It is interesting to note that a couple of weeks after I wrote about Vic Hislop and our visit to Vic’s shark expo in Hervey Bay that a young man has been attacked by a shark on the Gold Coast!
This attack occurred off Nobby Beach, just north of Miami Beach and south of Mermaid Beach, late in the afternoon yesterday, Tuesday 20th March 2012.
A young surfer has proved he is made of tough stuff, showing off his gory wound after a shark chomped down on his leg on the Gold Coast yesterday afternoon.
Billy O’Leary, 20, was attempting a surfing manoeuvre in waters off Miami when he fell off his board and landed on the shark.
The engineering student was with his best friend, Tyson Kolkka, when he was bitten.
He told Nine News they were fighting for the wave and it could have easily been Mr Kolkka who was bitten.
Nine News cameraman Joel Scott said Mr O’Leary was in good spirits before his operation today.
“He was great this morning. He just said that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have been anyone,” Mr Scott said.
“He said it crossed his mind that he could have died.”
This young Aussie kept his cool and sense of humour throughout the whole event and even joked about the size of the shark that bit him being 20 foot long! We are glad that this young man is okay and that he did not lose his leg or worse!
It does send out a warning though that we all need to be diligent and keep our eyes open when swimming at our beautiful Australian beaches!
We wish Billy O’Leary a speedy recovery and safe surfing in the future!
Affordability of accommodation is extremely important when tourists are planning their next holiday or trip. So the news that hotel prices have reached an all time high in Perth, Western Australia, is not good news for people planning a trip to this beautiful part of our nation.
Below is an excerpt from an article printed today in the WA Today. You can read the full article, written by Rhianna King, by clicking here.
Perth has the most expensive hotel rooms of all capital cities in Australia, thanks to a recent boom in business travel created by the resources industry.
The average price of Perth hotel rooms soared by 17 per cent last year to $184 a night, $18 more than the Australian average of $166, according to a hotels.com survey, making it the most expensive capital city in the nation.
Meanwhile a separate study from STR Global has found occupancy rates are also on the rise; increasing 12 per cent to 82.4 per cent in January.
Tourism officials warned the combination of high prices and low availability was good for hoteliers but was squeezing out leisure tourists.
WA Tourism Council chief executive Evan Hall said some travellers were being forced to stay as far out as Mandurah due to the lack of availability in Perth.
The article goes on to indicate that the weekends have the lowest hotel occupancy, with the mid-week nights of Tuesday to Thursday being the most popular nights. Business travellers are making the most of the available rooms and the prices are becoming too high for many tourists.
While business travel increased during 2011, travel for leisure fell significantly. While many of the popular hotels may be doing well with the business clients, the decline in tourists is having a significant affect on the tourism industry in and around Perth.
Many Aussie woke up today to celebrate a birthday, but they were not the only ones remembering a special day. Today on the 19th March 2012 the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge is celebrating its 80th birthday.
Much has changed during this period including the popular mode of transport and the cost to travel over the majestic bridge.
Here is a short article that appeared today in the Daily Telegraph online.
WHEN the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932 you could ride across on your horse for just 1c.
Eighty years later it will cost you up to $3 and riding your horse across the Bridge is illegal.
The Coathanger opened on March 19, 1932, to much fanfare after almost a decade of construction.
Since then traffic has risen from 11,000 vehicles a day to more than 160,000.
On Sunday (18th March) a 1930s-themed picnic will be held in Bradfield Park underneath the northern end of the Bridge to commemorate the milestone.
The party will feature vintage fashion parades, big bands and roving entertainment.
The event will be held between 9.30am and 2pm and there will be plenty to see and do.
It is interesting to ponder the many changes the have occurred on and around the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as the millions of people who have traveled across this world famous Australian icon since it was opened all of those decades ago.
Located on the beautiful Hervey Bay esplanade, close to the Urangan Pier, is where you will find the world famous Great White Shark and Whale expo, which is the only one of its kind in the entire world. Vic Hislop set up this exhibition to educate people on the unpredictable behaviour of sharks.
553 The Esplanade, Urangan, Hervey Bay,
Queensland, 4217 Australia
Vic Hislop Great White Shark Show is easy to find on the corner of The Esplanade and Elizabeth Street, just a short distance from the famous Urangan Pier
Inside you will find a vast array of information, in the form of newspaper clipping, artefacts, shark teeth, shark jawbones, a shark brain and eyeball! There is even a frozen shark that you can get up nice and close to without any danger of being hurt.
Two movies are continually showing throughout the day. One of these is about whales and Vic’s explanation as to why whales beach themselves when they are such intelligent marine mammals. The second movie shows Vic Hislop’s shark hunting expeditions, before they became illegal. Both videos were interesting and very informative.
We stayed at the Vic’s shark expo for about 1.5 hours, watched a good portion of both of the movie clips, and read many of the newspaper articles that are displayed on the walls. It would be easy to spend 2 hours, if you have the time on your next family holiday to Hervey Bay.
Hinze Dam has recently opened up again to the public, in December 2011, after being closed for almost four years while the upgrade was completed. These stage 3 developments at the Hinze Dam, also known as the Advancetown Lake, have seen the water holding capacity double in volume with the dam wall being raised an additional 15 metres. The dam wall is now approximately 1,850m long, which includes the dam spillway as well. The lake surface area is now 1500 hectares and can supply over 310,000 Mega Litres when full. As of the beginning of Februray 2012 Hinze dam is at about 88% capacity.
Times of Access:
Recreational Facilities
Daily: 6am to 6pm seven days a week
2 Boat Ramps
Daily: 6am to 6pm seven days a week
Interpretive Centre
Monday to Saturday: 8.30am to 5.00pm
Sunday: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Public Holidays: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Entry is Free
Address:
Advancetown Road / Gilston 4211, Qld, Australia
Location:
Approximately 15 km south-west of Nerang on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, on the downstream side of the Nerang River.
The dam was originally constructed in 1976 and had a water storage capacity of around 42,000 million litres. Then in 1989 the dam wall was raised to increase the water volume by almost four times what it was previously. When it was full Hinze dam could then hold over 160,000 million litres.
Stage-3 Upgrade
Before the stage 3 upgrade began it was possible to access the recreational facilities from both Advancetown Rd and Gilston Rd. There was also a road across the spillway, which was open to the public to use. Since the stage 3 developments have been completed there is no longer public access by vehicle across the dam spillway. Access can however be enjoyed by foot. Also it is only possible to gain access to the recreational facilities and the Interpretive Centre from Advancetown Rd on the north-western side of Lake Advancetown.
Many fish, including Mary river cod, Australian bass, Saratoga, silver perch and golden perch, have been added to the dam waters so that fishermen can enjoy the recreation of fishing in this tranquil setting. The permit that is required can be purchased from local fishing and tackle outlets. For an exact list of outlets that stock the fishing permits you can refer to the SEQWater website.
There are two boating ramps available to those who want to enjoy water activities on Hinze Dam. If you come in via Little Nerang Rd on the east side of the dam then you will find one of the ramps. The second boat ramp is found on the west side of the lake via Nerang Murwillumbah Road.
The innovative Hinze Dam Interpretive Centre was also a part of the stage 3 constructions and provides a lot of great information on the facility as well as platforms to view the water and surrounding area and a kiosk to grab some snacks to enjoy.
Since re-opening again in December 2011 the site has become extremely popular with both locals and tourists to the Gold Coast. As more people become aware that the dam is now open again, its popularity is likely to continue to rise.
This attack occurred off Nobby Beach, just north of Miami Beach and south of Mermaid Beach, late in the afternoon yesterday, Tuesday 20th March 2012.
