Transport

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.

Petrol prices across Narrandera jumped to a new high last week, with local service stations charging almost $1.80 for a litre of Unleaded 91. The average unleaded petrol price in Narrandera was $1.77.4 per litre. The town’s motorists could be forgiven for pointing the finger at nations throughout the world which are flexing their military might.

Rockhampton Regional Council has recently announced an historic partnership with Australian low cost carrier Bonza Airline and has welcomed Bonza’s Chief Commercial Officer to the region to celebrate the milestone ... “The benefits of Bonza offering budget flights to currently unserviced routes, is going to benefit many sectors of our community”: Mayor Tony Williams.

WA companies Aviair and HeliSpirit have partnered with global company Eve Air Mobility, part of the Embraer Group, to bring new zero-emission electric aircraft to WA within the next four years.

Responding to the oil spill at the Port of Devonport has been a mammoth task, but years of planning and preparation meant multiple agencies were able to act quickly to contain the spill. The Environment Protection Authority, TasPorts, BridgePro, Tasmanian Divers Group, Marine and Safety Tasmania, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have all have worked in unison since a commercial vessel collided with two tugboats on January 28, causing fuel and oil to spill into the Mersey River.

Regular passenger flights between Hobart and two Bass Strait Islands will be extended following the success of the Sharp Airline services that were introduced in September 2020 ... The services have been a roaring success, and have given more Tasmanians the ability to explore these unique parts of our special Island State.

Tennant Creek IGA has thanked its freight drivers for trekking more than 1,000 km extra to supply food to the region after the recent floods blocked roads into the Territory ... “Francis travelled 3,500 km to get here and there were other trucks going another 500 km to get to Alice Springs" : IRAM CEO John Kop.

International ships arriving in Australian waters will see a change in how they manage biofouling in 2022. DAWE Deputy Secretary Andrew Tongue said a change in biofouling policy would have flow-on effects for international shipping.

New penalties will be in place in the coming weeks for non-electric vehicle owners who illegally park in an electric vehicle (EV) charging bay in Queensland. Transport and Main Roads Minister (Qld) Mark Bailey said the issue had been a pain point for the rapidly increasing number of Queensland EV drivers.

Townsville is a step closer to welcoming ships up to 300 metres long with the arrival of Australia’s largest backhoe dredge, Woomera, at the Port of Townsville. The $232 million Channel Upgrade is the largest infrastructure project in the Port’s 158-year history and is vital to ensuring trade, defence and cruise opportunities no longer bypass Townsville.

Now electric vehicles can cross the Nullarbor Plain thanks to BiØfil, a world-first EV fast charging system that is fully off-grid, self-contained and powered by used chip (vegetable) oil from roadhouse deep fryers. On Sunday 16 January 2022, BiØfil was installed at the Caiguna Roadhouse, approximately 370 km east of Norseman and 370 km west of the South Australian border, making it one of the most remote EV fast charging stations on the planet.

BiØfil is a world-first fast charging system for Electric Vehicles (EVs) that is fully off-grid, self-contained and powered by used chip (vegetable) oil, a waste product ... “We’ve been isolated from the rest of Australia for too long, so once borders open up, BiØfil means all vehicles can travel across the Nullarbor, EVs included”: Jon Edwards, BiØfil inventor and retired engineer.

This year marks 100 years since the first subsidised air-mail service in Australia, and Geraldton holds a rich history in the momentous milestone. In 1921, Major Norman Brearley, a decorated pilot with the Royal Air Force, was awarded a Government tender to deliver the country’s first subsidised air-mail and passenger contract. Tragically, during the inaugural flight, one of the three planes flying from Geraldton to Carnarvon met with disaster near Murchison House Station. 100 years later, that milestone is being commemorated with an RAAF aerial acrobatics display and the launch of a historical booklet.

Angela Tillier. We drove our Tesla on a holiday in WA in August and September after buying the Model 3 SR+ - a get to know the car and the charging options. A Plug Share app shows where to charge and I calculated the distances. Wanting to see wildflowers and visit some favourite coastal towns, the trip required careful planning as some areas had no chargers.

Regional Queenslanders will soon benefit from improved air service frequencies between Charleville, Roma, and Brisbane and coach services with stronger route connections following the signing of new regional transport service contracts starting in December and January.

This map is demonstrative of the unrelenting push by Australian bureaucrats and politicians to force rural and regional Australians out of the bush and into the cities and large regional centres.

Emma Pritchard. Members of the Glenreagh Rail and Station Preservation Society (GRASPS) fear a historic building they have been campaigning to save and restore for many years will soon be demolished. Concern for the future of the 106-year-old Glenreagh Railway Station Precinct was heightened this week after GRASPS learned the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) had recently visited the site and fenced it off.

Wagga Wagga will have regular airline services flying direct to a third Australian capital city from early next year. Riverina travellers will have direct flights to Queensland when QantasLink starts flying between Wagga Wagga and Brisbane from 28 March, 2022.

Air services critical to the Lord Howe Island community are set to continue, with the NSW Government extending the existing QantasLink licence for another three years from 2022. Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the air service is vital for keeping the Island’s 350 residents connected to Sydney and to support the tourism industry.

Upgrades to a 29-kilometre section of the Narrabri to North Star section of the track are now complete ... Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said in a boost for the local industry, fully loaded trains are now departing from Moree.

Did you know Queensland stock routes cover around 72,000 km and 48 local government areas? Drovers are herding cattle along the stock routes passing through the Central Highlands at Yan Yan Road through to Lilyvale Road, Gregory Highway and Capricornia Highway through to Springsure and Rolleston areas. These roads are subject to change depending on conditions and motorists are urged to be patient and vigilant whenever they are driving along a stock route.