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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.

KCCI Christmas Break-Up Tonight! December 14, 2009 - The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry's 2009 Christmas Break-Up Meet'n'Greet will be held from 5:30pm tonight at Rhonda and Lindsay Kath's award-winning Mulanah Gardens B&B at Inverlaw. The venue is located at 736 Deep Creek Road (turn west off the Bunya Highway into Kingaroy-Burrandowan Road at the Kingaroy Golf Club): View Google Map The event is being sponsored by BGA, SB Building Approvals, the KCCI and Mulanah Gardens which means entry will be free for KCCI members. For more information, contact the KCCI on (07) 4162-8466.

Parish History Recorded By Kay December 11, 2009 - Just in time for Christmas, St Mary's Catholic parish in Kingaroy is releasing a new book this weekend which details the history of the Kingaroy and Kumbia parishes. St Mary's in Kingaroy celebrated its 100th anniversary this year while Kumbia's Our Lady of Peace church marked 90 years. The history book, prepared by local parishioner Kay Dove, includes many photos of the "early days" as well as photos and stories about early parishioners. Copies are $40 plus $3.85 postage and can be ordered via Kay on (07) 4162-4214 or by email

Open Night At South Burnett's New Crematorium December 10, 2009 - Virgo Funerals will be holding an open night at their new multi-million dollar South Burnett Crematorium complex in Pioneer Avenue, Kingaroy, tomorrow evening. The building, located opposite the gates to Taabinga Cemetery, also includes a chapel, hospitality area and many other features. There will be guided tours of the new building from 5:00pm and at 7:00pm there will be an ecumenical Christmas Service of Remembrance in the new chapel, followed by light refreshments. Everyone is welcome to attend but an RSVP would be appreciated to help with catering. For more information, contact Virgos today on (07) 4162-7988.

Aldi Supermarket To Open Tomorrow December 9, 2009 - Aldi's long-awaited Kingaroy store will be opening its doors to the public at 8:30am tomorrow. The no-frills supermarket, located on the corner of Markwell and Youngman streets, will carry about 1000 product lines, predominantly Aldi's own exclusive label brands as well as fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. City shoppers have been using the $2 coin charge for trolleys for many years but the introduction of this system at Aldi is a first for Kingaroy. The charge, which is refunded upon the return of the trolley, helps ensure that nearby streets are not left cluttered with abandoned trolleys. Smokers should note that the Kingaroy Aldi - like all Aldi stores in Australia - will not be selling cigarettes. This dates back to the 1961 split between Aldi founders Karl and Theo Albrecht in Germany. Theo wanted to sell cigarettes and Karl didn't. Theo formed Aldi Nord and Karl formed Aldi Sud. Australian stores are part of the Aldi Sud group.

Is Your Business Listed With Us? December 8, 2009 - Are you a South Burnett business or community group? Are your business details listed on this website? If they are, are they up-to-date and accurate? If your business or community group is not listed you are not only making it harder for people to contact you, you are missing out on a potential monthly audience of 9900 unique visitors (Oct 2009 statistics) - and this is just viewers to the front page of the website! There were an extra 24,700 database queries that same month!! If your details are not accurate ... or, if you are not listed, please ring us on (07) 4163-6854 or fill in the online registration form SBBiz is a not-for-profit community website which has been running since May 2001. Our purpose is to help promote the economic growth and development of the South Burnett. We try to list ALL South Burnett businesses, from one-person hobby enterprises to multinational companies that have local offices. The aim is to encourage local residents to use local businesses and at the same time promote South Burnett businesses outside the region. Don't forget, all listings are FREE! Can you afford not to be listed? We also depend on our readers to let us know when businesses that we have listed have closed or relocated. If you see an error, please send a quick email to info@southburnett.biz

Action Group Demands Halt To Cougar Project December 7, 2009 - A newly formed action group is calling on the State Government to demonstrate safe environmental procedures and halt Cougar Energy's local Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) project immediately. It has demanded a full environmental impact study and hydro-geological survey be completed before any more work proceeds. Group chairman and Coolabunia dairy farmer Gary Tessmann, (right), said local landholders and many Kingaroy residents were fed up with what they saw as the State Government's lack of action in addressing their "common sense" concerns about the serious threat to water supplies and air quality. He said the State Government has granted Cougar Energy permission to burn 20,000 tonnes of coal underground and emit potentially toxic gases over Kingaroy and surrounding areas. A local water source that supplies water to more than 100 clients within a 100km radius of Kingaroy could also be seriously damaged. "Water supplies in the area are vital to business and why should they be jeopardised by Cougar's coal experiment?,” Mr Tessmann said. "When the CEO of this company said he cannot 100% guarantee the safety of the local water supply at a landholders' meeting, it is obvious the State Government is not demonstrating due care and attention in allowing the coal burning experiment to proceed."

Kingaroy Pilot's Lucky Escape December 4, 2009 - Future Kingaroy Fly-Ins will be missing a popular attraction following a spectacular crash near Crows Nest yesterday. A fully restored Yak warbird, (pictured above at the 2009 Peanut Festival Fly-In), was written off when pilot Neil Dunn was forced to land in a paddock after suffering engine trouble. Fortunately Mr Dunn and his teenage passenger were not injured in the crash. Watch video of the crashed aircraft on the Toowoomba Chronicle website