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

Monday April 12, 2004 129th Edition

New school to increase bush vets
A $1 million dairy research school will be developed in Malanda in a push to attract more vets into rural Australia. Due to the shortage of bush veterinarians, James Cook University has put forward $12 million to develop a veterinary undergraduate course that will hopefully begin next year. Local vet Bill Tranter has supported the Malanda school. Mr Tranter has recently returned from Vietnam where he trained vets and farmers in dairy herd management and says there is great potential in forging links with Asia. “A very small proportion of students entering veterinary schools are from rural areas. This course will in part rank kids according to where they went to school, their ‘rurality’.”

Port Douglas Carnivale bigger than ever
The Port Douglas Carnivale is predicted to be bigger than ever this year with a concerted effort to attract interstate and overseas visitors. Port Douglas Daintree Tourism chairman David Brook said a large number of tourists were being attracted to the 10-day event. Carnivale will run from May 14 to 23, with four new events added to the program. The new events are the Reef ‘n’ Rainforest Race Day at Cannon Park (May 15), the regional fire fighter championships (May 15), The Earth Walk Healing Festival of Unity (May 21) and a free family concert (May 22). The work of two-time world sand castle building champion Dennis Massoud from Noosa Heads will also be on display during Carnivale.

Cairns housing ahead of southeast
Cairns residential property is well ahead of the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, according to a recent report by valuation firm Herriots. December quarter figures show Cairns house and unit prices are continuing to rise with strong sales activity. The average house price in Cairns increased 13.6 per cent to $240,000 and average unit prices up by 6.9 per cent to $158,000. The average price of houses on the Gold Coast increased by 8.4 per cent and units by 7.2 per cent. At the Sunshine Coast the average house price rose by 12.8 per cent and units by 12.6 per cent. “A bounce back in tourist numbers and general confidence in the Cairns region should see a continuation of housing price growth in the short to medium term,” the report said.

Cairns anthem may draw tourists
A new rock song by Cairns group Jama Dreaming may become the anthem to attract more tourists. The song, Reason Enough, was launched in Cairns recently and is described as a tourism anthem that explains why Cairns is the place to be. Spokeswoman for the group Melanie Massey said the catchy melody has been entered in the Australian Tourism Commission’s Sing For Australia competition. Jama Dreaming is hoping to get sponsorship to have Reason Enough and a second song Dreamtime Believer cut on to CD with profits donated back to the Cairns community through the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal.