Only one rental market in Queensland is classed as healthy, according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland's September quarter vacancy report. The Bay Islands, near Redland, recorded a vacancy rate of 3.5 per cent. Forty-eight of the 50 regions tracked remain tight, with vacancy rates of 2.5 per cent or below. Thirty-four regions recorded rates of 1 per cent or less. Antonia Mercorella, the institute's chief executive, said the shortage was changing how Queenslanders live, with more multigenerational households forming and more friends sharing homes to split costs.
Noosa District State High School has won three of its four entries recognition in Queensland's senior visual art awards. Tahnee Swan received an Excellence Award for her work The Guardian of My People, earning a place in a state exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art. Only 34 student artworks from across Queensland were selected for that exhibition. Romy Mandak and Angeline Yuen-French also received Commendation Awards.
A Noosa butcher, Steve Young, will stop serving walk-in customers in the coming weeks and close his retail shopfront because he cannot staff it. The shop has two butchers, where it would normally have four, plus two counter staff. Mr Young says he has spent about $15,000 on advertising in 18 months, yet many applicants do not attend interviews. Other Queensland butchers have closed recently, and some firms are recruiting from overseas. Mr Young says no workers will lose their jobs and that his wholesale business will continue.
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Former Bachelor star Sam Wood has brought forward his second bail application in the Supreme Court, which will now be heard next Friday. The 46-year-old was arrested in Noosa on October 3 and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting. He denies the allegations and his lawyer has said he may argue self-defence. Wood remains in custody at Wolston Correctional Centre, where he has been placed in a separate wing under a safety order.
Former Bachelor star Sam Wood has lost his first attempt to stop media viewing court documents linked to his domestic violence bail case. Queensland Supreme Court Justice Patrick McCafferty suppressed only the names, addresses and identifying details of people named in the files. Media may report redacted versions until Wood's bail hearing, brought forward to Friday, October 30. Wood, 46, has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting. Police allege he choked his wife, Snezana Wood. He has denied the allegations and remains in custody.
Queensland Police are appealing for help to find the owner of a blue urn containing ashes. The urn washed up at Peregian Beach near beach access 66. A member of the public found it in the sand on 12 August and handed it in to Noosa Police Station. It has been held in a police holding area since then and has not been claimed. Anyone with information is asked to quote reference number QP2601562932.
The Noosa Seniors Expo will be held on Friday 30 October from 10am to 1pm at Noosa Seniors in Noosaville. Part of Queensland Seniors Month, the event brings local organisations and support services together in one place. Students from Good Shepherd Lutheran College will join intergenerational activities, giving younger and older people a chance to connect. Visitors can enjoy live music, a sausage sizzle, morning tea and lucky door prizes. The event is funded by the Queensland Government Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety.
Kevin Hinchliffe will enter his Ford Sierra Cosworth at the Noosa Summer Hill climb, held on 14 and 15 November. It will be his first time racing at the Hill on Gyndier Drive, after campaigning the car at events in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and Leyburn in Queensland. The car is painted in the Monte Carlo colours of two-time World Rally Champion Miki Biasion, making it easy to spot. Grandstands and viewing areas are set up at the start line and at Turns 2, 4 and 8 so spectators can watch the cars in action.
Noosa Council has welcomed a court ruling over illegal clearing of native vegetation at a Noosa Heads property. Council's Director of Development and Regulation, Richard MacGillivray, said extensive revegetation works are now required to restore the cleared areas. Property developer Kim Carroll and his wife, Heidi Meyer, were in court over planning offences at Picture Point Crescent, where clearing took place without council approval. Court orders require extensive planting of trees, shrubs and ground covers on the property and an adjoining council reserve.
Noosa State Emergency Service volunteers sandbagged a Peregian Springs home flooded by heavy rain. Their work came as torrential rain battered south-east Queensland, though Noosa was less busy than areas further south. The Bureau of Meteorology reported about 240mm of rain around Caboolture in six hours on Thursday, October 22, triggering flash flooding, road closures and emergency rescues. Moreton Bay City recorded 152 emergency incidents, most involving structural damage. Noosa Council crews were assessing flood damage and roads.
