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Royal Bull’s Head Inn Re-Opens To The Public

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Royal Bull’s Head Inn Re-Opens To The Public

We are excited to announce that the Royal Bull’s Head Inn in Drayton has re-opened to visitors with added health and safety measures in place.
Each Wednesday between 9.00am and 1.00pm our visitors are able to tour the Inn and gardens and out-buildings whilst our volunteers complete various tasks.  Our monthly Open Days will re-commence on Sunday 2nd August, when the fire will be lit in the parlour to welcome back visitors to the Royal Bull’s Head Inn!!

To keep up to date on what’s happening at the Royal Bull’s Head Inn, head to our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram.  Also, if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, or would like to make a private booking, contact the Trust on toowoomba@nationaltrustqld.org or phone Rhonda on 0490 363 719.

Submitted by:
Tina Mundt
Toowoomba Branch of the National Trust of Australia (Queensland)
For further information please contact our Administration Officer
P:+61 (07) 4637 2278   M: 0490 363 719
59 Brisbane Street, Toowoomba, QLD 4350
E: toowoomba@nationaltrustqld.org  W: www.nationaltrust.org.au/qld/

 

 

 

Big Cow Being Reassembled

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Big Cow Being Reassembled

The Big Cow was built in the 1970s to attract tourists to a working dairy farm on the Sunshine Coast. It is one of the many Australian Big Things and was sculpted by Hugh Anderson, who also sculpted the Big Bulls in Rockhampton.

The Big Cow is seven times the size of an Ayrshire cow on which it is modeled. It is made of concrete and was described as “able to withstand a cyclone”. After the dairy farm closed, the Big Cow remained on the property which was used for a variety of purposes.

In March 2016, the Big Cow was reported as “closed and fallen into disrepair. Proprietors of Maritime Career Training, Barry and Margaret Barnes who had become owners of the property on which it stood, donated the Big Cow to Highfields Pioneer Village in 2019.


On the 10th of January 2020, the Big Cow was moooved to Highfields thanks to startup funding from Clive Berghofer and the generous assistance of Universal Cranes, George’s Loader Hire, Chetty’s Excavations, Doug’s Shade Sheds and Sugden Cranes.

Due to it’s massive size the cow had to be cut into two pieces.  A crane has recently been used to bring the two halves together. Funding is required to enable volunteers to  restore the cow to her former glory with new concrete footings, security fencing and a dairying interpretation centre for visitors.  All donations would be appreciated at  https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-big-cow
Below Progress during the Big Cow reassembly, watched over by Clive Berghofer OAM and Manager of Highfields Pioneer Village, Ray Ashford OAM

Submitted by
Jody Dodds
Treasurer
Highfields Pioneer Village, Museum and Park Inc.
Non-profit organisation run entirely by Volunteers.
Open 10am to 4pm Daily
Ph 07 4696 6309

Stress Down Day 2020 Launched

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Stress Down Day 2020 Launched

Lifeline Darling Downs has launched Stress Down Day 2020, a fun and  easy initiative designed to reduce stress and raise vital funds for the local not for profit organisation.

Research shows that one in eight Australians is currently experiencing high or extremely high psychological distress and it is estmated that 90% of Australians need to stress less – with 74% of people reporting being stresses from work.

Lifeline Darling Downs aims to help to reduce workplace stress in 2020 by encouraging workplaces to prioritise the wellbeing of their employees by doing something fun in their work environment such as wearing pyjamas/slippers to work or having some office games, sharing their fun activity online and donating to Lifeline Darling Downs’ free, confidential counselling service.

Derek Tuffield OAM

This year we have been besieged with devastating events such as the bushfires in Stanthorpe, Millmerran and Crow’s Nest in 2019, plus seven years of prolonged drought and the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever we need to reduce our stress levels.”

“Traditionally we see a spike in people contacting us for counselling and financial counselling services approximately three to four months after a traumatic event. Therefore, all funds raised will go towards providing ongoing free, counselling support and is available to anyone who needs it”, Lifeline Darling Downs, CEO, Derek Tuffield  OAM said.

