TROPICAL FLAVOUR

NEW AIRPORT OUTLETS:

TRAVELLERS will be able to tuck into kangaroo meat before they hop on a plane at Cairns Airport’s redeveloped domestic terminal.

The airport has revealed the list of new food and beverage outlets that will call T2 home, once the $55 million refurbishment and expansion of the terminal is complete in late 2020.

The new offerings include: fast food outlets Oporto Portu- guese chicken, Hungry Jacks, The Shack, Espresso by Industry One, Roll’d Vietnamese street food and Machinetta Cafe. Dine-in restaurants are Rattle n’ Hum, Ochre Contemporary, Cafe China, Bistrot Italian and Pier Bar.

Oporto, Hungry Jacks, and Rattle n’ Hum are expected to be open by the end of this year, while the other outlets are to be open by the end of next year.

Ochre restaurant owner Craig Squire said their new of- fering would support local producers, including breweries.

“There will definitely be local seafood and beef and pork products from the Tablelands,” he said.

“We’re pretty famous for our pork belly, so I think that’ll be going in there.

“We’ll definitely be doing kangaroo and/or wallaby and crocodile for sure.

“There’s some strong interest from tourism, but there’s also a lot of Australians who love good quality grilled kangaroo, even something like a kangaroo satay that is accessible and affordable for the travelling public.”

Airport chief commercial officer Tracey Groves said there was something for everyone, from modern international cuisine through to local favourites and fast food.

She said the new line-up came as a result of the collaborative efforts of Tourism Tropical North Queensland and local suppliers.

“We’ve been working on understanding the needs of our passengers and visitors and are confident this new line-up will enhance the customer experience in the domestic terminal,” she said.

“The terminal upgrade will create a fantastic sense of place and offer our passengers a wonderful dining and shopping experience.

“The new look terminal will allow passengers to extend their tourism experience from the moment they land to the time they take off, creating en- during memories of their experience here.

“We hope they can take a little piece of Tropical North Queensland home with them.”

The redevelopment, which began this week, also includes reconfigured boarding gates, extra seating and an improved layout.

The airport is one of Australia’s busiest regional airports, with 75 per cent of international visitors to Far North Queensland travelling on domestic flights.