A weekly re-cap of the events that have made news in Cairns over the past week.

Tuesday July 22, 2002 75th Edition

From the Cairns Show to Giant Gumboots and a $50,000 kids birthday party - there is never a dull moment in Cairns.

Business confidence peaks
Cairns business confidence has reached a three year high. In a survey conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers, Cairns businesses have recovered strongly from the events of September 11th and the collapse of ANSETT. Most have confidence that the next three months will prove very good for business. The survey was based on 200 medium to large businesses in a variety of industries in the region.

Nude resort heads to Mossman
North Queensland is about to get its first, all nude resort. The White Cockatoo in Mossman (80km north of Cairns) has made the decision to join ten other resorts around Australia that are nudist friendly. The resort will only be nudist at certain times of the year to allow for business peaks and troughs however it is expected that it will become completely nude within 12 months, once news of the resort spreads.

Jon English pirates into town
Jon English is a household name in the Australian entertainment field. He arrived in Cairns on Thursday to promote his latest stage production, The Pirates of Penzance. The show, in which English plays the Pirate King, is due to open in Cairns in September.

Most nightclubs in Queensland
With the opening of the Mad Cow Tavern later this year, Cairns will have the highest number of nightclubs per capita for any city in North Queensland. Cairns has developed a reputation amongst backpackers in particular, as the nightclub destination in Australia. The other night clubs in the city have protested the opening of the new venue, claiming that there are 3 other nightclubs in within 50 metres of the Mad Cow, which would negate a condition of granting the license, a need for another venue.

Council $18 million better off
The Cairns City Council is $18 million ahead of where it was this time last year. The stronger financial postilion has been attributed to an overall tightening of the budget belt, collecting overdue rates, reduction of costs and restructuring of loans. Mayor Kevin Byrne stated "the steady improvement of the Council's finances and the reduction of its loans was good news for ratepayers". My Byrne explained that the Council had paid off more than $700,000 on its loans in June 2002 alone.

Giant gumboot for Tully
Plans to acknowledge Tully as one of the wettest places in Australia with the building of a 7 metre tall Golden Gumboot are before Tully Council at present. The giant gumboot is expected to provide a boost for tourism with large numbers of visitors to the region expected to visit the attraction when it is in place. Tully is located on the main highway the brings hundred of thousands of self drive tourists to Cairns every year.

Backpackers continue to flock to Cairns
Far North Queensland ranks second only to Sydney as the most popular holiday destination for backpackers visiting Australia. To the people of Cairns this is no surprise, especially when visiting the waterfront area. Considerable media coverage has changed the perception of backpackers and their economic contribution to tourism in recent years.

A $50,000 birthday party in Port Douglas
One 13 year old boy has received the perfect party, at a cost of $50,000 to his parents. The party was the themed around Harry Potter, with characters playing various roles in the Port Douglas production. The event has taken seven months to co-ordinate. The party started in a special room at Sheraton Mirage Resort where the production crew recreated the swirling mist and letters arriving, the beginning of the Harry Potter experience. The lucky boy played Harry Potter and he enjoyed a ride on the Hogwarts Express and presents including a Nimbus 2000 broomstick, a handmade spell book, a wand and a wizard's hat and cape.