Rex June/July 2016

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

A U S T R A L I A N

INDUSTRY SKILLS COUNCIL 2014 2013 2014 BEST REGIONAL AIRLINE 2011 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

AWARDS

Issue 138 • June/July 2016

TOP PERFORMING 2009-14 REGIONAL AIRLINE

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Andrew Gee

Exclusive Standing up for the Central West

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Where we fly

Bamaga NPA

Mornington Island (Gununa) Normanton

Cairns

Burketown Doomadgee

Townsville Mount Isa

Julia Creek

Hughenden

Richmond

Winton

Boulia

Longreach Bedourie

Windorah Charleville

Birdsville

Brisbane West Wellcamp (Toowoomba)

Quilpie Cunnamulla Coober Pedy

Brisbane

St George

Thargomindah

Lismore Ceduna

Grafton (Yamba) Armidale

Cobar

Broken Hill Whyalla

Perth

Dubbo

Parkes

Albany

Port Lincoln

Griffith

Adelaide

Kingscote (Kangaroo Island)

Bathurst

Narrandera-Leeton Wagga Wagga Albury

Mount Gambier

Taree

Orange

Mildura Esperance

Ballina (Byron Bay)

Melbourne

Newcastle

Sydney

Moruya Snowy Mountains (Cooma) Merimbula

King Island

Burnie

Dear friends of

Welcome to the June/July issue of OUTthere.

Rex’s newest routes are now well and truly open for business, with our inaugural flights in WA operating since late February and the reestablishment of services to the Snowy Mountains (Cooma) one month later. You can read more about these new routes in this magazine.

This month we commence additional services to the Snowy Mountains for the ski season, with extra flights running each Friday through to Monday. Now is the time to secure your bookings to the New South Wales snowfields. Taking a long weekend ski-trip from Sydney has never been easier now that convenient air services allow you to get to the mountains in a fraction of the time it would take to drive there.

Alternatively, you may wish to take a midyear break in Australia’s west to experience the beautiful landscapes of Esperance and Albany.

You’ll find more about Albany’s abundance of attractions in this issue.

Wherever you choose to escape to this winter, we hope you enjoy your break and look forward to seeing you on board soon.

So until next time, from all 1,000 of us at Rex, Air Link, Pel-Air and AAPA, we invite you to sit back, relax and let us do the flying.

The REX Team

The Rex Story - The First 10 years.

(Soft Cover) $40

Rex-Roller Day Bag $149.50

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rexnews

Rex Commences Services In Western Australia SUNDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2016 was a special day for Australia’s largest independent regional airline – Rex commenced its first services in Western Australia (WA).

This followed the WA Government’s 9 December 2015 decision to award Rex sole operation of two regulated routes over the next five years: • Perth–Esperance (18 weekly return services) • Perth–Albany (23 weekly return services) With barely three months until launching in a new state, half of which was the Christmas and summer school holiday period, Team Rex swung into action from the word ‘go’. Three Saab 340 Bplus aircraft were imported and modified to comply with Australian standards, plus a new Perth crew and maintenance base was set up.

All three aircraft landed in Perth before ‘D-day’ and all services were running to schedule on the inaugural day, Sunday 28 February 2016.

The Rex services connecting Albany and Esperance with Perth have enhanced the connectivity of these two communities significantly.

In addition to having an extra return service every weekday, local residents can now be in Perth in time for a 9am appointment and be back in Albany or Esperance after a full business day in Perth, thereby avoiding the need to incur accommodation and other associated costs in Perth.

We have enjoyed meeting our new Western Australian passengers over the past few months and we look forward to seeing you all onboard again soon.

The Rex services connecting Albany and Esperance to Perth have significantly enhanced the connectivity of these two communities.

Clockwise from top: The first flight arrives into Albany to a warm welcome; The operating crew who delivered VH-ZRE to Perth: (L–R) Captain Greg Brown (Manager Training & Checking), Flight Attendant Kylie Buckberry and Captain Paul Fisher (General Manager Flight Operations & Chief Pilot); Rex’s 3 Saab 340 aircraft parked on the apron at Perth airport prior to the commencement of operations.

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rexnews

Winter Snowy Mountains Services Commence ADDITIONAL SERVICES BETWEEN Sydney and the Snowy Mountains (Cooma) will commence for the ski season from the June long weekend. Additional services will run on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10 June to 2 October.

In partnership with Snowy Mountains Airport Corporation Pty Ltd (SMAC), Rex commenced services to the Snowy Mountains in March, with a core schedule of five return services per week.

An official launch was held at the Snowy Mountains Airport following the inaugural service’s arrival from Sydney.

On hand to witness the launch were guests and VIPs including the Member for Monaro and Minister for the areas of Regional Development, Skills and Small Business, the Hon. John Barilaro MP, and Snowy Mountains Airport Corporation Chairman, Mr Kevin Blyton, as well as representatives from local business and tourism organisations.

Commenting on the new service, Rex Deputy Chairman, the Hon. John Sharp said, “We are excited to re-establish RPT services to the Snowy Mountains; to provide this vital link between the region and Sydney.

“We have worked with Snowy Mountains Airport Corporation over the past months to develop the flight schedules and to promote the services, and will continue to work in partnership with them and local stakeholders to provide a sustainable air service for the long-term benefit of the residents of the Snowy Mountains, and the business and tourism sectors operating in the region.”

Mr Blyton is delighted that Rex has commenced services into Snowy Mountains Airport.

“The availability of regular year-round flights to and from Sydney will provide an important link for the people of the Snowy Mountains,” he said.

“Rex is Australia’s leading regional airline whose product and service is outstanding.

We look forward to working with Rex in providing the best possible air service to satisfy the needs of both the business and tourism sectors for many years to come.”

The Hon. John Barilaro MP also welcomed the service.

“This first flight marks a new and exciting time for the Monaro,” he said. “This is a gamechanger for our region; it will make the Snowy Mountains more accessible for domestic and international tourists wanting to experience the beauty of this region.

“While over half of international tourists visiting Australia arrive at Sydney’s KingsfordSmith Airport, only 20 per cent travel on to regional NSW. This new direct flight from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains will make it easier for international visitors to discover the wonders of the Monaro during both winter and summer.”

Clockwise from top: A traditional water cannon salute welcomed the inaugural service; School children from Cooma North Public School had a tour of the Rex Saab 340 aircraft with Rex crew; (L – R): Rex Deputy Chairman the Hon. John Sharp, Member for Monaro the Hon. John Barilaro MP, and Snowy Mountains Airport Corporation Chairman Kevin Blyton.

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rexnews

Half Year Financial Results ON 24 FEBRUARY 2016, the Regional Express (Rex) Group announced its first half financial year 2016 (FY15/16) results.

Rex announced a statutory after tax loss of $11.4 million following the impairment of goodwill and assets and fair value accounting entries.

Operating profit

1H FY16

1H FY15

$m

$m

3.3

3.9

Impact of goodwill impairment

(6.6)

Impact of asset impairment

(6.8)

Impact of fair value fuel hedge adjustment

4.7

Tax impact of the above

3.4

Statutory (loss)

(11.4)

3.9

The $3.3 million operating profit was achieved on a turnover of $132.6 million.

Rex Chief Operating Officer Neville Howell said, “The Group continued to face strong headwinds in spite of the favourable fuel environment.

Passenger numbers continued to decline slightly and Rex had to make some non-cash write downs and fair value adjustments, which resulted in the first statutory loss Rex has reported since FY02/03.

“The new Western Australian routes are expected to perform well in the second half of the financial year.”

NSW Women Of The Year Awards 2016 EACH YEAR, the NSW government holds the Women of the Year Awards to recognise outstanding women across NSW and celebrate their significant achievements.

There are five separate categories: the Harvey Norman Young Woman of the Year, the A.H Beard Community Hero, the Aboriginal Woman of the Year, the Premier’s Woman of the Year and the Rex Airlines Regional Woman of the Year.

The 2016 awards were presented on 9 March 2016 at NSW Parliament House by the NSW Premier, the Hon. Mike Baird, and Minister for Women, the Hon. Pru Goward.

Regional Express attended the awards and the Rex Deputy Chairman, the Hon. John Sharp, presented the Rex Airlines award.

Sponsoring the award was an honour for Rex and staff were involved in the process of judging nominations from regional NSW. It was inspirational to learn of the great contributions these women are making to their regional communities.

This year, Jodie McCrae from Lismore was awarded the Rex Airlines Regional Woman of the Year Award. Jodie has battled cancer

since 2013, but has still found the time and strength to set up her own charity, Jodie’s Inspiration. The charity raises much needed funds to help purchase medical equipment

and resources for Lismore’s oncology units.

Jodie’s Inspiration also seeks to promote the importance of early cancer detection and awareness.

Above: Rex Deputy Chairman the Hon. John Sharp with Rex Airlines’ Regional Woman of the Year finalists (including winner Jodie McCrae in pink), and the Hon. Pru Goward MP, Minister for Women.

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rexnews

SHAKING UP THE SYSTEM You might know Andrew Gee as the State Member for Orange, but there’s more to him than the political title.

HE’S THE SON of a country mayor, is a former barrister, and once ran his own business in Hong Kong. These days he’s an outspoken state MP who hasn’t been afraid to ruffle a few feathers in his own government to get a fair go for his electorate.

More intriguing, perhaps, is the fact that, with his band and sparkly gold jacket, he has become a regular performer in the Parkes Elvis Festival Street Parade (this year’s number was “All Shook Up”).

Andrew Gee is a hard character to pigeonhole. And after five years as the state Member for Orange, he’s throwing his hat in the ring to represent the people of the Calare electorate in Canberra.

Gee, who has lived in Orange with his wife, Tina, and their four children for more than a decade, says the decision was the result of many conversations in the streets, over the phone and on the doorsteps with his constituents.

“When I first arrived on the scene, the pressing needs were all about state issues – especially health, water security and roads funding. Most people would agree that we’ve made a lot of progress there, but I see a lot of challenges ahead of us to make sure the next generation enjoys the same kind of lifestyle and opportunities that brought families like ours here in the first place.”

“Many of the big decisions that determine these issues are made at a federal level and I had a lot of encouragement from the community to make the jump.”

It’s the final frontier for the Gee family.

Andrew’s father, Bob, was the Mayor of Maitland in the 1990s and he instilled in his family a deep sense of public service. Andrew embarked upon a legal career before moving overseas to start a business with his brothers.

“It was always my intention to come back to Australia and starting a family really brought into focus the question of where we wanted to raise our kids,” he says. “Tina and I both grew up in regional New South Wales and we wanted our children to have the same unbeatable quality of life that you only get in the country.”

After a stint in Sydney, the couple moved out to the Central West and made themselves a home in Orange. It wasn’t all easy – Andrew was starting from scratch as a country barrister and in 2010 dealt with a cancer diagnosis – but they threw themselves into the community and according to Andrew they’ve never looked back.

“We felt incredibly welcome when we moved here all those years ago and that experience made me all the more determined to be a part of building strong country communities. Life is short

– so while we politicians occupy these positions, we need to get things done and deliver lasting benefits that make life better for the people we represent. That’s the essence of politics.”

Andrew was first elected in 2011 and since then has represented communities from Forbes to Gulgong, and in two elections has never lost a polling booth. Still, he’s not taking any chances.

“People in Bathurst, Blayney, Oberon and Lithgow have seen the work we’ve done and what we’ve achieved working with the communities to their west. But they have their own needs and their own issues, and it’s my job to listen as much as possible over the next couple of months so I can hit the ground running if we’re successful at the election.”

“I see a lot of challenges ahead of us to make sure the next generation enjoys the same kind of lifestyle and opportunities that brought families like ours here in the first place.”

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rexFAQ

Frequently Asked Questions As you sit back in comfort en route to your destination, the Rex crew hope you enjoy this interesting and informative light reading.

Q. Why do the flight attendants insist that all window blinds be up for take-off?

A. The most critical phases of a flight are the take-off and the landing. In the most unlikely event of a situation that requires an emergency evacuation, it is important that crew and passengers are able to have a clear view of the outside conditions in case of obstructions. For example, before exits are opened, staff must check for fire or other obstacles that may present potential hazards during the evacuation.

Q. Why do you have to stow your hand luggage in the overhead lockers, under the seats or in the seat pockets for take-off and landing?

A. Flight crews are required by Civil Aviation Regulations to secure the cabin as well as possible for take-off and landing. As mentioned, these are the most critical phases of the flight and securing as much hand luggage as possible ensures that in the unlikely event of an emergency, the exits and aisles stay as clear as possible, in case evacuation is necessary. It is also important to keep hand luggage secure whenever possible to ensure that heavier items do not become airborne within the cabin.

This is especially important when the aircraft is experiencing turbulence.

Q. Why do you feel so tired from flying?

A. As the aircraft altitude increases, air pressure decreases. As the pressure of the air decreases, the body absorbs less oxygen than it would at sea level – therefore, it must work harder to supply oxygen to the body’s cells. As the body is working harder, it becomes more tired.

Q. Why do you sometimes feel pain in your ears or sinuses during ascent or descent?

A. The sinuses and middle ear are air-containing cavities that connect with the nose via narrow channels. As aircraft ascend and cabin pressure drops, air passes out of these cavities (without any effort from the passenger) to balance the cabin pressure.

It is a different matter during descent, as the cabin pressure increases. The channels close down and must be actively opened by holding the nose and

blowing to inflate the cavities. Facial and ear pain can occur during descent if re-inflation does not occur, and this is much more likely if the passenger has nasal congestion. If you must fly with a cold or hayfever, use a decongestant nasal spray before descent and buy some ‘ear planes’ to plug your ears. (Information contributed by Dr Daniel Hains, ENT Surgeon.)

Q. When can electronic equipment such as laptops, iPods and mobile phones be used?

A. All Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) must be placed in flight mode inside the departure terminal and must remain in flight mode until inside the arrival terminal. Small handheld PEDs weighing less than 1kg, such as mobile phones, can be used in flight mode during all stages of flight on Rex’s Saab 340 aircraft. PEDs over 1kg, such as laptop computers must be stowed appropriately for taxi, take-off and landing, and are permitted to be used only during cruise when the ‘Fasten Seatbelt’ sign is switched off. PEDs cannot be used while crossing the tarmac.

Q. What is the average speed of the aircraft in cruise?

A. Approximately 500 kilometres per hour.

Q. Why do you have to get permission from the Captain to move to a vacant seat?

A. The aircraft’s take-off speed is calculated by the weight and balance of the aircraft, and many factors need to be considered for a successful take-off.

They include the weight of passengers and where they are seated, the weight of cargo, freight and fuel, the distance available on the runway et cetera.

For example, if there are 100 or more kilograms of freight in the cargo, the balance of the aircraft will be better maintained if passengers are seated in the forward rows.

AIR TURBULENCE Q. Aircraft often experience air turbulence, but what causes it?

A. Imagine the air around the aircraft is water in a stream. We can see how water is disturbed around rocks or when two streams converge. Turbulence in the air is similar: as the aircraft passes through cold air or in the vicinity of terrain that has disturbed the

airflow – often incorrectly referred to as ‘air pockets’ – the aircraft climbs and descends in the same way that a boat moves on water. Though turbulence can be uncomfortable, it poses no threat to the aircraft and is akin to driving on a rough or unsealed road. More severe turbulence can be associated with developing thunderstorms. The SAAB 340 has a sophisticated weather radar that pilots use to avoid these areas. Occasionally, a flight attendant will discontinue serving passengers in turbulent conditions; this is a precaution to ensure everyone’s safety.

Q. Why should you keep your seatbelt fastened even when the ‘Fasten Seatbelt’ sign is switched off?

A. On occasions, the flight crew cannot foresee turbulence or it is not picked up on the flight-deck radar. Because of this, we could unexpectedly experience turbulence at any time. The company recommends that you always keep your seatbelt fastened while you are seated – for your safety, just in case unexpected turbulence is encountered.

ENGINE NOISES Q. Why do the aircraft’s engine noises change during flight?

A. Aircraft need more power to climb than to descend, in the same way that a car needs more power to go up a hill than down one. The SAAB 340 turboprop has more than enough power to climb, so shortly after take-off you will notice a change in noises as the power is reduced. The pilots also control the pitch angle of the propellers for various stages of the flight and, as they ‘change gears’, this can also be heard in the cabin.

Q. What should you do if you see or hear something that does not look or sound right or normal?

A. Please advise your flight attendant. The flight attendant may be able to answer your query and allay any fears. If not, the flight attendant will contact the flight deck and advise the pilots of anything unusual. Rex encourages open communication and will always treat a passenger’s concerns with the utmost seriousness.

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Exercise and stretch regularly while seated.

SEATED EXERCISES

Inflight comfort Flying can be demanding and altitude may make your body more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and caffeine. Sitting in one place for a long time can be uncomfortable and slow down your blood circulation. To help your body adjust to flying and to maintain your personal comfort and wellbeing, we recommend you take the following steps:

ANKLE CIRCLES. Lift feet off floor, draw a circle with the toes, simultaneously moving one foot clockwise and the other foot counterclockwise. Reverse circles.

Do each direction for 15 seconds. Repeat if desired.

FOOT PUMPS. Start with both heels on the floor and point feet upward as high as you can. Then put both feet flat on the floor. Then lift heels high, keeping the balls of your feet on the floor. Continue cycle in 30-second intervals.

Keep hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids – water, juice, non-caffeinated soft drinks – to prevent dehydration, fatigue and headaches. Minimise intake of alcohol and coffee. Moisten the face to help reduce the drying effects of cabin air.

Eat lightly. Eat lightly on longer flights to avoid indigestion – our inflight menu is designed to provide lighter meal options.

KNEE LIFTS. Lift leg with knee bent while contracting your thigh muscle. Alternate legs. Repeat 20 to 30 times for each leg.

SHOULDER ROLLS. Hunch shoulders forward, then upward, then backward, then downward, using a gentle, circular motion.

