Could the Rockhampton Region do with a $400000 cash injection tomorrow? I can’t imagine anyone saying no, even to getting a share of it. This is what Gladstone region is expecting tomorrow when the P&O Pacific Dawn docks at Auckland Point. 2000 people maybe spending $200 each during their time in Gladstone. Imagine if there was a fast train between the 2 cities, wouldn’t that open up some possibilities. The possibilities still exist even without a fast train. Some passengers may be interested in seeing a cattle sale at the CQLX, a working cattle station, Quay Street’s heritage buildings, the Dreamtime Cultural Centre; has anyone even thought of tapping into this new market, after all it’s a little over an hour away by bus and it’s an 8 hour stopover. Would it cause a turf war with Gladstone, perhaps, but if the excursions added to the diversity day visitors could do aren’t you enhancing their experience making the cruise even more appealing. (Bundaberg is already in.) Plus it gives the passengers a greater appreciation of what CQ has to offer. Give them a little taste and they may come back for more, maybe even relocate here, be it Rockhampton or Gladstone regions. It’s an idea worth collaborating with Gladstone and P&O, surely.
Discussing turning ideas into action I like to plug the Start-Up Capricorn meeting today at 4.00pm in the CQUni Refectory. In this column last week I indicated what Start-Up Capricorn is (it’s not a political group) and one of its goals to have a Start-Up Weekend. I tried to get several local media interested in it to help promote the meeting but I guess it isn’t main stream enough to get broad appeal. It’s not just looking at new ways to apply modern technology to solve a viable problem. It could be looking at an opportunity like the Pacific Dawn docking in Gladstone and making a business venture (and jobs) out of day trips into Rockhampton region. After all no one appears to be doing it so why not cash in on a potential $2.4M market (6 cruises a year). If you want to know more about Start-Up Capricorn just turn up today because you’re exactly what’s needed.