Sunshine Coast orthopaedic surgeon Dr Joe Coory has become the first in Australia to perform a reverse total shoulder replacement using the latest generation robotic-arm technology. The procedure was carried out at Maroochy Private Hospital in Maroochydore on October 1, using the Mako 4 system developed by Stryker. The system uses three-dimensional CT imaging to build a personalised surgical plan, with the robotic arm guiding bone preparation while the surgeon stays in full control. Dr Coory has completed more than 100 robotic shoulder replacements since introducing the technology to the region last August.
Former reality television personality Sam Wood is seeking a non-publication order and will make a new bid for bail after more than two weeks in custody. The 46-year-old faces serious domestic violence charges over an alleged altercation on a family holiday in Noosa, where he is accused of pushing his wife, Snezana Wood, to the floor and choking her. He was refused bail in Maroochydore Magistrates Court after his arrest on October 3. An application for the order will be heard in a Queensland court on Friday afternoon, and a separate bail review is listed for November 4.
Former Bachelor star Sam Wood has lodged a new bail application in the Queensland Supreme Court, with a hearing set for November 4. Wood was refused bail at Maroochydore Magistrates Court after his arrest on the Sunshine Coast in October. He faces charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting, which he denies. Prosecutors had raised concerns he could flee Queensland. Wood is held at Wolston Correctional Centre in Wacol under a safety order.
Former reality television star Sam Wood will ask the Queensland supreme court to release him from custody. He was denied bail after police alleged he choked and assaulted his wife. Wood was arrested at Noosa on 4 October and faces charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting. His lawyer said he denies the allegations and has severe depression. The bail hearing is understood to be held next month, meaning Wood will remain in custody for at least a month.
The Lad Collective, founded by Brisbane brothers Bill and Ed Ovenden, has reportedly bought a warehouse at 3 Production Street, Noosaville, for $6 million. The bedding and lifestyle brand is currently based in Melbourne and hopes to pack and send orders from Noosa before Christmas. Colliers senior executive Jesse Howitt said demand for industrial property in Noosa remains strong, with limited supply of industrial-zoned land. He said some local businesses are being pushed to nearby estates in Coolum, which he called a loss for the Noosa economy.
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Noosa Council has secured support for eight motions at the 2026 Local Government Association of Queensland conference. A key motion, developed with Sunshine Coast Council, seeks changes to short-term accommodation laws so existing use rights can end when a property changes hands. Mayor Frank Wilkie said short-stay homes are reducing housing for permanent residents and key workers. Another motion calls for a statewide safe parking pilot for people living in vehicles. Further motions seek funding for UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and World Surfing Reserves.
Noosa Council plans to refer about 800 ratepayer accounts, owing around $7 million, to a debt recovery agent this month. The accounts are at least 12 months overdue. Ratepayers with approved payment or hardship arrangements will be excluded from the first referrals. A council report to its October 15 meeting put total rates arrears at $11.7 million at September 30, down almost $3.9 million during the month. Residential properties account for most of the larger debts.
Insiders told Woman's Day that Karl Stefanovic must make serious cutbacks as his podcast business faces pressure. The source claims the family is building a costly Sydney home and holds a Noosa property that did not sell as expected. Speculation is growing that the family may move permanently to the Sunshine Coast, where Harper could join a surf club's Nippers program. These claims are unconfirmed, and the couple has not commented in the source material.
Many couples who met on the reality show Farmer Wants A Wife are still together. The show, which first aired in 2007 and was revived by Channel Seven in 2020, has produced several marriages. Chris Newsome and Kim Tierney, the first couple to marry on the show, live on Chris's farm in Tamworth. Rob Hodges and Jo Fincham have three children, and Damian Atkins and Rachael Peynenborg are married with three kids. Other couples, including Harry Lloyd and Tess Brookman, have become engaged more recently.