ARM CURLS. Arms held at 90° angles, elbows down, hands in front. Raise hands up to chest and back down. Alternate hands. Repeat in 30-second intervals.

SEATED STRETCHES

Exercise. We encourage you to do the gentle onboard exercises on this page to enhance your wellbeing during the flight.

We recommend you do these exercises for about five minutes every one to two hours.

You should also occasionally walk down the aisles, as space permits. In addition, we recommend that you avoid crossing your legs.

Please note: you should not do any of these exercises if they cause you pain or cannot be done with ease.

Moving about the aircraft. You may move about the aircraft as space permits and when the seatbelt sign is off. However, when the seatbelt sign is on you are required to remain seated with the seatbelt fastened.

KNEE TO CHEST. Bend forward slightly.

Clasp hands around left knee and hug it to your chest. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds.

Keeping hands around knee, slowly let it down. Alternate legs. Repeat 10 times.

FORWARD FLEX. With both feet on the floor and stomach held in, slowly bend forward and walk your hands down the front of your legs toward your ankles. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and slowly sit back up.

OVERHEAD STRETCH. Raise both hands straight up over your head. With one hand, grasp the wrist of the opposite hand and gently pull to one side. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

If you feel unwell, tell the cabin crew.

They can assist with the more common inflight complaints and, if necessary, can seek further advice and assistance for you.

On descent. Ears and sinuses can cause discomfort, due to the change in air pressure on descent. To minimise discomfort: • Yawn or swallow frequently.

• Pinch your nostrils together and blow firmly into your cheeks with your mouth closed.

If you have ongoing discomfort, seek the advice of the cabin crew.

SHOULDER STRETCH. Reach your right hand over your left shoulder. Place your left hand behind your right elbow and gently press your elbow toward your shoulder. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

NECK ROLLS. With your shoulders relaxed, drop your ear to shoulder and gently roll your neck forward and to the other side, holding each position for five seconds. Repeat five times.

PULL UP. TAKE OFF. If you want to fly through Sydney Airport there’s nothing quicker than Pronto Valet.

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10 TOP

REASONS TO VISIT ALBANY From view-laden walks to spring wildflower festivals, cool-climate wine-tasting to whale-watching and wreck-diving, Albany, at the heart of Western Australia’s glorious Great Southern region, makes a wonderful weekend escape.

Words: Anna Warwick

lbany’s peaceful streets and 19th-century facades frame the shores of Princess Royal Harbour, part of tranquil King George Sound, its pristine bays and beaches protected by rugged green headlands.

This unsuspecting corner of the world is as good a place as any to unwind, but while you’re here, you might want to try a few things...

1. SOAK UP SOME MARITIME HISTORY The National ANZAC Centre.

Thirty kilometres from the blustering southernmost point of Western Australia – Torbay Head in West Cape Howe National Park – Albany shares a latitude with South Africa’s treacherous southernmost point, Cape Agulhas.

But while Dutch ships skirted King George Sound from as early as the 17th century, they never stayed.

Tall-ship fans can explore the replica of the brig Amity – which arrived on Christmas Day 1826 from Sydney Cove, commandeered by Major Edmund Lockyer, with 45 brave settlers (23 of them convicts) aboard.

Although Albany was Western Australia’s first British settlement – Perth came three years later – the port escaped urbanisation through its proximity to forests and ocean.

The city’s would-be suburban sprawl

soon meets national parkland on either side, and to the north, a hinterland of golden wheat farms interspersed with vineyards stretches back to the low-lying Stirling and Porongurup mountain ranges.

These days the sophisticated southern end of the city is an hour from Perth by air, and there’s a rich history to discover when you arrive.

You can take a self-guided heritage walk along the Amity Trail and see some 50 colonial buildings, National Trust residences and cottages from the 1800s; investigate the Western Australian Museum; put yourself in stocks at the Old Gaol; and explore the award-winning Whale World museum, housed in Australia’s

last operating whaling station at Discovery Bay. Delve deeper, literally, and dive to shipwrecks such as ex-whale-chaser, Cheynes III, and the 133-metre-long destroyer, HMAS Perth.

2. PAY TRIBUTE TO THE ANZACS Set high atop Mount Clarence and guarded by a magnificent lighthorsemen monument, the National ANZAC Centre looks out to where the first convoy of WWI soldiers sailed forth from the Sound into the implacable Indian Ocean in 1914.

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getaway

Humpback and Southern Right whales gather in sheltered bays along the coast off Albany to romance and play.

Opened a century later, the museum features sensitive art installations evoking those soldiers’ experiences through original letters and postcards, and a remembrance gallery of names. Visit over the Anzac Day long weekend for spectacularly moving events.

Light-horsemen monument.

3. PRISTINE BEACHES At least five degrees Celsius cooler in summer than blazing-hot Perth, Albany is a breezy summer escape.

Hang out in a café or on the grass under the Norfolk pines at Middleton Beach (named after an ancestor of the Crown Princess of England) while the kids jump off the pontoon, or stroll around the headland along the six-kilometre Ellen Cove boardwalk and trail, dotted with lookouts.

Part of the stunning Two Peoples Bay Reserve, about 26 kilometres east of Albany, Nanarup Beach

Cable Beach in Torndirrup National Park. stretches in a seemingly endless sweep from Taylor Inlet, accessible by four-wheel drive and offering long strolls, swims and superb fishing. The reserve is also home to one of WA’s best beaches – Little Beach – with impossibly crystal-clear waters.

4. WHALE-WATCHING Throughout winter and spring, Humpback and Southern Right whales gather in sheltered bays along the coast off Albany to romance, 16

calve and play. Spot them just metres from shore or from clifftop lookouts in the area’s national parks. Board a charter from Albany during whalewatching season, then cosy up before a roaring log fire with a glass of red and a hearty meal.

5. EAT AND DRINK The land of the Great Southern region, of which Albany is the primary city, is fertile and abundant.

Its providores are prolific and

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Sweet scented wild flower pink myrtle Hypocalymma robustum in spring bloom.

Take a self-drive trail through fields of delicate rare blooms and hidden orchid beds.

international chefs are warmly welcomed. It is also an awardwinning wine region. True foodies might want to time their visit for the month-long Taste Great Southern festival in March.

In the meantime, you’ll find fine dining, hearty family restaurants and hipster artisan hangouts, bakeries, coffee roasters and tapas joints, and an excellent fish and chip shop, on York Street. Quaint portside cafés and pubs line Stirling Terrace.

The Great Southern Distilling Company makes world-class single

malt whisky, as well as vodka, gin, brandy and absinthe. The elegant Garrison Restaurant at the National ANZAC Centre offers spectacular views and cuisine.

Albany also boasts two of WA’s best weekend farmers’ markets, offering fresh produce, homemade jams, specialty cheeses and steaming hot French pastries.

Wine enthusiasts will enjoy a picturesque drive around the cellar doors in the Porongurups for coolclimate varietals such as Pinot Noirs and Rieslings.

A daytrip to Albany’s hip little sister city, Denmark, offers a choice of spectacular wineries set among soaring Karri trees. Stop for lunch at an alfresco winery restaurant and pack your hamper with goodies to eat along the way.

6. WILD BLOOMS In spring, the region is carpeted in colourful wildflowers. Take a self-drive trail through fields of delicate rare blooms and hidden orchid beds. Visit during the Great Southern’s Bloom Festival and enjoy these ephemeral jewels of the region through wildflower shows and heritage tours – along with ‘non-floral’ events including long-table lunches and bush poetry.

7. FESTIVAL CULTURE In February and March, shows from the Perth International Arts Festival program of performing arts fill the stunning Entertainment Centre on the Albany foreshore.

In May, the madcap Vancouver Street Festival invites retro unicycle rides, live music performances and street stalls.

The June long weekend sees bygone automobiles take to the streets for the Albany Car Classic.

Collectors flock to the springtime Southern Art + Craft Trail for authentic pieces, including works from emerging Indigenous (Noongar) artists.

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8. WALKING TRAILS The region has a long history of long walks – the Albany Highway was once a Noongar trade route between Perth and Albany, complete with freshwater springs to hydrate along the way. Serious mountaineers may tackle one of the world’s great longdistance trails, the Bibbulmun Track, hiking through scenic south-west countryside as far as the Perth Hills.

But all adventurers will find themselves drawn to the breathtaking fresh air – to Emu Point and the spurting Blowholes, the Gap and Natural Bridge rock formations in Torndirrup National Park.

A four-hour trail from Middleton Beach leads around Oyster Harbour to Two Peoples Bay Reserve. Take a shady walk or kayak along the Kalgan River, keeping an eye out for Ospreys and the rocky remnants of ancient fish traps.

West Cape Howe National Park is beloved by hikers, rock climbers and campers, with dramatic cliffs, isolated golden beaches, rock islands, rugged limestone outcrops and endemic flowers. Along with passing whales, you might spot dolphins, seals and sea lions.

Hop on your mountain bike for an off-road adventure through the 1,000-kilometre Munda Biddi Trail, the longest in the world. Or tackle the purpose-built Albany Downhill Mountain Bike Trail, taking on drops, jumps and wood beams as you hurtle along the coastal track.

Serious mountaineers may tackle one of the world’s great long-distance trails, the Bibbulmun Track.

The Gap, Torndirrup National Park near Albany. guided lessons or a tandem flight) over pristine Shelley Beach.

See how the wind is put to work at Albany Wind Farm, boasting 18 of the biggest turbines in the Southern Hemisphere. Kids will be entranced by the 35-metre-long spinning blades.

9. SAILING THE SEAS Sailing has always been a beloved pastime in breezy Albany – even the city’s Mayor is a keen sailor. Boats scoot around the sound all year long competing in races and events. Hop on a picturesque twilight sailing cruise of Princess Royal Harbour for a firsthand glimpse. Other big-ticket windy draws are paragliding and windsurfing. Glide like a bird (with

10. THE CONE, THE GONG AND THE BOWL Jet-lagged? Unwind at the sandalwood factory at Mount Romance. Relax in a darkened Native American-style teepee while breathing clarifying sandalwood oils and receiving ‘sound healing’ through the resonance of gongs.

21

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PUZZLES

SUDOKU Rating  (Moderate)

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9.

Quiz

2. As of 2015, how many people owned as much as the poorest half of the world’s population (ie over 3 billion people): 62; 6,200; 62,000; or 620,000?

3. The word ‘hongi’ is Maori for a traditional New Zealand: dollar bill; rugby victory celebration; striped sheep; or nose-to-nose greeting?

4. What autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark has the Internet top-level domain of .gl?

5. What ancient Greek’s name is given to the professional/ ethical oath of medical doctors: Plato; Hippocrates; Aristotle; or Alexander the Great?

6. What element (Au) commonly prefixes to the following: boy; opportunity; age; floor and rule?

7. The German surname and name-suffix Baum referred to living near or resembling a: tree; volcano; bog; or goat?

8. What is four-fifths divided by four-fifths: two-fifths; four-tenths; one-fifth; or one?

9. What is removed from natural yogurt to produce Greek yogurt (also called labneh [Arabic] and strained yogurt): salt; whey; water; or lumps?

10. The famous website franchise that offers entertaining, educational 18-minute talk videos is abbreviated to: DAN; BILL; TED; or BARRY?

12. What Latin word meaning ‘equal’ expresses a quality standard/norm (on or below or above etc), alluding to golfing performance?

13. What creature’s name is from the Greek for ‘river horse’: crocodile; elephant; hippopotamus; or donkey?

14. The atomic number of an element refers primarily and additionally to its: weight and density; speed and light; protons and electrons; or sound and vision?

CROSSWORD

THE ANSWERS

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

11. ‘Hock’ is a 19th century English term for a: German wine; Spanish Omelette; Dutch chocolate; or Russian doll?

Quiz © Businessballs 2016 / Sudoku & Corssword © Lovatts Puzzles

QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Smelly, Wimpy, Greedy 2. 62 3. Nose-to-nose greeting 4. Greenland 5. Hippocrates (hence Hippocratic Oath) 6. Gold (Golden) 7. Tree (e.g., a tall person) 8. One 9. Whey 10. TED (for Technical Entertainment and Design) 11. German wine 12. Par 13. Hippopotamus 14. Protons and electrons

1. Which three of these are not members of Disney’s ‘Seven Dwarfs’: Happy, Smelly, Grumpy, Sleepy, Bashful, Wimpy, Doc, Sneezy, Dopey, or Greedy?

ACROSS 1. Lovers’ squabbles 7. Undid (skirt) 8. Fear 10. Children 12. Rissole 14. Yemen port 16. Burlesque actress 17. Exerted (oneself) 20. Intensifying (of war) 23. Relieved 24. All of space, the ...

25. Situate

DOWN 1. Monotony 2. Become tattered 3. Unknown writer 4. Refreshments booth 5. Widening 6. Light-bulb inventor 9. Niggling worry 11. Documents fastener 13. ... sleeping dogs lie 15. NE US state 16. Personal money order 18. Dally 19. Director, Woody ...

21. Assignment 22. Prison



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From the editor...

Howdy travellers!

GROUP EDITOR Faye James faye.james@edge.agency ASSOCIATE EDITOR Danielle Chenery SUB-EDITORS Alarna Haigh, Merran White ART DIRECTOR Guy Pendlebury PRODUCTION MANAGER Brian Ventour CONTRIBUTORS Darren Baguley, Claire Bond, Deborah Dickson-Smith, Eddie Thomas, Stephanie Williams PRINTER SOS Print & Media ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Scott Hunt scott.hunt@edgecustom.com.au NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Peter Anderson peter.anderson@edgecustom.com.au NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Robert Desgouttes robert.desgouttes@edgecustom.com.au WA, SA and NT SALES REP Helen Glasson, Hogan Media Phone: 08 9381 3991 helen@hoganmedia.com.au

What’s your destination focus this month?

Foodies, don’t miss out on our two gourmet articles on biodynamic wines in Margaret River and Mudgee Food and Wine Festival. And, for a getaway to end all getaways, this issue we focus on the delights of Darwin.

If you’ve got kids, no doubt you’ll want some entertainment ideas. Check out our top family destinations for inspiration.

Have a great winter!

facebook.com/OUTthereMagazineAustralia @OUTthereMagAus

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Geoff Campbell MANAGING PARTNERS Fergus Stoddart, Richard Parker

Faye James and the OUTthere team

OUTthere is published by Edge Level 4, 10–14 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone: +61 2 8962 2600 edgecustom.com.au

Margaret River.

OUTthere is published by Business Essentials (Australasia) Pty Limited (ABN 22 062 493 869), trading as Edge, under license to MGI Publishing Pty Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the Publisher. Information provided was believed to be correct at the time of publication. All reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders. OUTthere cannot accept unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If such items are sent to the magazine, they will not be returned. Some images used in OUTthere are from Thinkstock and Getty Images.

1

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We also offer a 4-unit, fully online Graduate Certicate in Business which may be taken either as a standalone qualication, or as an entry pathway to our MBA. It is also suitable for those without an undergraduate degree. In addition to the generalist degree, specialisations are also available for those wishing to focus in particular areas such as Leadership, Resources, Finance, Entrepreneurship or Social Impact.

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To nd out more, speak to a specialist from our MBA team on (08) 6488 4999 or visit mba.uwa.edu.au

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contents

31

19

Issue 138 • June/July 2016

37

10 cultureclub

26 fishing

What’s happening around the country, from art and music to theatre and cinema.

We take a very special trip to Melville Island and catch a barra or two.

14 AC/DC

31 weekender

The legendary Aussie rock band gets their bourbon and cola on.

After a visit to Mudgee, we can say without doubt, it’s culinary reputation is well-deserved.

19 getaway

37 discovery

OUTthere gets to know Darwin’s main attractions including crocs, sunsets and amazing markets.

Planning what to do in the school holidays?

Check out our multitude of fabulous ideas.

22 food&wine

45 healthnews

Come with us to discover the biodynamic wines of the famous Margaret River region.

+

Top tips and the latest news for maintaining a healthy and happy lifestyle.

RegionalBusinessReview Mini-mag inside featuring all the latest news & views from around Australia, including: • Inside Mining • Investment

• Agribusiness • News & Reviews 3

planner

Out & About

MAY

27

Our top pick of events coming up around the country...

Vivid Sydney Sydney, NSW

OF NT NTH E EVE MO TH

MAY 27–JUNE 18 The world’s biggest festival of light, music and ideas will span 23 nights this year, its longest run yet. And it’s not just about the light art and illuminations; Vivid also includes world-class musical acts and inspiring talks and forums. Come and see Sydney’s landmarks, including the Sydney Harbour foreshore, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Customs House, Circular Quay, Taronga Zoo and many more, in a very different light. vividsydney.com

JUNE

JUNE

03

04

JUNE 3–12

Melbourne International Jazz Fest

Bringing soulful warmth to Melbourne’s winter, the 2016 Melbourne International Jazz Festival program is packed with performances from local and international jazz greats.

A celebration of the genre, this festival is a delight for the senses.

There’s something for everyone. melbournejazz.com

look

ahead

AUGUST 12–OCTOBER 5 Aladdin: The Musical Aladdin is Broadway’s new musical comedy, sure to delight nostalgic Disney and musical fans alike. aladdinthemusical.com.au

JUNE 4

JUNE

JULY

24

21

JUNE 24–26

Mullewa Muster and Rodeo, Mullewa, WA

Truffle Kerfuffle 2016, Manjimup, WA

It’s all red dust, rodeo action, country music and big outback skies at the annual Mullewa Muster and Rodeo on Western Australia’s Coral Coast. Enjoy tunes from a variety of country music artists.

There’s also a terrific variety of food and drink on offer. mullewamuster.com

Truffle Kerfuffle is an annual event highlighting the delectable food and wine of Western Australia’s fertile south-west – with truffles being the centrepiece, of course.

