Page 23 - Tropic Magazine Issue 10

Tropic
Feature
22 26

Cathay celebrates 25 Wangetti Trail enters
years servicing Cairns funding stage

The unsung hero of the city’s aviation scene, Cathay Pacific this year celebrates a We’d love to see some tangible progress
remarkable 25-years of flights into Cairns. The airline’s Hong Kong flights could grow on the Wangetti Trail project, an
if export capabilities are upgraded as per point 20 on this list. ambitious, world-class mountain bike
and walking track that will stretch from
Port Douglas to Palm Cove. The visionary
project spearheaded by trail building
legend Glen Jacobs has the support of
Cairns and Douglas councils but needs
around $20 million in funding.

23 24

Council’s Courthouse Commonwealth Games
plans to be revealed comes to Cairns

Cairns Regional Council’s big move to buy One of the world’s great sporting
the Courthouse pub on Abbott St caused a spectacles will come to town in April
stir in December 2016, but its plans for when the Convention Centre hosts
the iconic site have gone quiet ever since. preliminary round matches of the 27
Much consultation has been done behind Commonwealth Games basketball
the scenes, so we should hear some news competition. With 8 teams playing here, More tourism
on the building’s future soon. Expect a big including the Aussie Boomers, the
arts focus to complement the Cairns Art economic and cultural benefits are a companies to be sold
Gallery, creating a new creative precinct. welcome boost for our city.
There’s been a flurry of acquisitions in the
tourism sector over the past two years,
including iconic local businesses such as
Raging Thunder, GBR Helicopters and
Big Cat. With visitation set to remain
strong over coming years, expect to see
more sales of local businesses to large,
national companies such as Experience
Co. Fitzroy Island has been on the market
for well over a year – could it be among
the sales in 2018?

25 CQUniversity’s Professional Sports

Centre of Excellence to open

Due to open in February, CQUni’s $2.5 Basketball Stadium will allow students
million Professional Sports Centre of and lecturers to work closely with players
Excellence will boost the city’s credentials and staff from the Cairns Taipans.
in sports science. The facility at Cairns