. UPDATE 1:00pm: Ruralco General Manager (Commercial) David Foung confirmed this afternoon that it would be "business as usual" at the four South Burnett stores. He said Ruralco was looking forward to assisting BGA Agri management to grow the business into the future. Mr Foung said Ruralco has "a suite of other offerings" which BGA Agri may take up in future, including financial services, insurance and water trading, but this would be up to BGA management and the suitability of local markets.

It's A Whole New Community Garden (But Don't Worry About The Old One) September 16, 2011 - Recent media reports about the upcoming re-launch of the Pound Street Community Garden in Kingaroy tomorrow could have left residents with the impression that produce from the previous garden was dangerous. But that's not the case ... A press release from the South Burnett Regional Council said timber used in the original garden beds had been treated with unsafe chemicals so had been removed. However a quick phone call to Council clarified that people who had enjoyed produce from the previous project shouldn't be worried. The old garden beds were removed for a number of reasons, including the fact that Council had the ultimate responsibility for the garden as it's located in a public park. The old timber was removed not because it was dangerous to health but because council staff didn't know the full history of the materials used in the original construction. There were also concerns about sharp edges and weldmesh arches which children could climb. The multiple small beds, which included tyres and irregular shapes, were also a nightmare for council staff to whippersnip. "We now know exactly what's in the garden beds and we know that they either meet or exceed Australian standards," SBRC Manager Natural Resources and Parks Greg Griffiths told SBBiz. "The three new large beds are also a better height for people so they don't have to bend and there is easy access for wheelchairs." Mr Griffiths said the new beds had been lined with black plastic sheeting so there could be no doubts about their future safety and their design also meant that at times when the Community Garden was not being used to grow food, council staff could plant flowers to enable a nice display in the park. There will be a gala opening of the new Community Garden from 9:00am this Saturday. RHealth and BIEDO are promising lots of free fun activities for mums, dads, grandparents and kids. There'll be market stalls, a circus workshop and tuckerboxes for the first 100 entries.

Geos Mining Defends New Coal Exploration September 15, 2011 - Sydney-based Geos Mining has moved to allay fears about a proposed drilling program to test for coal deposits in the Brooklands-Maidenwell-Cooyar areas. Geos has been contracted by Bowen Energy to conduct exploratory drilling on the 530sq km EPC 1083 "Cooyar" permit area, granted on March 26, 2008. At the time, Bowen said it was interested in locating domestic and possible export quality thermal coal. Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group spokesman John Dalton said yesterday he had been told 11 test holes were planned in the Tarong area, drilled to depths ranging from 200-500m depending on what is found. However he said the word "drilling" was not mentioned in the Access Code being used to explore the freehold land. "If drilling was mentioned, it would become an Advanced Activity and landholders would have to be compensated for damage and disruption," he said. "Taken literally from the code, miners should have to dig their 200m deep soil samples with a shovel if they want to avoid compensation." Mr Dalton, who will be standing as an Independent for the seat of Nanango at the next State Election, said some landholders had decided to "lock the gate" to stop the exploration taking place. "Landholders such as Trevor Pincott are objecting to the prospect of having their farms being viewed as potential coal mines and are not at all reassured by the usual talk from government and mining companies that 'it is only exploration'," Mr Dalton said. Geos Mining Project Manager Jeff Randell told SBBiz today no time frame could be given as to when the exploration work would begin, mainly as it was very difficult at present to organise drill rigs. But he was keen to reassure residents about the impact. He said there were strict codes and guidelines which regulated what could be done. Test sites were evaluated for cultural heritage and environmental values and drilling could not start without an access agreement reached with each landholder. Each drill hole would be about 7-8cm in diameter although the site footprint could be up to 20m x 20m. The actual process involves a drilling rig (a 5-20 tonne truck), a support rig and a couple of 4WDs accessing the site. All holes are either cemented or grouted to prevent contamination of the aquifer and plugged. The site is then rehabilitated to the satisfaction of the landholder. Mr Randell said regulations prevented mineral exploration in urban areas but Geos Mining had no intention of drilling in smaller townships either. "It is not our intention to be drilling in people's backyards or in the main street," he said. * * * AusNiCo hopes to raise a total $1.4 million from investors and a Share Purchase Plan to fund further exploration and development of its tenements in Queensland and New South Wales. The company's exploration activities for the next 12 months include drilling its gold target at East Kilkivan.

