The Editor

A comprehensive narrative history of building and design styles in Australia, from traditional Aboriginal gunyahs; to the local interpretations of northern hemisphere trends; to the sustainable, climate sensitive and high-tech constructions of the 21st century.

A moving and original debut novel. Observant, warm and extraordinary. 'There is an other-worldly quality about the Abrolhos which is beyond the reach of ordinary storytelling. Emily Brugman has captured them, staked them to the page in all their isolation and aridity and scoured indifference, because her storytelling is extraordinary.' Jock Serong, bestselling author of Preservation.

Sunday’s Uraidla and Summertown H&F Show has been described as a “spectacular success” by locals and visitors alike ... Show President, James Sadler, was over the moon to see not only the sea of smiling faces but the huge support the Show had from so many volunteers who all helped to make it happen.

Peter Rutherford, SETA. ... evidence that the three dimensional fuel loads, which have become the norm in much of the NSW forested landscape, are an artefact of over 200 years of fire management neglect and are not representative of the of up to 60,000 years of evolution, shaped by the intelligent use of fire in the Australian landscape.

Preparations for the upcoming bushfire season are well advanced, with more than 150 people taking part in a multi-agency pre-season briefing in Launceston ... This year, a total of 217 fuel reduction burns treating over 32,000 hectares have to date been completed, and a successful “Red Hot Tips” Program has also supported farmers and large landholders to conduct 229 burns covering over 5,300 hectares.

An independent report with recommendations for how the planning system can address housing supply and affordability in regional communities has been released by the NSW Government.

Farmbot, a leading Australian agritech business, has now sold over 5,000 units, deploying to farms in every state and territory ... Farmbot gives farmers real-time insights into their water levels, consumption rates, flow pressure and more to improve overall water management on-farm via sensors which provide insights and alerts through an online dashboard.

The iconic Australasian Bittern is the focus of a summit in Leeton on 1-4 February 2022, designed to advance the conservation of this cryptic species ... “The Bittern holds a special place in Indigenous culture and Australian folklore, with its booming call thought to be behind the legend of the bunyip,” said Senior Local Land Services Officer and conference lead Anna Wilson.

Warwick O'Neill. There are very few upsides to war. But one very faint silver lining is that most wars tend to throw up personalities of the type you just don’t see in peace time. People who, for that short period, capture the imaginations of their countrymen for whatever reason ... people such as the notorious Australian Souvenir King of World War I, John ‘Barney’ Hines.

A massive cyclone swell on Sydney’s beaches claims a big wave surfer, leaving his long-term partner without a body to mourn. His four adult godchildren from far and wide gather for the reading of his will. A mystery girl from Tasmania joins them Down the coast, a man is pulled from the water and abandoned to his fate with a head injury and amnesia ... The debut novel by Coffs Coast local, Michel Vimal du Monteil, himself a surfer and former SES volunteer.