north queensland tourism and events awards

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Accommodation

• Aug 8, 2023

Call for nominations for the 2023 North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards

Townsville Enterprise is calling for nominations for the 2023 North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards.

Townsville Enterprise Director of Visitor Economy and Marketing, Lisa Woolfe said the North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards provides an opportunity to recognise the outstanding local businesses and the people behind the industry.

“The North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards will recognise those operators who deliver on our brand promise to surprise and delight our visitors and to celebrate a year that has seen strong growth, both in terms of marketing awareness but also reaching a historic $1 billion in visitor spend,” Mrs Woolfe said.

“This year, we have added additional categories including outstanding contribution by a volunteer, and excellence awards for accessible and sustainable tourism.

“Anyone can nominate their favourite tourism business, individual, volunteer or event in the region.

“As we have done since 2021, we will be asking the public to help decide who the best tourism and events experiences of the region are with People’s Choice voting opening 5 September.

“The Awards Night itself will pay tribute to the destination’s new tourism brand Up for Unexpected launched in February this year. Attendees can expect a night of the unexpected, guaranteed to surprise and delight – just as our region and our operators do for our visitors every day.”

Simon George and Sons have confirmed Silver Sponsorship of this year’s event.

Simon George and Sons General Manager, Larry Griffin said the company was proud to support this important industry.

“This is the fifth year we have supported the North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards and we are proud to align our brand with this signature event that recognises the importance of this industry, the operators, and the individuals behind it.

The North Queensland Tourism and Events Awards will be held on Friday 10 November at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

To nominate, visit https://www.townsvilleenterprise.com.au/tourism/north-queensland-tourism-and-events-awards/ .

2023 People’s Choice Award Categories

Major Event

Destination Event

Business and Conferencing Venue

New Tourism Business or Experience

Caravan & Holiday Parks

Restaurants

Cafes & Casual Dining

Bars, Breweries and Distilleries

Tours, Attractions and Experiences

Transport and Hire Services

Individual Awards

Richard Power Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual

Young Achiever Award

Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer

Excellence Awards

Excellence in Accessible Tourism

Excellence in Sustainability

• Arts, Entertainment & Tourism

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Media Releases

Awards celebrate TNQ tourism excellence

23 October 2021

Pioneers and young achievers were recognised at the 2021 Simon George & Sons TNQ Tourism Industry Excellence Awards at Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda last night (October 22).

Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) Chair Ken Chapman told the 170 guests that the awards celebrate industry excellence and innovation by acknowledging the people and businesses at the forefront of tourism in the region.

“After a tough 18 months it has never been more important for our industry to gather together to celebrate our achievements and belief that our resilience will see Tropical North Queensland tourism emerge stronger than ever,” he said.

“I congratulate the winners and runners-up of the 2021 Simon George & Sons TNQ Tourism Industry Excellence Awards for their leadership.

“I also applaud the dedication of the many people in our industry who have been striving to keep their customers happy and their staff employed so we can emerge as a world-class destination once again.”

Life Members – Stephen Gregg and Wendy Morris

Stephen Gregg chaired Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Tourism Events Queensland, Queensland Rail and the Queensland Tourism Industry Council. He provided strategic direction for Tropical North Queensland to better appeal to new airline carriers and the lucrative Chinese market. As the CEO of North Queensland Airports, Stephen amalgamated and redeveloped the Cairns and Mackay Airports following their privatisation.

Wendy Morris is the immediate past Chair of TTNQ and chaired Tourism Port Douglas Daintree. She has served on many boards including Tourism Queensland, Advance Cairns and is currently a Board Director of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Wendy founded Reef Biosearch, the first company to employ marine biologists on the Great Barrier Reef to educate visitors. She has held management roles with Quicksilver Connections, Reef Terraces, Radisson Resorts, Wetherby Station, and Rainforest Habitat.

