History & heritage

The Americans had Apollo. The Soviets had Soyuz. The Chinese have Tiangong. And Australia? We now have the world’s first taxpayer-funded attempt to guide space exploration using songlines ... The real culprit here is modern academia, which now treats all “knowledge systems” as equal. They are not. Knowledge that is testable, repeatable, measurable and falsifiable is superior to knowledge that is not.

It has stood in place since the 1870s, but the significance of the Stone Pine that towers over the Apex Park in Church Street has now been immortalised. A research project, headed by Hay Landcare member Sally Ware, has unearthed the history and probable provenance of the tree.

Allora’s Wikner Ford Special is on the highway heading south to Maroubra – not to surf but to be a headline act at huge celebrations ... The Vintage Car Club of Australia is celebrating the Centenary of the opening event at the infamous Maroubra Olympic Speedway in 1925. Of that initial event only one racing car remains as it raced that day, Doug’s Wikner Ford Special.

Will social media still exist? Will mobile phones still be hand-held? Does anyone carry cash? Will people be catching fast trains from Maroochydore to Brisbane? What did the world make of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games? The best ever? A snapshot of life on the Sunshine Coast in 2025 is captured in time - to be revealed in 25 years - when a time capsule will be re-opened.

A century divides the Roaring Twenties from today’s so-called Turbulent Twenties, yet the distance feels strangely compressed. As we limp toward the midpoint of our own decade, the parallels grow sharper and harder to ignore — reminders that our present upheavals are rarely as unique as we like to believe. Historians are rightly suspicious of neat analogies, but here the similarities are too blunt to dismiss.

Scenic Rim Regional Council has unveiled new lighting and a story marker to honour The Pathway of the Pioneers, a bicentennial mural created in 1988 by the late Florence Brook and the Beaudesert Potters Group.

Have you ever wondered whether something broken, abandoned, or forgotten could still hold beauty? Artist Heather Petty invites you to see exactly that at the Naracoorte Regional Art Gallery ... Heather spent the past seven years capturing these fading memories in and around her hometown of Wudinna on the Eyre Peninsula, transforming remnants of the past into haunting and poetic works of art. 

Lapunyah Art Gallery president Helen Dennis said ‘Reparative Threads’ will explore the cultural and material residue of cotton, while working with renowned artist Dr Karike Ashworth and communities across the Western Downs. Ms Dennis said it is a joint initiative between Dogwood Crossing at Miles, Lapunyah Art Gallery at Chinchilla, and Gallery 107 at Dalby, culminating in a multi-site community exhibition and the creation of a large-scale 3D wall.

Ian Riley. There are many aspects to the Maldon Folk Festival, a source of happy memories for the town. Once again, my curiosity got the better of me, and I strolled into the fire station after noticing some interesting-looking musical instruments. The first group were the cigar box guitars.

Saturday morning saw vintage car enthusiasts arrive in Herbert Street for a show and tell ... Mary Poppins House - the perfect backdrop for Lester Diggles with his Model A Ford 1928 on the left and Alwin Chalk with his 1928 Chevrolet on the right.

'Winhanganha-yanhi – We Remember' Exhibition which opened at Narrandera Arts Centre last week will continue until Sunday 7 December. Indigenous war veterans, even after many years in the public eye, still have not been fully and rightfully honoured across the nation.

The 91-year-old Pacific Hotel is undergoing multi-million-dollar stabilisation works designed to future proof the iconic Yamba pub that was lauded as being "the most perfectly appointed place of all seaside resorts north of Sydney” when it opened in 1934.

Connecting the past to the present in a meaningful way was the context of the Charlton RSL Sub-Branch’s commemoration of the 107th Remembrance Day marking the cessation of hostilities of World War 1.

The recently expanded Allora Regional Sports Museum has on show a rare display of footy memorabilia of Bronco and local hero Shane Webcke. This photo was taken on Shane's final NRL Premiership Game on 3rd September 2006 in round 26 against the NZ Warriors.

Locals will be surprised at what's happening at the Allora Regional Sports Museum. Each week there's something new and fascinating. The foyer now has a TV running with continuous sporting games and clips. You can even pull up a comfortable chair watch the TV and read a sports book...

Tocal College Foundation Day, an annual celebration honouring the College's opening and the legacy of the CB Alexander Foundation, was observed last week. This year's Foundation Day held special significance, as Tocal College proudly celebrates 60 years of operation, a milestone reached earlier in 2025.

The small gathering at the War Memorial were showered in jacaranda flowers from one of the last remaining trees planted in memory of the 21 Wilcannia and District men who did not return from WWI during this morning Remembrance Day service. The subject of this year's address was Christie Walter Allison Jones. Christie left his home and family in Hood Street in April 1916 ... Central School students Myla and Zhayle laid the school's wreath...

You can take the boy out of the bush – but not the bush out of the boy. Promoting consumptive harvest of wild food and particularly wild duck and geese gathered across Australia has been a long-standing passion for Glenn Falla, who offers the following thoughts.

The 50th Maldon Folk Festival from Friday 31 October to Monday 4 November was fulfilling and full, according to Festival Director Pam Lyons. The town was packed with music, musicians and good vibes. “It’s been really great. I think we’re at capacity,” Pam said on Sunday evening. “Apparently, the ice cream & fudge shop has sold out. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the food vendors have sold out!”

Cohuna's 150 Year Anniversary opened with a packed house at Memorial Hall on Friday night. The walls of the hall were lined with an array of past fashions, hospital history, sporting memorabilia, and historical photos.

Naracoorte's much-loved woollen bedding manufacturer, MiniJumbuk, is celebrating an extraordinary milestone — 50 years in business. From humble beginnings, the woollen bedding company’s story is woven with innovation, resilience, and an enduring connection to our community. With a $30 million annual turnover, no debt, 70 employees, and a new expansion underway in Naracoorte ...

Never has a ‘38 Dodge had such applause on its arrival. When Mark and Sue Butler pulled into town with the 1938 Dodge Kyogle ambulance on the back of their tilt tray truck, everyone wanted to see it ... The Kyogle ambulance has been returned for three months to be part of the Kyogle Memorial Hospital centenary celebrations on November 15.