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

Monday July 2, 2001 21st Edition

The main news of the week in Cairns is the landing of the British Rugby Union team supporters. Over 3000 of the dedicated fans have descended on Cairns providing an unexpected and very welcome economic boost to the region. Other good news for the region has been the announcement by QANTAS to introduce four new flights per week directly from Japan. Positive news indeed for the Cairns tourism industry.

British fans invade Cairns
Over 3000 British Lions fans will be visiting Cairns and Port Douglas in the coming week as part of an Australian wide tour. It is estimated that over 8000 loyal fans are following the rugby union team during their Australian tour which saw the Lions win the first game of the season in a very convincing manner, with the final score being 29-13. The British Lions are now favoured to win the series which will give the legion of fans an even greater reason to celebrate. The Australian Wallaby's are the world rugby union champions and the next two games of the series are expected to be very lively as the Wallabys try to hold on to their crown.

Postal problems solved in Mt Surprise
Until a few weeks ago, the small town of Mt Surprise had twelve streets with no names. Street names were considered unnecessary because everyone new where everybody else lived and the small population of sixty people rarely needed direction more complicated than "turn left at the railway line" of "just past the big rock" or "down the road from the pub". Part of the problem that has instigated the naming of the streets is that almost half of the local residents have the same name, Fitzgerald, which tends to lead to all types of problems.

Increased facilities for disabled travellers
Public transport in Cairns has taken a turn for the better with new vehicles being introduced that cater specifically for disabled travellers in wheelchairs. Five new vehicles will be introduced that have special ramps that can be lowered to allow wheelchairs easy access to and from the vehicles. The new buses will be used on all routes on a rotational basis and it is expected that over time more of the specially equipped vehicles will be introduced over time. The new buses were welcomed by the community, where numerous lobby groups had been requesting the service for several years.

Taxi driver leads police to suspect
A woman robbed a Cairns newsagency by threatening staff with a blood filled syringe; she then made her getaway in a local taxi. The robbery was reported through the local media, and the taxi driver who picked the lady up managed to lead police to the exact location where he dropped her off. Police arrested a young couple on the crime.

Kuranda Scenic rail celebrates 110 years of service
One of the most famous icons of Cairns is the Kuranda Rail. This service has been operating for 110 years in which time it has carried literally millions of passengers through the Barron Gorge. Initially built to carry supplies to and from the Atherton Tablelands, the Kuranda Rail has grown to become a tourist attraction in its own right in recent years.

Currently the Kuranda Scenic Rail carries in excess of 500,000 passengers per year. The Kuranda Scenic Rail works with the Skyrail Cableway to take tourists to and from Kuranda, seven days per week.

QANTAS announces more flights from Japan
QANTAS airways have announced the introduction of four new flights per week from Osaka in Japan as of October. This announcement has been welcomed by the tourist industry as a very positive sign for the Cairns region. Japanese tourist arrival numbers into Cairns have continued to go against the national trend, showing strong increases for the first six months of this year. The direct flights from Osaka are considered to be key component in maintaining this growth.

Queensland wins State of Origin series
Queenslanders throughout the State will be celebrating for some time to come with their favourite sporting team, Queensland State of Origin - Cane Toads, having a decisive victory against the New South Wales Cockroaches on Sunday night. This is the most strongly contested rugby league series in the country and it rounded of a huge weekend of sport in Queensland. Queensland beat New South Wales 40-14.

Rusty's Market to be rebuilt
One of the oldest markets in the region, Rusty's Market, is set for a face lift and renovation with the announcement being made that current site will be redeveloped into a four story, 500 bed backpacker hostel. The fruit and vegetable and other fresh produce markets will be incorporated into the new development, providing better facilities for all stallholders and their customers. Rusty's Markets are the main produce markets in Cairns attracting large numbers of tourists and locals alike.

The announcement of the new backpacker development has supported figures showing large growth in this particular market segment. The back packer industry in Cairns has been relatively stagnant for a number of years and in the past month announcements have been made concerning various developments that would add almost one thousand beds to this segment of the tourist market.