North to thrive in year ahead

AS we welcome a new year we can look forward to a promising 12 months ahead.

A federal election will clear the air and get the nation back on track.

Some are picking a win for Bill Shorten and Labor but it won’t be as easy as that.

The Liberal-National coalition has a hefty war chest so expect some nice election promises up our way as Warren Entsch hopes to retain the seat of Leichhardt.

The long-awaited dredging of the Trinity Inlet shipping channel should be finished by August but don’t expect the bigger cruise ships straight away as the operators need a good lead-in time.

The remaining two Crystalbrook Collection hotels Bailey and Flynn should open later in the year following Riley, giving a big boost to the tourism industry.

The first of the Nova towers should start as well as the $55m upgrade of the domestic terminal at Cairns Airport.

The airport will probably be announcing some new routes too, hopefully from the Middle East and New Zealand.

Work will begin in earnest on the $152m Smithfield bypass, the largest wind farm in Queensland at Walkamin will be fully operational and the first stage of the $650m KUR-World eco-resort should get the green light.

A final decision on the Global Tourism Hub on the Cairns waterfront is expected later in the year and the preferred proponent announced.

No doubt there will be some surprises as well to keep the tropical north thriving and surviving. Nick Dalton Deputy editor FOR THE RECORD: The Cairns Post is committed to accurate, fair and fearless publication of news and commentary. But we acknowledge and aim to promptly correct errors when they occur. Corrections, clarifications and explanations the newspaper wishes to make will appear in this space. If you are aware of an error in this newspaper, please contact editorial@cairnspost.com.au or phone 4052 6627.