New South Burnett CEO Named September 14, 2011 - Mayor David Carter announced on Facebook this afternoon that a new Chief Executive Officer has been appointed for the South Burnett Regional Council. "At a Special Meeting of SBRC this morning, Mr Ken McLoughlin, (right), was appointed to the position of CEO," Cr Carter said. "Ken is currently the Director Strategic Projects for Logan City Council, responsible for leading and managing the South East Queensland Water Reform. "He has extensive executive, managerial and consulting experience. He will commence duties as the CEO Designate on October 17 before assuming the role as CEO of South Burnett Regional Council on October 24." Mr McLoughlin will replace Acting CEO Phil Spencer who was appointed in June this year following the resignation of Tony Hayward. UPDATE September 21: Mr McLoughlin has been appointed on a five-year performance-based contract.

RU OK? A Conversation Could Change A Life September 14, 2011 - Tomorrow is RU OK Day? In the time it takes to have a coffee, you can start a conversation that could change a life ... Is there someone close to you who has experienced stress, depression, or anxiety? If you are like 87 per cent of Australians, you will know someone in this situation. There are many sources for this anxiety and depression, including financial stress, relationship breakdown, serious illness, uncertainty, workplace changes, or losing a loved one. Most of us have someone in our lives who has been affected by anxiety and depression. The South Burnett Suicide Prevention Working Group has decided to participate in RU OK? Day tomorrow. They would like everyone across the South Burnett to ask family, friends and colleagues: "Are you ok?” Research shows that talking about suicide with someone at risk actually reduces the chance of them taking their own life. It's the one thing we can all do to make a real difference. Local RU OK? events include: CROW-FM will be broadcasting live from Gloria Jean's Coffees at Kingaroy Shoppingworld from 6:00am-10:00am Kingaroy Home Aids & Health Equipment and Chantilly Charm will have free cups of coffee, biscuits and cakes from 10:30am on the footpath between their shops at Alford Street, Kingaroy.

Rackemann To Stand For Katter Party September 13, 2011 - Former Test fast bowler, third generation farmer and South Burnett resident Carl Rackemann, (left), is the latest candidate to toss his hat into the ring for the State seat of Nanango. SBBiz confirmed this morning that Carl has put up his hand to stand for Bob Katter's Australian Party for the seat which will be vacated by Independent MP Dorothy Pratt at the next election. Carl, patron for the South Burnett Relay for Life, was awarded an Order of Australia medal in January this year for his services as a cricket administrator, coach and player, and to the community. Later this month he'll be teaming up with legendary Aussie batsmen Doug Walters and Darren Lehmann, England ODI Captain Adam Hollioake, champion jockey Malcolm Johnston and PGA champ Wayne Grady at the Relay For Life Sportsman's Spectacular dinner in Kingaroy on Sept 23. During his cricketing career Carl played 12 Tests. He enjoyed some spectacular successes, including taking 11 wickets against Pakistan in 1983-84, and taking the catch that sealed Queensland's first ever Sheffield Shield win in 1995. He later coached the Zimbabwe national team. More controversially, he played in the 1985-86 and 1986-87 rebel tours of South Africa, led by Kim Hughes, which drew criticism from then Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Other candidates already announced for the seat of Nanango are: Deb Frecklington (LNP), John Dalton (Independent) and David Thomson (Queensland Party).

