BIG PRAWN or

Giant Shrimp?

If you were among the 30 milion viewers who watched The Late Show with David Letterman last night then you would have seen the Ballina Big Prawn.

In an interview with Diane Kruger she tellsDavid that on a road trip through Australia with her husband they made it to Ballina, but were so tired they decided to sleep under teh Giant Shrimp.

I can assure her that there is LOTS of great Motels in Ballina, if she had just continued down the road as little as 100 metres.

Maybe we really need the Tourism Office in The Big Prawn if and when it is moved.
Seems an obvious choice for tourists.. what do you think?

David informs Diane that the shrimp is actually life size!!!!!

Can we really lose this our most famous attraction???

Cheers

Dave Heggie
Secretary Tourism Ballina

How will we know we’re

in Ballina

if it’s not there?

From Today’s Northern Star.

TRUCK driver John New stops at Ballina’s Big Prawn every week on his trips from Forster to Brisbane.

He said it is an ‘ideal place’ to have a break.

“The road is really wide and there’s lots of parking, so it’s pretty easy for trucks to stop at the Big Prawn,” Mr New said.

“I would stop there every week. I check the load, go to the toilet, have a drink and a break. There’s plenty of room and we can get off the road.”

But if plans to demolish the Big Prawn are approved by Ballina Shire Council, Mr New said he would no longer stop in Ballina.

“I guess I’ll just keep going because there’s nowhere else to stop,” he said.

And perhaps that will continue happening with The Big Prawn perhaps demolished as early as next year.

Can it be dismantled, stored and then reassembled in the new location at the gateway to Ballina once the bypass is completed?

Read the rest of the story in The Northern Star

Cheers

Dave Heggie
Secretary Tourism Ballina

This is hot off the presses, even before they roll
Make sure you read about it in tomorrow’s Northern Star (Friday).

Keep Your Hands Off Our Prawn!

That’s the message from Tourism Ballina Inc secretary Dave Heggie, after reports the Gold Coast Fishermen’s Co-operative is willing to take the Big Prawn across the Queensland border.

“I don’t think that is something that should be happening – how dare they try and steal it,” he said.

“I would rather see the old prawn dead and buried before we give it to the Gold Coast.

“Ballina is known world-wide as the King of Big Prawn and it should stay that way – we shouldn’t lose it.

“We will have a big problem getting people to stop in Ballina once the bypass is complete and it will be important to have significant gateway signage and the Big Prawn is synonymous with Ballina and would be ideal for just that purpose.”

Chris Condon is willing to build a new one at his proposed new service centre at the Ballina Gateway.

But what to do about the old one once it is demolished???

What do you think post your replies here or on the facebook page or through The Northern Star letter’s page.

Read the rest of this story in tomorrow’s edition of The Northern Star.

This week, the 52 page Ballina Coast and Hinterland tourist guide, produced by Ballina Shire Council, was released with no mention of the Big Prawn.

The new Guides are supposedly the authority on all there is to see and do in the Ballina Coast & Hinterland.

It features stunning imagery from around the Shire and captures the essence of the beautiful hinterland and our magnificent waterways. But it does NOT feature The Big Prawn.

If you would like to get your hands on a copy, drop by the Ballina Visitor Information Centre at 6 River Street Ballina.

However, according to Ballina Shire Council general manager Paul Hickey, the Big Prawn hasn’t been featured in the guide for more than a decade.

“The guide is focused on a wide range of activities in the shire,” Mr Hickey said.

I believe this could be a clown fish on the cover ( I could be wrong)… perhaps it would have been more appropriate to have The Big Prawn there, at least that is associated with Ballina worldwide or maybe one of the many other visual aspects that abound in this wonderful region.

Do you agree?

Remember be part of this region’s promotional campaign. Forward this newsletter using the link at the bottom or join Tourism Ballina so that you may benefit  from our promotional activities.

See our Ballina Postcard Blog for some of the comments and why not

add your own support or comment there.

Do you have something to say about our wonderful region?

