Page 22 - Tropic Magazine Issue 10

Tropic
Feature
19

17 Building to begin on

COUCH Wellness Centre

Health infrastructure is critical to the
liveability of any city, and the COUCH
Cancer Wellness Centre, which gives
cancer patients a beautiful place to rest
and recover, will fill a long-standing gap
in TNQ. As a side benefit, local jobs will
also be created when construction kicks
off later this year.

Hann Highway

Cairns has got some really
Work will progress on the Hann Highway interesting things going on,
upgrade this year after the Federal
Government announced $53 million in especially in the construction
funding for the long-awaited project in and the agriculture sectors. I
July last year. The highway, a quicker believe the city's economic
inland alternative for freight between diversity is the key to growth.
Cairns and Melbourne, will have 3.4km of
widening works between Mt Garnet and Troy McGuane
The Lynd completed early this year, with Elite Real Estate Services
road sealing works to Hughenden elitecairns.com.au
finished by late-2019.

18

Cape Tribulation movie 20
films in Douglas region
Export facility at Cairns
At various times over the past 20 years, Airport
the Tropical North has been touted as a
filmmaking paradise, hosting Hollywood
productions like Fool’s Gold, Thin Red Line The potential to increase exports out of
and The Pacific TV series among others. Cairns, such as agricultural produce and
Could we be in for a renaissance? The seafood, is well known but infrastructure
state government has committed has lagged behind the concept. With the
$200,000 for a “screen production State Labor Government pledging up to
strategic plan” to map out TNQ’s potential $10 million to build an export distribution
for attracting new films, while the centre in regional Queensland, it may
Douglas Shire will provide the backdrop soon become a reality. But local MPs need
for the $8 million feature film Cape to make a strong case to base the facility
Tribulation later this year. at Cairns Airport.
21

Bar scene evolving

There’s been a revolution in the local bar
scene over the past two years or so,
including Tropic’s own involvement with
Gin Social at the Hilton Cairns. With
more openings and stiffer competition
between venues, the customer will be the
winner in 2018. Respect is due to the crew
from Three Wolves, who led the way in the
local small bar scene before there was one.