Stress Down Day provides a great opportunity for workplaces to realise the importance of ensuring an environment that prioritises the wellbeing of employees. Getting involved in Stress Down Day is a fun way to help address a serious issue with the bonus of doing something good for the community. Designed to be flexible, activities can be tailored to the workplace culture.

Lifeline Darling Downs has set a fundraising goal of $5,000 which will provide over forty hours of free counselling for those who have been impacted by natural disaster and tough times this year. Those wanting to support their community and donate securely online by visiting www.lifelinedarlingdowns.org.au/stressdownday2020 where every donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $2,500 thanks to our Matched Giving Partner, Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN.

This is a really great local initiative that not only aims to support people in the local community, but also raises awareness of the importance of recognising stress if your life and working on ways to look after your mental health and wellbeing,” PHN CEO Merrilyn Strohfeldt said.

All registered businesses will receive an information pack with handy hints and ways to recognise and manage stress. To register to participate in Stress Down Day please visit hbps://www.lifelinedarlingdowns.org.au/stress-down-day
or call 1300 991 443.

Submitted by:
Matt Gregg
Manager Community Engagement
P 0488 660 137
E mgregg@lifelinedarlingdowns.org.au

USQ Assists In Discovery Of Super-Earths

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USQ Assists In Discovery Of Super-Earths

The international RedDots” team – joined by Australian astronomers at the University of Southern Queensland, UNSW Sydney and Macquarie University– has detected a system of super-Earth planets orbiting the brightest red dwarf star in the sky, Gliese 887.

The results were published in the journal Science Today.

Super-Earths are planets more massive than the Earth, but substantially less massive than our local ice giants, Uranus and Neptune. The newly discovered Super-Earths could be rocky worlds, and lie close to the habitable zone” of this red dwarf star – the zone where water could exist in liquid form on a planetary surface.

The exciting thing about these planets are that they orbit a star so close to the Sun, and so very bright,” UNSW-based planet hunter Professor Chris Tinney, who is a co-author on the paper, said.

We now know of thousands planets of Super-Earth-mass, or smaller. But most of those planets orbit distant and faint stars. Planets orbiting nearby stars are key for searches with future telescopes for both exoplanetary atmospheres, and eventually evidence for life.”

An artist’s impression of the GJ887 planetary system. Credit: Mark Garlick

The team of astronomers monitored the red dwarf, using the HARPS spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory in Chile, and then combined that data with data from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search (using the 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope near Coonabarabran), the Planet finder Spectrograph (on Cerro Las Campanas in Chile) and the HIRES instrument on the Keck telescopes on Maunakea, Hawaii.

Using a technique known as Doppler wobble”, they measured the tiny back and forth motion of Gliese 887 due to the gravitational pull of its planets. The regular signals correspond to orbital periods of 9.3 and 21.8 days, which indicates the presence of two super-Earths – known as Gliese 887b and Gliese 887c. The team estimates the surface temperature of the outer planet (Gliese 887c) to be around 70 degrees C.

University of Southern Queensland astrophysicist and co-author Professor Brad Carter said Gliese 887 was around 11 light years away, making it one of the closest stars to the Sun. It is much dimmer than, and about half the size of, our Sun. This means its habitable zone is closer to Gliese 887, than Sun’s habitable zone (in which the Earth orbits).

The team discovered a few more interesting facts about Gliese 887 that turn out to be good news for both the newly discovered planets, and for astronomers studying them.

The red dwarf has little in the way of starspots of other magnetic activity,” Professor Carter said.

If Gliese 887 were as active as many other red dwarf stars its stellar winds and activity would likely significantly erode any planetary atmospheres. So given the star is relatively inactive the newly discovered planets could be expected to retain their atmospheres”.

Fellow University of Southern Queensland researcher and co-author, Professor Rob Wittenmyer said the star Gliese 887 was also very stable.

The brightness of Gliese 887 is really very constant,” he said. This will make it much easier to detect the atmospheres of these super-Earths using coming space-based facilities like the James Webb Space Telescope – the successor to the Hubble Telescope, which is due to be launched soon.”

The discovery was a key finding in the search for potentially habitable worlds.

