Palm Cove News FEBUARY, 2001

Mystery fire probably an accident

Editorial

THE GREENIES

But let's not go overboard.

Jet skis are important to Palm Cove ; they cater for the needs of tourists, both from overseas and Australia.

Cove is a tourists's town : millions of dollars have gone into this place to make it a virtual Mecca for visitors. They visit, return home and tell their friends and neighbours what a great place it is and what a fun time they had.

The jet skis are part of the fun.

The more tourists we have, the more jobs are available, and the more valuable Palm Cove real estate becomes : we are paid more for our properties when we sell them.

Our only commercial jet ski operator has strict rules, and customers lose their $20 deposit if they break them. The boats must go straight out from the shore at low speed for 150m and stay there, returning again at low speed direct to shore.

Jet skis are harmless, not all that intrusive, and good for our town.

Let them be.

The blaze which destroyed 24 quad bikes at Blazing Saddles on January 17 was probably caused by an electrical short, manager Renelle Bolton said.

"There was no possible reason why anyone would deliberately light it," she said, referring to a Cairns Post report that police were treating the fire as possible arson.

"The fire couldn't have happened at a worse time," she said. "The Chinese New Year was due in a week's time and all the bikes were fully booked."

But almost miraculously, owner Michael Trout managed to get another 24 of the four-wheel motorbikes from Brisbane and Sydney in time for the Chinese event.

"Everyone co-operated : the insurance company , the Honda people, it was really great," Renelle said.

Terry Warren, owner of nearby backpacker establishment Palm Cove Retreat, whose home was 50m from the shed, was one of the first to arrive on the scene.

"There were three bikes on fire when I got there, but we couldn't get the others out because for security reasons they were all chained together and padlocked.

"After that, the smoke from the burning petrol, oil and plastic was so suffocating we couldn't do much about it. The machines just exploded one by one, and when the brigade arrived they were all on fire," he said.

Terry couldn't think of any reason why someone would deliberately light the fire. "It happened at 10 pm. You wouldn't think an arsonist would do it so early in the evening."

Blazing Saddles also hires out 40 horses.

Jet skis : Greenies

complain again

Box jellyfish sting deaths rare

The North Queensland Conservation council has called for a ban on jet skis in environmentally sensitive areas.

Their recommendations include banning jet skis from shallow inshore areas, seagrass beds, coral reefs, bays,

within 500m of islands important for nesting birds, dugong areas, etc.

The Australian Jet Ski Boating Association said its members wanted fair use of the waterways. It said industry was working hard to make the boats quieter and they were not as loud as before.

(See Editorial)

THERE ARE nearly as many deaths from box jellyfish stings in the Philippines each year as have happened in Australia in the past century, a Mackay scientist says.

Dr Peter Fenner said the score was : Philippines 50 per annum; Australia 60 per century.

"Tourists are cautious about swimming in North Queensland but quite happily jump into tropical waters in the Philippines, Thailand, Malayasia, and Vietnam," he told a conference in Townsville.

He said the risk of a sting could be reduced by avoiding jumping or running into the water.

(Ref : Australian Doctor 3/11/00)

Big money grabs Double Island

Estimated in the BRW Rich List to have a fortune of $150million, Sydney tycoon Sean Howard bought Double Island in November for $4.5million.

Mr Howard is the founder and former

chief executive officer of Ozemail.

Creditors of the failed previous owners Border Corporation will be paid 70 cents in the dollar, the liquidators said last month.

The island resort is presently not open to tourists or the public.

Our friendly beach

"I'd like to get married, but the hours are too long."

- the late Dita Cobb, Sydney journalist and TV personality, married five times.

PALM COVE won the Friendly Beach Award in the annual Far Northern Environmental Protection Agency challenge in November. Green Is. won Cleanest Beach.

Published by Jerry Dukes, 52Terebra St
Palm Cove 4879
Ph 40591610
Fax 40590058
Email : jdukes@ozemail.com.au