Push for Daily Morning flight to Brisbane

Whitsundays Online

Tourism Whitsundays is about to start lobbying the airlines for a daily morning flight in and out of the Whitsundays.

Currently, Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) is serviced by 2 daily flights to and from Brisbane: Virgin Blue arrives at 2.20pm and Jetstar at 6.20pm.

Anyone wishing to travel to Brisbane in the morning must drive 2 hours to Mackay to catch the 6am prop-jet, which means having to get up at around 3.00am, and then setting off along the Bruce Highway before dawn.

Tourism Whitsundays will commence surveying passengers to see if there is a strong case for a morning flight in and out of the Whitsundays.

An interesting concept would be a morning flight from Proserpine to Brisbane, maybe via Hamilton Island. (Rex currently do a similar route on the NSW South Coast with their Moruya - Merimbula - Sydney service).

We pre-empted Tourism Whitsundays' intentions several weeks ago and asked the 'newcomer' airline to Mackay, Regional Express (Rex), if they were considering services to Proserpine, especially a morning commuter flight.

On 16 October this year, Charlene Liang of Rex's Corporate Communications Team said "There are no network expansion plans currently being considered and this will be assessed further during 2009/2010 along with a number of commercial and economic considerations. The global economic landscape is extremely volatile and Rex is therefore exercising some cautious conservatism at the present time."

ed: I have to agree with Peter O'Reilly that driving 2 hours, firstly in darkness, then straight into a rising sun, is not a smart or safe way to do business in Brisbane or interstate, but we have no other option except to leave the night before. I personally have done this 'run' about a dozen times, and have missed the flights several times due to either hitting a kangaroo, or the road closed due to a serious accident or floods.

Sourced from ABC North QLD News - Melissa Maddison

ACA slams Wicked Campers for safety standards

Whitsundays Online

Wicked Campers' reliability and safety record is not too good according to the Nine Network's 'A Current Affair'.

The current affairs program reported on several incidents involving Wicked Campers, and interviewed several people who had accidents in the vehicles.

The program also rented 3 Wicked Campers and had RACQ (our Auto Association) go over them - the results were not too good.


Images and Video sourced from A Current Affair, Nine Network Australia
Story found through thUMBRELLA

Lack of entries in Tourism Awards leaves 8 trophies uncollected.

Airlie Beach has been synonymous with Backpackers for several decades. Who would have guessed a couple of years ago that the 'Tourism Whitsundays Backpackers Accommodation Award' would not be given out this year - because no one entered for the Award.

It is amazing that the Whitsundays can go from Backpacker Heaven, to a Backpacker Desert in just a few years, yet according to the results from the recent Tourism Whitsundays Awards, it has happened.

The top category, 'Best Major Attraction' was also not won.

There were 6 other Tourism Whitsundays Awards left on the presentation table (most were given out last Friday) that failed to even draw an entrant, because of either lack of membership numbers, or lack of interest.

According to Tourism Whitsundays, there was no one worthy this year of receiving the following awards:


1 : Major Attractions
6 : Heritage and Culture
7 : Indigenous Tourism
9 : Visitor Information Services
10: Meetings and Business Tourism
14: Tourism Marketing
17: Tourism Wineries and Boutique Breweries
19: Backpacker Accommodation


Don't Panic. The Whitsundays has not turned in to a ghost town all of a sudden.

The Tourism Whitsundays Awards are only given out to paying members of Tourism Whitsundays. Tourism Whitsundays membership has been plummeting for the past 3 years; testament to this is the lack of entrants for these major awards.

While no award for best Backpackers Accommodation was given out, there are a half a dozen or so backpackers in Airlie Beach alone, and we believe they try their hardest to make their guests comfortable.

The lack of a winner for the 'Major Attraction' Award is odd - what happened to the Great Barrier Reef, Whitehaven Beach, and the Islands all of a sudden? (Maybe some guests going out there today can report back to us and confirm that they are still there - ed)

The Tourism Marketing Award was understandably not won, especially as tourism numbers to the Whitsundays have fallen 33% in the last 2 years.

Awards that went uncontested as there was only one entrant were:

12: Tour and/or Transport Operator : Ocean Dynamics
15: Tourism Education and Training : Hamilton Island Enterprises
18: Tourist and Caravan Park : Discovery Holiday Park, Bowen
20: Hosted Accommodation : Waterfront Whitsunday Retreat
21: Unique Accommodation : Fantasea ReefSleep
24: Luxury Accommodation : Qualia, Hamilton Island
26: Excellence in Sustainable Tourism : Paradise Bay
27: Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer or Group : Rotary
29: Outstanding contribution by an individual : Mark Bell
30: Not for Profit Group : Rotary

Over 55% (18/32) of the Awards either had no entries or only 1 entrant.