Nanango Teams Do Well At Maryborough September 12, 2011 - Congratulations to the students from Nanango State High School who excelled at the RACQ Technology Challenge at the weekend despite the cold weather and blustery conditions. In the main event, the gruelling 24-hour HPV (human-powered vehicle) Championships, the Nanango Roadrunners took out first spot in the junior boys category and Chix on Dynamite won the junior girls title. Another Nanango team, The Supermen, were second in the Open Boys category. Kilkivan State School's Killy Killer Sharks also deserve a round of applause. They came 4th in the junior mixed division. Nanango teams will now compete in Victoria * * * Round 2 of the South Burnett Regional Council's 2011-12 Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) program will open on September 23. Applications must be received by October 20, 2011. For more information, contact RADF Liaison Officer Anna Gundry on (07) 4189-9100 or by email * * * Sunshine Coast detectives have charged a man with six counts of fraud following investigations into an alleged scam involving employment and training opportunities with an interstate mining company. A 62-year-old Yeppoon man was charged on Friday with four counts of obtaining money by deception and two counts of attempting to dishonestly obtain money. He will appear in Maroochydoore Magistrates Court on September 23.

Another Huge Weekend In The South Burnett September 9, 2011 - It's another huge weekend in the South Burnett with Bloomin' Beautiful on at Blackbutt and the Country Music Muster entertaining fans at the Nanango Showgrounds. Highlights at Blackbutt on Saturday and Sunday include the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Expo, country markets, Waler Society horse demonstrations ... plus heaps more. See South Burnett Online's What's On Calender for more details. The annual Nanango Country Music Muster began yesterday but the main day is tomorrow (Saturday). Guest artists will include local heroes Chad Morgan and Dean Perrett. Sunday's highlights include a Gospel music concert. * * * Centacare South Burnett and Lifeline Community Care in Kingaroy have received a total of $626,000 under the Federal Government's new Family Support Program. Centacare will receive $100,618 for family and relationship services and family law counselling. Lifeline will receive $525,646 for a family relationship centre and related services. * * * The South Burnett Regional Council is keen to hear from local residents who would like local achievers - past and present - recognised and their achievements perpetuated for future generations. The call follows the controversy that surrounded the naming of the new Glendon Street forecourt area after Dr Ellen Kent Hughes, a former Kingaroy Shire Councillor who was the first woman elected to Local Government in Queensland. Many local residents at the time suggested the area should be named after local cricketing hero Matthew Hayden (see SBBiz, June 8, 2011). A meeting will be held on Thursday, September 15, at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers at Glendon Street, Kingaroy. Members of the public have been invited to attend the meeting and put forward ideas. Of if you cannot attend and would like to have your say, contact Mayor David Carter by email.

Large Pile-Up Closes Blackbutt Range September 8, 2011 - A multiple vehicle traffic crash this afternoon on the D'Aguilar Highway at the Blackbutt Range, about 10km east of Blackbutt, has closed the range to all traffic. At 3:50pm, Main Roads said the road was expected to be closed for a "number of hours". Motorists have been asked to delay their trips or seek alternate routes. Gympie Police could not confirm how many vehicles were involved. UPDATE 5:00pm: Police Media says up to eight vehicles (including six trucks) have been involved in the incident, including a fully laden cattle truck. Recovery efforts are currently underway to retrieve not only the vehicles but the cattle. There have been no serious injuries reported but lengthy delays are expected. UPDATE 9:10pm: The D'Aguilar Highway is now reopen.

