Business

After almost two years since the Tennant Creek IGA was destroyed by juvenile arsonists, the new and improved store was unveiled to eager shoppers yesterday morning. And what an impression it made!

The Game Management Authority (GMA) has announced the arrangements for the 2022 duck season, including changes to the start times, daily bag limit and hunted species ... State Member for Bendigo, Maree Edwards told the Times that she has read the GMA’s release regarding the decision to open duck hunting this year and feels it is imperative that the Government takes significant advice from the GMA.

ABARES Executive Director Jared Greenville said the latest ABARES Insights report: Snapshot of Australian Agriculture 2022 demonstrated that while there have been fluctuations, the agriculture sector was still on an upward trajectory.

The Morrison Government has granted Major Project Status to a $560 million cobalt project near Broken Hill. Cobalt Blue Holdings’ Broken Hill Cobalt Project will produce 16,700 tonnes of high purity cobalt sulphate per year – a highly sought after form of this critical mineral, used in the manufacture of lithium ion batteries.

Alesha Millard. In its 52nd year, one of the world’s longest paddling races, the Massive Murray Paddle, was held last week ... The paddle commenced in Yarrawonga on February 21 and headed to Tocumwal for the first night – a 93km paddle. Paddlers also passed through Picnic Point, Moama, Torrumbarry and Murrabit, before finishing in Swan Hill on the 25th. The five-day event saw paddlers completing a 404km set course.

Joan de Bondt. Over the weekend, anglers descended upon Barham to participate in the annual fishing competition, which has been running for 13 years. The number of entries is capped at 300 for adults, and there is no limit on the number of children ... The financial and tourist benefit to the town is considerable.

Emma Pritchard. Close to 300 attendees filled the Maclean Bowling Club on February 26 as the venue hosted the highly anticipated local music festival Clarence Tunes ... “Everyone who was there on the night was really happy and said it was crazy good" : Organiser, Nash Crofton.

Emma Pritchard. Local rowers made a splash on the Clarence River last week when the Grafton Rowing Club hosted the 2022 Combined High Schools (CHS) Rowing Championships. Blessed with a mixture of sunshine and light showers during the two-day event, 162 athletes took to the waters of the Clarence River.

Timmy Maxwell. We are open! What a journey it’s been up until the point we poured our first beer four weeks ago! As with many great things on this island, it all started with a simple idea. We wanted to brew fresh beer and a create a great place to enjoy it in.

There are approximately 7.5 million hectares of forest in Victoria, and 94 per cent of Victoria’s native forests are in protected areas that cannot be harvested or are unsuitable. Of this amount, VicForests has access to 417,000 hectares and we only harvest 2500-3000 hectares annually. This is nominally equivalent to 0.04% of all forested areas ... Thorough preparation is undertaken prior to harvesting, and VicForests puts special protections in place for priority habitat and species of concern if found in coupes.

A patch of underwater land in the Gulf of Carpentaria could hold several trillion cubic feet of natural gas or hundreds of millions of barrels of oil – at least that’s what a company with the rights to drill it for exploration is saying.

Mark Knowles. The future of Bramwell Station’s famous tourist park and roadhouse is up in the air after the state government purchased the property last week. The two Cape York hot spots will remain open this year but their longer-term future could be on shaky ground.

History was made last week when Brad Welsh was named as the first Indigenous Australian to lead an ASX-listed minerals company. Welsh was named as the CEO and managing director of Energy Resources Australia in the Northern Territory.

About 1.3 million tyres reach the end of their life each year in Tasmania, most of which ends up in landfill or stockpiles. Some of these tyres are now being processed into crumb rubber and blended with bitumen for use as asphalt in the State road maintenance program.

Beer lovers will rejoice at the incredible range of 175+ brews to try from 25 craft breweries and cideries such as Rocky Ridge, Colonial, Eagle Bay, Boston and Brewhouse Margaret River, including some crazy, delicious, mind boggling special and new release brews showcased by each brewer at their bar.

A proposal to expand the Marmion marine park will if adopted result in the marine park’s boundary starting north of Two Rocks, according to information released by the Parks and Wildlife Service. At present the Marmion marine park, which occupies about 9500ha, is situated between Trigg Island and Burns Rocks.

NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Stuart Ayres said a Memorandum of Understanding signed this week between the NSW Government and the United Arab Emirates Food and Beverage Manufacturers Group (UAE FBMG) provides NSW businesses with a strategic  advantage in the supply of ingredients, new innovations and agritech solutions as UAE takes steps to progress its food security agenda.

Gabrielle Duykers. After being out of order for almost a decade, the distinctive fountain afront the Naracoorte Regional Art Gallery is flowing once again thanks to community efforts. The Ibis Rising fountain was installed in 2005 and is the work of Melbourne based sculptor and potter Heather Ellis, who also produced the William Mackintosh bust in Jones Street.

The Russia Ukraine conflict will have large ramifications for global and Australian grains and oilseeds markets, and particularly wheat, according to agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank. The loss of access to all Black Sea wheat exports has not occurred in more than 100 years.

Local shoppers rejoice! After almost two years after Tennant Creek’s only supermarket was damaged by arsonists, the rebuilt store will open its doors next Thursday morning. The multi-million dollar rebuild will likely mean Tennant Creek will enjoy one of the flashiest supermarkets rarely seen in remote communities.

The Barkly’s iconic Threeways Roadhouse is up for sale. Calling for expressions of interest by Colliers, the roadhouse first sold fuel in the 1960s from a 44-gallon drum until Shell developed the present site including the roadhouse.