New events will breathe life into Discovery Festival

A BUSH dance will bring back fond memories for many and is among a host of new events at the Cooktown Discovery Festival.

Organisers Cook Shire Council are encouraging other local groups and businesses to follow suit and be involved in the annual festival.

“Regulations can make it challenging for council to host certain events and activities, so it’s always wonderful to see local businesses and community groups stepping up and organising their own events,” mayor Peter Scott said.

“What’s good for small businesses is great for our community.”

Cr Scott said it was great to see groups getting on board and organising events to take advantage of the crowds flocking to town for the festival.

“We’d really love to see all the businesses in town getting behind this year’s festival so we’re really encouraging venues to host their own events, activities and entertainment,” he said.

“It’s so great to see the groups like Cooktown Little Athletics coming on board to host and organise their own events on a weekend which attracts record crowds every year.”

In addition to the perennial favourites such as the re-enactment of Cook’s landing, the street parade, fireworks and amusement rides, the highly-anticipated Cape

York Automotive Muster will return after a successful run in 2022.

New events include a fun run, community mural painting and the shire hall bush dance.

The council stepped in to save the festival in 2017 after the volunteer-run committee folded.

“Council didn’t want to see it fall by the wayside and took over event management in order for the community to continue to enjoy a much-loved event,” Cr Scott said.

“We look forward to ongoing exploration and further feasibility studies. Diatreme has an exciting year ahead as we move towards development of a critical minerals project that will advance global decarbonisation.”

The Northern Silica Project would benefit from its proximity to the existing Cape Flattery Port, with Diatreme signing a memorandum of understanding with the state government for use of the port late last year.

A scoping study due to be released within weeks will examine the feasibility of establishing a silica sand operation at Si2 with the potential to fast track the operation, which would be run independently of Galalar.