Community
16 April, 2021
Gazza's Goss: The Douglas vibe is FAB
WELCOME back to another Douglas discourse, from your favorite cockney git. Yes, it’s time for Gazza’s Goss. Last week I touched on the amazing resilience and tenacity of our Far North Queensland businesses, in particular our stoic businesses in Port Douglas and Mossman.
It’s so encouraging to see the local tourism industry finally enjoying a booming Easter and the subsequent school holiday period.
As a local, it is actually a pleasure to ring up trying to book a restaurant table and to find that the purveyor of your favourite cuisine is fully booked. No room at the Inn, so to speak.
One naturally assumes, if the cafes and restaurants are busy, so too are the gift shops, clothing shops, trip organisers and so on.
These business owners hopefully go on to spend their hard-earned cash locally.
I have no doubt that our music providers have been one of the hardest hit professions, and I’m not talking about Spotify here.
I refer to our local pub musos who would have seen little or no work during the pandemic’s worst times.
Happily, that all seems to have changed and normal service has nearly resumed.
Let’s face it, there’s nothing better than live music in a relaxed settling with a coldie and some good friends.
Well done to all the pubs and in particular their staff for dealing with the very stressful management of mask wearing and COVID compliance.
It does amuse me a little that sitting in a busy pub or restaurant deck fully unmasked is apparently perfectly safe, whereas venturing into the toilet to spend a penny requires full mouth and nose covering.
Perhaps the facemasks are to ease the odors associated with the location rather than COVID safety? Perhaps not.
Seriously though, all things considered, I do feel local venues have tried their very best to make our social life as normal as possible and after all, they don’t make the rules.
Whether you’re a resident of paradise or a holiday maker visiting for the vacation of a lifetime, there’s no better way to enjoy some retail therapy than at the local markets.
Mossman and Port Douglas Markets, with their diverse selection of wares, crafts, tastey treats and beautiful surroundings are two of the best markets in the tropical north.
This recent holiday period seems to have been mightily successful for both venues. Booming crowds and a cracking assortment of the finest on offer in the North. Well done everyone!
If you are business owner, marketeer, publican or muso, I’d love to know how you have been going in recent weeks.
Get in touch, you can email me gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
For now though it’s Gazza Signing Out!!
You can catch up with Gazza each weekday afternoon between 4-7 pm on 90.9 FAB FM
in Port Douglas.
