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Award-Winning B&B For Sale January 28, 2010 - Kingaroy Bed & Breakfast Hillview Cottages has been put on the market for "under $1 million". Hillview Cottages, owned by Steve and Cathy Davis, has won a number of Fraser Coast South Burnett tourism awards. The property on the Booie Range consists of a three-bedroom family residence plus three furnished, self-contained cottages and a large workshop on 1.74ha. Also for sale is an adjoining 62ha grazing property. Before it was purchased by the Davis family in 2002 and turned into a B&B, Hillview was a popular wedding venue, craft shop and tea garden. UPDATE: The Tingoora Hotel (see story September 28, 2009) is now under contract and settlement is expected at the end of February

South Burnett Celebrates Its Winners! ABOVE: Pie-eating competition winner Esther Treiguts, centre, displays her winning style at Kingaroy's Australia Day Fun Day in the Park. Runners-up were Christine Haydon, right, and Geoff Hancox, left. January 27, 2010 - Congratulations to all the Australia Day winners that have made the South Burnett region so proud! Cricketer Matthew Hayden was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Kingaroy veterinarian Julian Mullins was given an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his work in veterinary science. Pam Brunjes (Goomeri) was named Gympie Region Citizen of the Year for her 40 years of community work in the region. Louise Judge, (pictured at right with Deputy Mayor Keith Campbell), was named South Burnett Citizen of the Year. Other South Burnett Regional Council winners were: Kingaroy Citizen of the Year - Debbie Jackson Murgon Citizen of the Year - Raelene Dennis Nanango Citizen of the Year - John Atkins Wondai Citizen of the Year - Lyn Manthey South Burnett Young Citizen of the Year - Melissa Crawford Kingaroy Young Citizen of the Year - Jessica Case Murgon Young Citizen of the Year - Andrea Taylor Nanango Young Citizen of the Year - Lauren Hume Wondai Young Citizen of the Year - Pascha Robbins South Burnett Community Event of the Year - Bloomin' Beautiful Blackbutt Festival SB Small Communities Award - Kumbia Historical Society SB Cultural Award - Kingaroy Eisteddfod Inc SB Junior Sportsperson of the Year - Shaylissa Rout SB Senior Sportsperson of the Year - Joel Smallwood SB Sports Administrator of the Year - Eddie Krauksts

$4m Support For Royal Flying Doctor January 25, 2010 - Ergon Energy customers in the Wide Bay-Burnett region are making donations totalling approximately $40,000 every three months to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. At the end of December 2009, Ergon had 12,602 customers in the Wide Bay-Burnett region pledging $2 with each quarterly electricity bill, 2393 pledging $5 and 496 pledging other amounts. Overall, Ergon customers have donated a total of $4 million to the RFDS since the donation scheme started in 2000. The customer support comes via regular voluntary donations added to electricity bills.

Discover Kilkivan & Goomeri on You Tube January 22, 2010: The Gympie Cooloola Tourism organisation has produced a series of TV advertisements and short videos to help promote tourism in Kilkivan and Goomeri. Cooloola Regional Development Bureau General Manager Amanda Le Peilbet told the Gympie Times today that the branding campaign had been put together "in-house" using photos of the region and saving thousands of dollars. View one of the new You Tube videos below:

Salvos Getting Ready For Centenary January 21, 2010 - The Salvation Army Corps is yet another local group getting ready to celebrate 100 years in Kingaroy. The Salvos are preparing a history book to mark their centenary which will be launched at a special function next year. They have already gathered a lot of information but are looking for anecdotes, stories or photos from anyone in the local community. If you can help, please contact Coral Underwood on (07) 4162-1923.

Recycling Depot Temporarily Closed January 20, 2010 - The recycling bins for glass bottles and aluminium cans have been removed from the Kingaroy Transfer Station on Luck Road. SBBiz has been told that a dispute has arisen between South Burnett Regional Council and the contracting recycler which has yet to be resolved and this led to the bins being removed. A council representative said he was hopeful of a successful outcome soon. Cardboard to be recycled in Kingaroy can be left at South Burnett Transport's Depot in First Avenue (formerly Kingaroy Haulage and Recyclers).

