Infrastructure

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has opened 83km of upgraded Inland Rail track between Moree and Narrabri, with the first grain train set to run in the coming days. With trains now running on this section of track for the first time in seven months, ARTC is urging people travelling on roads between Narrabri and Moree to take extra care near the rail line and at all level crossings.

Lockhart River mayor Wayne Butcher has praised his council’s team after it successfully built and sealed a new road using a local workforce. “For the first time in history, Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council has built a road from scratch to bitumen,” he said.

If you love the view from the top of your farm looking out over the surrounding countryside, then let’s hope you are not near the coast or major power lines or in a windy part of Western Australia because the state and federal governments and the men and women with white shoes are quietly pouring over maps looking for sites that will become tomorrow’s wind farms.

The McGowan Government is taking the next significant step towards achieving its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions after announcing Water Corporation has secured the development rights of what will be one of Western Australia's largest renewable wind energy projects ... In a move that will significantly reduce its emissions, Water Corporation today announced it had secured development rights for the Flat Rocks Wind Farm Stage 2 from WA-owned Moonies Hill Energy.

Queensland will be home to one of the largest onshore wind projects in the world, after global energy giant ACCIONA Energia, announced the development of a new $2 billion wind project. The new 1,000MW Herries Range Wind Farm will be built within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct, west of Warwick, bringing the precinct value to $4 billion, and the total amount of renewable energy to 2,000 MW – enough to power 1.4 million Queensland homes.

The scale of the damage to Gooramadda, Indigo Creek and Bells Flat Roads means that we’re still assessing the best way to restore access: Within the 24 hours of Monday 14 November and Tuesday 15 November, what initially appeared as a small sink hole on Gooramadda Road, Rutherglen has now totally eroded a large section of road.

On any given day, the streets of Moulamein would see the odd fisherman or ute laden with dogs trundling by, but not last week. Moulamein was the highway of detour distress ... From road trains to hot rods, race cars to caravans, Moulamein exploded with Sturt Highway traffic desperately trying to find their way without the traditional Sydney to Adelaide route.

Rodney Stevens. The united chorus of ‘Stop building on Floodplains’ from federal and state leaders during the devastating and ongoing flooding in NSW during 2022 could reshape communities and country towns. Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt last week called for new laws to be introduced to stop homes being built on floodplains and other disaster-prone areas.

With a new roof and a fresh coat of paint, the historic Old School at Beechmont has a smart new look ... "The Old School is part of the history of Beechmont and will be an important community centre well into the future as a venue for weddings, functions and local events which bring locals together and attract visitors to the region": Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen.

People living in regional Western Australia are being invited to complete a Department of Transport survey to help shape the future of bike riding in their local community. Three surveys targeting people who live in or visit the Gascoyne, Great Southern, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder regions are now open for comment on the  My Say Transport website, with the resulting feedback used to shape long-term cycling strategies for each region.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has revealed its State Election Scorecard rating the promises made by the major parties ahead of this weekend’s election. The VFF’s Election Scorecard scores the promises made by Labor and the Coalition according to the commitments that the VFF sought as part of its ‘Fair Go for Regional Vic’ campaign.

Grain Producers Australia is calling on federal political leaders to deliver urgent solutions to fix infrastructure damage that’s having devastating impacts on farm viability and community safety ... The severe and untimely weather is also having a major impact on local road networks, exacerbating an already strained grains supply chain – not only on the east coast of Australia.

2022 has been a busy year for the staff and volunteers of the Victorian Goldfields Railway.  In addition to operating trains every Wednesday and Sunday throughout the year, 2022 has seen a very popular program of special trains operated, including Murder on the Orient Express Driver Experiences and the ever-popular Ales on Rails trains.

There has been a positive trend of increasing Regional Express passenger numbers at Narrandera-Leeton Airport since the beginning of 2022. Narrandera Shire Council’s General Manager George Cowan advised that positive comments continue to be received from Regional Express that the Sydney – Narrandera/Leeton – Griffith route was one of their most profitable routes flown.

A complex aerial operation has placed bulka bags filled with 78,000 kilograms of sand along a levee bank west of the Loddon River at Kerang. The levee bank, situated near properties and major arterial roads linking Kerang to Swan Hill, Boort and Quambatook, breached when the Loddon River reached major flood levels in late October.

Kendall Jennings. It has been nearly a month since public transport was available from the Kerang Railway Station, halted by the floods. The Swan Hill line was reactivated on Saturday, November 12, running trains for the entire service after the line was inspected and passed last week.

An $8 million project to upgrade North Queensland’s flood warning network is now complete with 180 new flood warning assets installed across 28 council areas in the Far North, North and North West of the state.  

Australia's first remote renewable hydrogen microgrid has launched in Denham in Western Australia's Gascoyne region ... Once fully operational in early 2023, the plant is expected to be able to power the average demands of 100 households or 20 per cent of Denham's residents and businesses.