Friday, 24 February, 2023
Number
ONE of 420 Coast Agencies 12590876-RR08-23
Building with cob
Ready to Clean Up
Luv a Dub
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28-page lift out Property Guide
PR OP ER TY
INSIDE
Swell of excitement
Harrison Roach defies gravity at the 2009 festival.
Picture: NFS
With the 32nd edition of the Noosa Festival of Surfing less than a week away, expectations are running high that the surf god Huey and the return of swell action in the Coral Sea will see vintage waves for the record number of local and international competitors here for the nine-day event. As well as age divisions ranging from over 70s to juniors for both men and women, feature events will include the World Surf League qualifying Noosa Longboard Pro, as well as a new high performance event and the return of the surfing dogs and a crowd favourite over decades, the Golden Breed Noserider. Many of the best noseriders in the world will compete in a time-trial event in which they are scored for riding with five or 10 toes over the nose of the board, hoping to emulate the gravity-defying rides of locals Jai Lee, a former champion, and Harrison Roach, current world longboard champion, pictured here as a stick-thin teenager draping 10 toes over back in 2009. Find full details of the world’s biggest and best surf festival inside
Is Walk on track? By Phil Jarratt
12572850-DL42-22
Exactly a year ago Noosa Today asked the question, “Is the Great Walk off track?” This week we finally got an answer in the form of a joint statement of intent from South Australian-based CABN, the Queensland Government-selected proponent for the ecotourism project, and the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation, its proposed management partner. And while it left a lot to be desired in terms of a clear timeline and roadmap to completion, it did at least lift the cone of silence for the first time in a year to reveal that yes, the controversial “glamping” project is marching ahead, if at a somewhat slower pace than the average walker would complete the five-day walk. The statement, welcomed and endorsed by
Queensland tourism authorities, began: “CABN has confirmed that it will proceed with final design planning for the multi-day, guided cultural tourism experience following endorsement from the Traditional Land Owners, the Kabi Kabi Corporation. The collaborative project between the Kabi Kabi Corporation and CABN will introduce a sustainable, cultural tourism experience, owned and operated in partnership with the Kabi Kabi Corporation and CABN. Intrepid Travel, a shareholder of CABN, will add value in the partnership, drawing on their experience in sustainable First Nations tourism globally.” Last May CABN and Melbourne-based Intrepid Travel, one of the world’s leading small group travel operators, announced an equity partnership that would see the sustainable travel group with impressive global reach invest almost $8 million in the growth of CABN’s
off-grid accommodation business and help integrate it into their own Australian travel itineraries. While the equity partnership between CABN and Intrepid covers a range of projects around Australia, Intrepid’s vast experience and commitment to developing First Nations sustainable tourism models is expected to become a major factor in future partnerships with Kabi Kabi. As Intrepid regional managing director Brett Mitchell told Noosa Today last month: “We haven’t mapped who does exactly what at this stage, but the intention is to create a genuine partnership between CABN and the Kabi Kabi community, with Intrepid contributing training programs and product expertise, but a lot of this will be driven by CABN and Kabi Kabi working up the commercial models and the skill sets required.
“Intrepid has had considerable experience working with Indigenous people in Australia and elsewhere to develop training programs and to build capacity for their communities in and around tourism. “It’s a complex business but we’ve had 33 years of managing sustainable, small group travel and we want to share that with the Kabi Kabi.” As this week’s statement noted: “CABN has consulted extensively with Kabi Kabi in collaboration on all aspects of the proposed walk, including site accommodation locations, cultural monitoring, caring for country and the visitor experience through education and conservation. It represents the beginning of CABN’s long-term partnership with the Kabi Kabi people and the wider Cooloola community.” Continued page 5