Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was not moonshining; I was actually a stoker in the thing. Natalie and Bob Flecker are now the owners of Yongala Lodge. Natalie has been nominated in the Townsville Chamber of Commerce Young Business Achievement Award. Natalie and Bob are truly wonderful people. They work hard. They have reopened the restaurant six nights a week to provide great food and welcoming service to people who stay there, as well as to the locals in Townsville. Shivaun, one of the waitresses, is a personal friend of mine and always gives me great service and slips me the occasional free beer.

Government members interjecting—

I have declared it on my pecuniary interests—it does go down with those sorts of things. Natalie and Bob organised the evening on a shoestring. It was a great evening. I congratulate everyone involved with it. They had a number of people there related to those who lost their lives on that fateful day.

I would finish by saying that if you ever have the chance to dive the Yongala you should take that opportunity. It is a truly beautiful dive. The water is crystal clear. You will see tropical fish the like of which you have never seen before. It is so close to Townsville—you leave first thing in the morning and you are back by five o'clock in the afternoon.

Tourism in North Queensland has suffered some terrible blows and the tourism sector in Townsville particularly is suffering. The dive and tourism operators are doing it very, very tough. I would urge everyone who has a current scuba diving ticket to get out there and dive the Yongala now. Anyone who has not got a scuba diving ticket should get up there, do a scuba diving course and then do the dive. Stay in Townsville, stay at the Yongala Lodge, and eat up and drink up big.

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