Whitsundays on road to recovery

The Whitsundays is steadily coming back online following the impacts of ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie last week.

Things are moving quickly in the region, with Whitsunday Regional Council already having done an outstanding job clearing up the foreshore and beach areas, as well as the main street of Airlie Beach, which was their first priority.

Ergon Energy is also doing exceptionally well and is reinstating power to the region, area by area. The company is optimistic that the whole region will have power by Tuesday April 11 or thereabouts, which means the region will have full power in time for the Easter weekend, beginning Friday, April 14.

Tourism Whitsundays CEO Craig Turner said that while the recovery operation was still in motion, all the signs were looking good for the coming Easter weekend and ensuing holiday period.

“The community, the tourism industry and our stakeholders have all rallied and the progress made in the past week has been amazing,” he said.

“While we are not “out of the woods” yet - and there are many people out there working very hard - things are moving quickly and in the right direction and power should be restored by early next week.

“There are a raft of tours and trips already operating again and a lot of accommodation providers are already back up and running. Shops, restaurants, cafes and other businesses have also started to open this week.”

Holidaymakers with bookings for the coming weeks are advised to contact their accommodation provider directly to confirm they are operating and check on the facilities they are able to provide.

Booking agents and wholesalers, who have booked holidaymakers into Whitsundays accommodation or on tours and trips, are advised to make contact directly with the operators to check on their status.

“If anyone is having difficulty contacting their accommodation or tour providers, give us a call and we will assist,” Mr Turner added.

Please click here for an up-to-date list of what is already operational in the Whitsundays.

For more information call the Tourism Whitsundays office on (07) 4948 5900.