It also celebrates the area’s cultural diversity. Join truffle hunters and sample a variety of truffle dishes. trufflekerfuffle.com.au

AUGUST 25–SEPTEMBER 25 Kooza Kooza, the latest national tour from Cirque du Soleil, opens in Sydney at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. cirquedusoleil.com/kooza

else

where

JUNE 22–26 Glastonbury Festival The famous music festival teems with celebs... and mud, lots of mud. glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

JULY 21–24

DECOR + DESIGN 2016 and Australian International Furniture Fair (AIFF), Melbourne, Vic

Prepare to be inspired at this décor, design and furniture fair, open to any business or professional with an interest in interiors. Here, at Melbourne Exhibition Centre, you’ll find plenty of inspiration. decordesignshow.com.au

JULY 14 Bastille Day France’s national day is a fabulous celebration of blue, white and red. bastilleday.com

5

Must haves Our favourite products this issue are...

Kogan Combo Scanner (5 in 1) Digitally preserve old photos

$119, kogan.com

Victorinox I.N.O.X. Almost indestructable

$995, victorinoxwatches.com

6

musthaves

Collapsible dog bowls Feed pets anywhere

$49.99, yellowoctopus.com.au

Aircraft Window Solar Charger Allows charging mid-flight

$89.95, optocoonline.com

XY Find it Bluetooth Beacon Keeps track of any item

US$24.95, aickar-accessories.com

staff pick

Blackwolf Grand Tour 85L

Wheeled travel pack & daypack

$239.50, blackwolf.com.au

Picnic Pouch

Never use plastic forks again

ÂŁ15.95, annabeljames.co.uk

7

entertainment

Entertainment

download

The latest and greatest things to hear, see and read...

Adventure Junky

listen st picaff k

David Bowie: Limited edition picture discs Record collectors and Bowie fans; try to contain your excitement. Limited edition Bowie vinyls were released on Record Store Day (April 16, 2016), including a 40th anniversary version of Bowie’s TVC15 picture disc and The Man Who Sold the World. And it gets better: on May 20, Changesonebowie was also reissued on 180g heavyweight vinyl, CD and digital formats to mark 40 years since David Bowie’s first-ever best-of compilation landed in record stores.

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals: Call It What It Is Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals have reunited for Call It What It Is, their first record together in nine years, released in April 2016. Keyboardist Jason Yates says, “There’s an unspoken dialogue that runs steady through this album like a river. The feelings evoked by these songs are coming from the very depths of our souls.” This is the album that delayed the band’s Australian tour in February, now rescheduled for November. Fans agree it was worth the wait.

Welcome to Country

watch Goldstone

[no classification yet], Drama, Thriller Directed by Ivan Sen and starring Aaron Pedersen, Alex Russell, Jacki Weaver, David Gulpilil and David Wenham, Goldstone is an intriguing Australian drama that will have you on the edge of your seat right until the end. The film follows the journey of Indigenous detective Jay Swan, who arrives in town on what seems like a simple investigation.

All is not what it seems, however, and Jay’s investigation opens up a web of crime and corruption. In cinemas nationally on June 30.

read

App Store, free Perfect for travellers and locals alike, this app uses your phone’s GPS to deliver a ‘Welcome to Country’ message via a push notification. As you move around Australia and cross tribal geo-boundaries, you’ll get notifications welcoming you to the various areas. Wherever possible, a traditional owner (or elder) delivers the welcome, which highlights the many cultures and languages of Indigenous Australia.

HelloFresh

Smuggler: A Memoir

The Mountain Shadow

Central Station

Richard Stratton, Allen&Unwin, $29.99 Smuggler is the true account of the life of one of America’s biggest drug traffickers.

From Lebanon to the Caribbean, New England and the badlands of the USMexican border; from five-star Manhattan hotels to the brutality of prison and a 25-year sentence, we follow his story as his fortunes rise and fall.

Gregory David Roberts, Picador, $25

Jane Sale & Stephanie Coombes, HarperCollins, $32.99

8

App Store, free Not only can you use this app to browse and book adventures worldwide, it also acts as a social network connecting you to fellow travellers. Adventures include free self-guided options for weekends as well as fully guided international expeditions. The app also allows you to play, compete, connect and gain rewards. Available soon on Android.

Fans of Shantaram were thrilled to see its long-awaited sequel, The Mountain Shadow. Lin returns to a Bombay run by a different generation of mafia dons, with all new rules. Clear your schedule to immerse yourself in Lin’s world once more.

This book brings you true stories from people living and working on outback cattle stations across WA, the NT and Qld. This compilation shares the good and the tough times of station life.

App Store, free Google Play, free HelloFresh is a meal-kit delivery service that sends you all you need to make easy, delicious recipes in about 30 minutes.

This app allows you to sort recipes, save to favourites, rank and share. It also provides tips and tricks for recipes, stepby-step cooking guides and details of your next delivery and order.

cultureclub

CULTURE CLUB GOT A THING FOR THEATRE? LOVE LIVE MUSIC? ENJOY GREAT GALLERIES? READ ON FOR WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS MONTH...

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, BRISBANE

JUNE 1–9

From puppet wizardry to an upbeat doo-wop Motown score, all delivered by a talented Australian cast, Little Shop of Horrors has it all. In fact, it is one of the longestrunning off-Broadway shows of all time.

Now in its Brisbane leg, and soon to return to Sydney, this musical combines dark humour with irresistible music, making it perfect for a great night out. qpac.com.au

ba ne

stacffk pi

10

is Br rs, o r r o Little Shop of H

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, SYDNEY JULY 7–AUGUST 14

Singin’ in the Rain comes to Sydney’s Lyric Theatre in July, before splashing off to Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth later in the year. An all-Australian cast stars in this popular musical that does indeed include rain on stage. Sing along as Adam Garcia, Gretel Scarlett, Erika Heynatz, Jack Chambers, Mike Bishop, Rodney Dobson and Robyn Arthur brave the on-stage elements. singin.com.au

cultureclub

June 10–June 13 PEAK FESTIVAL 2016, PERISHER, NEW SOUTH WALES Celebrate the beginning of the Australian snow season at the eighth annual Peak Festival, held over the June long weekend at Perisher, NSW. There’ll be live music, DJ performances and, hopefully, snow. Taking place across 12 music venues in the Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes and Guthega Alpine Village, the festival includes music, fireworks and artists’ workshops. Your ticket also includes night skiing on Saturday night. cpeakfestival.com.au

Heathers: The Musical, Sydney

June 8–26 Revisit your years of highschool angst, but rest assured, this time it’s funny. Heathers: The Musical is on at the Playhouse Theatre, Sydney Opera House, with an infectious, energetic musical score and all the shoulderpadded, scrunchie-sporting bitchiness you can handle. Based on 1988 cult comedy Heathers (think Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty, Christian Slater) you’re encouraged to come dressed up in your best ’80s gear. sydneyoperahouse.com

ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL

June 10–25

One of the main festivals on the South Australian arts calendar, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival is now in its 16th year and has become the largest cabaret festival of its kind in the world. It’s a great excuse to get glammed up and see some of the world’s best cabaret performers, including local and overseas artists, all under one roof at the Adelaide Festival Centre. adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/adelaide-cabaret-festival

11

© National Maritime Museum

Exhibitions  StArt Up: Top Arts 2016

On exhibition at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, from March 11 to July, this free exhibition displays the works of 42 of Victoria’s best emerging young artists from VCE Art and Studio Arts. The works are drawn from 2,500 submissions, with portraiture a popular theme this year. StArt Up includes a People’s Choice Award, which you can vote for on-site. The winner will be announced in July. ngv.vic.gov. au/exhibition/startup-top-arts-2016  Ships, Clocks and Stars

– The Quest for Longitude

Running from May 5 to October 30 at the Australian National Maritime Museum, this exhibition displays nautical instruments that led to maritime history’s greatest scientific breakthrough: cracking the longitude problem.

A travelling exhibit from the National Maritime Museum, London, the exhibition tells the story of the search for better ways of navigating, and how longitude, clocks and stars proved to be the final pieces of the puzzle.

Above: A cut-away model of His Majesty’s Bark the Endeavour.

anmm.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/coming/ ships-clocks-stars

 Cindy Sherman

 Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori:

Dulka Warngiid – Land of All

This major Sally Gabori retrospective at Queensland Art Gallery will be on display from May 21 to August 28. Sally is a senior Kaiadilt woman artist from Bentinck Island in Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria. This exhibition displays her early paintings, abstract works, large collaborative works with other Kaiadilt women, almost monochromatic recent paintings and works on paper. The exhibition will travel to the National Gallery of Victoria from September 23 until January 31. qagoma.qld.gov.au/whats-on/calendar

Above: Cindy Sherman’s modern artworks will be showcased at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art between May and October.

12

qagoma.qld.gov.au

THE LIVING END

Tickets and tour dates available online now.

TOUR

Works by renowned New York-based artist Cindy Sherman will be on display at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) from May 28 to October 3. Including more than 50 large-scale works – including pieces from Sherman’s ‘Hollywood/ Hampton types’ series, ‘clowns’ series and ‘society portraits’, all created in the 2000s – this ticketed exhibition will also feature two series created with fashion houses Balenciaga and Chanel, and new works, created by Sherman this year and shown for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere.

June 10, The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley, QLD

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BPA does not guarantee or warrant, in any way, that any information it provides is complete, true, accurate or non-misleading. Nothing within this advertisement, or any information or representations made, constitutes or is meant to constitute advice of any kind; including legal, financial or taxation advice. You should consult the appropriate legal or financial professional. Any agreement or arrangement you enter into constitutes the full and complete understanding between you and any third party with respect to the subject matter of that agreement or arrangement. BPA has not made any agreement, warranty or representation, express or implied, in any way extending, defining or otherwise relating to the provisions of that agreement or arrangement.

specialfeature

One of the most legendary Aussie rock’n’roll bands finally gets their own Bourbon & Cola.

HELL FREE 14

© Ralph Larman

here are lots of icons in Australian music history, but there has never been another band like AC/DC. Not only did they establish Aussie music talent at an international level; their influence on musicians around the world over the past four decades has been immeasurable. There’s no doubt that AC/DC will go down in history as a pioneer of raw Aussie rock.

Australia punched out its fair share of great rock’n’roll acts but before AC/DC, none of them were groundbreaking enough to get recognised by the rest of the world.

AC/DC was the first band that really blew rock’n’roll out of the water. People were hungry for more: something harder, faster and louder.

AC/DC delivered and, as a result, they’ve been the epitome of hard rock for generations.

Many have tried; no-one has quite nailed it… until now AC/DC are iconic and always will be. Even the band’s persona conjures rebellion, passion and freedom – pretty much the ethos of rock.

Over the years, there have been many products released that have tried to harness the power of AC/DC, but nothing has hit the mark quite like these 10 limitededition AC/DC Bourbon & Cola collector cans.

We could go on and on about the palate, the nose and the finish, but at the end of the day, this is just a straight-up rockin’ bourbon, conveniently pre-mixed with refreshing cola, ready to go.

It’s simple and straight to the point – much like the five blokes outta Sydney themselves.

A new can will be released bi-monthly, each featuring a different AC/DC album cover.

It’s the perfect way to honour not just the band, but true Aussie rock’n’roll spirit. Who wouldn’t like to have a taste of authentic Australian rock memorabilia?

Paying it forward is very rock’n’roll AC/DC attribute most of their success to the ongoing support and dedication of their fans. This mantra is very much alive in each can of AC/DC Bourbon & Cola.

So why not be a part of it?

Gather your crew and start supporting the Aussie music scene. Head to the nearest bottle shop, grab some AC/DC Bourbon & Cola and become an active part of this movement.

EZES OVER

Show your support!

Show your support by posting pics of your wild nights with AC/DC Limited Edition Bourbon & Cola on letthereberock.com.au with the hashtag #showusurcans.

But don’t get the wrong idea – this is not only about you. This is also for the future of Aussie rock! That’s why we created the Let There Be Rock Fund.

Let There Be Rock: funding future Aussie rockers Basically, it’s like a ‘Golden Ticket’ for an up-and-coming band to make their big break into the music industry.

Winners of the AC/DC Bourbon & Cola Let There Be Rock Fund will receive a cool $10K in cash to kickstart their music careers, as well as a twoday recording session with Studios 301.

Whenever you #showusurcans, you’ll be helping add resources to the fund.

All in?

If you like to strum, scream or just beat the crap out of a kit – or know someone who does – this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Basically, it’s like a ‘Golden Ticket’ for an up-and-coming band to make their big break into the music industry.

The nuts and bolts are pretty simple.

All you have to do is submit a video of a killer cover version of any AC/DC song – all genres accepted – and upload it to your Vimeo or YouTube account.

Don’t forget to include the song’s name, credit it to AC/DC, and tag it with #showusurcans and #letthereberock.

Once you’re done uploading your awesome AC/DC cover, make sure you go to the Let There Be Rock Fund page at letthereberock.com.au to register your details and complete the entry.

It’s not every day that an opportunity like this comes along – a competition in

16

which the prize is influenced by true fans and the rewards are one-of-a-kind opportunities in the local music industry.

Best of all, the focus of all this conjoined effort is on supporting up-and-coming Aussie talent.

We’re changing the future of local rock’n’roll, one limited-edition AC/DC Bourbon & Cola can at a time. How sweet is that?

Grab yourself a can and help keep AC/DC-worthy Aussie rock alive!

For more information, visit letthereberock.com.au

© 2015 Boab Tree Estate Vineyards Pty Ltd. © 2015 Leidseplein Presse B.V. Under License to Perryscope Productions / Epic Rights.

specialfeature

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DARLING

DARWIN What’s not to love about this tropical Top-End city?

OUTthere explores Darwin’s main attractions.

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getaway This image: Beautiful Darwin from above; Below: Crocosaurus Cove offering the ultimate in up-close-andpersonal views of the world’s most ancient reptiles. amed after the naturalist Charles Darwin, the Northern Territory’s largest city is the heart of culture, nightlife and excitement in Australia’s Top End. With average temperatures resting in the high twenties throughout the year, life in Darwin centres on long, hot days that end with the sun sinking dramatically below the Timor Sea horizon, followed inevitably by long, hot nights.

When the sun goes down, the city’s famous Mindil Beach Sunset Market lights up. About 200 stalls offer handmade jewellery, clothing, arts and crafts, Thai massages, tarot-card readings and delicious international food, making Mindil Beach’s night markets the perfect place to stop for dinner. The market action is accompanied by street performers, buskers and bands playing live music into the night, culminating with the market’s dramatic finale: the fire show.

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The market is held on Thursday and Sunday evenings throughout the ‘dry’ season, May to October.

The Top End is croc country and nowhere is this more apparent than in Crocosaurus Cove. Claiming to house the world’s largest display of Australian reptiles, the cove offers visitors the ultimate up-close-andpersonal views of the world’s most ancient reptiles. Swim with crocs, watch a jaw-snapping ‘big croc feed’, visit the cove’s turtle sanctuary and, for a real thrill, enter the Cage of Death – billed as ‘Australia’s only crocodile dive experience’.

For a chance to see some of the Northern Territory’s 80,000-plus saltwater crocodiles in a slightly wilder environment, take a trip on the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise. As you make your way along the muddy waters of the Adelaide River, you’ll see some of these impressive predators demonstrating their extraordinary power as they leap from the water and attempt to snatch the food the tour operators dangle from the side of the boat.

For those worried about ending up as croc food and more interested in being at the other end of the food chain, the calm waters of Darwin’s Doctor’s Gully offer a much safer experience. Here, you can hand-feed the fish at Aquascene. The fish aren’t at all timid and will eagerly take bread straight from any outstretched hand they can see! Milkfish, mullet, catfish, bream, batfish, barramundi, wild rays and even the occasional brave parrot fish turn up to eat at Aquascene, so it’s definitely worth a visit.

When the relentless heat of Darwin’s days become too much, the city has several options for cooling off. Leanyer Recreation Park makes the enticing offer of three water slides to ride, an expansive main pool designed to emulate the beach with its sloping sand floor, and a water playground where at any time you run the risk of being caught under the torrential downpour of the tipping bucket. For those looking to stay dry, Leanyer also has an adventure

getaway

When the sun goes down, the city’s famous Mindil Beach Sunset Market lights up.

Bound Round

playground, a skate park and a basketball court.

Closer to the city centre is Darwin Waterfront, a lagoon that offers another stinger and croc-free place to splash about. The wave machine makes it a popular choice with the kids, while more experienced waveriders can grab a boogie board and ride the bigger waves found in the deep end.

To get a good grasp of the city’s layout and take in all the sights, landmarks and attractions of the Top End’s capital, climb aboard the Darwin Explorer. The hop-on, hop-off bus tour allows riders to design their own schedules with total freedom to take in the sights at their own pace.

The best part is the open-air top deck, where riders can enjoy the breeze and the best views on the bus.

If you’re in the Top End, it’d be a shame not to take a side trip to the remote Tiwi Islands, also known

as ‘the islands of smiles’. About 80 kilometres off the north coast of Australia, the Tiwis provide a unique view of Indigenous culture.

On the Tiwis’ Bathurst Island, visitors have the chance to see worldfamous Aboriginal artists at work, learn about the history and language of the local community at the culture museum, join in a traditional welcome smoking ceremony, and learn about the rituals of the islands’ Pukumani or totem-pole burial ceremonies.

Made up of two main islands, Bathurst and Melville, and a number of smaller isles, the Tiwis have protected their inhabitants’ individual culture by insisting that all visitors must be part of an approved, pre-arranged tour, allowing life on the islands to continue relatively undisturbed. If you venture beyond Bathurst Island (accessible via SeaLink ferry) you’ll also need a visitor’s permit.

For more recommendations on activities for kids across Australia and the world, get your kids to check out Bound Round, the app for families who travel. Bound Round is full of fun facts, games and video guides to all the best activities and attractions, narrated by local kids, the experts on what’s fun in their hometowns. Boundround.com

Above top: Enjoying the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets; Above left and centre: Visiting the Tiwi Islands is a chance to fully immerse yourself in Indigenous culture; Below: The stinger and croc-free Darwin Waterfront lagoon.

