Latest news with #WideBay
ABC News
6 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Timeline of Wide Bay teenager Pheobe Bishop's disappearance
Almost three weeks after Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop went missing, police have taken her male housemate into custody. The 17-year-old girl from the Wide Bay region, about four hours north of Brisbane, has not been seen or heard from since Thursday, May 15. James Wood, 34, was arrested on Wednesday but no charges have been laid. The arrest followed an announcement earlier in the day by police that they would no longer be conducting any "physical searches" for Pheobe. Instead, police said searches would restart "as needed and as information is provided". Pheobe had been living in the town of Gin Gin, which has a population of about 1,100 people, with two people police had called "associates". She had been meant to board a flight from Bundaberg to Western Australia on May 15, but police said airport CCTV showed she never entered the terminal. Police issued a missing person's report about 6pm a day later, on Friday, May 16. Over the following weekend, Pheobe's mother Kylie Johnson repeatedly posted to social media urging anyone with information to contact police. By Sunday, May 18, more than 400 missing person posters with Pheobe's photo were plastered across the Wide Bay region. On Monday, May 19, police conducted a land search along Bundaberg's Airport Drive and surrounding areas but failed to find Pheobe or any of her belongings. Police described her disappearance as out of character and at a media conference on Tuesday, May 20, asked for information about a 2011 grey Hyundai ix35 hatch that had been seen around Airport Drive. On Wednesday, May 21, six days after Pheobe went missing, police said they were treating her disappearance as suspicious and two crime scenes had been established. The crime scenes were the home where Pheobe had been living and the car she was believed to be in on to way to the airport. Police appealed for dash camera and CCTV footage of the car, naming the locations of interest at Bundaberg — Airport Drive and Samuels Road — as well as Gin Gin. By Thursday, May 22, Detective Acting Inspector Ryan Thompson said public information would be vital in finding Pheobe. "People don't vanish," he said. On Friday, May 23, more than a week after her daughter was last heard from, Ms Johnson urged people to hold their loved ones tight. That afternoon, at a press conference, police revealed specialist officers were searching bushland and waterways at Good Night Scrub National Park. The search of the national park continued throughout the weekend of May 24 and 25. On the Saturday, forensic police collected items in brown evidence bags, but would not confirm whether it was linked to Pheobe's disappearance. Police dogs joined the search on the Sunday. On Monday, May 26, police expanded their search area, saying they believed evidence may have been moved from the Good Night Scrub area before they arrived. The same day, Premier David Crisafulli said Pheobe's disappearance was deeply concerning and that police would be given every resource needed to do the job. On Tuesday, May 27, police renewed their appeal for information, and a day later, the search in Good Night Scrub National Park was suspended after five days. Police said they would continue to investigate. This morning, they confirmed physical searches would be called off. Throughout the time Pheobe has been missing, her mother has been posting on social media about the family's ordeal. In a video statement released via police on Saturday, Ms Johnson said her family's life had changed for the worse since her daughter's disappearance. "I still hold hope that Pheobe will come home, but I have to consider the possibility that she also won't," she said. In a social media post this morning, Ms Johnson questioned whether life would be the same again. "Starting day 20 with you still missing Pheobe," the post read. "I don't know if life will ever be the same again? I don't know if I will ever look at the world the same way that I did before May 15th."
ABC News
6 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Man in police custody over disappearance of missing Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop
Queensland police say a man is in custody over the disappearance of Wide Bay teenager Pheobe Bishop. The 17-year-old went missing on May 15 after failing to board a flight at Bundaberg airport. A major search operation was launched amid fears for her safety. A 34-year-old man is currently assisting police with their inquiries, but no charges have been laid.
ABC News
09-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Wide Bay beachside communities experience unprecedented growth
Thousands of beachside blocks are hitting the market in regional Queensland as sleepy coastal towns grapple with population growth and changing identities. The Wide Bay region, about 400 kilometres north of Brisbane, is home to sleepy beachside suburbs thrust into a major transformation from rural farmland to residential subdivisions. Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn said about 5,000 housing lots were under construction on the 15-kilometre coastal stretch between Elliott Heads and Bargara. "That's significant … that will change the face of our region," she said. The communities are in high demand from southerners and retirees, with approvals for more than 2,000 additional retirement and over 50s dwellings. "People have found out the secret of our Bundaberg coastline, our beautiful waterways, and our clean, fresh environment," Cr Blackburn said. "There's no doubt that it will grow and grow substantially in the next few years." Not everyone is retired. Shantara Manulat, who recently moved from the Gold Coast, operates a coffee van near Innes Park. "Everyone's so welcoming, I've made so many friends being here and yeah, I'm just loving it, I wouldn't go back," the 27-year-old said. She said it was an easier place to run a business because there was less competition. She said it was also a more affordable location to live. The median house price in the Wide Bay region, which incorporates Bundaberg, has risen to $611,000, according to the latest Proptrack report. At the southern fringe of the region, the Fraser Coast is also experiencing similar growth with $3 billion in commercial projects approved by the council in 2024. A master-planned community with more than 1,600 home sites is expected to be built at Dundowran Beach in the next decade. Some of the more controversial approvals, including an 18-storey high-rise development on the Esplanade at Hervey Bay, have sparked debate over the urbanisation of the area. "I'm not against development but it needs to be in the right places," resident Ross Horne said. While many locals supported the growth, there were concerns that roads and infrastructure would not cope with the increase in traffic. Near Bundaberg, Bargara café owner Joey Caruana said he wanted to see the state government invest in schools and sporting infrastructure. "The growth of soccer clubs, athletics, nippers … there's a need for a sporting base," he said. "A multi-purpose facility where we can have footy, hockey, netball, all the things that young families want." Earlier this year the state government announced a $2 billion Regional Activation Fund, with half of the money to be spent on upgrading roads, drainage and other infrastructure in rural areas. The first round of funding is to be issued to councils from July. "We're aware that we need to try to make sure that our roads are maintained so that we can keep up with the traffic … and we need to make sure that we have enough hospital staff, policing staff," Cr Blackburn said. She said finding qualified tradespeople was another issue. "I would say at this point in time we're probably a bit stretched in terms of the labour market," she said. Despite the challenges, Cr Blackburn said the coastal expansion was necessary to help attract families and professionals to move from south-east Queensland. "Every place needs to grow, and we need new ideas and new people so that we can have those eateries and those shops that we desperately would like to have in our region," she said.