Debate on thUMBRELLA
Full list of all Tourism Whitsundays Award Winners

Whitsundays Online

Tourism Whitsundays director admits "Lack of Unity"

This letter was sent by a new director of Tourism Whitsundays, Kelli Medford. It is presented here in it's entirety. This correspondence was in reply to our story of the premature resignation of the Chair of Tourism Whitsundays last month.


"That is the most biased and inaccurate reporting I have ever read1. So you are solely basing the reason for the drop in tourism to the region on one person, Lyn Gregson2. So it has nothing to due(sic) with the drop in flight numbers3, economy4, massive weather patterns5, lack of unity amongst operators6?? It's purely just Lyn Gregson's fault7. What an idiot8!! She has done more for this region and for tourism than any other one person I can think of9 in the 13 years I have been in this town10. If you don't know the facts or can't bring yourself to research11 then dont call yourself a journalis(sic)12 or even a blogger - your(sic) not qualified13."


My response.

1 Well, that's your opinion.

2 No. But the Chair is supposed to be in charge, ie: The Buck Stops Here. Credibility also comes into play - (see bottom).

3 Of course flight numbers have played a major part in the drop in tourism numbers. But it is also one of Tourism Whitsundays responsibilities to lobby the airline companies to retain our air services here. During Ms Gregson's reign, we lost all direct flights from Proserpine to Sydney, by both Jetstar and Virgin Blue.

4 The WFC (World Financial Crisis) has certainly made an impact on tourism, not only in the Whitsundays, but all around the world. However, the WFC started in August 2008. You can not use this excuse for why visitor numbers dropped 17% in the year prior, from July 2007 to July 2008, during The Boom. If you look at the statistics closely, it appears that the WFC only contributed to 2% of the 19% drop in tourism numbers, going on form.

5 The wettest months ever on Hamilton Island were back in 1991 (Jan & Feb), however Proserpine did have its wettest February in 2008.

6 A good leader brings people together.

7 "It's purely Lyn Gregson's fault." You are saying that, not me. I am saying that TW is at fault, and that Lyn Gregson is responsible for the actions of TW's management and other directors. Again, the buck stops there.

8 I don't think I will sink to your level and comment on that.

9 She may have. Some people are good leaders, and some should be followers.

10 Apparently the paper says you lived on Daydream Island for 6 years, then you moved to the mainland, yet you say you have lived in town for 13 years? I lived on Hamilton Island for over 4 years, plus have been in town over 5 years.

11 Actually I did plenty of research. My sources were the Whitsunday Times, Courier Mail, Cairns Post, ABC, Google, Bureau of Meteorology, Australian Government, Queensland Government, and your Facebook sites, just off the top of my head.

12 Your statement is a lie. I have never called myself a journalist. I have been employed or associated with the media since 1978.

13 Another interesting comment that is not worthy of a reply.


Good, honest comments by good, honest people are always welcome here. I have decided to publish the above comments by Ms Medford, as an example of character.

While compiling my research, I happened to come across a Facebook page called 'I Stayed at Boathaven Spa and Resort', edited by Ms Medford. If you go to the website now, you will see that the site has been edited in the last couple of days.

I happened upon the site and uploaded it before it was edited; then it showed that it had not been updated for 6 months. All the friends, (bar Ms Medford) have now also been deleted.

However, before the editing was this very interesting entry: This is the Lyn Gregson we have been referring to in this article. Ms Gregson, (at the time of the comment on the left), was Chairperson of Tourism Whitsundays, and she lives in Airlie Beach.

Did she and her staff really pay and stay at Boathaven Spa and Resort? Is this ethical and moral?

This is an interesting story in itself - more soon.

No Mobile Phone Disaster service for the Whitsundays

ABC - Murray Cornish

Whitsunday Council says it cannot afford to follow Townsville and introduce a mobile phone message disaster warning system.

Mayor Mike Brunker says it is a luxury that would be hard to justify for Whitsunday council.

"In our cyclone and flooding situations we certainly need eight to 10 to 12 hours warning and that's what we work on," he said.

"So we wouldn't be requiring to alert one hour before a disaster's hitting that they have to evacuate - it's done on a lot longer time frame than that."

ABC - Murray Cornish - Full Story