These days complaints about Airbnb's negative impacts are a loudly squeaking wheel. The public and council react whilst local Airbnb hosts count their blessings and quietly hope they don't get slammed with a heavy levy or some sort of...
The Noosaville Library at Wallace Park Noosaville is hosting an exhibition showing how urban gardeners can help protect Noosa’s most valuable asset: its natural environment. Put together by NICA stalwarts Stephanie Haslam, Kay Southam and Suzanne Bloomfield, the display features photographs and artwork of inspirational native gardens.
NIMBYism has got a bad reputation, and rightly so. In this post, Desi makes the case for NIMBYism and a community's rights to stand up for NO EXTINCTIONS in our back yards. Save our Sunrise Glossies!
“Almost one billion extra people will be travelling in 2022, and as a result, responsible tourism is likely to become increasingly important and necessary, while authenticity and unique experiences will grow in importance for travellers. The issue of excessive...
In April we had written an open letter to our mayor Tony Wellington about our concerns with regards to a renewal of a funding deed for the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation (NBRF). So naturally I was waiting for the deliberations to begin. Before council hands over any more public funds to the NBRF it would be great to find out a few things. These are my top 5 questions for the NBRF.
As a big fan of Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell and especially the traffic updates from Lois Price in the Mad As Helicopter, Desiré Gralton gives her very own Mad-Ass and slightly cranky perspective on the impact the Blue Care development is going to have on traffic in the Sunrise Beach area.
We live in Sunrise Beach. Our kids go to one of the local schools and we love to walk and cycle for transport. We are fond of our local shopping centre and support the baker, butcher, pharmacist, bottle shop,...
The expansion of the runway is to take larger aircraft, especially those from international destinations which currently fly into Brisbane. Most people think this is okay, since there aren't, and likely won't be for a while, any international flights.
Aware of the Noosa Council apparent takeover of Tourism Noosa, Ingrid Jackson has been reminded of how in 2000 she project managed the communications for the merger of CBA with Colonial, the biggest merger in Australian history. In 2006, she published this article ‘How to Host a Merger’ in Today's Manager, the journal of the Singapore Institute of Management, about her experience in the takeover war zone. This can be something to compare the struggle that lies ahead for Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa.
We do not question the worth of trying to restore oyster reefs in the Noosa River, but questions need to be asked about the way the funding is being pushed through with a disregard of - and indeed at the expense of - other programs run by local organisations and council.
Cr Ingrid Jackson's explains her rationale for voting against agreeing in principle to funding for the Bring back the fish project without open and fair processes.
Judy Barrass reflects on John Hare’s article in Noosa Matters which suggests that public transport can provide the answers to traffic congestion. Judy believes the broader Sunshine Coast solutions would not necessarily solve Noosa's traffic woes.
The headline in Noosa news of July 13th reads ‘Council leads in short stay policy?’. Apparently (according to the beginning of the article) State Tourism Minister Kate Jones has already developed a code of conduct for hosts and guests using short stay letting…… but read on…….
Looking out the window over the Noosa River, awaiting my interview with Mayor Barry Goodenough, I was impressed at how successful the oyster hatcheries had become.
Tiny Houses On Wheels (or “THOWs”), naturally lead to increased social connectivity between people by the nature of their size, design and usage, as
well as being more sustainable in terms of minimalism and promoting the practice of sharing resources. LET’S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING
At its special budget meeting in June, Noosa Council voted to absorb what used to be the Tourism and Economic Levy into its general rates and took on what was previously Tourism Noosa's responsibility for 'destination management'. In this article, Ingrid Jackson explores what role groups of unelected people played in this and asks whether Noosa Council may become dependent on such people regarding how to proceed.
I felt some heavy ‘deja vu’ over Councils’ announcement on the effects of Climate Change on Noosa. In hindsight, I probably spooked influential sectoral interests in Hastings Street by daring to raise the spectre of the potential risk to low-lying Noosa from Climate Change .
Alan Lander's Noosa News piece on bikeways prompted another deja vu moment for Michael Donovan, recalling a 2011 Noosa Biosphere Reserve submission to Queensland Regional Development for walking and cycle trails across the Noosa and Great Sandy Biospheres.
Taking on the challenge by Noosa identity Bob Jarvis for someone to brag about any achievements that may have resulted from our UNESCO biosphere status, inaugural chairman of Noosa Biosphere v1 Michael Donovan lists a number of outstanding contributions made by the many volunteers and community leaders who contributed to making it an effective and viable organisation.
Someone asked me recently why I am so interested in this subject of oyster reefs and "bringing back the fish".
Right from the very beginning I questioned the absolute need for this investment. This was because of what I was...
The current funding deed under which Noosa Council wholly finances the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation (NBRF) terminates on Saturday 30 June and the next day, 1 July, a new three-year agreement will kick in.
