tourism and events queensland facebook

• Please Select
• Fraser Coast
• Sunshine Coast
• Southern Queensland Country

Tropical North Queensland

• Whitsundays

Welcome to Tourism and Events Queensland's Visual Gallery

This site has the ultimate collection of Queensland images, showcasing the diversity and splendour of this naturally beautiful State of Australia. Access to this site is available to travel and tourism industry professionals, media and anyone seeking professional images for use in the positive promotion of Queensland.

Check out queensland.com for travel inspiration.

Tourism and Events Queensland Industry Portal

What is the teq industry portal.

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) is a statutory body of the Queensland Government and the state's lead marketing, tourism experience and destination development and major events agency. The TEQ Industry Portal has been designed as the single point of access to the results and insights of the annual Best of Queensland Experiences Program (BOQEP) along with other resources developed by TEQ.

 Let's connect! You can access the Working with TEQ Checklist here which provides a quick guide to working with TEQ and a link to some valuable industry tools and resources.

​ First time here? Watch this short video on how to Sign Up!

How tourist operators in Far North Queensland are fighting for survival after series of disasters

For three months, Julian and Jackie Pagani have been burning hundreds of litres of fuel a day to power a campsite no-one can visit.

Usually their camping ground at Cape Tribulation, nestled between World Heritage-listed rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, swells with visitors this time of year.

But since Cyclone Jasper and a subsequent flooding event wreaked havoc on Far North Queensland last December, no-one has been able to get into the remote coastal village.

There's only one road into Cape Tribulation, and it's impassable.

"We haven't had any tourist trade since the cyclone so we are three months in with no income, no trade," Ms Pagani said.

"We don't know where to go from here, we don't know when we can reopen the doors, we don't know what to tell our staff, we don't know what to tell the bank."

Cape Tribulation has no mains power so for the Paganis, powering the campground is an expense that doesn't stop — even if the tourists do.

"[The diesel generator is] burning hundreds of litres of fuel a day because we have to keep everything on, including our sewage treatment plant," Mr Pagani said.

"After three months, it's a lot of money without an income."

Other tourism operators in the close-knit rainforest community are also doing it tough. The hotel rooms are vacant and cafes are empty, leaving businesses in the region teetering on the edge of financial ruin.

Ms Pagani puts it plainly: "Without tourists, we don't have Cape Tribulation."

"It won't exist if we don't open to tourists, there's no other way to make an income here, all other residents work in tourism."

A 'horrific start' to the tourism year

It's been three months since Cyclone Jasper and a subsequent flooding event wreaked havoc on Far North Queensland — the jewel in Australia's tourism crown.

About $280 million has been lost in cancelled bookings across the region between December and January and hotel occupancy rates remain as low as 30 per cent in some areas.

"We've had an horrific start to the year," Queensland's Tourism Minister Michael Healy conceded.

About 400,000 tourists normally visit the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation, located about a three-hour drive north of Cairns, each year.

The region recorded almost 3 metres of rain after Jasper crossed the coast near Cape Tribulation and the deluge caused a 56-metre landslide that effectively severed the rainforest village from the rest of the state.

Locals band together

Despite the devastation, Ms Pagani said local businesses had joined forces to help her pull off the couple's wedding on New Year's Eve at their isolated campground – the only business the town has seen in three months

About 170 family and friends were ferried in on a commercial reef tourism boat, cutlery and dinnerware was borrowed from nearby resorts, and food and drinks purchased from local businesses.

"We had planned our wedding a long time ago and we weren't going to let the cyclone stop us," Ms Pagani said.

Lawrence Mason, who runs a café and shop at Cape Tribulation, supplied alcohol, soft drinks and water for the wedding.

"We've been closed for more than 90 days so it was wonderful to see locals supporting other locals at such a difficult time," he said.

Empty rooms and water woes

Even parts of Far North Queensland that are accessible to visitors are still feeling the pain months after the cyclone.

Bryce and Lee Tozer, who manage the Cayman Villas resort in Port Douglas — a destination favoured by US presidents and singers Kylie Minogue and Ed Sheeran — said their occupancy rates were "significantly down" this Easter.