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Spir food&wine

Spiritual traditions

Stephanie Williams relishes the biodynamic wines of Western Australia’s Margaret River region.

Margaret River: where the beautiful West

Australian bush meets the sea, where the grapevines are kissed by salty air and where winemakers are adopting harmonious methods to produce fine biodynamic wines.

Using the principles set down by Austrian philosopher and architect Rudolf Steiner (1865–1925) in the 1920s, biodynamic wine is made by tapping into the ‘spiritual’ energy of the vineyard and using preparations made from manure and plant matter instead of potentially harmful chemicals.

If that all sounds a bit airy-fairy, don’t switch off just yet: biodynamic wines taste as good as mainstream wines – or better, depending on who you ask – and result from using more natural methods for growing the grapes used to make the wine.

What is biodynamic winemaking?

Biodynamics promotes harmony between the environment and the end product. In this case, the product is wine, but Steiner’s principles of biodynamic agriculture extend to anything a farm can produce.

Soil health is encouraged through practices that proponents of biodynamic farming say help balance microflora in the soil and eliminate external elements that might destabilise that balance.

Achieving a ‘natural balance’ in the soil enhances crops’ resistance to pests and diseases.

The idea is to return what has been taken from the vineyard, and to respect nature’s cycles – such as solar and lunar cycles – which proponents believe affect the flow of water and nutrients through soil, roots, leaves, flowers and fruit.

Vineyards in the Margaret River region respond well to biodynamic winemaking practices, say local

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viticulturists using biodynamic methods, because of the area’s beautiful sunny days, exposure to maritime influences and relatively dry environment.

Biodynamic preparations vary in their potency, depending on what they’re being used to combat.

Each preparation has a code number: Number 500, for instance, involves burying a cow horn filled with manure in the ground over winter, then mixing it with water to spray on the soil to replenish vital nutrients; Number 504 entails burying stinging nettles in the soil over summer, then digging them up and mixing them into compost to help with decomposition.

Biodynamic wines in Margaret River

Our first stop on Margaret River region’s biodynamic wine trail is Cullen Wines (4323 Caves Rd, Wilyabrup), where the Cullen family have been growing fruit since 1971.

Current winemaker Vanya Cullen decided to take her family’s already organic vineyard to biodynamic level in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since.

On the winery’s self-guided Biodynamic Spiral Garden Tour, visitors can learn more about biodynamic winemaking by seeing, feeling and reading about the various methods and preparations used.

Afterwards, book in for lunch at Cullen Restaurant, overlooking the vines, where all the food is either grown on site – meaning that it is organic and biodynamic – or carefully sourced locally.

Be sure to try the latest release of Cullen’s premium Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and Kevin John Chardonnay.

To make the most of your Cullen experience, sign up for a Premium Cullen Food and Wine Experience in the winery’s Private Tasting Room. You can also stay overnight at the Homestead.

Š Tourism WA

ritu Cullen winery, Wilyabrup.

Spir © Tourism WA

food&wine

Burch Family Wines is one of the largest familyowned wine businesses in Western Australia. Among its stable of labels is biodynamic range Marchand & Burch, the result of a collaboration between two friends: Burgundian winemaker and ‘biodynamic ambassador’ Pascal Marchand and Jeff Burch, vigneron and CEO. Pascal has more than 20 years’ experience in biodynamic winemaking in France, and the Australian viticultural team look to him for guidance on astrologically-directed timing of various tasks – such as planting – and biodynamic preparations.

It’s a match made in the heavens!

Call in to The Wine Chapel (543 Miamup Rd, Cowaramup) to try the Marchand & Burch range as well as the rest of the Burch Family Wines, including those under the MadFish and Howard Park labels.

Tours are by appointment only and take visitors behind the scenes to check out the winemaking process from vineyard to bottle at the company’s Leston Vineyard, one of its biodynamic sites, followed by a tasting of the full range.

Call 08 9756 5200 to book.

And while Cowaramup Wines, which produces biodynamic range Clown Fish, has no cellar door of its own, keep an eye out for their wines at the Margaret River Regional Wine Centre (9 Bussell Hwy, Cowaramup) and at top local restaurants and bars. cowaramupwines.com.au

Dining with a vineyard view

Vasse Felix (Caves Rd, cnr Tom Cullity Dve, Margaret River) has served lunch daily since it opened in 1989 – and since 1995, executive chef Aaron Carr has been at the helm.

This image and below left: Voyager Estate.

Voyager Estate is worth visiting for the architecture and gardens alone.

Regarded as one of Australia’s best winery restaurants, Vasse Felix is highly awarded. It has a fabulous view, and the on-site art gallery hosts a seasonal program of exhibitions featuring works from the celebrated Holmes à Court Collection. vassefelix.com.au Set among hectares and hectares of vineyards and housed in a South African Cape Dutch-style building, Voyager Estate (Stevens Rd, Margaret River) is worth visiting for the architecture and gardens alone. Whether you linger over a degustation lunch or simply taste something from the seasonal menu, designed around what’s growing in the estate’s kitchen garden, make sure you try the wine – especially anything from the Tom Price collection. voyagerestate.com.au

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getaway Melville Island

A very special

FISHING Keen to catch a big barra? One of your best chances to land one could be on a fishing trip to remote Melville Island Lodge in Australia’s Top End. WORDS: EDDIE THOMAS

y son James had been away from home for two years and was coming back to Australia. I was also returning after travelling for some time around Europe. We decided we needed some time together and it didn’t take us long to decide that a fishing trip to Australia’s Top End was what we wanted to do – both of us love our fishing!

“

Some Google searching unearthed Melville Island Lodge in the Tiwi Islands and we booked ourselves in for a four-day fishing trip.

From Darwin, it’s a 30-minute flight to Melville, one of two main islands in the Tiwi group. The flight itself is memorable – sitting in the light plane with just three other fishermen, flying across one of the most beautiful parts of Australia.

Landing at Melville Island’s small airstrip, we’re greeted by our hosts, Lindsay and Karen, who drive us the short distance to the lodge.

They say first impressions are lasting impressions and when we arrive at Melville Island Lodge, we get all the right impressions. The purpose-built lodge occupies a prime position on the island, high on the water’s edge, with sweeping views over beautiful Snake Bay and the Timor Sea. It has a wonderful reception area with a licensed bar, lounge and restaurant.

Here, over a few ice-cold beers, Lindsay gives us a rundown on the key features of the camp and what is planned for our next four days. We then get to meet our fishing guide, Matt Dorter, who takes the trouble to ask us what type of fishing we want to do. Then we retire to our air-conditioned rooms to change – which, after the intense heat, is a welcome relief.

The lodge rooms are well appointed and very comfortable. On fishing trips, you expect the accommodation to be somewhat rough, but this is not the case at Melville Island Lodge. Everything about the lodge is first-class – to such degree that I could even see my wife, Karen, staying here, enjoying the glorious

Trying to explain what it’s like being at the Top End of Australia on a beautiful sunny morning is difficult: it’s simply stunning, and you never get bored with your surroundings – it is that special.

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getaway

views and unspoiled environs while I fished.

Spruced up, it’s back to the lodge restaurant for dinner, and what great food it is. Prepared by Mick, the on-site chef, the food is good and there’s ample choice, with fresh local fish always on the menu. There’s also an excellent wine list. It’s a great start to our trip – and we haven’t even put a lure in the water yet.

The next morning, our alarm goes off at six; there’s a full breakfast at seven and we’re on the water about half an hour later.

Trying to explain what it’s like being at the Top End of Australia on a beautiful sunny morning is difficult: it’s simply stunning and you never get bored with your surroundings – it is that special.

The fishing boat is very well equipped: all the fishing tackle you need is supplied and all of it is in top condition.

So where are we going to fish first?

Matt says it’s a little early for barramundi and suggests we go and look for jewfish. James has never caught jewfish and says they’re on his ‘fishing bucket list’. Matt takes us over a reef and we attach our lures and jig for jewfish.

Within five minutes James is onto one. His first fish of the trip weighs 32 pounds (14.5 kilograms). And it’s a jewfish (see photo)! I can’t tell you how excited he is. Matt is almost as thrilled and he obviously enjoys watching his clients catch fish. What a start to our first day on the water!

Throughout the day, we continue to catch fish, including some prized barramundi. After more than nine hours out on the water, we head back to lodge for a quick shower and freshen-up before another excellent dinner.

There are three other groups at the lodge during our stay. One group of four says that by the end of their time at Melville they’d caught more than 35 different types of fish.

The best fishing story we heard all trip was from a group of eight Audi managers who were given a fishing trip to Melville Island Lodge as a reward for a job well done.

On their first day of fishing, Alan (see photo) caught his first-ever barra,

a 102-centimetre-long whopper. Alan didn’t seem to have any idea of the significance of what he’d just caught.

He had joined that exclusive club of fisherman who’ve hauled in a metre-pluslong barra.

Some people – like me – fish for years in the hope of joining that club and Alan does it on his first day fishing!

That evening, Lindsay and Karen gave a special presentation for Alan, who they think probably still went to bed wondering what all the fuss was about.

Am I jealous? Hell yes.

We spend another three days fishing and in that time we catch a wide array of fish. Among them, I manage to reel in a 30-pound-plus [13.6-kilogram] jewfish and an 80-centimetre barra. All too soon, it’s the last cast of the trip. Our guide says, “This is it, guys,” and we ask for just one more cast, in the hope that we might just get that 100-centimetre barra before it’s over.

My son and I agree it’s been a fantastic trip – and not just because of the great fishing. The whole experience has been memorable, from the comfortable accommodation to the superb food and wine, to the warm and thoughtful way we’ve been looked after by Lindsay and Karen, for whom nothing seems too much trouble. In fact, the entire trip has been very special.

The Tiwi Islands group is one of the most remote and most beautiful places in Australia. The scenery is stunning, so even if the fishing is quiet, you’ll still have a great time just experiencing your environs.

I have travelled extensively in my lifetime but this part of the world never ceases to excite me.

So if you’re thinking of going to the Top End to chase barra, mixed in with some fantastic blue-water fishing, consider making Melville Island Lodge your base. You will not be disappointed.

For bookings and enquiries, contact Nigel Baxter at Tiwi Islands Adventures on 08 8947 3366 or 0457 162 472; via email at fishing@tiwiadventures.com.au; or visit the website, tiwiadventures.com.au

Quick Q&A: Melville Island Lodge’s 38-year-old fishing guide, Matt Dorter, is from Perth and has been a fishing guide for nine years.

Best thing about being a guide at Melville Island Lodge: “Meeting people and watching them catch their first barra.”

Best advice you can give guests: “Listen to your guide!”

Worst time for you as a guide: “When fish decide not to play.”

Best thing about the lodge?

“The remote feeling it gives you.”

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suitable habitat for them. For each starfish a pair of male and female harlequin shrimp were directly released onto them. Unlike other species their beautiful bodies have stunning coloration with the body being a pinkish white or white with large purple edged pink spots indicating that it may be toxic for natural predator to prey on.

However, the real predators are humans whose activities have resulted in coral reef damage and decimation of the population of these shrimp, sometimes trading them for aquarium collections..

12th Clown Fish Conservation Project at Pimalai Resort & Spa, Koh Lanta, Krabi Province, Thailand ogether with the Thai Fishery Department, Pimalai held the 12th annual clownfish release on March 19th, 2016 at Koh Haa. This stunning archipelago is located just a few kilometers west of the resort. Tens of well-loved ‘Nemos’ were releasedy into underwater cages which allow the fish to adapt themselves to their new environment.

This also helps them to survive predation from other fish once they are free to fend for themselves. As in previous years, a growing number of passionate volunteers took part in this enterprise that has now

become a favorite talking point among both locals and visitors. A main objective of releasing these clownfish is to make people realise how human activities can interfere with the very survival of at-risk species such as the clownfish.

This year, in addition to clownfish, there was a release of some harlequin shrimp (also commonly known as ‘clown shrimp’) with the intention of reintroducing this rare species within the archipelago. Harlequin shrimp feed only on starfish, a commonly found species on this archipelago which makes this area a

“A main objective of is to make people realise how human activities can interfere with the very survival of at-risk species such as the clownfish” The annual project aims to trigger awareness with the local people in a hope that they will stop catching these fish for sale as “aquarium pets” and start to appreciate and respect our valuable, yet fragile,environment. It is hoped that eventually Koh Haa will be recognized as a fish sanctuary. The project has been run jointly by Pimalai Resort and Spa since 2005 together with the 5 star PADI Scubafish@Pimalai dive center. This year again we were pleased to receive a generous sponsorship from the well-known Thai Company B.GRIMM Group.

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weekender

Mouth-watering

MUDGEE We visit the historic New South Wales town to find out what all the fuss is about.

Words: Deborah Dickson-Smith

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weekender

ver the past decade or so, the historic country town of Mudgee has established itself as a premium food and wine destination. There are chic boutique hotels and guesthouses, more than 30 cellar doors and an increasing number of gourmet cafés and restaurants.

Each month, the region celebrates its local produce at the Mudgee Farmers Market, and each year it showcases its produce to the rest of the country at the annual Mudgee Wine & Food Festival, which kicks off with a one-day ‘pop-up’ festival at Sydney’s Balmoral in mid-August.

This year, there’s a growing focus on the concept of ‘slow’ food and ‘slow’ winemaking, as Mudgee’s producers and restaurateurs embrace organic methods and the region’s fine local produce.

Lowe Wines.

Mudgee’s must-visit

cellar doors

Here are our picks for the best cellar doors to visit in Mudgee.

Lowe Wines Lowe Wines is an organic vineyard and winery specialising in small-batch winemaking. Its Mudgee vineyards are un-trellised, un-irrigated and certified organic, and they produce distinctively individual grapes, most notably of the Zinfandel variety.

Owner and winemaker David Lowe, a champion of the ‘slow wine’ movement, has been working in the wine industry since he was 15 years

Over the past decade or so, the country town has established itself as a premium food and wine region. old, cutting his teeth at Rothbury Estate in the Hunter Valley and spending five vintages in Bordeaux, France, as a flying winemaker.

“If you’ve got a bottle of wine and you shake it vigorously, treat it badly, you would expect it to react and not to be as pleasant to taste. Wine needs to be made and treated with respect and as gently as possible.

“To us, that’s the concept of slow winemaking, and it starts in the vats, as we extract the colour and the flavour by hand. This slow process continues in the barrel as the flavours are extracted and oaks added slowly and gently.”

Logan Wines cellar door.

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Logan Wines Winemaker Peter Logan started Logan Wines with his late father Mal in 1997. Some of their most popular varietals include the premium sparkling Vintage ‘M’ Cuvée, the quirky and popular Weemala range, the affordable Apple Tree Flat and the winery’s newest range, Ridge of Tears, which makes heroes of the best varietals of the region.

© Amber Hooper

weekender

Winemaker Peter Logan.

“Druim nan deur is Scottish Gaelic for ‘Ridge of Tears’, the old Logan clan war cry. It’s an apt name for a wine that has aged this winemaker. Ridge of Tears showcases two Shiraz wines from Mudgee and Orange, showing just how good they can be and how different they are.

“In order to make the best possible Shiraz, we grow the grapes on the best sloping sites; we restrict the vines to low yields to achieve perfect balance and concentration; we ferment the grapes in open fermenter tanks, which we plunge by hand and then basket press before mellowing in oak for 12 to 15 months.

And now they’re bottled, the tears are happy ones. Let the ageing begin.”

Robert Stein Winery and Vineyard Robert Stein is located just a short drive from the centre of Mudgee.

With a winegrowing family lineage dating back to 1838, the vineyard produces award-winning red, white and fortified wines.

Burnbrae Wines Established in 1968, Burnbrae is well known for its award-winning wines, historic Winemaker’s Cottage, old Peppertree (a popular backdrop to many a function and wedding) and its annual Black Tie extravaganza.

Robert Stein Winery.

Sam from Zin House.

Robert Stein Winery.

Where to find the best

slow food in mudgee You really are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining out in Mudgee, but here are a few standouts.

The Zin House Owner/chef Kim Currie’s hatted restaurant is housed in a farmhouse on the grounds of Lowe Wines,

overlooking the Zinfandel vineyard (hence the name).

Having spent the past 30 years cooking, marketing and living among regional food, Kim’s focus is on local, seasonal produce. Her set menu includes dishes such as pork terrine with figand-plum relish, slow-cooked lamb with roasted vegetables and apple pie with brown-sugar ice-cream.

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weekender

Pipeclay Pumphouse.

Pipeclay Pumphouse Food at the Pumphouse, which is located at Robert Stein Vineyard, is either homegrown or locally sourced, with chef Andy Crestani changing the menu from season to season, depending on what’s growing in his vegie patch.

“My menus are designed and created to pay homage to the land that surrounds us and the produce that it provides. I use simple techniques that accentuate the freshness of the produce.”

Expanding Andy’s paddock-toplate philosophy, Pipeclay Produce was launched in 2014. Free-range pigs graze happily in the pastures surrounding the vineyard before becoming delicious smallgoods such as prosciutto, pancetta, coppa, smoked ham and truffled salami.

Roth’s Wine Bar Having been licensed since 1923, Roth’s has one of the oldest wine bar licenses in Australia and it’s a firm favourite with the locals – and the local winemakers, who you’ll often find here comparing notes over a glass or two. The menu uses the pick of local produce, with a selection of tapas and wood-fired pizzas.

Eltons Eating + Drinking Eltons really is a Mudgee icon. The heritage-listed building that houses it was built in 1896 and was originally home to family-owned Elton’s Pharmacy, until 1992, when it was converted into a café.

The Eltons Eating + Drinking concept is the dream-child of returning locals Brent Rowlands 34

Roth’s Wine Bar. and Dani Eldred, who launched the current incarnation in 2014. Head chef Blake Joseph has put together a casual and ever-changing menu with an emphasis on share plates and using local produce where possible.

