Infrastructure

The Newstead solar project that was launched in August is rolling out and has been holding regular information sessions at the Newstead Rural Transfer Centre. The project, a partnership between Renewable Newstead and retailer Flow Power, centres around the newly operational Newstead Solar Farm.

The reason behind why Wyreema residents were faced with little or no water coming from their taps a few weeks ago has been revealed ... a large storm caused a power surge, with the Wyreema water tower perhaps even being struck by lightning. "That resulted in substantial damage to some of our most critical infrastructure that left almost 2,100 residents with either low or limited water supply," Mr Passier said.

Hugh Schuitemaker. A significant milestone in Renmark’s recovery from the 2022/23 flood event has been marked with the opening of the town’s new wharf. A large crowd of local residents, plus local and state government representatives, gathered at the Renmark riverfront last Wednesday to mark the opening of the town’s redeveloped wharf.

In a major win for connectivity and economic growth, Sunshine Coast Council will partner with Google, NEXTDC and others on Australia Connect, an initiative to further the reach, reliability and resilience of digital connectivity in Australia and the Indo-Pacific. Australia Connect will deliver new subsea cable systems and build on the Pacific Connect initiative.

Automotive company Lovells Automotive Systems  donated and provided generators to communities such as Menindee RFS to keep essential power, communications and services running during the recent Far West power outages. "We're honored to support the resilient communities of Far West NSW during these challenging times."

With election season upon us and rural mobile networks pushed to their limits during harvest, it’s an ideal moment to examine the persistent gaps and dropouts in mobile coverage. Before diving into the political and economic factors shaping mobile connectivity, let’s take a step back and explore the history of Australia’s mobile network rollout. By tracing its development, we might uncover how so much of the bush was left behind.

The Aboriginal art gallery, now known as ATSIAGA, will be placed on about half of the present Anzac Oval car park ... ATSIAGA stands for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Gallery of Australia, suggesting the plan still has ambitions for national status ... there was no mention of  the assertive campaign  by traditional custodians who want the gallery to be built south of The Gap.

After 10 years of neglect and six years of wrangling, the current Naracoorte Lucindale Council has voted 7-2 in favour of fixing and reinstating a 636m portion of the 1.866km Shuards Lane. At least five ratepayers no longer have all-weather access to their properties … there is no all-weather access for an ambulance or veterinarian if needed, nor a truck to move or sell livestock.

A property leased by the Victorian Goldfields Railway (VGR) is being sold by the Victorian Government, raising questions about zoning and community consultation around the sale of a heritage asset that has been a green buffer around Maldon Station since the gold rush era. The Tarrangower Times ... requested information from Mount Alexander Shire Council (MASC) to ask about the zoning for 14 Reef Street, which was understood to have been changed to make way for the sale ...

The Federal Government’s push to go ‘green’ appears to be spiralling out of control, with new costs estimated that the transition will take $1.3 to $1.5 trillion … What do we get for our money? Cheap, reliable, centralised power generation, with technology that will last for more than half a century? Or expensive, decentralised, precious metal intensive, unreliable, short-lived technology that will carve across some of Australia’s most precious landscape?

Tackling a worrying gap in the nation’s emergency rescue education, Australia’s leading communications and safety brand, GME has partnered with leading survival expert and instructor, Outback Mike to launch the inaugural National Rescue Awareness Week ... bringing together 65 years of expertise in helping Australians explore our beautiful backyard with simple advice to prepare Aussies better and keep them safe on land and out at sea.

This month, the Gordon Dam, nestled in Tasmania's untamed south-west, reaches a significant milestone - it celebrates its 50th year. It is a marvel of Australian engineering and ambition. This monumental project, completed in 1974, transformed a remote wilderness into a powerhouse of renewable energy, supplying around 25 per cent  of Tasmania's electricity today. Standing 140 meters tall, the 50-year-old dam holds the title of Australia's highest arch dam, constructed using a double-curvature design that maximised strength while minimising costs.

Kerry Cain. For rural communities across Australia, local post offices play an invaluable role, providing essential services that go beyond just sending mail ... Newstead’s post office shares its space with a local pharmacy and support for the pharmacy directly benefits the post office. Revenue from the pharmacy helps offset operational costs, ensuring both services remain available to the community.

Little movement at the station Local Member for Groom Garth Hamilton is deeply concerned with the progress of the Toowoomba to Brisbane Passenger Rail business case project … "It is damning that after nearly two and a half years, we still cannot confirm whether the Minister has been briefed on such an important report and that the full report has not been released."

The storage imperative: Powering Australia’s clean energy transition is authored by Associate Professor Guillaume Roger from Monash University’s Faculty of Business and Economics. His analysis shows that how we trade electricity today, and the financial instruments that support such trade, are inadequate to deal with intermittent energy and storage.

Narrandera Shire Council has secured a renewable electricity supply agreement with Iberdrola Australia through to the end of 2030 as part of a buyer’s group facilitating a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 13 regional councils in New South Wales. The agreement secures the supply of over 390-gigawatt hours of electricity to 163 large council sites and streetlighting across regional NSW...

The morning ... was a special occasion for Nhill Lutheran School, with the official opening of the new school building. Mr Colin Minke, Executive Director of LEVNT, had the honour of cutting the ribbon and unveiling the plaque which now adorns the front entrance area of the school.

Local farmer Jim “Spud” Hepworth, a Litchfield, Watchem and Donald stalwart and fourth generation cereal and sheep, farmer has starred in a short film that has gone viral overnight. The video, released ... by a local group called Farms For Food, has had over 69,000 views in 24 hours. Mr Hepworth spoke about the community impact that changes such as mineral sand mining and new transmission lines have had in his region.

A simple device for measuring the depth of a farm dam was introduced to landholders at a series of workshops in south west Victoria recently. Agriculture Victoria Land Management Extension Officer, and creator of the measuring tool, Greg Bekker said the DAMDEEP device consists of a hand reel, float, beads and a sinker.