Bauxite Explorers Take Over Mining Claims January 19, 2010 - More interest is being taken in potential bauxite resources in the region with the news that Australian Bauxite Limited has taken over mining claims previously held by Hudson Resources Limited. ABx3 Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian Bauxite, has taken over two exploration permits for minerals located between Cooyar and Toowoomba. The EPMs total 531sq km and cover the Pinelands area, Pechey State Forest and the Pechey-Geham Plateau. Australian Bauxite says testing has shown alumina values are consistently high and silica values are low. Iron is also elevated. A potential target area of 48sq km has been identified. Australian Bauxite also has an 150 sq km EPM on the Binjour Plateau near Mundubbera.

Consultant Offers Distribution Course To Local Tourism Businesses January 18, 2010 - Tourism Queensland is offering South Burnett tourism operators the opportunity to learn more about distributing their product online by taking part in a "Distribution, Commissions and Packaging" coaching course. The three-phase course, offered by consultants Global Tourism Solutions (formerly Don Jolly & Associates), costs $50. A consultant will visit the business to discuss how the product is currently distributed to target markets. In Phase 2, tourism operators will gather together for an interactive education session. Global Tourism Solutions will then conduct two follow-up sessions with each business. Tourism operators who wish to take part must not currently be part of a domestic travel wholesaler program and must agree to be part of a TQ case study. For more information, contact Kathryn Allen on (07) 3535-5470 or by email

Twilight Concert At Wondai Town Hall January 15, 2010 - The fledgling South Burnett Arts group will be holding its second major event tomorrow night ... a twilight concert featuring Dr Ralph Morton, organist and director of music from St Stephen's Cathedral in Brisbane. The public recital, which starts at 5pm in Wondai Town Hall, is part of a weekend of organ events organised by South Burnett Arts Inc, including a full-day workshop for local organists and individual tutorials with Dr Morton. Entry to to the concert is by donation and everyone is invited! The Artists Cottage's new coffee van will be on site from 4:30pm so concertgoers can purchase hot drinks. The organists weekend has been made possible by support from the local RADF committee. For more information, contact Jane Iszlaub by email

Green Falcon To Swoop Into Kingaroy January 14, 2010 - A solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed in Queensland will be put through its paces near Kingaroy later this year and could be commercially available for 24-hour surveillance work within just two years. The lightweight UAV, dubbed the Green Falcon, (right), has been developed by PhD student Wessam Al Sabban and aerospace avionics engineering supervisor Dr Felipe Gonzalez at the Queensland University of Technology. The 2.5m wide craft weights just 4kg and is launched by hand. It can fly continuously for more than 24 hours (28 solar cells run the UAV by day and charge a lithium ion battery for night flight). It can also carry a 0.25kg payload. The UAV is controlled from a ground station where an operator can receive and respond to images and video sent from the plane. The developers say possible future uses include rescue searches, bushfire and disaster monitoring, coastal and border surveillance, environmental and weather monitoring and imaging for the media and real estate industries.

New Motel Planned January 13, 2010 - Today's meeting of the South Burnett Regional Council will be considering an application to approve a two-storey motel development at 2 Walter Road, Kingaroy (adjacent to Mitre 10). Council has already approved a motel for the site but the applicant, SB Developments Qld Pty Ltd, is now seeking modifications including increasing the floor size of the restaurant, adding a pool and gazebo to the development and converting the main building to two storeys. The project would include 42 motel units plus a two-bedroom manager's residence.