Chair’s Award for Excellence – Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF)

CIAF is a landmark event that is not only significant to our community, but has helped build global recognition of Indigenous art and culture showcasing more than 1500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and injecting $22 million into the Queensland economy. In 2020 the innovative CIAF team delivered their first online event reaching more than 2.6 million people in 80 countries and taking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art to a much wider global audience.

Outstanding Contribution by an Individual – James Dixon

Sponsored by Cairns Regional Council

The co-founder and Managing Director of Down Under Tours, James Dixon believes strongly in promoting the region first and his business second, joining national and international trade missions to hunt in a pack and grow the industry for everyone’s benefit. A Director of the TTNQ Board for a decade, he was also a Director of Tourism and Events Queensland and served on both boards as the Deputy Chair.

Year of Indigenous Tourism Award – Juan Walker, Walkabout Cultural Adventures

Runner-up Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel

Sponsored by Bang Media

An Eastern Kuku Yalanji man from the Daintree/Mossman area, Juan Walker created Walkabout Cultural Adventures providing cultural tours on Kuku Yalanji country. Before the pandemic, 95% of Juan’s customers were international travellers. He is an active member of TTNQ’s Indigenous Cluster Group and was voted by his peers to the steering committee for the Tropical North Queensland First Nations Tourism Action Plan. His role with the Reimagining the Visitor Economy Taskforce brings the voice of Indigenous tourism to the federal taskforce.

Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel is the first Great Barrier Reef experience to celebrate Australia’s first people and their connection to Sea Country and is a member of Tourism Australia’s invitation-only Discover Aboriginal Experiences. Owned by Experience Co, Dreamtime is creating employment pathways and making a positive change for young Indigenous Australians.

Young Achiever Excellence Award – Weiqing Jacky Ni

Runner-up Cheyenne Sadler

Weiqing Jacky Ni has been working in sales and marketing roles since 2015 to drive Asian visitation to Cairns and was promoted to Hotel Manager of the Comfort Inn Cairns City a year ago increasing revenue for the hotel by re-opening the restaurant and achieving a 4-star rating. In 2019 Weiqing was selected as a Young Tourism Leader for Queensland and has been visiting schools promoting a career in the tourism industry. He is on the Young Australian Tourism Export Council Committee and is a volunteer for the Consulate General of China.

Twenty-five-year-old Cheyenne Sadler’s tourism career began with Big 4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut three years ago as a food and beverage casual worker. Her can-do attitude quickly led to her promotion to supervisor and she was invited into the Ingenia Future Leaders Program. Cheyenne developed the successful Snack Shack concept during the holiday park’s busy 2021 winter season and mentored her team to deliver the highest level of customer service.

Customer Service Excellence Award – Shanice Dale

Runner-up Eddie Loi

Shanice Dale has been a Guest Relations Officer at Big 4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut for four years and last year was promoted to Front Office Supervisor, a role created especially for her as a result of her excellent performance. Shanice strongly believes in the surprise and delight approach to deliver a superior guest experience and wants every guest to leave with a smile on their face.

Eddie Loi has been a Customer Service Officer with Down Under Cruise & Dive for the past five years. His infectious positive attitude is enjoyed by all customers and is especially important for the company’s work with corporate private charter guests. Eddie talks to each customer as they check-in to ascertain their needs and offers support, such as assistance with non-English speaking passengers, where necessary.

Best of Queensland Experience Excellence Award – Back Country Bliss Adventures

Using independent online customer reviews, the Best of Queensland program recognises tourism experiences that best bring the Queensland story to life and consistently deliver an exceptional customer experience. Back Country Bliss Adventures topped the scores in Tropical North Queensland with tours including River Drift Snorkelling on the Mossman River.

The awards are sponsored by Simon George & Sons, Cairns Regional Council and Bang Media.

Life Member Wendy Morris

Accessibility

Accessibility modes, online dictionary, readable experience, visually pleasing experience, easy orientation.

Tropical North Queensland Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Statement

• tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au
• May 10, 2024

Compliance status

We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.

Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

Disability profiles supported in our website

• Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
• Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
• Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
• ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
• Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
• Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

• Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
• Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
• Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
• Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
• Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
• Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
• Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

Browser and assistive technology compatibility

We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).

Notes, comments, and feedback

Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to

Quick Links

The 2022 Queensland Tourism Awards nominations are now open

The Queensland Tourism Awards (QTAs) have returned with a bang to celebrate Queensland's biggest year of intrastate travel since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

A report from Tourism and Events Queensland stated that in 2021, Queensland experienced a 9.1 per cent increase in intrastate holiday travel, with 7.3 million Queenslanders holidaying in their own backyard.

READ MORE: The Speckle Park producer, Travis Parry, who has gained a 111k following on social media platform TikTok

READ MORE: Western Queensland electric vehicle charging stations announced

QTIC chief executive Brett Fraser said it's special to be able to celebrate Queenslanders supporting Queenslanders at this year's awards after what has been a tumultuous couple of years for the industry.

"The QTIC awards acknowledge and showcase some of Queensland's finest tourism operators for 2022," Mr Fraser said.

"In what has been Queensland's biggest year for intrastate holidaying since before the pandemic, this year's awards provide an opportunity for tourism organisations to put themselves forward and highlight the innovative measures they've taken to bounce back over the last 12 months.

"It's obviously been a really tough couple of years for the industry, but we've got a diverse range of entrants so far that have successfully catered to the growth of Queensland's strong intrastate travel market.

"There's a lot to celebrate in Queensland tourism this year, and I'd encourage our tourism operators to reflect on their success throughout the year and put their best foot forward."

The report from TEQ stated that intrastate overnight visitor expenditure (OVE) in 2021 increased by 10.1 percent to a record $11.2 billion.

Queensland also led the charge nationally in total OVE for 2021.

Mr Fraser said the record-breaking result provided a promising future for Queensland's post-pandemic tourism economy.

"Both Queenslanders and Australians are spending big in our state, which helps put Queensland on the map as overseas holiday-goers plan to visit Australia," he said.

"Just recently Queensland has had its best Easter period in three years - it's a real turning point for the industry and I feel very optimistic about the future of Queensland tourism.

"We're proud to be able to promote an annual platform of celebration for the industry and support the growth of tourism operators, especially now that international borders are open."

Queensland Airports Limited (QAL), which owns and operates Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach airports, continued its long-term presenting partnership with the Queensland Tourism Awards.

QAL CEO Chris Mills said the group's airports had almost returned to pre-COVID-19 passenger levels and its tourism partners around Queensland were experiencing similar numbers.

"You only need to walk through Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa or Longreach airport terminals to understand why there is a renewed sense of optimism and energy in the tourism industry right now," he said.

"Queensland is recovering strongly, as travellers restart their plans and confidence increases.

"I encourage Queensland tourism operators to put their Queensland Tourism Awards submissions in to celebrate the recovery that is happening across our state."

Nominations for the 2022 Queensland Tourism Awards are now open.

Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.

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2022 nq tourism & events awards.

• October 25, 2022
• Related Categories » Linkinbio , Regional , Social Images , Tourism

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• 2019 North Queensland Tourism & Events Awards Winners

2019 North Queensland Tourism & Events Awards Winners

18th October 2019

Major Festivals and Events Winner: Watpac Townsville 400 Festivals and Events Winner: Australian Festival of Chamber Music Silver: SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week Bronze: Townsville Running Festival and Townsville Triathlon and Multisport Festival (tie) Richard Power Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual Winner: Ross McLennan (Chairman - North Queensland EduTourism Consortium, Owner/Operator– Hidden Valley Cabins) Young Achiever Award Winner: Alicia Masters (Owner/Operator – NQ Tours) Travel Associates People's Choice Award Winner: SeaLink Queensland

Principal Partner

Major Partner

2024 WEDDING INDUSTRY AWARDS™ - Tropical North Queensland

Event description.

We Seek, We Acknowledge, We Reward - The Wedding Industry Awards™ celebrates and recognises the pinnacle of professionalism and the surpassing of all expectations of Newlyweds.

