home | news l

Tourism plans for troubled island

palm island 2007 photo courtesy Jose Calarco

By Cosima Marriner

31 March 2007 - Holidaying in the so-called most violent place on earth outside a war zone might not automatically appeal to those seeking a little R'n'R.

But if the plans of an enterprising group of Palm Islanders come off, tourists will soon travel to the troubled island to take a mountain trail ride to view ancient Aboriginal cave paintings, fish in the crystal clear waters, dive down to the wrecks of World War II Catalina flying boats and buy some local artwork.

Two indigenous tourism pioneers, Shaun and Pauline Shortjoe, have set up the fledgling Palm Island Agistment Centre to break in some of the 300 horses running wild on the island to use for trail rides. The descendant of a Palm Island stockman, Mr Shortjoe has come across old Aboriginal camp sites and cave paintings that pre-date European arrival on his rides up to Mount Bentley.
"I think tourists would be ideal for this island," he said. "At the moment you can see that there is nothing really here."

Mr Shortjoe remembers a time in the 1980s when tourists did make the quick hop over from Townsville to watch a cultural dance in the local hall and buy some traditional arts and crafts. That was before the island's spiralling problems with alcoholism and violence turned it into a no-go zone.
Mr Shortjoe believes reviving the tourism industry is crucial if indigenous people are to become economically independent. "Most of them people today can get this and that off the Government. As time goes by you've got to learn to fend for yourself. Nobody else is going to do that."

The Federal Government's National Indigenous Council has said economic development for Aborigines is one of its priorities for the year. It will draw up advice for the Government on ways it can help local indigenous communities make money out of industries such as tourism and mining.
The chief executive of the Palm Island Council, Barry Moyle, is confident tourists would flock to see the island's natural tropical beauty and experience the culture of Australia's largest Aboriginal community at first hand.

He believes Palm Islanders could develop a local tourism industry worth "millions of dollars", but in the short term he would be happy if it provided work for just a couple of families.

Source: Brisbane Times

Further information: tourism issues page - includes news index and external links

|| click to go to the top of this page