Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recently I had the privilege of officially launching an Australian first in cave tourism at one of central Queensland's most famous tourist attractions. The $300,000 project involved relighting the historic Capricorn limestone caves, near a town aptly named The Caves near Rockhampton, to provide a more dynamic experience for tourists.

Inside Capricorn Caves awaits an amazing experience of stalactites and subterranean wonders. Old cave lighting from the 1960s was replaced with new, leading-edge, solar-powered LED technology, the first system of its kind in Australia. It is now the first cave experience of its type in Australia to run lights off solar panels; as such it will provide a template for other cave managers from around the world to come and learn ideas.

The project, expected to help increase tourism numbers to Rockhampton and the Capricorn coast, was completed with the support of a $150,000 federal government grant. I congratulate Capricornia Caves operator Ann Augusteyn and her wonderful team for achieving this extraordinary project, and I wish Ann all the best with the future operation of her business. The new lighting experience will also reduce the carbon footprint on the historic caves and has the potential to create further jobs. Thank you.

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