The Editor

The countdown to the historic 140th anniversary edition of the Birdsville Races is on, with just over five weeks until the ‘Melbourne Cup of the outback’ reignites the tiny desert town on the edge of the Simpson Desert with thousands of revellers for an outback party and race carnival like no other ... From the Birdsville Cup’s’ first ever female winners and ambassadors to race-stopping outback deluges, horse flus, Prime Minister visits and a global pandemic – here are some memorable moments from 140 years of the Birdsville Races.

From live open-mic zine-readings through to learning the basics of zine-making and meeting some of the biggest names in the industry, all this and more is outlined in the official Mildura Zine Fair program, which is now available. Zines – short for magazines or fanzines – are small-circulation, self-published works of text and images, which at times have been hugely popular over many decades.

A 12 month trial on a cotton farm just outside the rural town of Goondiwindi Queensland in Australia has shown it’s possible to divert large amounts of cotton textile waste at end of life from landfill with no harm done to soil health or cotton yields. Project collaborators are confident that with a solid business plan and more research, returning shredded cotton products to cotton fields could soon offer benefits to soil health, and a scalable solution to the massive global problem of textile waste.

Residents and visitors are benefiting from the transformational Cohuna Waterfront Project, with the last section of this important project recently completed. Gannawarra Shire Council oversaw $3.4 million worth of works across a two-year period, focusing on Apex Park, Garden Park and King George Street.

The SA Opposition is calling for additional biosecurity officers to be stationed at Adelaide Airport as fears grow over foot and mouth disease (FMD) potentially getting into South Australia which would have devastating consequences for the economy, jobs and cost of living. An urgent biosecurity staffing boost would allow for the luggage of every traveller from Indonesia to be individually inspected, creating an extra ring of protection for SA’s livestock industry while Labor governments sluggishly roll out disinfectant mats.

A delicate overnight operation recently saw 17 Eastern Bristlebirds successfully translocated from Booderee National Park and Jervis Bay National Park in south-eastern New South Wales to the most southern tip of Australia’s mainland - Wilson’s Promontory National Park in Victoria. The Eastern Bristlebird’s population stronghold in New South Wales was used as a launchpad for establishing Victoria’s second population at Wilsons Promontory.

The Repco Supercars championship returns to The Bend (July 29 – 31) with event organisers promising the biggest weekend of racing and entertainment yet in the OTR Supersprint’s five-year history. The jam-packed, three-day event is South Australia’s largest ticketed regional sporting event with all ticket holders getting paddock access to enjoy the once in a lifetime experience.

The current lack of affordable and diverse housing for buyers and renters is a crisis which is confronting all levels of government. A move to regional areas, limited government investment in social housing, a boom in short terms rentals, Covid-19, the recent floods and inflation have put great pressures on the property market.

What the heck is 'placemaking anyway'? - that's the hot topic on the table when Scenic Rim Regional Council hosts its third Arts Dinner of 2022 on Tuesday 2 August. Set against the backdrop of the Life in Focus exhibition, which includes the Scenic Rim Story Marker Trails project, the dinner explores the concept of how public art connects people with places, builds community pride and reflects the space in which it resides.