Turning the Tide
The Cassowary Coast and surrounding regions have suffered the effects of 2 major cyclones within 6 years, severely impacting the local communities and particularly the tourism industry. Mission Beach Tourism is re-developing the tourism product through the Turning of the Tide project, utilising the Wet Tropics Visitor Centre as a regional hub to showcase the location’s significance as the birthplace of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the role of tropical foods in communities in the Far North Queensland.
“TURNING THE TIDE” PROJECT
The Cassowary Coast and surrounding regions have suffered the effects of 2 major cyclones within 6 years, severely impacting the local communities and particularly the tourism industry. Mission Beach Tourism is re-developing the tourism product through the Turning of the Tide project, utilising the Wet Tropics Visitor Centre as a regional hub to showcase the location’s significance as the birthplace of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the role of tropical foods in communities in the Far North Queensland. A significant part of the project is to research and create a comprehensive repository for local historical documents, images, and stories which are fundamental in sustaining the region’s strong conservation, cultural and economic values.
“BIRTHPLACE OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK”
In the 1960’s, John Busst (artist and resident of Bingil Bay), Judith Wright (poet) and Len Webb (scientist and ecologist) teamed up with the aim of protecting the Great Barrier Reef. One of their first (of many to come) battles happened at the Mining Warden’s court in Innisfail where the case for mining Ellison Reef was fought and won in 1967. This became the catalyst in the long history of protecting the Great Barrier Reef which included the creation of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in the 1970’s.Prior to these events, the reef had evolved naturally over the millennia, then humans came in contact, adding to the colourful history of the reef with hunting, fishing, shipping, coastal development, tourism, conservation, politics, and more. During its existence, the Great Barrier Reef has accumulated many stories and characters. This project aims to preserve and share these stories. The avenue will be through Mission Beach Tourism’s establishment of a quality interpretative centre using leading edge technology, a website hosting the digital library, and a state of the art visitor-attracting experience.
DO YOU HAVE STORIES, ARTICLES, PHOTOS OR ARTEFACTS?
If so, and you would like them to be included in the GBR library, please contact us!
REGIONAL RECIPES & STORIES
Tropical foods will be a key feature of the Turning of the Tide project, with the development of the Food School and Food Tasting Experiences. Currently, Mission Beach Tourism is highly successful in delivering a unique regional food tasting experience on a regular basis. The aim is to enhance this experience by using the region’s recipes and stories in the proposed Food School at the new centre.It is envisioned that these experiences will highlight the region’s recipes and tropical foods by incorporating recipes and stories from the local community. This part of the project is Tropicalising Ethnic Foods.
“TROPICALISING ETHNIC FOODS”
For many migrants to North Queensland, the lack of traditional resources necessitated the adaptation of recipes using tropical ingredients, resulting in a tropicalisation of traditional cultural food. This project aims to document the development of tropicalised ethnic food by local community members. The project’s success depends on as many people as possible from communities in the region sharing their recipes and stories.
SHARE YOUR RECIPES & STORIES WITH US!
We would love to hear your stories about how traditional cultural food and recipes have been tropicalised.
Maybe there’s a recipe handed down over the generations in your family which has a great story attached to it, or you might have your own recipes or stories?
If you would like them included in the project, please contact us – see contact information for John and Faye above.
Alternatively, you can just take your recipes or recipe books to Kim Agli at the Cassowary Coast Regional Council chamber in Innisfail for copying and including in the recipe library.