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

Monday March, 31 2003 108th Edition

The main news from Cairns this week is that the city is recovering from a huge celebration to welcome the new Esplanade redevelopment. Tens of thousands of people came from throughout the entire region to join the festivities, which went off without a hitch. The face of Cairns has now changed forever and it the dawning of a new era for this tropical city.

Two thumbs up for Esplanade Lagoon
Last Saturday was the official opening of the new Cairns Esplanade redevelopment. The event was supported by over 20,000 local residents who had travelled from throughout the Shire of Cairns to try out the new facilities that are part of the $20 million project. Judging by media response from all involved the swimming lagoon in particular has received two thumbs up.

The Premier Mr Beattie officially opened the new development, which was a joint venture between local, state and federal Governments. There are a number of other stages of the project to be completed in the next 12 months including a $1.5 million children’s playground and water park, extensive marina boardwalks and specific recreation areas along the entire foreshore area.

The festivities on Saturday night featured a host of entertainers including Shakaya. A very impressive fireworks show capped off the evenings events.

Click here to view photos of the new Esplanade lagoon by Jampit.com

Cairns girl shows true form in swim meet
Zoe Tonks has become one of the hottest names in the sporting world following an impressive win in the Australian titles, beating a tough field to take the 200m backstroke. Zoe will now join the Australian team in meets in the United States and Span later in the year.

Reef Prince receives makeover
Well known Reef Cruise Operator, Great Adventures, is spending $1.3 million refitting the company’s flagship vessel – Reef Prince. The vessel has carried hundreds of thousands of people to The Great Barrier Reef in the last seven years. Great Adventures operate several vessels running day trips to the Reef and the surrounding Islands as well as Great Diving Adventures and the Green Island Resort.

Cairns Flying Boat manufacturer spreads wings
Flightship is the name of the company that builds the craft that are a cross between planes and boats commonly known as flying boats. The Cairns based company is at the forefront of technology in this field and with orders in excess of $15 million the business looks set to grow rapidly. Flightship is in the process of establishing a training school so that the company cannot only provide the vessels but also the qualified staff to operate them.

Six year old girl wrestles kitten from python
Six year old Marlie Coleman battled a scrub python to rescue her kitten, Sooty. Marlie came across the snake as it tried to eat the kitten and without hesitation she wrestled Sooty away from the snake and in the process received a bit on her face. Luckily, the snake was non poisonous. Marlie was awarded the RSPCA tops award in a presentation at her school last week.