BLOGGING TOWNSVILLE is well worth a look. Little Darwin recently came across it doing some research during the witching hours . In its own words, it provides critique, comment and assorted conversations from a small rural city somewhere east of Mount Isa , its logo including a well balanced banana . Among the interesting items is a contribution -THE MURDOCH LAMENT , with apologies to John Farnham and the writers of YOU’RE THE VOICE , which gives the media empire the rough end of a Queensland pineapple treatment . Also spotted is a poll asking readers if a yearly subscription to the digital edition of the Townsville Bulletin ( a Murdoch paper) is worth twice the cost of the New York Times with its stable of talented writers . Apart for a box saying YES , there is one for ARE YOU KIDDING ? and another cheeky WHAT’S THE NAME OF THE TOWN ? The majority of respondents were in the kidding spot.
Linked to the blog is THE MAGPIE'S NEST, providing robust commentary on the local media, the council and other tasty morsels.Reading Magpie's columns you realise that the Territory is a sheltered workshop when it comes to scrutiny of and commentary about those who think they are masters of the local small universe , including the media.
Little Darwin awards this coveted piece of banana trunk art ,above, to Blogging Townsville for a job well done. It is from a Magnetic Island plantation, which is also east of Mt Isa, and is our equivalent of the Palme d ’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. If only there were blogs like the Townsville one in Darwin. You would think that in a university town like Darwin with an array of activists, dissatisfaction with the local media, many important issues going untouched or poorly covered, there would be a flowering of powerful , spirited , even interesting , innovative and challenging blogs and websites. But no.
