CHEERS TO 20 YEARS

We’ve blown out the candles to celebrate the 20th birthday of the strawbale Visitor Information Centre (VIC) in Emerald.

The crew from the VIC and CHDC came together last Friday, 26 September 2025, to mark the milestone.

The two longest-serving volunteers – Carol Ferguson and Glen Wass – were chosen to lead the cake-cutting.

The VIC, located at Morton Park, was officially opened in 2005 after fire claimed its predecessor.

Today, the centre is run by a dedicated team of staff and volunteers and managed by CHDC as part of its work in tourism development.

Fun facts:

• The building is made of 300 bales of barley straw covered in lime and earthen renders. You can see evidence of it today with a viewing window, which is set into a wall to reveal the straw inside.
  

• More than 12,500 visitors called into the VIC in 2024/25.
  

• It’s officially known as the Central Queensland Highlands Visitor Information Centre to reflect local tourism branding.
  

• It’s one of Queensland’s accredited VICs, which means it meets high standards of service.

• The VIC was previously based in what was the former Emerald Hospital operating theatre, which had been relocated to Morton Park for that purpose. When the building burnt down, the VIC operated from a temporary donga for a few years until the strawbale construction was completed.