Contributor, ARR.News

Government has decided to extend takeaway alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs. Evidence has shown alcohol-related emergency department presentations at Alice Springs Hospital have reduced by a third, and domestic violence has halved since the restrictions were introduced.

Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll confirmed the Labor Government has entered a new $11.5 million three-year agreement to fund the historic service, guaranteeing a future for the Overland train, which has run between Melbourne and Adelaide since 1887. This Government investment will ensure the twice weekly service – which stops at Murray Bridge, Bordertown, Nhill, Dimboola, Horsham, Stawell, Ararat and Geelong will continue to run for the next three years.

Jewellers, buyers, wholesalers, miners, rock hounds, lapidary enthusiasts and tourists are invited to experience the best Lightning Ridge has to offer with this culmination of information, spectacular jewellery, collectables, great deals and fantastic networking opportunities. The LR Opal & GemFestival boasts over 150 stalls with a huge range of products including gemstones, tools, lapidary supplies and lifestyle products.

The Australian rock legends will take the stage for Passion of the Pilbara alongside a great line-up of events including the Culinary Showcase hosted by MasterChef’s Andrea Puglisi. Passion of the Pilbara (POP) is returning to Onslow on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 August with Jebediah, events and activities, live entertainment, food trucks and more for all ages to enjoy.  

CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) wheat prices soared eight per cent overnight, after Ukrainian ports were hit by Russian missiles and Russia’s Ministry of Defence warned that all vessels travelling to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports will be considered as potential carriers of military cargo. This was the highest trading level of CBOT wheat since a spike in mid-June and previously in February this year, Rabobank senior grains analyst Dennis Voznesenski said.

Over 4,600 historic plans of 460 regional towns in NSW — from Bourke to Bega — have just been digitised and made available for the first time on the State Library of NSW’s website ... "Subdivision plans are an absolute goldmine for genealogists and local historians as they allow us to place ourselves in the past... ": State Library’s maps expert, Maggie Patton.

South Australia is leading the nation in removing feral deer, with the 10-year South Australian Feral Deer Eradication Program aiming to eradicate the pest from the state by 2032 ... There were an estimated 40,000 feral deer estimated in South Australia in 2022, and since the program’s commencement in May 2022, over 8,000 feral deer have been removed.

With significant planning work and extensive market soundings completed, it is now certain that the cost of hosting the Regional Victorian Commonwealth Games will exceed $6 billion – more than twice the estimated economic benefit the Games would bring our state. In the face of these numbers, the Victorian Government has made the decision not to proceed with hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

New figures to come out of the 2022/23 season show a near-25 per cent increase year on year in beach attendances, keeping Australian Lifeguard Service (ALS) lifeguards on their toes along the NSW coastline.