Celebrating mudgee’s

food and wine

Mudgee Wine & Food Festival returns to Balmoral Beach on Sunday August 14.

It’s the longest-running regional wine and food affair in Sydney, and a great introduction to the region’s produce. Mudgee Wine Festival runs

from September 9 to October 3 and features plenty of cellar door events including live music, special lunches and dinners, the Mudgee Wine Show public tasting and the extremely popular Go Grazing event.

Go Grazing, held on September 10, starts at 6.30pm with a ‘meet and greet’ with local producers. Guests get to graze on two courses of canapés and desserts, expertly matched to local wines.

At Flavours of Mudgee, in the Mudgee CBD on September 24 from 4pm, you can enjoy dinner in the street while tasting local wine with the famous clock-tower as your backdrop.

Mudgee Wine & Food Festival – mudgeewine.com.au Mudgee Farmers Markets – mudgeefinefoods.com.au Mudgee Region – visitmudgeeregion.com.au

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FAMILY HOLIDAYS

Looking for the best family holidays out there? Check out our recommendations around Australia – from laid-back beach breaks to outback and ‘adventure’ destinations. un-baked deserts and snowy mountains, packed beaches and outback towns, glittering cities and World Heritagelisted rainforests, ridges and reefs: Australia literally has it all. And with the country’s

sheer size, it has it all, all at the same time.

Whether it’s a week of adrenaline-fuelled adventures you’re after or a just a beach, a book and a big blue sky, you can bet that somewhere in this ‘wide

brown land’ you’ll find just what it is you’re looking for.

Each state and territory has its own highlights and hidden gems, so we’ve put together a brief guide to top spots around the country for an unforgettable family holiday.

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getaway

QUEENSLAND With ancient rainforest, an aweinspiring reef sheltering a myriad of marine critters, and Australia’s best theme parks, Queensland is non-stop adventure.

Up in Tropical North Queensland (TNQ), you have warm weather yearround, fragrant mango groves and the hotspot holiday destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas. Gateway to two UNESCO World Heritage-listed areas – the Wet Tropics of Queensland (incorporating the ancient Daintree rainforest) and the Great Barrier Reef – TNQ is an outdoors destination that

The Great Barrier Reef.

Mossman River, Daintree National Park.

will likely result in everyone having constantly wet hair and going home with countless happy memories.

Further south, Queensland’s Gold Coast is Australia’s theme park capital, with roller-coasters, water parks, surf beaches, bustling tourist-crowded streets and plenty of thrills for even the most adventurous of adrenaline junkies. Dreamworld and Warner Bros.

Movie World are the ultimate choices for roller-coasters and top-notch entertainment, while WhiteWater World and Wet’n’Wild are the major players when it comes to ambitious and exhilarating water slides.

Not to be forgotten, Queensland’s capital city, Brisbane – known affectionately to the locals as BrisVegas – is all about culture, fun and festivals, with manmade ‘beaches’, lush Botanic Gardens, art galleries, markets and everything in between.

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discovery

NEW SOUTH WALES While it’s impossible to talk about a holiday in Australia without mentioning the glitz and glamour of the sparkling harbourside city, New South Wales has a lot to offer outside the Sydney metro area.

Stand on tippy-toes at the most easterly point of the country in northern NSW’s Byron Bay. Byron is the quintessential beach town – home to an historic lighthouse, windswept coastal walks, great beach breaks and plenty of opportunities to spot passing whales in season. Known as a ‘hippy’ destination, Byron is the place to don a rash vest, board shorts and thongs and learn to surf.

Follow the beaches down to the NSW Central Coast and you’ll find... yet more terrific beaches. In fact, life on the Central Coast is all about sandy toes, sunscreen and salty skin.

There are lots of great coastal towns in which you’ll get a really authentic taste of Aussie life by the sea and some terrific national parks nearby.

Yet another in the long list of Australia’s World Heritage sites is the beautiful Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, named for its distinctive blue haze and dramatic natural rock formations. Once you’ve glided high over the Jamieson Valley on the

40

The beautiful Three Sisters, Blue Mountains, NSW. Scenic Skyway, traipsed along the 2.4-kilometre-long Scenic Walkway or hurtled down the mountainside via Scenic Railway, there’s lots more to see and do: the Blue Mountains are criss-crossed with walking trails and dotted with quaint villages and pretty lookout spots that are definitely worth a visit.

Fancy a bit of camping? Head to the crowd-free sandy white beaches of Tathra, on NSW’s south coast. Frankie Holden owns one of the top resorts here, Tathra Beachside, and its luxury beachside shacks are the perfect place for glamping with the fam.

Penguins on Phillip Island, Victoria.

VICTORIA Frankie Holden‘s Tathra Beachside shacks.

Packed with art-filled alleyways, cool-kid coffee shops and galleries and museums to wander through to your heart’s content, Melbourne is a city where you can really soak up the culture.

A favourite daytripping destination is activity-packed Phillip Island, less than two hours’ drive south-east of the city, where kids will be run off their feet, there are so many options to choose from – including the chance to see the island’s resident little penguins on their nightly parade from ocean to burrow.

Or head west out of the city towards Torquay and the start of one of the world’s most iconic coastal stretches: the winding Great Ocean Road. Take

discovery

FAST

F

ACT S occu o far, the patlo o n site ldest Blue shelt Mountain found in t er at he s is in dates King’s Tab a rocklelan bac 14,00 k 22,000 d that 0 yea a rs ag nd o

Take an unforgettable sunset camel ride along Broome’s Cable Beach

in kilometre after kilometre of waves crashing onto rocky crags and sandy shores, stopping to check out quirky roadside villages and awesome views as you make your way past Bells Beach, Lorne and Apollo Bay, heading for the craggy spires of the famous Twelve Apostles.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Stunning Ningaloo Reef, WA.

It’s year-round sunshine in WA’s capital Perth, which means whenever you decide to make the trip you can look forward to exploring the Great Outdoors. A daytrip on the ferry to Rottnest Island is a good time-filler, where kids can run around looking for the photogenic quokka and the grownups can relax knowing that the entire island is car-free.

A real pearl in Western Australia’s oyster, Broome is a chilled-out sort of place that is ideal if you’re after a holiday where you can kick back by the pool, learn about pearling history, go bush in the surrounding national parks and take an unforgettable sunset camel ride along Broome’s Cable Beach.

And if you thought that the only reef worth visiting in Australia was the Great Barrier Reef, think again.

WA’s glorious Ningaloo Coast offers crystal-clear water perfect for viewing the hundreds of fish and coral species that call Ningaloo reef and marine park home.

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discovery

NORTHERN TERRITORY The Northern Territory is so enormous that it encompasses both the dusty Red Centre and the croc-infested Top End. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are definitely worth a visit, if for no other reason than to stand in silence, simply staring for a while. The area surrounding the world’s largest rock offers a wealth of

Indigenous cultural experiences, thrill rides through the desert on a HarleyDavidson, the opportunity to meet some friendly camels or just a chance to see a wide desert sky full of stars while listening to dingoes howl.

Further north, Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park on dry land and – you guessed it – another one on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The park is home to some of the world’s

Seeing the majesty of Uluru is a bucket-list experience.

oldest records of any group of people, as well as scenery so spectacular it has to be seen to be believed.

Finally, as you reach the very top of the country, you hit Darwin, the Territory’s largest city and the capital of ‘croc country’. No visit here is truly complete without a trip to see these ancient predators at any one of the area’s many croc parks. Seeing crocs up close will thrill big and little kids alike.

Follow up with an unforgettable night of international cuisine and (occasionally bizarre) live performances at the famous Mindil Beach Sunset Market.

Bound Round

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© Destination NSW

For more recommendations on activities for kids across Australia and the world, get your kids to check out Bound Round, the app for families who travel. Bound Round is full of fun facts, games and video guides to all the best activities and attractions, narrated by local kids, the experts on what’s fun in their hometowns. Boundround.com

Older kids can get up close to the ancient predators at Crocosaurus Cove, Darwin.

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CRANBROOK IS A WORLD CLASS SCHOOL WHICH ENCOURAGES AND ENABLES ALL OF ITS STUDENTS TO EXPLORE, ENJOY AND FULFIL THEIR POTENTIAL Set on a beautiful campus overlooking Sydney Harbour, Boarding at Cranbrook offers boys a supportive home with exceptional facilities and expansive sporting grounds. Our Boarding Housemasters and their families live on site in our two boutique Boarding Houses and prepare our boys to fulfil their talents, flourish and exercise influence in a rapidly evolving and challenging world.

Boarders are at the heart of Cranbrook life: they contribute generously to School, grow in confidence and experience, enrich their horizons and discover their talents.

For further information please visit www.cranbrook.nsw.edu.au Cranbrook is an Anglican independent day and boarding school for boys, Pre-school to Year 12 in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

HEALTH NEWS

healthnews

GOAT-A-LICIOUS! For delicious goat’s milk ice-cream, look no further than Mr Goaty. With amazing flavours such as lemon curd, honeycomb and lavender, and cacao and coconut , you’ll have to restrain yourself from devouring a tub or two once you sample them.

With a lighter consistency than cow’s milk, goat’s milk is ideal for those who find it hard to digest lactose. Perfect for parties and events, Mr Goaty has its own gelato cart and can turn up and serve up yummy goat’s milk ice-cream to your hungry masses. mrgoatygelato.com.au

3 Reasons to eat low-GI foods According to Sheila Zhou, expert scientist at USANA , “Many people don’t understand the significance of incorporating low-GI [low-glycaemic index] foods into their diet, but it’s an easy way to maintain good health and improve your blood glucose levels. As low-GI foods are digested slower, there are also numerous other health benefits that could significantly improve your quality of life.”

1

Keep hunger at bay. As low-GI foods take longer to digest, they provide a continuous supply of energy from meal to meal, without the sharp rise and fall of blood glucose. This helps control hunger, so you won’t feel like eating all the time.

To maximise the benefits of not over-eating, space your meals evenly throughout the day (ideally, eating every three hours).

2

Help keep blood sugar levels stable. If you’re looking for ways to keep your blood sugar levels stable, low-GI foods are a great option as they provide a slower, more sustained release of sugar into the bloodstream.

3

Assist with heart health. Many foods that are low-GI also include ingredients that help your heart to function at an optimum level, such as omega-3 and unsaturated fats. By adding foods such as berries and nuts to your diet, you are consuming antioxidants while maintaining a healthy balance of ‘good’ fats in your body, therefore helping your heart.

The ultimate health destination

Fancy a luxury health getaway for you and your family and friends? Head to the super-luxe AQUA, based on its own private beach in the Whitsundays. Here, your guests can indulge in: • a fully fitted-out gym with ocean views; • a kayak station; • a teppanyaki pavilion, with your own personal Japanese chef to cook you healthy meals; • a Gran Turismo cruiser for Great Barrier Reef expeditions and Whitsunday islands exploring; • a private beach for yoga sessions; • a private rainforest for meditation; and • a 40-metre-long pool for swimming laps.

For more information, visit luxehouses.com.au 45

Ben Klaas sen, mem ber

of the Firs t

XV and bo arder from Mooroob ool

Downlands is the school of for

choice

Learning Co-curricular Agriculture Boarding Downlands has a unique history, beautiful surroundings, a distinctive spirituality and unequalled character. Our 38 hectare campus, including an onsite Rural Centre, is located 20km from the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport Call our Enrolments Coordinator, Catherine Mims on 07 4690 9500 to book your personal tour

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THE MAKING OF

CHAMPIONS ocated in the picturesque Darling Downs, coeducational boarding school Downlands College has a rich and successful history in many sports. Great athletes such as Tim Horan (rugby), Will Power (motorsport), Chris Burton (equestrian) and Laura Clemesha (netball), have all walked the grounds of the College.

This sporting excellence continues today with a new generation of stars coming through Downlands. Many students have been selected for Regional, State or Australian representative teams in a variety of sports, including rugby, athletics, football, futsal, netball and cricket to name a few. Two such students, Lachlan Prince (Year 11) and Caitlin Williams (Year 12) have both attended Downlands since Year 8 and successfully made a mark in their chosen sport.

Day student Lachlan, a passionate cricketer, was last year selected in the U16 Australian team against Pakistan and prior to this, competed in the U12, U15 and U17 Queensland teams. In addition to these commitments, Lachlan is also a member of the Downlands First XI team.

Lachlan is keen to keep playing cricket at an international level and knows what he wants to achieve, “I am hoping to make the U19 Australian team later this year, and ultimately play professionally”.

Hailing from a property in rural South West Queensland, boarding student Caitlin is the third child in her family to attend Downlands. She has represented both Queensland and Australia in futsal over the past four years, and was recently part of the Downlands U16 Girls Futsal team that placed Fourth in the Australasian Championship.

Caitlin also plays for, and captains, the Girls Firsts’ Futsal and Football teams.

“Without Downlands I would have never had access to such great co-curricular opportunities. All of my coaches believe in our abilities and steer us towards success,” Caitlin said.

This year also ushered in a new era of rugby at Downlands, with past student and ex-Wallaby Garrick Morgan

announced as the new Director of Coaching. Garrick is looking forward to mentoring young Downlands students and their coaches to achieve great results.

Downlands Principal, Mr Stephen McIllhatton believes that the College has created a positive and supportive environment for those seeking to pursue sporting activities. “Our balance between, co-curricular activities, academic pursuits and personal growth is what draws students seeking success in their particular area to the Downlands community. We encourage students to not only focus on one area of interest, but all pursuits in life,” Mr McIllhatton said.

Downlands is a founding member of QCIS (Queensland Combined Independent Colleges). In addition to regular fixtures across a wide range of sporting activities, students can access personal trainers from the Academy of Fitness and High Performance at the onsite College gym.

Without Downlands I would have never had access to such great co-curricular opportunities.

Above from left: Lachlan Prince was selected in the U16 Australian Cricket team that recently played against Pakistan; Former Wallaby’s Elton Flately (second from left) and Garrick Morgan (middle) run Isaac O’Dempsey, Jack Daly and Henry Houghton through their paces during a recent First XV rugby training session; Caitie Williams has represented both Queensland and Australia in futsal.

47

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AGRIBUSINESS

MINING

EDUCATION

PLUS...

The latest news, information and innovations from the agriculture industry

Helpful insights and fascinating facts about the Australian mining and resource sector

Insights into some of the best education institutions in the country

Motoring review Agribusiness events Cattle forecast And more...

RegionalBusinessReview Issue 10 – June/July 2016

MOVING

BOUNDARIES The advent of autonomous vehicles is creating new safety issues on mine sites across Australia.

autoreview

THE THRILL OF THE NEW WORDS: KEN KOERNER Welcome the all-new Audi R8 V10 Plus.

The old king of useable supercars is dead. Long live the king!

S

upercars are not supposed to be particularly user-friendly. For many everyday purposes – popping down to the shops for milk, say – dusting off your Ferrari 488, McLaren 675LT or Pagani Huayra is a bit like using a bazooka to kill the cockroaches in your pantry.

Effective? Well, sure. More trouble than it’s worth? Definitely.

This isn’t a deterrent to sales. “This could be annoying at the Macca’s drivethru” isn’t the sort of phrase that occurs to your everyday Huayra buyer. But it is a deterrent to using the car once it’s been purchased and that’s a shame, because no matter how radically styled they are, cars are meant be driven, more than looked at. And supercars are meant to be driven most of all.

There are a few exceptions. Some supercars are at least genuinely serviceable as daily drivers. The Porsche 911, for example, has long been amenable enough to call ‘utilitarian’ without Germans laughing at you and not just because Germans rarely laugh. But it basically stood alone until September 30, 2006 when Audi launched the first-generation Audi R8.

Audi’s halo, mid-engined, two-seat super-coupe soon joined Porsche’s iconic rear-engined sports car as a beast sufficiently capable of producing facemelting track times but also willing to mind its manners on a (slightly OTT) commute.

The R8 would evolve to edge ahead of Porsche’s halo car – not just in gruelling distance racing, where it cleaned up from

2

RegionalBusinessReview

Le Mans to Bathurst to the Nürburgring, becoming perhaps the finest endurance track car of its era, but for that most common of requirements.

It was equally happy to pop down to the shops for milk.

So there was a lot of pressure on this, the second generation of Audi’s finest creation – the car that sets the brand’s image from the very top down. And it arrived at a time when there’s a lot of pressure on Audi generally. The marque, let’s face it, hasn’t had the greatest of years – at least in PR terms.

While the heat has gone out of the 2015 controversy around VW’s nefarious ‘defeat device’ software (Audi is but one arm of Volkswagen Group’s multi-marque empire, which includes Škoda, Porsche, SEAT, Ducati, Bugatti, Bentley and Lamborghini; after VW, Audi was most prominently affected), the issue remains unresolved.

Globally, it’s been a kick in the guts – which will probably end up costing the company more than US$50 billion.

And 2016 was a big year anyway, with both a new R8 and new Audi A4 due.

The A4 is, if not its bread and butter, then the Ingolstadt marque’s most important car; the mid-size luxury flagship for a company that’s been making 20 per cent year-on-year growth in Australia for a decade.

autoreview

Audi is now nipping at the heels of BMW – and Mercedes, the Volkswagen Group has been bold enough to declare, is only a few years further ahead.

It’s a cliché to say that pressure makes diamonds. But whatever the impetus, Audi has one less thing to worry about – because its second-generation R8, while not as flamboyantly styled as some of its contemporaries, is a brilliant, brilliant car (as is the new A4 – but that’s another story).

The first-generation R8 evolved from the Audi R8 LMP, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five of the six years it was entered – winning every year from 2000 to 2005 except 2003. For the first time, however, this second-generation car was developed from scratch at the same time as its track-going version, the Audi R8 LMS.

The car that sets the brand’s image from the very top down.