Australia’s Most Preferred and Trusted Wedding Industry Awards™ by Industry. Offering Australia’s #1 Genuine Regional Wedding Industry Awards Program delivering the MOST Comprehensive, Credible and Transparent Wedding Awards...

At midnight on FRIDAY 19 April 2024 , voting in the 7th ANNUAL  TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND - Wedding Industry Awards™ closed, and after 10 days of voting there were:

6837 – Newlywed Couples Voted

466  - Businesses were Nominated

162  - Businesses scored enough points to become FINALISTS.

As a Finalist, on TUESDAY 27 MAY 2024 at 6.30pm ( BRISBANE Time ) via ZOOM VIRTUAL PRESENTATION you will have the opportunity to engage with the 2024  TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND  - Wedding Industry Awards™ to find out if Newlywed Couples of the  TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND h ave voted your business to be the WINNER of a Wedding Industry Award™ in your Category!

Check out the BENEFITS delivered by Wedding Industry Awards ™ at: https://weddingindustryawards.au/benefits

NOT SURE how it all WORKS check out: https://weddingindustryawards.au/how-it-works/

If you have received an Invitation by email or FaceBook Tagged through 

https://www.facebook.com/Great...  for the 2024 T ROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND   - Wedding Industry Awards™ , you are a FINALIST! This means you have been recognised by your Newlywed Couples and scored more than 20 points during voting.

NOTES on REGISTERING :

1. Click on the REGISTER NOW Tab to purchase your Ticket (1 Per Category) Nominated. (Contact us at [email protected]  if you are not sure about the Categories your Business has been Nominated).

2. Please Register your Business Name .

3. Please confirm your Mailing Address otherwise if your Business is the Recipient of a Brides Choice Award it may not be received in a timely manner.

4. Please confirm your Mobile #

5. If your business is a Finalist in more than one (1) Business Category, it is necessary to Register for Each Category or just purchase the number of Tickets to cover all Categories.

Download your FINALIST logo BELOW and let the world know with #weddingindustryawardsaustralia.

Once you have REGISTERED you receive information on how to LOGIN to ZOOM the week before the Wedding Industry Awards™ presentation.

The Wedding Industry Awards™ Celebrates and Recognises the Pinnacle of Professionalism and the surpassing of all expectations of Newlywed Couples by wedding suppliers.

EVENT DETAILS:

TUESDAY 28 MAY 2024 6.30pm ( BRISBANEE Time ) – Launch of the Virtual 7th ANNUAL - 2024  TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND   - Wedding Industry Awards™ has a NO REFUND POLICY.

Please NOTE : Registration requires the purchase of a SINGLE TICKET for each Nominated Category where you would like a PERSONALISED DIGITAL Marketing Collateral Package .

Due to the significant impact of the current COST of LIVING Crisis we have initiated a two (2) OPTION Registration:

OPTION 1 : When you Register for the Virtual Presentation, we have reduced the investment to ONLY include: A Personalised Digital Roundel + Digital Certificate (DIY Print & Frame) + BUSINESS REINFORCER & BOOK REINFORCER  Package for each Business Category.

OPTION 2 : If a business would like to Order an Acrylic Wedding Industry Award™ Plaque for your Showroom/Office/Expo, then they need to Register for the Plaque separately for each Business Category. ( NOTE: OPTION 2 MUST be Taken with OPTION 1 )

If a Business Orders the Wedding Industry Award™ Acrylic Plaque (WINNER, #2 Highly Commended, TOP3, TOP5, TOP10, , Distinguished Finalist) the physical WIA Plaque (Oversized A4 x 20mm Acrylic) will be mailed directly to you.

Your Single Ticket / Category to engage with the Wedding Industry Awards™ is more than just a ZOOM Seminar!!