"I've spoken to many people around town and we all have similar stories, the phones aren't running hot, " Mr Bryce said.

"We need to get the message out, especially to people in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane that we are here and open, the reef is here, all the resorts are open for business, all sitting here and waiting for you to come."

Mr Tozer said publicity surrounding the town's water woes — Port Douglas is on level-four water restrictions as a result of flooding damage to treatment plants — had also impacted visitor numbers.

There have been several instances where the town has been left without water at short notice, forcing some tourists to bucket pool water to flush their toilets.

Local mayor Michael Kerr said council was working through the water issues and restoring road access to Cape Tribulation with the help of the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

"It's important to remember we are still open for business. The bars, cafes, restaurants, the reef tours, they are all open and if you love the tropics, please come and see us," Mr Kerr said.

He said the council hoped to open the road into Cape Tribulation by Easter, but it would be weather-dependent.

Millions poured into lure visitors back

Both the Queensland and federal governments have poured millions of dollars into advertising campaigns, discounted flights and holiday vouchers in a bid to entice visitors back to Far North Queensland.

In Cairns and Port Douglas, occupancy rates this Easter period have been about half of what they were last year, Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) figures show.

Mr Healy said in addition to the cyclone, flooding and road closures, there were other factors that had also contributed to the region's poor tourist numbers.

"Fundamentally, this comes down to access, and if we're looking at aviation into the region, and the prices are high, that is a big deterrent," he said.

"Eighty-seven per cent of our tourists get off at the [Cairns] airport so pricing, especially around that holiday period, is very important."

However, a sprinkling of international tourists have found their way to the region despite the hurdles.

English visitor Paul Oakley said he and his wife were aware of the natural disasters but chose to forge ahead with their journey and hadn't been disappointed.

"If you're helping out the tourism here, it's a really good thing and we are pleased that we did come," Mr Oakley said.

"We had expectations about what Australia would be like and it has more than exceeded those. Queensland in particular is beautiful. We have had trips to the Great Barrier Reef and it has just been wonderful."

• X (formerly Twitter)
• Extreme Weather Events
• Port Douglas
• Tourism and Leisure Industry

• Agriculture
• Childers Festival
• Taste Bundaberg Festival
• Milbi Festival
• Council Events
• BN Weekender

Painting raises funds for Flying Doctor Service

Patrons at a recent art exhibition in Gin Gin have helped raise over $700 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) by buying a postcard of a painting.

Leading Moore Park Beach artist Muriel Patterson ran a postcard print competition as part of her “ Colours of Australia ” Exhibition at Gin Gin Courthouse Gallery.

“I was overwhelmed with the response to the competition to win one of my paintings, depicting a RFDS plane landing at dusk on an outback unlit runway,” Muriel said.

“My goal was to raise enough money to help light a runway where Royal Flying Doctor Service planes fly.

“By buying a postcard of the painting for $5 everyone went in the draw to win the painting and we ended up raising over $700”.

The prize draw was conducted at Royal Flying Doctor Service’s Bundaberg headquarters by Robyn Langton, RFDS Senior Flight Nurse, on Wednesday morning.

Winner of the original painting “The Landing” was Jenni Vanderheld of the Gold Coast.

RFDS (Queensland Section) Manager for Community Engagement Stuart Bonnett said the funds will go towards making Muriel’s vision possible.

“We very much value the efforts of Muriel in raising funds for the RFDS (Queensland Section) to help deliver on our promise of ‘The furthest corner, The finest care',” Stuart said.

“It’s only through efforts like these that we are able to continue to provide vital healthcare services right across Queensland and we thank Muriel for her ongoing support.”

LATEST NEWS

Jacob joins El on Triple M from Monday

Darren captains rifle team to World Champ gold

How to: Learn more about Bert Hinkler

Leave a reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Bundaberg Now is a free community website delivering good news online — an initiative of Bundaberg Regional Council. Read our testimonials . You can contact us here .

• Privacy policy

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

Get out and about on new stretch of pathway

Australia Day celebrated in Bundaberg Region