In the era of space-based exoplanet-hunting telescopes like NASA’s Kepler and TESS, this result shows that astronomy from the ground continues to play a crucial role in our understanding of planets in our local neighbourhood,” Dr Simon O’Toole, a co-author on the study from Macquarie University, said.

Dr Sandra Jeffers, from the University of Göttingen and lead author of the study, says: These planets will provide the best possibilities for more detailed studies, including the search for life outside our Solar System.”
Submitted by:
Sarah Green
sarah.Green@usq.edu.au

Passionate Nominees For Regional Youth Advisory Committee Wanted

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Passionate Nominees For Regional Youth Advisory Committee Wanted

Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) is calling on residents with a passion for working with young people to nominate for positions on the Regional Youth Advisory Committee (RYAC).
Applications from young people between 18-25 with a passion for improving outcomes for their regional peers also are welcome.

TRC Environment and Community Services committee chair and RYAC chair Cr James O’Shea said Council welcomed expressions of interest from applicants across a range of community and professional backgrounds, from community services to employment, education, health, disability, child protection, youth justice, police and emergency services backgrounds.

Cr O’Shea said the advisory committee’s role was to represent the interests of young people by providing strategic advice for Council’s consideration.

I’m positive that the committee can add its collective knowledge and support to Council, especially around the future implementation of Council’s Youth Strategy 2019-2021,” Cr O’Shea said.

Meetings will be held on the second Thursday of the month from 9.30am-11.30pm, except for public holidays. The term of the Regional Youth Advisory committee will end in March 2024.

Enquiries and/or submission of expressions of interest can be emailed to info@tr.qld.gov.au or posted to Toowoomba Regional Council, PO Box 3021, Toowoomba, Qld, 4350.

Please outline your previous experience.  Applications close at 5pm on Friday, July 10.

Submitted by:
Angus Moffatt
Media Relations Officer
Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
Toowoomba Regional Council

A Revised Toowoomba Carnival Of Flowers Set To Bloom In 2020

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A Revised Toowoomba Carnival Of Flowers Set To Bloom In 2020

The iconic Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is to go ahead, announcing that more than 170,000 blooms have been planted across the city’s major parks and public spaces to create a spectacular canvas of colour for much needed celebrations in September.

 

In a year that has seen a raft of events cancelled due to COVID-19, the Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio confirmed the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers would bloom brightly again this September, as one of the first major events to be staged post-lockdown.

 

The 2020 program features more than 30 events and activations with 48 local tour departures ready to go. All events, experiences and areas will be managed with COVID-19 safe plans in place.

 

Toowoomba is primed and ready to showcase it’s natural beauty. Nothing can stop the power of the flower and we’re inviting people from all over to come and play in the petals this Spring,” Mayor Antonio said.

Mayor Antonio said the event would once again be the shining light for the Region. The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers was established in 1949 to stimulate the economy after the war, and some 71 years later we see this iconic national event again stepping up to the task of celebrating community spirit, welcoming visitors to the city and flying the flag for our Region.”


Headlining the 2020 Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers are the parks and public spaces, including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park, not affected by COVID-19 restrictions which will be left to self-distancing..

 

Floral displays, music and parkland entertainment, a ferris wheel, food trucks and twilight tours will all take place right across September in the parks.

 

The Night Garden, powered by Ergon Energy, is being embedded into the Botanic Gardens and will become a free 10-day event. More than 106,000 people enjoyed the Botanic Gardens during the 10 days of Carnival in 2019.

 

In a creative twist, the famous Grand Central Floral Parade will become a static installation of decorated floats throughout Grand Central shopping centre in the heart of the city. A new addition to the 2020 program is the Itty-Bitty Parade, a miniature-sized virtual parade that will air on big screens, websites and social media platforms at 3pm on September 19th.

 

The program features a new region-wide food trail called #trEATS, as well as the popular Talking Pub and Foodie Dinner Tours, guided and non-guided walking tours, as well as activations at the famous Spring Bluff Railway Station, Cobb + Co Museum and the much-loved floral group displays.

 

After a spectacular 70th anniversary event in 2019, we were adamant that COVID-19 would not be stopping us,” Mayor Antonio said. Every day we field emails and calls from people right across Australia asking if Carnival is on, and I’d like to thank all our supporters and stakeholders for their understanding as we worked through the health concerns and attendance restrictions of this new world.