1. You will be provided with a HYPERLINK to obtain access to the Virtual Presentation week Prior the Event.

2. If you are a Registered Finalist and Miss, the Cut of the Major Awards in your Business Category you will still receive a Personalised Digital Collateral.

3. You will be Granted Licence to use the Wedding Industry Awards™ Logo Roundels and Trademark.

4. REGISTRANTS that receive a Wedding Industry Award (WINNER, Highly Commended, TOP10 or TOP5) receive a Listing on http://www.weddingindustryawards.au in your Business Category.

5. REGISTRANTS that receive a Wedding Industry Award (WINNER, Highly Commended, TOP10 or TOP5) receive a Listing on

https://www.facebook.com/Tropi...   and http:/ /www. facebook.com/WeddingIndustryAwardsAustralia

6. WINNERS of a Wedding Industry Award™ will have their FaceBook / Instagram posts shared from time to time. Be sure to LIKE https://www.facebook.com/Troip... + http://ww w. f acebook.com/WeddingIndustryAwards  Australia PLUS Instagram #WeddingIndustryAwardsAustralia

7. WINNERS of a Wedding Industry Award™ will have their Instagram Posts shared from time to time. Be sure to LIKE https://www.instagram.com/weddingindustryawardsaustralia and http://www.facebook.com/WeddingIndustryAwards  Australia PLUS use #WeddingIndustryAwardsAustralia

8.  All Registrants will receive Quarterly Business Reinforcer ( A 90 Second Read ) to enhance their Business Opportunities.

9. All Registrants will receive Quarterly Book Reinforcer ( A 90 Second Read ) to enhance their Business and Personal Acumen and Opportunities.

10. REGISTERED WINNERS + #2 HIGHLY COMMENDED  will become a FINALIST in the Australian Wedding Awards™ 2025 ( Wednesday 5th - FEBRUARY 202 5 CROWN TOWERS   MELBOURNE ) http://www.australianweddingawards.au

Check out the HIGHLIGHTS of the 2023 Australian Wedding Awards on the GOLD COAST in JANUARY at     https://bit.ly/428JWRg

AWARD INFORMATION

Local and Destination Newlywed Couples that had their wedding in the  TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND  Region were asked to vote for a maximum of five (5) wedding suppliers that they believed went beyond the call of duty, professionalism, value for money, excellent customer service and exceeded their expectations. Newlywed Couples are restricted to voting once and then locked out once their vote was cast. Points were allocated to their voting rank as follows:

1st choice - 5 points

2nd choice - 4 points

3rd choice - 3 points

4th choice - 2 points

5th choice - 1 point

THE AWARD CATEGORIES

Boutique Wedding Accommodation

Bridal Accessories

Bridal Gown Alterations

Bridal Gown Boutique

Bridal Gown Couture’

