Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

From the Editor JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

The right to be married … and gay LIKE ME, the average Australian is wondering why there’s so much fuss over gay marriage. And you know there’s a fuss when federal politicians decide they must have a conscience vote over it . But what’s this got to do with their conscience? The legal recognition of same-sex unions is a pragmatic [...]

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2012 … can only get better… can’t it?

The problem is … the arse looks like falling out of the world economy JULIA GILLARD’S government is entering the new year with a kind of desperate optimism. After all, what’s the alternative? The Labor Party has to hope and believe that things can only get better. 2011 was indeed an annus horribilis, marked by ministers lurching [...]

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What’s Flowering Now?

Plumeria (frangipani) Plumeria is native to Central America, Southern Mexico and Greater Antilles. The most common frangipani is plumeria rubra which is a deciduous shrub to a medium tree. Flowers can vary in colour from white, cream, pinks and oranges to reds. They also come in multiple colours. Rubra has the most fragrant flowers. Plumeria obtusa [...]

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Relax and Discover

HOPEFULLY we can all relax a little during the holiday season and spend time in the bush as well as at the beach. At least it’s cooler under the trees in the middle of the day. Take time to wander along the many paths through our national parks and forested areas. You may see a [...]

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In the Wild Seasons Wishes …

WELL, HERE we all are at the start of another year (as our calendars tell us) and I’d like to say congratulations to everybody out there doing their bit to restore habitat and ecological connections, on the Hinterland, on the Sunshine Coast and throughout South East Queensland. First up, thanks to the first Australians, the Traditional [...]

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Chef Connections WITH Julie Shelton

Sam Kulkarni Bombay Mahal MALENY BOMBAY MAHAL is a little bit of India transported to Maple Street, Maleny. Owned and operated by Sameer Kulkarni and his partner Ron Coxhell, the decoratively lit 90-year old timber building at the top of Maple Street exudes warmth and welcoming energy. I sat with Sam, under an artistic canopy of his mother’s [...]

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Tree Changers…Hank, Wendy & Tamarah de Vries

…about people who change their lives to settle on the Range and why they choose to stay Hank and Wendy de Vries and their daughter Tamarah have been on their 11 acre co-owned property in Montville for only four weeks. And while they struggle to adapt to a rural, and at times rugged, environment after life [...]

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From the Editor The Chinese are coming…

THERE is one word that’s on everyone’s lips right now, and likely to stay there for some time – China. Every measurement and assessment of China is in the gazillions, making it impossible to get your head around that ginormous society. However, we are told frequently these days that we need to be ‘China-ready’. We know that China currently [...]

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Chef Connections WITH Julie Shelton

Kyle Merillo Bistro Bunya CHANGE in a restaurant is generally a good thing: a different menu every year at least, a new chef every so often, and a new fit-out every decade at least. Managing that transition, however, can be tricky, and in the case of Maleny Hotel’s Bistro Bunya, change is happening slowly but strategically. The hotel’s [...]

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This Act of Treachery …

“Slipper … is neither good-humoured nor personable, and even before becoming a serial rat, he was carrying a lot of political baggage. THERE is an old political saying: A man who will rat once will rat twice. Obviously it has escaped Tony Abbott, or if he has heard it he assumed it only applied to Labor [...]

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