A weekly re-cap of the events that have made news in Cairns over the past week.

Monday March 11, 2002 56th Edition

The main news this week has been the impending success of local girl singers, Shakaya. The impressive duo has a huge future, especially with the signing of a deal with the largest recording company in the world, Sony Music. Other news of interest is the continuing strong growth in the Cairns Real Estate market with a penthouse on the Cairns Esplanade selling for a record $1.4 million and a whirlwind visit by Formula One racing legend, Michael Schumacher.

Local girls hit the big time
Cairns singing sensation Shakaya have signed a music deal with world giant, Sony, for a three album contract. The local girls and their manager are ecstatic with the contract, which moves them into the world spotlight. The deal is represented to include a large upfront deal and royalties from record sales. In April Shakaya will be touring Australia and New Zealand with Destiny's Child. Shakaya's first single, Stop Calling Me, this week reached number 8 on the national ARIA music charts.

www.shakaya.com

Michael Schumacher visits Cairns and Lizard Island
World champion Formula One driver, Michael Schumacher spent several days relaxing on Lizard Island (off the coast of Cairns) following his victory at the Melbourne Grand Prix last week. Schumacher was not overly keen to meet with local media or fans as he departed Cairns airport, refusing to leave his plane until waiting media left the tarmac. Lizard Island continues to attract popular celebrities, with Tiger Woods visiting the luxury resort several months ago.

Esplanade Penthouse sells for $1.4 million
Cairns latest waterfront development, Trilogy on the Esplanade, has sold one of its penthouses for what is believed to be a record $1.4 million. Sales Manager for the project, Ms Margaret Rogers stated that the penthouse was on thirteenth floor of the apartment building and it would be of a standard never before seen in Cairns. The owner of the yet to be built Penthouse, Mr Alan King, has recently purchased the largest car dealership in Cairns, a Nightclub and several other properties

Trilogy on the Esplanade is a luxury development designed to showcase the lifestyle that can be enjoyed by people living in the heart of Cairns and on the waterfront. With the Cairns Esplanade Redevelopment and the foreshore redevelopment the entire area is due to undergo a significant and very impressive face-lift.

Plan for $21 million dairy plant to go ahead
Dairy Farmers has approved the development of specialist biotechnology protein plant to be built on the Atherton Tablelands as part of the company's foray into the production of mozzarella cheese for the export market. This is one of the first real signs of confidence in the dairy industry since a general deregulation in July 2000. Mr Silver, External Affairs Manager for Dairy Farmers stated that "it is a sign that Dairy Farmers is looking to invest heavily in the future of the dairy industry in north Queensland and this will give farmers a huge lift".

Building approvals continue to rise
Cairns City Council has approved substantially more new building applications last month than for the same time last year, highlighting the optimistic short-term future of the real estate industry in the City. The Cairns City Council is taking the strong growth figures into consideration with planning and funding for suburban works such as roads, drains and landscaping set to increase accordingly.

Taipans blitz the Canberra Canons in front of sell-out crowd
Over 5200 loyal Taipan fans watched their team decisively beat the Canberra Canons in what was the Canons twenty eight consecutive away from home loss. The final score was 103 - 80, and this represents the ninth victory for the season for the Taipans - a three match improvement for the new team. The 2001-2002 season has bee the most successful to date for the Taipans, which is reflected in the crowd numbers attending the games, which have averaged over 4700 for each home game.