Bridal Gown Designer

Bridesmaids & Formalwear

Suits & Formalwear

Beauty Therapist & Treatment

Health & Fitness

Bridal Hair Stylist

Bridal MakeUp Artist

Bridal Hair & MakeUp

Bucks & Hens

Caravans, Trucks, Carts & Bars

Chapels, Churches & Ceremony Locations

Civil Marriage Celebrant

Elopements & Intimate Weddings

Dance Studio

Decorator & Stylist

Entertainment Services

Live Entertainment

Marriage Proposals

Master of Ceremonies

Wedding Photographer

Wedding Videographer

Wedding Photographer & Videographer

Picnics, Grazing Tables & Platters

Wedding Cake Designer

Wedding Caterer

Wedding Content Creator

Wedding Florist

Wedding Services

Wedding Stationery

Wedding Transport

Wedding Planner & Coordinator

Wedding Venue – Coordinator

Wedding Venue – Boutique Hotel

Wedding Venue – 4-5 Star Hotel

Wedding Venue - Resort Hotel

Wedding Venue – Beach

Wedding Venue – Boutique

Wedding Venue – Community Hall

Wedding Venue – DIY

Wedding Venue – ECO

Wedding Venue – Farm & Country

Wedding Venue – Function Centre

Wedding Venue – Garden

Wedding Venue – Golf & Country

Wedding Venue – Historic

Wedding Venue – Licenced Club

Wedding Venue – Surf Club

Wedding Venue – Unique

Wedding Venue – Waterfront

Wedding Venue – Restaurant

Wedding Venue – Boutique Winery

Wedding Venue – Historic Winery

Wedding Venue - Winery

IMPORTANT PARTICIPATION INFORMATION

All the WINNERS, #2 Highly Commended, TOP3, TOP5 & TOP10 Wedding Industry Award™ Recipients are announced during the Virtual 2024  TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND  - Wedding Industry Awards ™ . If a business is recognised by their Newlywed Couples to be a WINNR or other Recipient and they are NOT REGISTERED for the Virtual Wedding Industry Awards™ presentation, a Physical Award is not produced, and they will not have access to the supporting Wedding Industry Awards™ Marketing Collateral (WINNERS Roundel Logos etc.) or Licence to use the Brand / Trademark for marketing purposes. A Wedding Industry Award™ may be POST PURCHASED after the presentation with access to the Wedding Industry Awards™ Marketing Collateral Roundel Logos.

Please REGISTER by FRIDAY 17 MAY 2024 to ensure you do not miss out on your Wedding Industry Award™ if you are a recipient. All Registered Participants receive Marketing Collateral.

YOUR FINALIST LOGO

DOWNLOAD YOUR LOGO HERE! TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND FINALIST LOGO ROUNDEL (Will open in a separate window - right click on the image and Save As).

You are now able to use the 2024  TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND  - Wedding Industry Awards™ . FINALIST Roundel Logo across your Facebook, Instagram, Website, Print and Emails, do not forget to use.

#australianweddingawards #weddingawards #bridalawards #weddingindustryawardsaustralia #bridalindustryawards #australianbridalawards #localbusinessawards #coupleschoiceweddingawards #bestinbusinessawards #weddingindustryawards

Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix donates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

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North Queensland 2024 Housing & Construction Awards

The Housing and Construction Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of those at the forefront of building and construction.

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About this event.

• 4 hours 30 minutes

Join us as we celebrate the best and brightest in the building and construction industry at our North Queensland 2024 Housing & Construction Awards.

Our Housing & Construction Awards program is the jewel in the crown of our events calendar, and you can now secure your tickets to the North Queensland awards night on Saturday, 10th August.

Come along and celebrate the awe-inspiring entries and winners as we shine a bright light on the incredible people and stellar work achieved within the building and construction industry.

It’s a chance for everyone to come together to celebrate the fantastic work being achieved in all areas of the industry, catch up with friends, make new connections, and kick up your heels on the dancefloor.

On the night Dress Code: After Five Formal (Suit/Cocktail) Three-course meal and drinks Entertainment provided by Euphoria

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All the photos from the Beef '24 Commercial Cattle Championship awards dinner

The crowning of the winners of Beef 2024's Commercial Cattle Championship awards took place in Rockhampton on Monday night, MCed by Geoff Maynard.

Cattle producers from across Queensland and NSW as well as industry representatives attended the formal dinner at The Long Paddock marquee, with the event recognising the pinnacle of excellence in the commercial cattle realm.

The excellence was acknowledged by Nutrien Ag Solutions' general manager Kelly Freeman, who said the night was about celebrating the resilience and ingenuity of Australia's cattle industry.

"Last year highlighted what's great about the cattle industry - with everything thrown at it, it focused on delivery," he said. "You are the envy of beef markets around the world."

Among the major winners of the evening were the Quinn family of Essex Grazing, the Mylrea family of Needmor Cattle Company, and the Conaghan family of Barmount Feedlot.

At the conclusion of the commercial cattle awards, a charity auction raised $26,300 for Dolly's Dream, RACQ Capricorn Rescue and the Leukaemia Foundation.

Queensland Country Life reporter based in Emerald. I report on agriculture and rural news in the central Queensland region. Got a story? Get in touch: 0437528907 or email [email protected]

Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.

