By Margaret Maccoll
If you’re an animal lover watching whales and dolphins, riding camels or horses, fishing or visiting a zoo or aquarium are among the activities you could do in Noosa in the next few weeks while supporting local tour operators who are missing the southern tourists.
Tourist operators have been buoyed by the uptake of Queensland visitors taking the opportunity to visit the attractions this year while the borders are closed to southern visitors but there are still places left for locals.
Deep Sea Fishing Co Noosa owner Kirsten Ruster said they were surprised and pleased at how busy they had been recently. The third generation fishing charter operator Clint Ruster and his crew are experts in the Noosa fishing industry.
Kirsten said the business had dropped about 30 per cent since Covid-19 restrictions were introduced and they had to reduce passenger numbers by a couple to meet requirements but there were plenty of Brisbane and Gold Coast visitors taking their trips in place of their usual clientele of southerners at this time of year.
After Alma Park zoo closed in 2014 Julie Seabrook and her team moved an entire zoo of 200 animals to the Big Pineapple at Woombye to create Wildlife HQ, a place where the animals and their keepers could maintain the bonds they had developed. Covid-19 shut them down for two months earlier this year but it’s just about business as usual since reopening and the crew has been amazed at the support from the community since they returned.
A spokeswoman said the zoo said they were able under restrictions to offer visitors close encounters with the animals and plenty of people were coming through the gate with only presentations unable to go ahead.
Getting out in nature on the back of a horse in groups of two or four with a guide is the type of experience locals could enjoy at Equation Horse Riding Adventures. The business has been disappointed by cancellations from Victoria and NSW for the upcoming school holidays since border closures were announced.
Business owner Rebecca Watson said by its nature horse riding was inherently social distancing and they had received bookings from people wanting to spend time outside doing a Covid-safe activity.
“We’re getting lot of people wanting to be safe and outside and in nature,” she said.
Whalesong Cruises in Hervey Bay have been very busy this whale watching season with visitors coming mostly from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Business owner Rebecca Greenshields said they’d put together an extensive Covid-safe plan and were fortunate to be in reasonable proximity to south east regional visitors and able to operate.
Hervey Bay was last year named the first whale heritage site in the world and with whale watching season running until late October there’s no better time to take a whale watching cruise.
