It's that time of the year when we officially celebrate the Cassowary
 Courtesy - Artist Stuart Lloyd | Mission Beach Cassowaries Inc thanks our community and the members of our Facebook group for caring so deeply about this icon of the Wet Tropics and namesake of our shire. Many of us know individual cassowaries and have watched them for years. When one is killed on a road, we lose a bird we shared our home with. After decades of community effort, too many cassowaries are still dying at known road hotspots. That's why we call Mission Beach the 'Slow Down Town'; slow down on the way from the highway and slow down when you get here. |
We have waited a long time for a rollout of effective solutions to address the unacceptable toll on the local cassowary population. We are still waiting!
November 2025 We were given hope help was on the way when a special meeting was held at Mission Beach to identify 5 cassowary road death hotspots. Following the meeting there was an expectation Mission Beach was soon to have some of the latest technology installed which would detect animals near a road and activate signs to warn approaching drivers.
May 2026, the Cassowary Recovery Team (CRT) asked Queensland’s Transport and Main Roads Minister, Brent Mickelberg MP, to fund at least three trials of the technology at Mission Beach.
November 2025 We were given hope help was on the way when a special meeting was held at Mission Beach to identify 5 cassowary road death hotspots. Following the meeting there was an expectation Mission Beach was soon to have some of the latest technology installed which would detect animals near a road and activate signs to warn approaching drivers.
May 2026, the Cassowary Recovery Team (CRT) asked Queensland’s Transport and Main Roads Minister, Brent Mickelberg MP, to fund at least three trials of the technology at Mission Beach.
CRT letter to Minister
July 2026, the Minister’s office replied giving no funding commitment or timetable for Mission Beach.
Minister's reply
September 2026 - Let's make World Cassowary Day a turning point for the birds that still have to cross our roads.
Plea to the Transport and Main Roads Minister
Please appeal to the Minister. A short, respectful, personal message is enough. Tell him why cassowaries matter to you; ask him to fund the Mission Beach trials and tell our community when they will begin.
To: Brent Mickelberg MP
Transport and Main Roads Minister,
Email: [email protected]
Subject: World Cassowary Day — fund cassowary road safety trials at Mission Beach
And/or post a comment on Facebook.
To: Brent Mickelberg MP
Transport and Main Roads Minister,
Email: [email protected]
Subject: World Cassowary Day — fund cassowary road safety trials at Mission Beach
And/or post a comment on Facebook.
Happy World Cassowary Day
Enjoy the pace of our special place and thank you for helping our cassowaries survive and thrive in the wild.
 Photo Liz Gallie |  Photo Jeff Larson  Photo Liz Gallie |