 

In 2019 the number one attraction for visitors was the public park floral displays, with Laurel Bank Park recording over 79,000 attendees and Queens Park Botanic Gardens over 106,000 visitors over the 10 days.

 

While numbers may be down this year due to COVID-19, the 170,000 blooms will still colour the city and are all 100 per cent free to see. We are the garden city, our rich red volcanic soils along the escarpment and our dynamic black soil plains surrounding us are the envy of many green thumbs around the world, so we need to show the world how it’s done. This is what makes Carnival so special. It’s a celebration everyone can take part in and we look forward to welcoming everyone back again this September.”


Mayor Antonio said that in line with COVID19-safe requirements, the Heritage Bank Festival of Food and Wine, as well as the Qantas Gala Dinner, will both be rested in 2020.
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He encouraged locals to invite their family and friends to Toowoomba for the event in September, to show off” the city in the best possible way!

Mayor Antonio said I encourage everyone to lock in their overnight stays in Toowoomba early, book your bed plus your dining locations now so you can be guaranteed a spot. There is so much to see and do with all the petals in our parks. Take a road trip around the region, buy a #trEAT or two and help local businesses get back on their feet.” 

 

Queensland Minister for State Development, Tourism and Innovation Kate Jones said Toowoomba was the place to be in September.

 

For more than 70 years Queensland’s internationally-recognised Carnival has been built around promoting our natural beauty and colourful blooms each Spring,” Ms Jones said.

 

This event is vital when it comes to supporting local businesses and local jobs.

 

With our borders now open to most of Australia, we’re urging Aussies to head to Toowoomba this September for a great holiday.”

 

For Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers 2020 – event highlights 18 to 27 September 2020 See www.tcof.com.au for more.

Submitted by:
Brendan Steinhardt
Principal Media and Strategic Relations
Stakeholder Engagement and Communications
Toowoomba Regional Council

CBD Parking Fees Reinstated From July 1, 2020

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CBD Parking Fees Reinstated From July 1, 2020

Paid parking resumes across Toowoomba’s CBD at Toowoomba Regional Council’s (TRC) on-street and off-street car parks from Wednesday, July 1, 2020.


TRC Infrastructure Services portfolio leader Cr Melissa Taylor is reminding motorists that the regular schedule of parking fees will apply at all Council-operated parking spaces from the start of the new financial year.

Cr Taylor said Council suspended all car parking fees in late April as part of its $10.5 million stage one pandemic economic relief package.

Council offered relief to motorists and showed its support for city businesses by waiving all parking fees through to June 30, 2020,” Cr Taylor said.

This package complemented state and federal government initiatives which directly targeted support for eligible businesses and their employees who were affected by the Coronavirus lockdown across the country.

Motorists are reminded that free one-hour parking is still available in Ruthven and Margaret streets in Toowoomba’s CBD (in Margaret Street between Neil and Victoria Streets and Ruthven Street between Herries Street and Chalk Drive).”

For full details of car park locations, fees and the 3P parking zone Central Traffic Area map, please visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/carparking

Submitted by:
Angus Moffatt
Media Relations Officer
Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
Toowoomba Regional Council

RADAC Nominations Sought By TRC

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RADAC Nominations Sought By TRC

Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) is seeking nominations to fill 13 positions for the new term of the Regional Access and Disability Advisory Committee (RADAC).


Cr McMahon, RADAC chair and TRC’s Environment and Community Services portfolio leader, said Council welcomed expressions of interest from people across the region who wished to serve on the voluntary committee.

Cr McMahon said the advisory committee’s role was to represent the interests of people with a disability or access issues,  and inform Council about the extent of these issues and suggested solutions.

I encourage people who want the chance to articulate problems and solve issues to nominate for the vacant positions by July 10,” Cr McMahon said.

Applicants are encouraged to read through the Terms of Reference and position description. Please refer to www.tr.qld.gov.au/advisorycommittees  Enquiries can be directed to 131 872.

Submitted by:
Angus Moffatt
Media Relations Officer
Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
Toowoomba Regional Council

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