Celebrate Oz Day & Have Fun! There's no excuse in the South Burnett to spend this Australia Day just asleep on the couch. There's a motza of dink-di bonzer bashes to enjoy: Kingaroy - Poets breakfast from 7:00am at Memorial Park (bacon, sausage and egg roll with sauce, onion and a fruit platter) followed by a Fun Day in the park ... prizes for whip cracking, whistling, cooeing, the fastest pie and lamington eaters and best pavlova. For more information contact Cr Keith Campbell or Christian Bjelke-Petersen. Nanango - Breakfast at Ringsfield House from 7:00am followed by games including a dog-jumping competition. Wondai - From 7:00-10:00am at Coronation Park with a community breakfast and entertainment. Murgon - From 7:00am at the Queensland Dairy Heritage Museum in Gesslers Road with a community breakfast and fun day. Kilkivan - QCWA Younger Set and Kilkivan Lions Club will be hosting an Australia Day Breakfast at the Kilkivan Public Hall in Bligh Street from 7:00am. There'll also be billy tea and scones, raffles, competitions and bush poetry. Boondooma - Community BBQ at Boondooma Homestead at 8362 Mundubbera-Durong Road, flag-raising ceremony and concert under the stars from 5:00pm until late (BYO drinks). The concert will feature Buddy Thomson, Lynne Bennett, Ray Savage, Josh Shultz and the Boondooma Bush Choir. A bus will be leaving the old Wondai Council Chambers. Please phone Council for the departure time and cost. Proston - Afternoon tea and flag-raising at the Proston Scout Hall at 2:30pm. Blackbutt - Friends of Cultcha will be presenting the Great Aussie breakfast with a variety of entertainment and stalls from 8:00am until noon at Blackbutt Memorial Hall. Entry to most events is by gold coin donation.

What You Missed ... January 11, 2010 - Happy New Year! SBBiz is back on deck and we hope all our readers enjoyed their holiday break. Usually this time is known as the "silly season" because not much news happens, but this year a few important business news stories occurred over the break: The Theebine-Kingaroy rail line was officially closed. The line had been mothballed for some years but the decision to finally close it was announced quietly on Christmas Eve. Read a press release by an angry Federal Member for Wide Bay Warren Truss here. Former South Burnett Times editor Clint Heathorn was appointed Deputy Editor of Bundaberg's NewsMail newspaper. Thiess secured an extension of its contract to continue providing mining services at Tarong's Meandu Mine. The contract will run to December 2011. The State Government announced it would provide $1.89 million over three years to South Burnett CTC so it could continue to run its Safe Haven service at Cherbourg. The service employs eight people and provides community patrols, family counselling and youth support. Cougar Energy said that its Kingaroy Underground Coal Gasification project (UCG) was on schedule for "ignition" in February. Cougar said all earthworks, roadworks and concrete constructions had been completed and an evaporation pond for collection and re-use of production water had been finished and would be able to withstand a 1-in-50 year storm event.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! December 19, 2009 - Southburnett.biz would like to wish all our readers a very happy and safe Christmas and a prosperous 2010! The website will be running as usual over the holiday break so please continue to send in any updates or changes to business listings, however our news briefs will be taking a short break until January 11. A huge thank you to everyone who has assisted us over the past 12 months!

South Burnett Council Releases Annual Report December 18, 2009 - The South Burnett Regional Council has released its annual report for the 2008-09 Financial Year. The 130-page report, (right), which was prepared completely in-house at Council, details highlights since amalgamation as well as financial statements and the auditor's report. For the 2008-2009 financial year Council's operating budget totalled $48 million. At June 30, the SBRC had 356 employees plus seven elected representatives. Download the SBRC Annual Report here as a PDF. (NB. This is a very large 15MB file so it will take some time to download!)