RegionalBusinessReview

3

autoreview AUDI R8 V10+ SPECS ENGINE: 5204cc 10cyl, dohc, 40v MAX POWER: 449kW@8,250rpm MAX TORQUE: 560Nm@6,500rpm TRANSMISSION: 7-speed dual-clutch 0–100KM/H: 3.2sec PRICE: $389,400

Audi R8 LMP, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five of the six years it was entered.

It shows. While not identical, the two are definitely twins.

Consider the chassis – or, in Audispeak, the Audi Space Frame. Consisting of 79 per cent aluminium and another 13 percent carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP), the new Audi R8’s chassis has a 95 per cent correlation with that of the LMS. They also share 50 per cent of their parts, including – spectacularly – twin 5.2FSI V10-plus engines.

As in the previous car, race technology such as dry-sump lubrication crosses over to the production model, bolstered this time by extensive CFRP in the bodywork (the LMS’s outer shell is 100 per cent CFRP; the R8’s is augmented by aluminium, alloy and clearcoated carbon fibre).

Other numbers are more useful as pub boasts: gearshifts in the hundredths of a second; each brake horsepower in the V10-plus lugging just 2.3 kilograms of car.

Of course, race cars are defined by tenths of seconds and the R8 V10-plus road car and the Audi R8 LMS share an identical 0–100km/h time of just 3.2 seconds (3.5 seconds in the Audi R8 V10).

The production car weighs 1,454kg; the track demon 1,225kg. The difference in weight and shared times are explained, incredibly, by the road car actually generating more power than its pure-sport sibling – 4

RegionalBusinessReview

449kW compared to 430kW – as the LMS’s kilowatts are capped by race regulations.

Top speeds are 320km/h for the V10, 330km/h for the V10-plus and 305km/h for the LMS (again curtailed by race rules).

Yet, as per that trip to the shops, it’s behind the wheel where the secondgeneration R8’s true character is revealed.

And you needn’t even be moving.

On top of this, the all-new Audi R8 drips with cutting-edge technology, from the cockpit to the aerodynamics, through the suspension to the drivetrain, to the materials and the brakes.

Take its Audi Virtual Cockpit, for example, perhaps the cherry on top. It’s a fully digital instrument cluster with three customisable settings (you can have large speedo and tacho dials in ‘classic’ mode, or smaller dials to allow more real estate for nav or multimedia displays between them, or a pure-track, massive – and cool – central single speedo/tacho).

Or its swathes of buttery leather, hectares of carbon fibre or kilometres of Alcantara.

The R8 has a reputation as the world’s most useful supercar for good reason. It’s a phenomenon of brutal power capable of the most delicate touches; a machete with a scalpel’s dexterity. An elegant, live-withable machine, just as capable of devouring

track rivals as of nipping down to Woolworths (albeit rather quickly).

The last gen was tremendously flattering, unmatched in its ability to convince noobs they could be the next Stig.

This gen continues the deal. Charge into a corner too fast? No problem: the R8 ducks and springs and finesses you through, nary a drop of sweat. Brake too late? Find 12 fourth-turn apexes where the pros reckon there’s just one? It’s got you, bro, you’re good. Sink the foot and whip through, adrenaline fizzing, heart in throat.

It’s not just because the R8 has incredible balance, all lithe and preternaturally balanced, or because it’s blessed with quicksilver steering and gratifying steering feel. It’s because of Audi’s trump card: quattro.

The principle behind Audi’s famous all-wheel drive system has been unchanged for 35 years, while improving on each iteration. This car brings its most remarkable version ever.

You’ll want to take it everywhere.

To Woolies. To the beach. Skydiving. Into space. Wherever. You won’t just schlep it to the shops. You’ll sleep in it. You’ll never want to get out.

Which is just as well. Because you’ll have to sell your house to buy one.

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agribusiness

SLAUGHTER RATES AND HERD STABILITY: 2016–2017 OUTLOOK WORDS: CLAIRE BOND

Matt Dalgleish, Market Analyst with Ag Concepts Advisory – Mecardo, spoke with Claire Bond about current female slaughter rates and what this means for the stability of the Australian herd and beef prices. He also provided expert insights into the outlook for Australia’s cattle industry in 2016 and 2017: In 2015, analyst and Mecardo colleague Angus Brown looked at the turn-off rate for female cattle in Australia and came to the conclusion: ‘If the current rate of female cattle slaughter is maintained, there will be no cattle left in seven years’ time.’ That’s a big call, but what did he actually mean?

Brown was highlighting the point that female cattle slaughter, at its current levels, cannot be sustained without significant impact on the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator.

According to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) projections for the 2016 season, the Australian cattle herd 6

RegionalBusinessReview

is expected to bottom out in 2017, with a forecast of 25.9 million head, while slaughter is forecast to reach a low of 7 million head (a reduction of 250,000 from previous projections) before increasing from 2018 onwards.

That means less beef in the Australian market and higher prices for local consumers for at least the next two years.

Figure 1 highlights the expected yearly change in cattle slaughter, and although Mecardo anticipates that the herd rebuild phase will kick in this year, cattle supply is still forecast to decline.

The 2016 season is set to see a 15 per cent fall, to be followed by a decline of eight per cent in 2017 before production starts to increase from 2018. As the herd rebuild gets underway, experts expect to see a decline in cow slaughter as the focus shifts toward retention of heifers. In addition, robust prices will encourage producers to focus as much as possible on increasing marking rates.

The changing dynamic of slaughter

makeup as herd rebuild gets underway (i.e. the smaller proportion of females to steers slaughtered) is anticipated to flow through to increased carcase weights.

Indeed, MLA projections have made an upward revision to average carcase weight forecasts, with recent figures two to three per cent higher than previously.

Average carcase weight in 2016 is now expected to be 286 kilograms (previously 278 kilograms) and is anticipated to increase to 295 kilograms by the end of the decade, 11 kilograms higher than previous projections.

Tight supply is likely to encourage processors to seek out a regular supply of heavier stock to limit the effect that lower numbers will have on production, while strong prices should motivate producers to enhance weight gains, thereby supporting high numbers of cattle on feed.

Figure 2 highlights the relationship between cow slaughter numbers and the impact this can have upon the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI).

agribusiness

As the graph demonstrates, the peak in female slaughter usually coincides with the EYCI bottoming out. Similarly, troughs in female turn-off rates tend to occur as the EYCI reaches a peak.

As we anticipate female slaughter rates to continue to decline over the 2016 year, we expect that the EYCI will continue higher in 2016, although more moderately than what was experienced in 2015.

The anticipated fall in slaughter is not quite unheard of, but it is very large.

While local supply does impact prices, the main driver remains export markets as Australia exports more than 70 per cent of its beef.

The relationship between cattle slaughter and the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) premium or discount is surprisingly strong. Figure 3 shows a straight-line relationship, with higher Australian cattle slaughter resulting in

a commensurately larger EYCI discount to the 90CL. Obviously, this means that the lower projected slaughter rate will result in a smaller discount, or the EYCI might even move to a premium.

Figure 4 plugs MLA’s slaughter forecasts into the equation shown in Figure 3, also showing where 2015 finished up. Interestingly, in 2015 we saw the EYCI sitting above the trend line. This was dragged higher by a rapidly falling 90CL at the end of 2015 and a steady EYCI, which has seen the EYCI start 2016 at a premium.

The 90CL/EYCI discount model suggests that the EYCI should sit at an average discount of 20–25¢ in 2016 and at a 40–50¢ premium in 2017.

These forecasts should be relatively close to the mark, which leaves the question as to where the 90CL price will sit over the coming year or two.

Only time will tell.

Cattle outlook 2016: key points • Australian cattle herd and production numbers are expected to decline in the coming season.

• The proportion of cows to steers in total slaughter rate is anticipated to decline further as the Australian herd rebuild gets underway.

• MLA is forecasting a much tighter supply of Australian cattle over the coming year, which should see cattle prices supported relative to export beef indicators.

• An EYCI downside does exist but seems limited, with a large upside dependent on a rally in US export prices.

RegionalBusinessReview

7

events

AGRICULTURAL EVENTS ROUND-UP COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA AGQUIP FIELD DAYS

The nation’s biggest marketplace for agricultural and rural products and services, CBA AgQuip Field Days runs for three days annually in August.

First held on Gunnedah Showgrounds in 1973, AgQuip expanded so rapidly that in 1977, a site was purpose-built to accommodate it around six kilometres west of town on the Lincoln Plains, at the heart of one of Australia’s most diversified agricultural regions.

At 2016’s AgQuip , about 3,000 ag-related companies will converge on the site to launch new farm products and services to an expected 100,000-plus visitors, with representatives on hand

THE AUSTRALIAN SHEEP & WOOL SHOW 2016

Billed as ‘the biggest show of its kind in the world’, The Australian Sheep & Wool Show turns regional city Bendigo into the epicentre of woollen fashion, top-flight fibre and fine food for three days in mid-winter.

“The Australian Sheep & Wool Show is a major sheep exhibition … and Victoria’s major stud venue,” says Australian Wool Innovation chairman Wal Merriman.

Since 1877, the Sheep Show has been a showcase for the nation’s leading wool and prime-lamb producers. These days, it attracts more than 5,000 visitors, from farmers and supply-chain service providers to fans of woollen fashion.

An action-packed program features Australia’s best sheep breeders, shearers, sheepdog trainers and wool handlers in an array of hotly contested competitions. Watch top shearers in action and marvel at the skills and cunning of kelpies, heelers and border collies in the hugely popular sheepdog trials.

to explain and demonstrate equipment, answer questions and discuss the finer points with prospective buyers.

A gigantic showcase for new ag-related equipment, technology and services – from weed-killing robots to automated harvesters, solar PV panels to farmer-focused finance – AgQuip also provides useful feedback to designers, manufacturers and service providers.

“Many a designer has gone back to the drawing board after long discussions with the savvy consumers at Australia’s premier primary industry field days,” says Barry Harley, general manager of Rural Press Events, AgQuip’s organisers.

For more information, visit the official AgQuip 2016 web page at farmonline.com. au/events/agquip

This is also the place to check out the best fleeces in the country and compare 28 different breeds of sheep, goats and alpacas. Kids can get up close and personal with cute and woolly farmyard creatures in the animal nursery.

At the show’s Festival of Lamb site, you can join cooking, sausage-making and carving classes, and sample some of Australia’s best lamb.

The ‘Women of Wool’ series celebrates women’s important role in the industry: don’t miss its highlight event, the perennially popular Women of Wool luncheon.

There are also Woolmark and Australian Wool Innovation fashion parades, ‘wearable woollen art’, a market of hand-crafted woollen goods and exciting entries from top Woolcraft competitors.

For more information and program details, visit sheepshow.com and bendigofestivaloflamb.com.au

COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA AGQUIP FIELD DAYS

WHERE: AgQuip site, 134 Blackjack Rd, Gunnedah, NSW (Access from Quia Rd or the Oxley Hwy).

WHEN: August 16–18, 2016, 9am–5pm Tue/Wed, 9am–4pm Thu (public). AgQuip HQ is open 7:30am– 6pm all three days.

ADMISSION: Free

THE AUSTRALIAN SHEEP & WOOL SHOW 2016 WHERE: Prince of Wales (Bendigo) Showgrounds, Bendigo, Victoria WHEN: Fri July 15–Sun July 17, 2016, 9am–5pm Fri/Sat, 9am–4pm Sun ADMISSION: $22 1-day pass; $55 3-day pass (discounts for students, pensioners, families and groups)

RegionalBusinessReview

9

insidemining

Helpful insights and fascinating facts about the Australian mining and resources sector.

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news+views MAPTEK UPGRADES BOOST EFFICIENCY Leading mining technology, data analysis and modelling software provider, Adelaideheadquartered Maptek, has announced the release of the latest version of its keystone Vulcan and I-Site™ Studio products.

Maptek Vulcan 10 contains a wide range of new and enhanced applications for modelling and analysing data. Datasets keep on getting larger as more and more data becomes available, so Maptek has built in performance upgrades to allow mining professionals to work more efficiently with large datasets.

The company has also introduced new scheduling tools for its evolution planning software. The dynamic cut-off grade approach optimises material movement,

which in turn maximises project value.

Evolution can be applied across planning horizons from short-term to life-of-mine planning.

The latest version of I-Site Studio 6 features advanced tools to streamline survey data modelling, analysis and reporting.

The new CAD, geotechnical and geology tools, auto-registration and scan alignment, complex surface modelling and waviness analysis will help surveyors, geologists and engineers complete projects more quickly and efficiently.

Maptek has also upgraded blast modelling and validation tools in its BlastLogic product.

“Maptek is continually developing new technologies to match the change-up in industry requirements for scenario planning

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and sophisticated data analysis,” said general manager North America, Rob Hardman.

DUBBO RARE EARTH MINE APPROVED AZL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alkane Resources, has cleared the final regulatory hurdle after the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted an environmental protection licence for the Dubbo Zirconia Project.

The Dubbo Zirconia Project is located 25 kilometres south of the large regional centre of Dubbo in the Central West region of New South Wales, and is touted as a $1 billion project. Construction of the mine will create 450 jobs and once it is in production, it is expected to produce 30,000 tonnes of rare metals and rare

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The idea behind The Dragon Group originated from our Managing Director, who has gained over 10 years’ experience & proficiency within the construction industry across Australia.

Coming to realise a genuine requirement for saving time and assisting in the process of people management, he soon turned entrepreneur and began challenging the national labour hire giants of Australia with Dragon, now growing 2x a year!

The secret to our success? Our strong company culture drives towards being the best labour hire service out there! No hidden surprises, with us, what you see is what you get and we make sure to deliver our promises from start to finish.

The Dragon Group addresses the currently broken communication and process between bringing together labourers and contractors within the construction world, working from a completely honest and friendly approach. As heard on Triple M radio, The Dragon Group have some dramatic

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Providers of a seamless labour hire service, Dragon acts as the dedicated middle-man in partnering up luxury construction projects with excellent trades. From the outset, The Dragon Group’s relentless approach has lead them to consistently earn new business and work with some of Australia’s most esteemed construction firms.

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The Dragon Group have some dramatic transformations set in the pipeline for 2016

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earths annually and to employ more than 250 operations personnel for at least 20 years.

The zirconium hafnium, niobium (tantalum), yttrium and other rare earth elements the mine will produce are used increasingly in the high-technology devices we take for granted, such as computers, tablets, smartphones, rechargeable batteries, hybrid and electric cars, GPS systems, sonar and lasers, as well as in fluorescent and LED lighting, wind turbines and solar cells, cancer and arthritis treatments and pipelines.

Over several years, Alkane has developed a flowsheet consisting of sulphuric acid leach followed by solvent extraction recovery and refining to produce several products. These include proving the process at demonstration pilot-plant scale and providing product samples for market evaluation.

The mine is expected to commence

production in 2018 and will make Alkane a strategic and significant world producer of zirconium, hafnium and rare earth products.

CEO, Ms Sandra Gillanders.

“To win nine awards in less than a year is a thrill,” said Ms Gillanders, who has been with the company for four years.

“It’s an honour to receive such positive peer recognition and endorsement within Australia, just as we’re gaining a global reputation.”

The specialist for blast-hole drills is showing no signs of an industry downturn and is actually positioning itself for significant growth and expansion . The partnerships with CQ Field Mining Service and GB Auto will allow mine sites to access Hy-Performance products quickly within their regions, and will mean services on site.

“It’s not all doom and gloom in the mining industry, and exports to the growing mining markets of Latin America and Africa provide a real opportunity for Australian companies,” Ms Gillanders said.

DRILLING BUSINESS GEARS UP WITH AWARDS AND PARTNERS In the wake of the company and its CEO picking up a swag of awards, Queenslandbased Hy-Performance Fluid Power has signed two new partners, CQ Field Mining Services and GB Auto Electrics, to service its customers in the Bowen Basin and Hunter Valley.

The company’s nine awards include the Austmine Award for Excellence in Export, the Small Business Champions Growth Award and the Australian Training Award – Small Employer of the Year along with a series of Stevie® Awards for Women in Business for its

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spotlight

TRAINING

AND EDUCATION MINING IS A CYCLICAL INDUSTRY, AND MEETING THE NEEDS OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION IN THE INDUSTRY IS NO DIFFERENT. WORDS: DARREN BAGULEY

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IT’S DIFFICULT to turn on the news these days and not hear about declining commodity prices. There can be little doubt that the mining industry has come off the high of its boom and is now in the midst of the counter-cycle. As with all

“There has been a rapid growth in the profession during the years of the boom but the uptake of mining engineering places is dramatically down. It’s a core skill for our industry and a lead indicator that in a few years from

“Our resources are still attractive to importing countries. Our commodities are high quality, we’re politically stable and we’re dependable in terms of supply – a good partner country.” other segments of the industry, the downturn is having an impact on education and training.

According to the Minerals Council of Australia’s executive director of workforce skills, health and safety Dr Gavin Lind, the most notable change is in the professional sense.

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now, when Australian mining will be primarily volume-driven, we won’t have enough graduates coming through.

“It’s cyclical and part of the winding down of the mining boom.

The number of undergraduates pursuing mining engineering is directly linked with commodity

prices. For a young person making a decision now to pursue an engineering degree, they only see the news on commodity prices; they don’t think of the three- or fouryear lag and what the employment market might be like then.”

Independent chair of SkillsDMC, Steve McDonald, is a little more upbeat than Lind.

“There needs to be a note of caution when considering terms such as boom and bust. When it comes to metres drilled, for example, the statistics are showing similar levels to 2012. So there is some discussion whether the mining industry is in a bust or whether it’s just back to normal.

Indeed, according to the Fraser Institute, Australia is still the number-one country for mining investment.”

Nevertheless, with the downturn, mining companies are looking at production costs and

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seeking improved efficiencies. From a broader perspective, Australia has to continue to look at what is going to give us a competitive edge, says McDonald.

“Our resources are still attractive to importing countries.

Our commodities are high quality, we’re politically stable and we’re dependable in terms of supply – a good partner country.”

