Community
25 February, 2025
Let’s get positive in Douglas
I generally try to keep the ‘Goss’ travelling along on a positive note, but it would be fair to say there has been some negativity around the Douglas Shire in recent weeks.
This may well be partly due to the heavy rain, which has certainly triggered some painful reminders of last year’s post Cyclone Jasper deluge. Thoughts go out to those in the south of our region who are suffering currently from the recent floods.
Other issues for the Douglas Shire have included the increase in crime, such as property damage in Mossman, vehicle damage in Port Douglas and some generally anti-social behaviour.
A number of locals have suggested to me that our community appears to be “quite divided” at the moment which is, without doubt, a sad scenario, if true.
On the flip side, as I have often reported in this column, there are many positives happening in front of our very eyes and also behind the scenes.
Individuals and groups who give their time to help others and keep the community ticking along harmoniously.
The above-mentioned property damage in Mossman, particularly to businesses in Front Street, is already being addressed by local business owners, the council, police and elders to put things right. Further meetings are planned soon, following one earlier this month, to try and bring a positive end to the unfortunate situation.
As all locals and visitors know, the Shire has many positives to celebrate and Queenslanders are now being called on to nominate their favourite hotspots, local treasures and hidden gems for the 2025 Queensland Top Tourism Town Awards.
This may indeed be an excellent opportunity to bring the positivity back, not just for Port Douglas and its attractions, but also for Mossman with its cafes and the gorge, the beautiful Daintree and the world’s oldest rainforest, plus other areas of the shire.
Presented by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), the annual Top Tourism Town Awards recognise Queensland’s diverse and outstanding regional destinations.
QTIC CEO Natassia Wheeler encourages all Queenslanders to get involved and to throw their support behind the Sunshine State’s regional getaways and nominating their beloved spots.
“We’re calling on locals and tourism operators to nominate their town and show us what makes their slice of paradise truly special,” she said.
There are four awards in the program:
Top Tourism Town award – those with a population over 5000
Top Small Tourism Town award – those with a population between 1500 – 5000
Top Tiny Tourism Town award – those with a population below 1500
Top Tour Guide award.
I’m pretty sure our great towns and people must easily fit into one of these categories, so let’s get in it to win it.
With nominations now open and closing Monday, March 10, Queenslanders have just one month to nominate their favourite town through the QTIC website at https://www.qtic.com.au/top-tourism-town-awards
State winners will go on to represent Queensland at the national awards held later in the year, where they have the chance to be crowned one of Australia’s Top Tourism Towns or Australia’s Top Tour Guide. Winners will be announced in June at an awards ceremony in Brisbane.
As this week’s pictures show, there is plenty to celebrate in the Douglas Shire.
Naturally, I’m off to nominate straight away, so for now it’s Gazza signing out.
Send your stories to gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