Hospital Audit Shows No Increase In Gastro Cases December 17, 2009 - An audit by Kingaroy Hospital of all presentations to Accident and Emergency over the past week has identified no increase above normal for gastro symptoms, a Queensland Health spokesperson told SBBiz today. The audit was conducted in the wake of this week's E. coli scare in Kingaroy's reticulated water supply. Queensland Health acting executive director of health protection Ms Sophie Dwyer said the South Burnett Regional Council had the primary responsibility for the monitoring of drinking water supplies in the Kingaroy area, including making appropriate notifications to the relevant agencies in the event any contamination of drinking water supplies was detected. After detecting this contamination, Council had notified the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) who subsequently advised Queensland Health. Queensland Health had worked with DERM and the Council to ensure adequate ongoing management of the incident. "The presence of (E. coli) indicates that the water may have been contaminated with either animal or human faeces. It is an indicator of the risk of contamination by other disease-causing pathogens that may also be present in the water. "While E. coli strains range in severity, those found in water in Queensland are unlikely to cause disease. However, Queensland Health views their presence in water intended for human consumption as being undesirable as it is an indicator that the water could contain other disease-causing pathogens." She said Council issued the boil water notice as a precaution, and undertook sanitary inspections of their water storages and checked residual chlorine levels in their water supply. Retesting of the water had since found there was a satisfactory level of residual chlorine in the reticulation system and no further E. coli had been detected so the boil water notice had been removed.

Kingaroy Water Now Safe To Drink December 17, 2009 - South Burnett Regional Council is advising residents connected to the Kingaroy town water supply that the water is now safe to drink. The "boil water alert" issued on Monday as a precautionary measure has been cancelled. A council spokesman said test results now indicated the water is free of E. coli bacteria. Ongoing treatment and retesting was increased following detection of E. coli in the water supply. "While the initial water test results indicated the presence of low levels of E. coli, Council has acted quickly to address the situation. Our staff will continue monitoring the situation to ensure safe water quality is maintained," Mayor David Carter said.

Coffee Trailer Debuts at Kingaroy Christmas Carnival On Tonight! December 17, 2009 - Don't forget, the Kingaroy Christmas Carnival is on tonight in the CBD area ... and while you're there it would be a perfect opportunity to check out a new South Burnett business which will be making its public debut, Coffee and Cake 2 Go. Karla Eyre and Cheryl Mallett, from the popular Cafe Nouveau at The Artists Cottage (opposite Kingaroy Airport), have decided to take their culinary treats on the road for weddings, parties ... in fact, anything! The purpose-built trailer, (above), will offer cafe-style cappucinos, lattes and expresso coffees, syrups, hot chocolate, tea and chai. As well, Karla and Cheryl will have home-made (from the Cafe Nouveau kitchen) biscuits, muffins and Christmas cake for sale.

Ivyhome To Open Kingaroy Store Tomorrow December 16, 2009 - The Comello family's Ivyhome Quality Foods - which has built a solid reputation for providing speciality organic milk, cream and dairy products - is expanding its range to include organic fruit, vegetables, meat and grocery lines. Ane the big news is they are opening a shopfront away from the farm! Ivyhome's new store will open for the first time tomorrow (Thursday) in the former Jobmatch premises at 203 Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy. Gluten-free products, health supplements, personal care products and health and vitality books will also be stocked. The shop will be open Mondays to Thursdays from 8:30am-5:30pm and Saturdays from 9:00am-1:00pm. Owner Jacqueline Comello can be contacted on (07) 4162-2295 or by email.

Don't Drink The Water! December 15, 2009: South Burnett Regional Council has issued an alert to warn Kingaroy residents to boil tap water before drinking as potentially harmful E. coli bacteria has been detected in the local water supply. A council spokesman said the alert would remain in place until further notice. Water for consumption should be boiled then allowed to cool and stored in the refrigerator in a clean container with a lid. Cooled boiled or bottled water should be used for: Drinking, cooking, washing raw foods (such as seafood or salads), making ice, pet's drinking water and cleaning teeth. Dishes should be washed in hot soapy water or in a dishwasher. Children should take bottled or cooled boiled water to school. E. coli is a bacteria found in the lower intestine of animals and although many strains are harmless some can cause food poisoning in humans. The presence of E. coli in the water supply is a strong indication of recent sewage or animal waste contamination. It could also indicate the water supply could be contaminated with other organisms that could cause disease.