Lind agrees. “Commodity prices and technology are the main drivers of trends in education and training in the mining industry right now.

The new normal is all about having a lower cost base, a cost base low enough so that it’s not affected as dramatically by the price cycles.

Australian mining companies are doing this through extraordinary innovation.”

While part of this innovation is supported by a multi-skilled workforce, McDonald cautions that some particular trades, such as electricians, are so vital to a mine site that they have to stand alone.

“Nevertheless, there has been a change in technology and, as a result, jobs change as well. Multiskilling is happening, but it’s more at management rather than at a technical level.

“But for new entrants to the industry it’s important to build a good solid foundation for a crosssection of skills. It’s not as easy

as it sounds; there is a tension in the industry, in that the formal education and training is based on a perception that a qualification equals a set of skills. The reality is that it’s a good starting point but there needs to be greater rigour applied, whether someone possesses the skills to work effectively in a zero-harm environment.”

Just as Lind has identified a shortage of mining engineers

“There will be fewer people at sites, and automated trains moving product through ports, and we need to plan for that transition.” down the track, McDonald sees a shortage in key skills such as drilling and shot-firing.

“We’ll need those skills in 2017, but the education and training needs to start now,” he contends.

“Companies that don’t plan are planning for their demise.”

Lind also warns that it’s going to be necessary to plan for training

and educating people for the mines of the future. Automation and remote working is making huge inroads into the industry but while there is a threat, there is also an opportunity.

“The mine of the future will need people with diagnostic skills and people to maintain equipment,” he says. “Indeed, for some automated trucks, the maintenance schedule was higher because the program didn’t have the driving skills of a human and was harder on the machine.

“Over time, there will be fewer people at sites, and automated trains moving product through automated ports, and we need to plan for that transition to deliver the sorts of skills that will be needed.”

Similarly, Lind sees an industry characterised more and more by big data, real-time access and remote or autonomous operations.

“When it comes to mining engineers, companies would like to see graduates come out with more IT skills but the reality is there is probably not any room in the undergraduate curriculum, so smart students are taking electives in IT or doing post-graduate IT courses,” he says.

“Either way, it’s a good thing, as it’s building a more creative workforce for the industry.”

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Now is the time to follow your passion for Engineering Be part of a university ranked in the top 2% of all universities worldwide ^ As a new world university, CDU gives you wider latitude to follow your passion for Engineering to enhance people’s lives in innovative ways. Our supportive, adult-friendly culture lets you study a degree part time, full time, online or on campus.

We’re the only Australian university to have both undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications accredited to the European EUR-ACE® label system and by Engineers Australia. This means you can take your career in civil and structural, electrical and electronics, mechanical or chemical engineering just about anywhere in the world.

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Scholarship Success for CDU Engineering Student A CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY HONOURS STUDENT’S RESEARCH IS AIMING TO HELP DRAIN FLOODWATERS FROM RICE PADDY FIELDS IN A REGION OF EASTERN INDONESIA.

epalese engineering student Bijay Lamsal recently received a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering, which represents almost every university in Australia and New Zealand.

Bijay’s project involves designing and engineering ways to help drain rice paddy fields in Sumba, Eastern Indonesia and testing its water samples at Lucas Heights in Sydney.

He can then determine whether the floodwater was caused by groundwater or rainwater to improve our understanding of how to prevent and manage flooding of food crops.

“With the aid of the scholarship, I can explore more possibilities for my research,” Bijay said.

He said he was interested in civil works and building projects and planned to work in the construction industry after graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil).

CDU received EUR-ACE® accreditation for its Bachelor of Engineering Science in 2014, the first university in Australia to do so. The university also received the accreditation for its two-year Masters program.

The accreditation means that graduates of these programs will have their qualifications recognised in most of central and western Europe.

Head of Engineering at CDU Professor Friso De Boer said the German accreditation body, ASIIN, awarded the EUR-ACE® label system, which identifies high-quality engineering degree programs in Europe and abroad.

He said the EUR-ACE® system was internationally recognised and facilitated both academic and professional mobility.

“It also facilitates application to EUR-ACE® master and

doctoral programs in other institutions,” Professor De Boer explained. “In countries where the engineering profession is regulated, EUR-ACE® labelled programs meet the educational requirements for becoming a registered or chartered engineer.”

He said the EUR-ACE® accreditation was in addition to accreditation by Engineers Australia which, through the Washington Accord, provides recognition for CDU engineering programs in many other countries including the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

At CDU, teaching programs have a strong research, design and innovation thread with diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate courses in engineering on offer.

Research focuses on areas related to biomedical engineering, mechatronics, microwave photonics, mining technology, oil and gas, parameterized complexity, renewable energy, structural engineering, wireless technologies, water engineering and 21st century learning spaces.

With a personal and interactive learning environment undergraduate and postgraduate courses allow for an immersive experience.

For more information about CDU engineering programs visit www.cdu.edu.au/studyengineering

“graduates of these programs will have their qualifications recognised in most of central and western Europe” RegionalBusinessReview

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MINING SAFETY:

VEHICLES THE ADVENT OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IS CREATING NEW VEHICLE SAFETY ISSUES ON MINE SITES ACROSS AUSTRALIA. WORDS: DARREN BAGULEY

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he advent of autonomous haul trucks on some Australian mining sites may represent a step change in how mines operate; however, humans in vehicles on mine sites will be with us for a long time yet.

RCT provides remote-control technology for automating bulldozers, drill rigs and haul trucks. The company’s senior business development manager, Phil Goode, points out that “the big story is fleets of trucks being automated, but there are 1,600 to 1,700 active mines globally and only a handful of those have automated haul trucks”.

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There has been a lot of uptake of automation in other areas, however, says Goode. “Automated drill rigs, jumbos et cetera are where we are seeing customers taking advantage of automation. Because better drilling, then blasting improves the entire mining process: better blasts [mean] easier digging, [leading to] more tonnes moved per hour.

“The implementation of that technology means there is now a lot of focus on tracking people going onto a mine site, and there has been a lot of discussion by regulators about proximity detection systems,” he says.

While proximity detection systems are common in South America and South Africa and are currently mandatory in the

United States of America, Goode questions whether this will happen in Australia.

“Australia is a high-wage country with a small population and our mine sites just have less people on them than mines in other countries,” he points out.

Another issue that will hold back automation in some areas is mine site access.

Some sites in the more remote parts of Australia have public roads running through them and “you even have people with caravans on the lease at times”, says Goode.

“And [with automation], the level of control you have over the site is critical,” he notes. “Underground is a much more controlled work

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environment, where miners take full advantage of automated loading and haulage.”

Autonomous haul trucks are really being used only by companies and mines operating at the cutting edge.

Drop down from the BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Vales of the world and it will be years before autonomous vehicle technology comes down in price enough for it to be affordable for ‘junior’ mining companies, says Immersive Technology ’s executive vice-president – sales and support, David Anderson.

And even the sites with automated haul trucks still employ light vehicles, graders, water trucks, wheel loaders, shovels and excavators, all of which have operators in them.

This in itself has created a number

of safety issues, says Anderson.

“The first thing that happens is that there may be fewer operators still in the pit or underground, but their roles are more complex,” he explains.

“In an environment like a mine site, if you increase the complexity of a role you need to train people, and that’s where simulation and virtual classroom technology helps. You can take operators and supervisors through ‘what if’ scenarios, rehearsals of procedures et cetera, and that makes a big difference.”

The other big change is that interactions between operator-driven and autonomous vehicles are much different to interactions between operator-driven vehicles.

On a mine site without automated haul trucks, a haul truck operator

would call up the grader, water truck et cetera on the radio. They would then coordinate between them when it would be safe to pass or do whatever evolution they needed to do.

With automated haul trucks there are now new rules of engagement and procedures, and this is one of the main challenges of automation, says Anderson.

“Operators need to learn new procedures but you’re hardly going to drive a grader or a water truck up and down a haul road while the operators learn how to interact with automated haul trucks.

“This makes training even more critical and it is where simulators come into play. We use both our driving simulators, which replicate the environment of a grader,

“even the sites with automated haul trucks still employ light vehicles, graders, water trucks, wheel loaders, shovels and excavators, all of which have operators in them”

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water truck et cetera; and desktop simulators, where an operator has a touchscreen and sees an aerial view of [the] mine. Both these types of simulator give the operator the opportunity to practise what they do at different stages without having to set foot in the truck or grader.”

Apart from the obvious safety benefits, Goode thinks that tracking devices can make people more productive.

“Most people don’t want to work unsafely and if we fit a device to a person or a machine, they will feel safer and more confident,

and they’re going to be better at their job.”

The other interesting fact with regard to automation, Goodes notes, is that often, sites need to be redesigned to accommodate the technology, which results in best practice being applied.

“Ultimately, [the automation technology that’s being deployed today] can cut costs, make mine sites safer and [make] jobs more productive. It also creates better jobs for miners because they’re less manual, and better jobs for service people because they have to upskill to manage the latest technology.”

“Automation technology that’s being deployed today can cut costs, make mine sites safer and jobs more productive.”

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Cost-effective

components Availability of components is critical to sustaining the productivity of machines and mine operations. Old and faulty equipment also presents a safety issue that cannot be ignored.

The industry may be experiencing a downturn but Caterpillar’s Reman – remanufacturing – program has some cost-effective solutions to keeping equipment and operations running smoothly.

Caterpillar has increased its Reman mining major component inventory in Australia to meet the demands of today’s market.

The company’s remanufacturing program is based on an exchange system whereby you return a used component (core) in return for Caterpillar’s remanufactured products. Cat Reman offers a sustainable and expert approach to machine and component rebuilds, providing solutions with potential to save up to 60 per cent on the price of an equivalent new part, with a same-as-new-parts warranty.

The Reman components are factory remanufactured using the latest technology and utilising genuine Cat parts, and include all critical engineering updates, delivering as-new performance and long life. The company’s simple core acceptance criteria allow a quick determination of core credit, alleviating the need to have to wait for or guess repair costs.

According to Andrew Ransley, Mining Regional Manager at Caterpillar, “full engines and drivetrain components are available through our extensive Australian dealer network of 71 branches and also held in Caterpillar’s Melbourne and Queensland Distribution Centres”.

“Caterpillar is also backed up by an extensive global distribution network to get customers back up and running quickly.”

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On completion, SunCentral Maroochydore will become Australia’s first fully integrated “smart city”

SunCentral Maroochydore will be Australia’s first greenfield CBD

OPPORTUNITIES

ABOUND Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is fast becoming a vibrant and sophisticated city-region, offering some of Australia’s most exciting investment opportunities, a magnet for smart enterprise and an idyllic lifestyle.

PRIME LOCATION

Part of South East Queensland, the fastest-growing region in Australia, the Sunshine Coast is perfectly positioned for business, with access to major transport networks, export infrastructure and a proposed undersea broadband cable. In addition to its own busy airport (servicing more than 900,000 people), the Sunshine Coast has direct road and rail connections to an international airport, seaport and large domestic markets. The Sunshine Coast also services a broader catchment – more than one million people.

SURGING POPULATION

The Sunshine Coast has experienced sustained population growth over the past 10 years, more than doubling in size to over 280,000 people. The region is forecast to grow to more than 450,000 by 2031, with one of the highest forecast growth rates in Queensland and the 10th largest city area in Australia. Infrastructure Australia recently identified the region as one of five city areas, along with state capitals, that will be the core focus of national economic productivity.

STRONG ECONOMIC GROWTH

Since 2001, the Sunshine Coast’s economy has nearly doubled in size, with an average annual economic growth rate of 4.05 per cent – higher than the national average over that period.

Significant public and private investment has been committed to large-scale projects including a $1.8 billion tertiary teaching hospital campus opening in 2017; a $1.3 billion highway upgrade; and residential projects such as Aura (which will house 50,000 people) and Palmview (which will provide 8000 homes). And then there’s Maroochydore’s SunCentral – Australia’s only greenfield CBD, which will add a whopping $4.4 billion to the region’s economy over the life of the project.

www.invest.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

The Sunshine Coast has more than 27,000 registered businesses and the highest level of business confidence of any Queensland region.

It is a hotbed of innovation, with a supportive environment for start-ups and large corporations, such as insurance company Youi, which is investing $80 million to develop its global headquarters in the region. The Sunshine Coast is also supported by a quality education sector that includes the University of the Sunshine Coast – Australia’s fastest-growing university.

COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS

Successful enterprises tend to flourish when there are cost-effective conditions. The region boasts the lowest payroll tax rates in Australia and lower operating costs compared with several state averages. Additionally, the region has a business-focused council continuously working with investors and businesses to deliver great results.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT INVEST.SUNSHINECOAST.QLD.GOV.AU EMAIL: INVEST@SUNSHINECOAST.QLD.GOV.AU; PHONE: +617 5475 9958

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REGIONAL INVESTMENT

QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIAN STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING TO BOOST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EACH STATE GOVERNMENT HAS INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE INVESTMENT ACROSS THE STATE. THIS ISSUE, WE LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN QUEENSLAND. WORDS: DARREN BAGULEY

APART FROM the attraction of its climate, a number of Queensland’s cities and local government areas have well-developed schemes designed to encourage investment.

Brisbane’s climate, liveability and lower cost of living make it an attractive destination for skilled workers and many companies are starting to realise that the city has great investment potential.

To help companies looking to start up or move their operations to Brisbane, Brisbane Marketing’s Investment Attraction team provides full market-entry and expansion strategy services for businesses looking to establish in the city.

The team will work with each interested company to develop a full business case. Its team of specialists will consult closely with the company so as to understand the business opportunity fully, and will then provide a summation of opportunities and key criteria solutions, including a business

needs analysis, market research and statistics.

Many advanced manufacturing industries have already set up in or near Brisbane and, seeking to further develop this trend, the Queensland Government has declared a 15,000-hectare site near Bromelton as a State Development Area (SDA). Located about six kilometres west of the Beaudesert township, the Bromelton SDA provides for the growing demand for land for industrial development in South East Queensland, with access to intrastate and interstate markets via the Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor.

On top of these advantages, Brisbane is a major transport and export hub with assets that include the Brisbane Airport, Port of Brisbane, the Acacia Ridge Intermodal Terminal and Australia TradeCoast, which connects regional Queensland to Australian and international markets.

While many of Queensland’s regional centres are also courting investors aggressively, most concentrate on telling investors how wonderful the area is and providing detailed information on population, workforce, demographics, services and the local economy. One region that is actually providing a meaningful investment attraction program is the Sunshine Coast Council.

The Sunshine Coast Council offers a dedicated industry and investment officer who will work with clients on a one-on-one basis to help bring their investments to market. It has also developed a business investment framework to secure targeted and suitable investment and reinvestment in the regional economy. The framework provides for a range of activities including a dedicated client manager in council for each investor and – for major investment proposals – potential access to investment incentive schemes.

The Queensland Government has declared a 15,000-hectare site near Bromelton as a State Development Area (SDA).

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PROUDLY SUPPLYING WASTE MANAGEMENT AND INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS TO THE RESOURCE INDUSTRY Toxfree provides a comprehensive range of waste management and industrial services to the oil and gas industry. We pride ourselves in tailoring innovative solutions for our customers, ensuring safe, reliable and sustainable outcomes. Our focus is simple; solve our customers’ problems, and do it safely.

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The Sunshine Coast Investment Incentive Scheme (SCIIS) is intended to encourage business investment by helping offset various relocation and establishment costs. Incentives may include cash payments, deferral of rates, and/or deferral of infrastructure charges to help offset various establishment costs. Applications for such incentives are considered on a case-by-case basis.

The City of Gold Coast council has a less well-defined scheme, offering financial assistance and other forms of support, such as fast-track development applications, an in-house research team to assist with business case preparation, and assistance with site selection.

Townsville is a great example of the marketing-driven approach. It has world-class education and training facilities including James Cook University, the Great Barrier Reef TAFE, TEC-NQ, and numerous public and private registered training organisations (RTOs) and schools.

Townsville was fortunate enough to be an early-release National Broadband Network site and much of the city already has download speeds of 100MBs available to businesses and consumers. As a result of this development, the city is seeking to leverage its status by establishing

an information and communication technology (ICT) business precinct and a creative industries incubator.

In addition to the state and regional government incentives available, there are a number of federal government incentives available to businesses seeking to establish themselves in Queensland.

Companies investing in projects or undertaking activities in Australia may be eligible for support under the Australian Government’s Research and Development (R&D) Tax Incentive program. The aim of the incentive is to assist more businesses in undertaking R&D and to encourage innovation. The program is a self-assessed ‘entitlement’-based program and provides a 43.5 per cent refundable R&D tax offset for eligible companies with a group turnover of less than $20 million, and a 38.5 per cent non-refundable R&D tax offset for all other eligible companies.

The Exploration Development Incentive (EDI) supports junior exploration companies in conducting

‘greenfield’ mineral exploration to assist in raising capital from privatesector investors, through a refundable tax offset. The incentive is limited to minerals exploration and, so as to target the incentive appropriately to small entities, an income threshold test applies.

Lastly, the Australian Government’s 2014–15 Budget established the $484.2 million Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme, which will be delivered through the new Single Business Service initiative. Using a network of more than 100 experienced private sector advisers, the programme offers support to businesses through business management, research connections and assistance with commercialising ideas.

Practical support for businesses includes advice from people with relevant private sector experience, small co-contributions for reengineering or growth opportunities for business, and opportunities for connection and collaboration.

Companies investing in projects or undertaking activities in Australia may be eligible for support under the Australian Government’s Research and Development Tax Incentive program.

RegionalBusinessReview

33

WHEREVER THE JOB TAKES YOU MAKE SURE YOU’RE ALWAYS HEADING HOME TO PARADISE Working hard in heat, dust and flies, knowing you have a shady tropical retreat like eco@ jumrum to come back to will make it all worthwhile. Tucked away in the rainforest at Kuranda, it’s somewhere you can truly relax and enjoy the results of your efforts.