Send your comments to Dave Secretary Tourism Ballina or post them on our POSTCARD BLOG www.tourismballina.com.au/postcards

NEW and EXISTING MEMBERS

Join Now

Cheers

Dave Heggie
Secretary Tourism Ballina

The Big Prawn Saga Solved??

Last night on The 7pm Report on Channel 10 Dave Heggie, Secretary from Tourism Ballina was able to get confirmed, absolutely unequivocally and guaranteed that Chris Condon CEO Condon Goup would build a new BIG PRAWN at his proposed new mega service centre.

This would be fantastic gateway signage and an obvious place for the council to move it’s Visitor Information Centre to attract more tourists to the Ballina Coast and Hinterland, especially once the highway bypass is completed.

Chris said last night, “The Big Prawn is iconic and not an eyesore.”

Watch the interview part 2 of last night’s The 7pm Report

This is apparently what most people who have contacted Tourism Ballina feel as well and would hate to see the existing one demolished, not moved or replaced.

This message below is just a sample of the emails we have received:

I was watching on the edge of my chair, the news about the proposal to get rid of The Big Prawn. I am one of those people who love travelling around visiting these places and have been horrified at the news for two days as the prawn is one I haven’t gotten to yet. Do you have any information about when it could occur if it is passed (heaven forbid) as I need to hurry up my plans and even consider taking long service leave if it doesn’t coincide with NSW school holidays?
Thank you for speaking so well, putting the case for keeping this ‘original icon’ that others have tried to copy. I am a teacher and my class and I have just spent last term studying a unit on Australia and the bit that they loved best was when I showed them, my scrapbooks on Big Things and we plotted their locations on our large scale wall map. The kids even looked them up on the internet and brought in their souvenirs and stories. So don’t let it die. The next generation love them and need them. It is just a happy simple dream that brings people together and lets people laugh, de stress and have fun and dream. We need more of them in our hectic world. Please let me know if you have any news about dates. Keep up the fight.
Regards,
Michelle

Imagine if Ballina became known as the town that destroyed one of Australia’s famous big things….

Hear what theMayor Phil Silver has to say to the presenters channel 7’s sunrise as well

I can hear the conversation from the back seats of cars now… small agitated voices…

“Are we there yet?

“Are we there yet?”

From the front set in a very passive voice, “No not just yet, wait till you see ‘The Big Prawn’ and then you will know we have arrived in Ballina.
PS Ballina Coast and Hinterland has a LOT more to offer then just the Big Prawn,

the panoramic vistas, the other attractions, the cafe and restaurant scene and well the whales as they migrate along the shoreline, because you can easily see them from your car, (not the driver of course, for they are watching the road!) as you drive along the coast road hugging the escarpment between Ballina and Lennox Head. You can of course, park and watch in amazement and these wonderful migratory creatures who put on such a fantastic display.

The Maze at Alstonville, one of our members was the ‘STAR ATTRACTION” last night on  Channel 9’s Australia’s Perfect Couple

Watch Gemma attempt to direct Raf through the maze.

Anna Niblic Heggie’s TV series ‘ Arts Masterclass’ has just finished it’s Brisbane TV season and will soon be run on Melbourne television. For those that cannot see it, Anna is running an innovative weekend workshop called

Yoga Arts Fusion

This is a great way to experience the benefits of yoga and the creative aspects of drawing and painting with guided instruction from a professional. This workshop has the added bonus of working some of the time with a live model and also the fun of using store mannequins in the process. A truly exceptional workshop!

Visit www.niblic.com for more on Anna and this workshop

Remember be part of this region’s promotional campaign. Forward this newsletter using the link at the bottom or join Tourism Ballina so that you may benefit  from our promotional activities.

See our Ballina Postcard Blog for some of the comments and why not add your own support or comment there.

Do you have something to say about our wonderful region?

Send your comments to Dave Secretary Tourism Ballina or post them on our POSTCARD BLOG www.tourismballina.com.au/postcards

NEW and EXISTING MEMBERS

Join Now for Membership till July 2010.

Cheers

Dave Heggie
Secretary Tourism Ballina