Local Schools To Compete At Maryborough September 8, 2011 - Good luck to the South Burnett school students who will be competing at the RACQ Technology Challenge at Maryborough this weekend! Kilkivan and Nanango State High Schools have teams in the Queensland 24 Hour Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Championships - the "Killy Killer Sharks" (Kilkivan) and the "Roadrunners", "Chix on Dynamite" and "The Supermen" (Nanango). The HPV Championships are the signature event of the challenge. Teams must design, test and race a machine for 24 hours fuelled solely by pedal power. By the time the chequered flag falls at noon on Sunday, the 109 teams of eight students will have clocked up a total of more than 40,000km. Goomeri State School students (the "Goomeri Greyhounds") will be competing in the Smilie Pushcart Queensland Championships - a modern take on the old-fashioned billycart race. This competition challenges primary school students to design, build and showcase a machine engineered for speed but that can also be disassembled in record time in front of the judges. As an added task, every piece must fit through a 100mm slot! Goomeri students will also be competing in the CO2 Dragstars - small, handmade drag cars powered by soda sparklets which can reach 140km/h on special tracks. ABOVE RIGHT: Nanango State High School's "Supermen" were runners-up in the 2010 HPV Championships. Photo: Courtesy John Box * * * Members of the South Burnett Caravan & Touring Club, which is based in Wondai, will be hitting the road next month to take part in the Combined Caravan Clubs of Queensland State Rally. More than 300 vans are expected to gather at Maryborough Showgrounds for the annual event. For more information about the rally, or the local caravan club, contact Lance Moore on (07) 4168-5390. * * * The South Burnett's latest set of traffic lights - at the corner of Youngman and Avoca streets, Kingaroy - are now turned on! Drivers should take care because of the changed traffic situation.

Good Food Choices Can Be Rewarding September 7, 2011 - The South Burnett Good Food Choice initiative has launched a loyalty card to reward customers who buy six "Good Food Choice" meals from Kingaroy food businesses. The loyalty card is available at any of the Good Food Choice venues, which display the logo at right. Good Food Choice options on their menus are also marked with this logo. There are currently 16 businesses taking part in the program, offering more than 80 accredited dishes: Accents Restaurant Aussies Pizza Cafe Burning Beats Burke and Wills Motel (Explorers Restaurant) Captain's Paddock The Carvery, Kingaroy Shoppingworld Kingaroy Seafood and Takeaway Kingaroy Street Store Lee's Kitchen Met's Cafe Pioneer Lodge (Pioneer Room) Red Pepper Deli Taste South Burnett Utopia Cafe Once the six meals have been purchased, the loyalty card can be dropped into a draw to win one of two $50 vouchers to a Good Food Choices venue. * * * BIEDO, RHealth and the South Burnett Regional Council are hosting a free open day at the Kingaroy Community Garden in Pound Street on Saturday, September 17, which will include cooking and gardening demonstrations, a local growers market, stalls and other fun family activities, The Open Day, sponsored by Stanwell Corporation, will start at 9:00am and run until midday. * * * The South Burnett Regional Council is urging local residents to get involved in National Tree Day (Saturday, September 24). This year's activities will be focussed on Mt Wooroolin where residents are invited to come along from 11:00am and help to plant native dry vine scrub species to rehabilitate the former rifle range which was established during World War II.

Accents Named Best Cafe Restaurant September 6, 2011 - Congratulations to Accents Restaurant and Cafe in Kingaroy which won the "Café Restaurant" category for south-east Queensland at the 2011 Savour Australia™ Awards for Excellence announced at Jupiters Casino last night. Accents was competing against Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Darling Downs and Gold Coast restaurants to win the award, including finalists Café 21 @ Treasury, Brisbane; Lock n Load Bistro, West End and The Gunshop Café, West End. Judging for the award covers food, wine, service and the overall restaurant "experience". Judging is done "blind" from the initial booking phone call with no one at the restaurant aware of who the judge is. Owner Jimmy Stephen opened Accents in Kingaroy just nine months ago but he is no stranger to Restaurant & Catering Association awards. He has previously won the "Best European Restaurant" gong at the Savini Restaurant and Wine Bar at Kangaroo Point. Accents will now compete against category winners from other States at the National Awards which will be announced next month in Sydney.