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Tirranna Springs Roadhouse owners hope for strong outback Queensland tourist season during flood recovery

The stench of mud and dead animal carcasses, water as far as the eye can see, and thick layers of deep-fryer oil and silt coating the interior of a once-bustling outback business.

That's how Jil Wilson recalls the impact that three floods in 11 months have had on her family's property in north-west Queensland.

"This has all been absolutely devastating," she said.

Ms Wilson, her husband Tim and their two young children have called the Tirranna Springs Roadhouse home since 2018.

They were looking for a fresh start and the place was in desperate need of renovations.

"It had been closed for two years by that point," Ms Wilson said.

"We poured ourselves into the place and did extensive work to get it open in 2019."

But after more than five years the repair work on the property, about 400 kilometres north of Mount Isa, has not stopped.

Unprecedented monsoonal event

Damage was first caused in March 2023 when catastrophic flooding hit parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria .

Ms Wilson said the total cost of the repairs would be "in the millions".

"We came up with a rough list of what happened, what is damaged and what needs to be replaced and it was a roughly $3-million saga," she said.

The Wilson family felt the full brunt of the flooding when the nearby Nicholson River swelled to three metres and swept through their property, leaving them homeless for months.

"The water was so fierce and swept everything away," Ms Wilson said.

"We lost so much infrastructure, all power and water."

Before: The roadhouse was surrounded by flooding last year. . . After: The building has since been raised to reduce the impact of floods. . .

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Ms Wilson hatched a plan to rebuild weeks later, when the water had receded.

"Everyone said to us this was a once-in-a-lifetime event and that we'd never see it again, but I just wasn't so sure," she said.

"So, we lifted everything by three metres — the roadhouse, the motel, our home.

"We were better prepared, but it's still amazing how much you can't prepare for."

Blow after blow

Less than 12 months later, in February 2024, disaster struck again as heavy rain fell on already saturated river systems .

A 1.6-metre flood swept across plains that had finally begun to grow again. Two weeks later, a third 1.2-metre flood followed.

With almost $1 million already spent, Ms Wilson wondered if there was any point in trying to repair their property.

"All the gravel we'd put on the roads was washed onto the non-existent lawn areas. There was so much cleaning up to do all over again," she said.

"It's like repotting the same plant again and again and again and then losing half of it."

She said the greatest blow had come from the lack of financial support on all fronts.

"All the insurances [for our home and business] pulled out, they deemed it a flood event and not an insurable rain event," she said.

"After the first flood [in 2023] there was some help available through the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) … a $250,000 loan that we had to start paying back straightaway.

"With a closed business that is incredibly difficult to do. Before you can earn an income, you need to spend a fortune to get operational and repay the loans."

A Queensland Reconstruction Authority spokesperson said a range of help was activated for Burke Shire region residents after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily in early 2024.

It included emergency hardship assistance grants of $180 a person for eligible residents and structural assistance grants up to $50,000 for uninsured income-tested owner-occupiers towards the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged dwellings.

But Ms Wilson said the nature of being a remote business meant most operators in the region would not be eligible for most of the packages.

"If you're self-employed, or own a business or a cattle property, you don't stand a chance with the income test," she said.

"I don't believe these grants are designed to help people in remote areas, it's for employed people and families in the city."

Call for tourists

The doors to the roadhouse have been closed since December 2022 when staff packed up in preparation for the wet season.

Despite a delayed start to this year's outback tourist season – following months of isolation due to flooding and road closures – the Wilson family have worked day and night to prepare to reopen to tourists for food and fuel next month.

Ms Wilson said she hoped that with the lights back on, and plenty of visitors through the door, all of the hard work would be worth it.

"My first message to tourists is to please drive carefully, and my second message is to please drive," she said.

"Come and support the local community, we desperately need it.

"It's amazing to see the country after such wet years, in places that didn't drown like at home. Everything that could possibly grow is growing."

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