The magnificent new estate with its trickling creeks, lush forest and regenerating bushland offers massive blocks ranging from 3000 sqm to 7000 sqm, with freedom to build your dream environmentally sustainable home, including pavilion-style homes, open-plan family homes or the traditional Queenslander style.

There’s no body corporate to deal with – and no strata levies – and all the infrastructure is already in place including town water, power, phone and data cabling to every homesite.

LIVE THE LIFESTYLE YOU LONG FOR Imagine kicking back on the verandah with a cold one, listening to the whip birds and wompoo fruit doves – perhaps spotting a rare tree kangaroo or platypus going about its business. There’s room for the kids to kick a ball around, and space for a mammoth vegie patch and a pool. Best of all, the covenants in place mean you’ll never lose the tranquil outlook, with the original forest remnants and regenerating creekside zones protected in perpetuity.

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A SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY Just a short distance from eco@jumrum you have the Kuranda Recreational Centre for entertainment, sport and a friendly community-based social scene. And the village of Kuranda with its creative vibe offers everything you need – school, supermarket, doctor, cafes, restaurants, pub, newsagent, boutiques and gift shops.

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STRIKE THE MOTHERLODE OF BLISS There is simply no more magnificent place than eco@jumrum to stake your claim for a home base – one that’s so much more than just somewhere to wash off the dust.

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education

Insights into some of the best education institutions in the country.

advertorial

What makes Boarding at Peace Lutheran College different?

Quite a lot actually!

Location Situated in the beautiful city of Cairns, surrounded by reef, rainforest and tropical beaches and serviced by an international airport, Peace Lutheran College is positioned amongst natural beauty, boasting a tropical climate year round, and is easily accessible.

Inclusive and caring Offering boarding opportunities to both boys and girls from Overseas, Cape York and Torres Strait, from Regional Queensland and other parts of Australia, we are proud of our diverse spectrum of boarding students. This diversity is encouraged and explored through the appreciation of every individual and has fostered a supportive atmosphere, where strong bonds are formed and a caring culture is prevalent.

Making up approximately one third of the senior and middle school student body, boarding and day school students are unified.

Small and supportive Currently Peace Boarding has 110 boarding positions in modern and recently refurbished Houses. Our residences are not large institutional style, but rather smaller ‘house style’

accommodation that helps our students feel more at home. This ‘home away from home’ environment is supported by dedicated House Parents living in each of our four Houses, providing an excellent staff to student ratio.

Long-term staff with vast experience in a variety of boarding environments also range in their ages, providing students with an opportunity to identify with a support figure whether that be a grandmother, mother, big brother or big sister. And to ensure every new student feels welcomed and comfortable, they will be joined with a ‘buddy’ to help them settle into the boarding lifestyle.

Our School Health Centre employs a qualified Nurse, with a School GP visiting twice per week for appointments and students also have the support of a Lutheran Pastor and Student Welfare Officer on campus.

and activities. Our students get involved in dance, AFL, Rugby League, boxing, Austag and drama schools as well as traineeships and paid employment.

A wide variety of weekend activities are also scheduled with outings to the movies, markets, swimming, BBQs, beaches, sporting events and trips to the Esplanade and Port Douglas, with an opportunity to go shopping and to church – there is something different every weekend.

What makes us different

Our residences are smaller ‘house style’ accommodation that helps our students feel more at home.

Peace Boarding prides itself on its holistic approach with a mix of academic, worship, sporting and social aspects designed to help students reach their full potential.

Our staffing and private transport arrangements offer the flexibility to support a wide range of outside interests

Peace Lutheran College is always enthusiastic about welcoming new members into our Boarding family.

We encourage you to speak with us today about how we can assist you with your child’s needs.

Contact: Anna Rosendale, Enrolments Officer on 07 4039 9021 or email enrolments@plc.qld.edu.au

RegionalBusinessReview

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BOY FROM THE BUSH TO AGRIBUSINESS ADVISOR Whether you’re planning to study full-time or part-time, online or on-campus, at USQ we’ll help you not only gain knowledge but discover belief.

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advertorial

BUSH BRINGS SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS TO AGRIBUSINESS tudy at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has helped Ian McLean turn his head for numbers and a heart for agriculture into a unique business which is making a difference to northern Australia’s grazing industry.

As the founder and managing director of Bush Agribusiness, Ian’s primary skillset was built on his family’s sheep and cattle property at Mitchell in southwest Queensland.

His foray into business off the farm started with his Associate Degree of Commerce from USQ, and after 8 years in Alice Springs working with a large accounting firm, the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industries and then the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association, Ian decided 2011 was the year to step out on his own.

“To do that, I felt I needed to improve my business management knowledge, and that was the catalyst for enrolling in the USQ MBA program,” he said.

After four years of external study, Ian graduated in the top 15 per cent of USQ’s MBA 2015 graduates, and said

the University’s online support structures helped him through the course.

“I often found myself sitting in a hotel room in the middle of nowhere while away for work doing assignments for my MBA, but the insight and the knowledge I’ve gained have been well worth it.”

While studying as well as having a young family and working full-time required some juggling, Ian believes knowledge gained through the MBA has improved his own business by providing a more comprehensive service to his clients.

From his Toowoomba base, Mr McLean is now using skills he learned through the MBA course to integrate facets of pastoral business management such as enterprise choice, whole business performance, risk management, capital allocation, business financing, economic sustainability and environmental sustainability into business plans.

“Whilst accountancy primarily looks at aspects like taxation and compliance, I wanted to move beyond that to look at helping businesses understand and to improve their long term economic and environmental

performance and sustainability.”

This required developing the skills and systems to comprehensively analyse both the financial and production performance of pastoral businesses and to put in place an end to end commercial process that facilitated long term viability and operation.

“With what I’ve learnt through the MBA, I now feel better qualified to help pastoral businesses understand what the strengths of their business are, what the areas for improvement are and to then develop strategies for future management that will improve their capability well into the future,” he said.

Bush Agribusiness works with small, medium and large pastoral businesses across Northern and Regional Australia.

Ian also leads the delivery of ‘The Business EDGE’ in Northern Australia, which is Meat & Livestock Australia’s primary training product for improving the business skills and financial literacy of pastoral producers.

Learn more about USQ’s MBA at www.usq.edu.au/mba

RegionalBusinessReview

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FRENSHAM STEM: F1 in Schools Engineering Challenge

Cambridge University Global Perspectives

Year 9 Challenge Jamieson Programme

A member of the UK Boarding Schools’ Association

Fit for the Future The Centenary Pool

CHARACTER LEADERSHIP ACADEMIC ASPIRATION

SAMPLE BOARDING – 15 & 16 September 2016

+61 2 4860 2000 registrar@frensham.nsw.edu.au MITTAGONG NSW 2575 AUSTRALIA

Scholarships, including ACER, and Educational Grants

www.frensham.nsw.edu.au

Contact the Registrar to enquire re:

advertorial

PREPARING GIRLS FOR THEIR FUTURE NOT OUR PAST... rensham is an outward-looking and forward-thinking boarding school that provides a rigorous and personalised academic programme, with meaningful, lifelong and valued connections.

In an inspiring culture and spectacular living and learning environment, girls are challenged and supported to develop the skills and willingness to make a difference in the world. Frensham has an unwavering commitment to inspiring girls to be fit for the future – physically, mentally and in terms of their character and values in action.

Parents confirm that the key drivers for selecting Frensham for their daughters are: recommendations from past students and current or past parents ~ values and culture of the school ~ academic standards ~ character and leadership development ~ teacher quality ~ high expectation of students ~ fitness and wellbeing focus ~ personalised approach.

Frensham’s academic programme and studies environment are focused on best-practice and ‘next practice’ in a global context. We expect to be measured by our strength in three key areas: quality of teachers, quality of professional learning and resources for teachers, and quality of the personalised approach to the support and guidance of students - and we have outstanding teachers - in the classroom and, equally importantly, in our Houses.

World best-practice confirms that the best teachers have strong academic records and good qualifications but they must also be really good people who ‘like and have the ability to be an inspirer of children’.

and whole-school needs. Our unique Jamieson Programme sees all of Year 9 participate in the Cambridge *IGCSE Global Perspectives course and Year 10 complete the high level AS General course, also offered through Cambridge.

Core to our approach to teaching and learning is the deeply considered support of each girl’s growth on an individual, personal basis; progress and achievement are monitored closely, in a data-driven approach to enhancing understanding of individual talents and needs.

Defining qualities of academic excellence include intellectual curiosity, discernment, courage and grit.

Unique Features: • Frensham’s Sturt Campus, provides world-class, innovative and inspired interdisciplinary STEM programmes in the areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics, entrepreneurship and design.

• 310 individual music lessons (for 340 girls) are taught weekly by a college of professional tutors, supporting an environment where independent study

and practice of instrumental and vocal music are integral to daily life.

• A bonus for Frensham is full involvement in the weekly Sydneybased Girls School Sports competition (IGSSA), with home grounds to accommodate extraordinarily high participation in team sports.

• At 102 years old, Frensham is one of the largest boarding schools for girls in the world and House life is central to the School experience for every girl.

For rural and regional families: • Frensham provides world class education in a spectacular setting.

• Three new former School of the Air boarders started in Year 7, 2016 (from Broken Hill, Mt Isa and Hillston - in a cohort of 30 boarders).

• In Year 12, 48 of the total enrolment of 57 girls are boarders.

Frensham is a boarding school, not a school with boarders, unique in Australia with more than seventy percent of the total school enrolment of 340 girls in residence.

Defining qualities of academic excellence include intellectual curiosity, discernment, courage and grit

Frensham takes advantage of opportunities to build links internationally for students and staff while also personalising the curriculum to meet individual student *International General Certificate of Secondary Education RegionalBusinessReview

41

The right move for young men OPEN DAY 9 August, 2016

www.nudgee.com

advertorial

THE GREAT

WHEELBARROW RACE

BY CHRISTOPHER DUKE, YEAR 12 BOARDER

n May, ten St Joseph’s Nudgee College men embarked on the journey of a lifetime. A journey that would challenge each and every one of us, both physically and mentally. A journey known as the Great Wheelbarrow Race.

The Nudgee College team has raised (and will continue to do so) money for drought relief. It is hoped that this will not only support the countless Nudgee College farming and rural families, but also those in the wider country community in need of assistance.

The Great Wheelbarrow Race is a gruelling 140km trek that begins in Mareeba and finishes in Chillagoe, with stoppage breaks in Dimbulah and Almaden. The men in the blue and white excelled in the tough conditions, receiving a position of second overall, and first in the school division. With a time of 6 hours and 53 minutes, the Nudgee College boys broke the record for the school’s competition, which was previously 7 hours and 5 minutes. The effort displayed by the team of 2016 saw Nudgee College written in the history books as just the

third team ever, across all divisions, to complete the race in under 7 hours.

On the night prior to the end of the race, a talent competition was held in Almaden. This competition exhibited a wide variety of acts ranging from singing to acrobatics.

Certainly the most inspiring, however, was the speech and poem written and presented by Rick Heaton, a solo runner and Iraq veteran. Rick raises money for the R U OK charity, which helps people to manage depression, PTSD, anxiety and other mental health illnesses.

The team was awarded a cash prize of $500 as a result of winning the schools competition. Inspired by the speech of Rick Heaton, along with his cause, the Nudgee College team decided the money should go towards the R U OK charity.

The Great Wheelbarrow Race is fast becoming a Nudgee College tradition, and another way the boys in the blue and white are going out into the community and being Signum Fidei, Signs of Faith.

“The Nudgee College team has raised (and will continue to do so) money for drought relief. It is hoped that this will not only support the countless Nudgee College farming and rural families, but also those in the wider country community in need of assistance”

RegionalBusinessReview

43

advertorial

A UNIVERSITY THAT LEADS THE WAY FOR REGIONAL STUDENTS ne of Australia’s leading regional universities is changing the way it thinks about education by building a community, not just a university.

They call it the Federation Generation – a community of real, well-rounded people with practical, hands-on skills to better prepare you for the workforce.

Federation University Australia has been delivering education programs for more than 145 years, and not surprisingly has developed a reputation for providing job-ready graduates.

In recent years, FedUni has also refined its distinct education model to encourage greater access to higher education for rural and regional students.

Headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria, the university’s five campuses from the west of State to the east anchor the range of programs that FedUni delivers, not only in Victoria, but throughout Australia and internationally through a network of partners.

FedUni’s wide range of on-line

programs also allows students from any allocation to study a FedUni program or course at a time of their convenience.

This University is all about developing worthwhile relationships online by giving students the right support when they need it most, so you never feel alone, with initiatives such as on-line mentors and after hours on-line tutoring support.

At FedUni you’ll find affordable study options with small class sizes, friendly staff and accessible academic support. Living on residence provides students with the best start to their university experience, and first year undergraduate students, are guaranteed accommodation during their first year of study.

The University’s other credentials include a five star rating for teaching quality, as judged by its graduates seven years running, as well as the highest level of graduate employment in Victoria and equal highest starting salary, as measured by the Federal Government’s Quality in Learning and Teaching data.

The University is constantly adding

to its list of courses which include biomedicine, sports management and nursing to veterinary and wildlife science.

Criminology, outdoor environmental education and the nation’s first nature pedagogy course among the latest offerings.

As a dual sector University, FedUni prides itself on being an inclusive, open access university with close links to industry, business, communities and technology – partnerships that benefit student learning.

It hosts Australia’s largest regional technology park which accommodates more than 30 companies. Its signature tenant, IBM, offers a unique ‘earn as you learn’ program for FedUni students studying the Bachelor of Information Technology (Professional Practice), who can earn a healthy wage while they study.

Other innovative facilities such as the FedUni Arts Academy. located in the Ballarat CBD and the Nanya Environmental Research Station in western New South Wales are what help FedUni students truly Learn to succeed.

RegionalBusinessReview

45

One Family.

One School.

One Vision.

Located in the thriving regional centre of Orange NSW, boarding has been at the heart of Kinross Wolaroi School for well over a century. A vibrant co-curricular program and innovative learning community, delivers high quality education within a nurturing environment.

www.kws.nsw.edu.au

advertorial

THE STORY OF SUCCESS BEGINS

MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO hen it comes to education in country NSW, Kinross Wolaroi School (KWS) is a welcome success story.

Celebrating 130 years of education this year, KWS continues to support regional families now and into the future.

From the inception of Weymouth House School for boys in 1886 to its closure in 1925, Wolaroi College was officially opened on 13 February 1926 by the Methodist Church. Classes commenced with 42 students, 25 of whom were boarders.

In 1927 the Presbyterian Church paid 4,500 pounds for a property known as “Campdale” where the homestead was immediately altered to accommodate a new school. Presbyterian Ladies College Orange was officially opened on 7 February 1928 with 27 boarders and 33 day students.

The war years proved restrictive for the country in general and things were no different at Wolaroi College for students and staff alike. With enrolment and liquidity dropping, the decision was made in 1973 to integrate classes with PLC and move the College into full co-education.

Since the re-opening of Wolaroi College in 1926 and the establishment of PLC in 1928 both schools had served a vital role in providing education in the NSW

Central West, and this was a substantive reason behind the amalgamation of the schools in 1975.

Uniting Church and through the implementation of severe financial controls and business management, the school’s population grew to 728 students with 384 boarders, making it the largest co-education independent boarding school in NSW. Today, 130 years on, and with 1,130 students across the Preparatory School and Senior School, KWS is recognised as a leader in education, fostering an enviable reputation for achievement, focused firmly around a vibrant boarding community and an extensive and challenging co-curricular program. Split across two campuses, the girls boarding site is situated at PLC four kilometres from the main school site and the boy’s boarding houses in order to cater for the individual needs of different genders within a co-educational environment. For boarding students Fletcher and Porsha Bolte (pictured), KWS provides a ‘home away from home’.

Of the 320 boarders, 98% of boarding students come from communities across NSW just like the Bolte family. While Fletcher (Year 7) and Porsha (Year 10) enjoy returning to their hometown of West Wyalong, they also love accessing

the valuable academic and cultural opportunities as boarders at KWS. In an attempt to continue to meet the needs and interests of students in modern education, KWS has resolved to implement a whole-of-school agriculture program in 2017 which will be centered on the operation of a viable commercial farm, building on the cattle co-curricular program and maximising the value of its farm activities. The reinvigorated agricultural program will, amongst other things, give the Preparatory School access to activities that include vegetable gardening and other cropping as well as programs where young children can become familiar with animals. Likewise, the Senior School will benefit from the program as students will have access to a traditional agriculture curriculum as well as new opportunities across multiple curriculum areas that can use the School’s farm assets as a teaching resource.

KWS continues to actively support regional families, foster pride, loyalty and kindness while allowing students to broaden their horizons and create opportunity for the future. Building on the values established by its parent schools, this is a tradition that now spans well over a century of education in the Orange region of NSW.

RegionalBusinessReview

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At Joeys, we’re family.

Sure, as a family of more than 1,000 boys we may go through more toast and breakfast cereal than the average family.

But the care, support and encouragement that exists within our College community is as strong and as genuine as within any other family.

Students from regional and rural Australia have always been an integral part of St Joseph’s College. The mix of students from the country and the city helps create a diverse and vibrant community that is highly valued by the students, their families and staff.

St Joseph’s is dedicated to helping each student achieve his potential. As our boys learn about the world, they also learn important lessons about themselves and the sort of men they want to be. They find that with guidance, hard work and determination they are capable of much more than they imagined. A range of enrolment options, including full boarding, weekly boarding and day student with extended hours, offer families the important choice of what enrolment best suits their individual needs.

We invite you to meet the Joeys family and discover why St Joseph’s College has been one of Australia’s leading boys’ boarding schools for more than 130 years.

For more information, or to arrange a tour of the college, telephone the Registrar on (02) 9816 0806 or visit the website www.joeys.org.

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