Celebrate Spring & Support the AGL Rescue Chopper September 6, 2011 - Kingaroy's Quota Club will be hosting a High Tea Garden Party next month to raise funds for the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter. The AGL chopper (the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service) has been helping South Burnett residents for more than 30 years and currently flies more than 1000 aero-medical and rescue missions every year. The not-for-profit organisation receives government assistance but also relies heavily on sponsors and individual donations to keep operating. The High Tea - which will also celebrate spring - will be held on Saturday October 1 from 1:30pm-4:30pm in the gardens of the Peterson family property 'Hopevale', just off the D'Aguilar Highway at Coolabunia. Cost is $20. To RSVP please contact Glenys Peterson on (07) 4162-1318 or Anne Miller on (07) 4163-6854. * * * 2010 Queensland Chamber of Agricultural Societies Rural Ambassador Wade Timms, from Nanango, has made it three wins in a row for Queensland by taking out the National Title in Adelaide at the weekend. The Qld Rural Ambassador has gone on to win the national award four times: in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2010. The Rural Ambassador competition aims to find young people aged 18 to 30 who are involved in the agricultural shows and who can act as strong ambassadors the movement. Congratulations Wade! Listen to an interview with Wade on ABC Radio

Help Chris Raise $5000 To Fight Rare Diseases ... Buy A Painting! September 5, 2011 - Nimue Gallery in Kingaroy is throwing open its doors on Tuesday, September 20, to help raise money to fight some very rare genetic diseases. Gallery owner Cherry Carroll has asked local and Brisbane artists to donate works which will be auctioned to raise funds for the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. So far 32 artists have donated 56 pieces of art and as there are no reserve prices, there could well be some great bargains to be had! Young artist Chris Sanchez, son of Burning Beats Cafe owner Paul Stoddart, has the extremely rare Kearns-Sayre Syndrome which at present has no known cure or treatment. Chris, who is confined to a wheelchair, has formed a fund-raising team and has pledged to raise $5000 for AMDF. If you can't make it to the auction, you can donate directly to Chris's fundraising team on the Everyday Hero website The Nimue Gallery is located in King Street, Kingaroy, next door to the Carrollee Hotel. The auction will start at 6:30pm on September 20.

Cougar Considers Appeal To Land Court September 2, 2011 - Cougar Energy is consulting with its lawyers over a possible appeal to the Queensland Land Court over its halted underground coal gas project near Kingaroy. Cougar advised the ASX yesterday that the Department of Environment and Resource Management had notified the company of the results of an internal review of its decision to halt activities at the Coolabunia site. DERM said a delegate appointed had confirmed the original decision to restrict activities at the site. Earlier this year, DERM Acting Director-General Terry Wall announced no further gasification would be permitted on the site and said Cougar must now remove all infrastructure, treat and dispose of any contaminated water in surface storages and clean up groundwater. Cougar received formal notification of this decision on July 19 but then exercised its right under the Qld Environment Protection Act to seek an internal review of the decision. ABC Local Radio: Cougar Hasn't Given Up On UCG in Queensland What is the difference between Coal Seam Gas (CSG) and Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) * * *Representatives from OriginOil and delegates to the the recent Algae World Australia conference have visited the algae oil demonstration site, (see SBBiz, August 3, 2011), which is being established at Tarong Power Station to capture flue-gas carbon dioxide. Los Angeles-based Origin Oil is a strategic partner to Australian company MBD Energy in the project and is providing extraction technology. Origin Oil has released photos and a video about their visit. * * * The foreshadowed sale of Kingaroy radio station 4SB (Radio 10.71) to the Macquarie Radio Network, (see SBBiz, July 5, 2011), is now a reality. MRN officially completed the $6 million purchase of Brad Smart's regional radio network this week. Smart Radio also operated stations at Mt Isa, Emerald, Charleville, St George, Roma and Goondiwindi. * * * The Toowoomba, Golden West, South Burnett, Southern Downs and Granite Belt regional tourism organisation(s), in conjunction with the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation will be holding a SMART Exhibiting Workshop in Toowoomba which may be of interest to local small businesses and tourism operators. The workshop, to be presented by qualified trainer Ron McDermott, will teach participants how to plan and prepare stalls for trade exhibitions and festivals ... how to make the most of the space you have been allocated, how to select the right product mix and how to connect with customers. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, October 5, from 9:00am-noon in the Green Room at DEEDI, 203 Tor Street, Toowoomba. Cost is $15 which includes a light morning tea on arrival. For more information, and to book, contact the Regional Tourism Office on (07) 4632-1988 or by email.