Cooktown and Cook Shire have a long history with the North Queensland Local Government Association (NQLGA), with its very first gathering held in Cooktown in 1895 and the most recent in 2002.
This year’s conference fell on the 140th anniversary of the founding of Cooktown, according to the local Historical Society.
The three-day conference was held at the PCYC Cooktown Events Centre, (Cooktown’s multi-purpose cyclone shelter), with delegates from all areas of North Queensland, from Mackay in the south, to Torres Strait in the north and Mt Isa in the west. A range of keynote speakers talked on various topics reflective of current trends including David Crisafulli, Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience.
With a focus on bringing more industry and business events to the region, Cook Shire Council is currently working on a new Corporate Events Planner for organisations wishing to hold their next conference in Cooktown. The economic benefits will be of great measure to the small community with businesses and groups in many industries, particularly tourism, standing to gain from every conference. Already there have been several enquiries regarding conference packages for 2014 and even some regional schools choosing Cooktown for their next school camp or excursion.
There are many interesting experiences to be had in Cooktown such as learning about the town’s history, exploring various aspects of local culture (including visits to world acclaimed ancient rock art sites), wandering through local museums and galleries, discovering the vast collection of natural assets and landmarks and even croc spotting.
In terms of building on economic capacity and taking advantage of the now fully sealed access to Cooktown via the Mulligan Highway from Cairns, Council has been actively targeting the drive tourism market to choose Cooktown as their next destination. Since April 1,2013 the RV Rest Area trial has been quite successful with over 600 permits issued and over $66,000 worth of expenditure reported via visitor surveys. Due to only approximately 30 percent of surveys being returned to Council, an estimate of $150,000 to $180,000 would be a more realistic figure.
The Rest Area is centrally located in Cooktown, less than 1km from the local Post Office allowing visitors to easily enjoy sights and attractions, access local products and services and safely walk home.
A recent phone survey of the local businesses found that 61 percent felt the Rest Area had a positive impact on the town, and 74 percent had noticed an increase of tourists this season.
Once the trial ends in November, a report will be written and presented to Councillors for their decision on whether to keep the 48 hour Rest Area open.
