Keeping the North West moving through challenges and opportunity

Cr Barry Hughes, NWQROC Chair & Mayor, Etheridge Shire Council

If you live in the North West, or you have travelled through our part of the world, you know distance is our everyday reality. Hitting the road or taking a flight is part of life, business, education, health and work.

That is why issues like fuel security matter so much to our communities, and right now its front of mind and was on our most recent North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils meeting agenda.

Across the North West, councils and communities are feeling the effects. We are hearing reports of a 10 to 20 per cent increase in operating and capital costs, including on important disaster recovery works following the 2025-26 disaster season. Those rising costs are putting added pressure on already stretched budgets and creating shortfalls that are beginning to affect projects across the region.

North West Queensland relies heavily on a mix of council-managed bulk fuel storage and third-party suppliers, many of them small independent operators. When supply shortages hit, it is often these smaller operators who are affected first and hardest. That creates a very real risk that councils may be unable to secure the fuel needed for day-to-day operations and essential services.

There are also serious concerns for some of our most vulnerable communities with Doomadgee, Mornington Island and Kowanyama all relying on diesel generators for electricity. Without secure diesel supplies, the risk is the possibility of entire communities being left without power.

At the same time, higher fuel costs are flowing through to food and freight. For families, small businesses and remote consumers, the impacts are real and immediate.

Removing our roof racks and pumping up our tyres will not solve this issue. We need State and Federal governments to focus on solutions that provide assurance to regional communities.

Our leaders need to think beyond the urban centres and understand that fuel security here is tied directly to power, food, freight, tourism, business activity and community wellbeing.

Hughenden’s Festival of Outback Skies - Image: Tourism and Events Queensland

On the flip side of this topic, this is a hugely important time of year for our communities, our businesses and our local economies as we move into tourism season. It has been a slower start to the season than many would have liked, and that is a challenge as we work hard to let people know we are open, ready and excited to host visitors.

We do have fuel available, and travellers can fill up and get where they are going. If you’re about to head off or already on the road, please plan ahead particularly for smaller centres, check in with operators and visitor information centres, and take your time heading west.

There is so much to see and do out here and your dollars support real Aussie operators and communities. Stay a little longer and enjoy what our towns and natural wonders have to offer.

It was great to see committed travellers supporting events over Easter. And there’s plenty more to come with a few highlights mentioned below.

This weekend we have the Hughenden Festival of Outback Skies from 1-4 May, Julia Creek’s Dirt n Dust Festival is ready to celebrate 30 years on 29-30 May, and Croydon will mark its 140th at its Heritage Festival from 20-26 June.

Looking ahead, the Mount Isa Rodeo from 7-9 August remains one of Australia’s iconic events, just up the road you’ve got the Burketown Campdraft and Rodeo 17-19 July, the Doomadgee Rodeo at the end of August, and celebrating 50 years is the Normanton Rodeo from 4 June with a bumper program. Cloncurry’s Beat the Heat on 12-14 September offers more reasons to visit or even better, to come back to the North West for more.

And beyond events, there are gems all across the region quite literally with fossicking in Etheridge Shire or exploring national parks and discovering local Indigenous experiences to name just a few.

In amongst the challenges 2026 has already sent out way, you can certainly see there are many reasons to celebrate living in the great North West.