Land & environment

Australian scientists have observed signs consistent with H5 avian influenza (bird flu) in wildlife during a management voyage to sub-Antarctic Heard Island ... Scientists observed unusual levels of mortality in elephant seals on Heard Island in recent days.

University of South Australia and Kangaroo Island Research Station ecologists have made a remarkable discovery about the mysterious and endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart: it is partial to climbing trees ... “The last thing I expected to find in one of our pygmy-possum nest boxes some distance up in a mallee eucalypt was a dunnart.  It was a wonderful surprise,” says Peter Hammond.

The National Aerial Firefighting Fleet is now in position and ready to respond when disasters hit, as Australia gears up for the 2025-26 Higher Risk Weather Season ... These aircraft are primarily used for firefighting, but can also contribute to supporting Australian communities across the country...

Aboriginal communities across NSW are working with Forestry Corporation to integrate cultural burning into government bushfire management frameworks. These local partnerships, under the Federal Government-funded program Fire, Country and People, aim to strengthen community resilience to major bushfire events and improve land management practices across traditional Aboriginal lands.  

Forest Fire Management Victoria’s (FFMVic) newest recruits are gearing up for the summer bushfire season, undertaking intensive training camps across the state.

Adam Kerezsy ... the inland rivers of Australia's Murray-Darling Basin are already well-inhabited by invasive – or alien – species ... Unfortunately, in the Lachlan, there’s a new kid on the block. Oriental weatherloach is an eel-like animal from Asia that started off in Australia as an aquarium fish.

Michelle Daw. Yorke Peninsula's commercial fishers have again called for a ban on all fishing in Gulf St Vincent to allow stocks to rebuild. Russell Boord, of Port Moorowie, said the extent of the damage caused by the bloom required drastic measures, and backed the request for a ban made by commercial fishers to the Senate's algal bloom inquiry committee in Ardrossan in early September.

Matt Canavan’s exposé at the recent Senate Estimates, which had the Department of Agriculture’s executives sweating in their seats, deserves wide circulation ... “There’s lots of talk about the need to increase reforestation—effectively, the conversion of agricultural land to forests ..." ... If Matt Canavan is the Senate’s zealot hunter, then Western Australia’s Senator Matthew O’Sullivan is its Maremma the Sheepdog that protects its flock ... In committee, O’Sullivan’s questioning tore open the government’s $139.8 million Sheep Industry Transition Assistance Package ...

A new koala has taken up residence at Yanchep National Park and as part of a double celebration the name of the first joey born at Yanchep National Park in 15 years has been announced. The new koala called Poppy is five-years-old and comes from Ballarat Wildlife Park.

Have you heard of the Koala Karaoke program? ... Koalas were heard at 23 per cent of sites in 2020, 32 per cent of sites in 2021, 17 per cent of sites in 2022 and 47 per cent of sites in 2023.

Guulabaa – Place of Koala, the world’s first purpose-built wild koala breeding and visitor centre, has been recognised with the Australian Good Design Award Winner accolade in the Built Environment category at the 2025 Australian Good Design Awards.

An invasive weed not seen in the Lockyer Valley for more than half a century has been detected at Forest Hill, prompting Council to issue an alert. A Lockyer Valley Regional Council contractor recently raised the alarm after stumbling upon an infestation of rubber vine in the rail reserve at Forest Hill.

Setting off at dawn October 3, the Paddle Steamer Melbourne chuffed away from Mildura's wharf; her wooden hull slicing through the Murray River's sluggish flow. It had been over a century since her birth in Koondrook, and now, under the stewardship of owner Adam Auditori, she is steaming for Echuca.

Whether the risks posed by imports from Australia's trading partners are being sufficiently assessed and addressed, whether we really need to or should import certain products at all, and whether Australia is becoming complacent, resigned, or courting disaster for political Brownie points - such questions are being asked more often. ... This last week, Australia's biosecurity around beef and banana imports was called into question by David Littleproud, Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister. ARR.News sought a response from Julie Collins, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ...

Madison Eastmond. The region was in full bloom last weekend as the Riverland Rose and Garden Festival celebrations began for 2025. The 2025 program kicked off the weekend with a number of popular returning components, including the Renmark Institute floral display, Gala Dinner, and the Festival Fair.

A landmark plan to address inequities in water ownership will see the NSW Government put water back in Aboriginal peoples’ hands, strengthen their role in water management, and create new opportunities for self-determination.

The 2025 Donald Show opened in fine style on Friday night, drawing an eager crowd for music, food, and the official start to one of Victoria’s favourite country gatherings. Outside, the showgrounds buzzed early as families wandered between food stalls and rides ... Among the many features proving popular on the lawns at Donald’s two-day show, particularly with children, were Professor Wallace’s Puppets (in the background of this photograph), and “Fair Dinkum Fauna Wildlife and Education Displays”.

Businesses and families financially impacted by the harmful algal bloom have been left wanting by the State Government’s most recent announcement on how it plans to keep our beaches open during summer ... “While our lifesavers do an outstanding job keeping our beaches safe, algae doesn’t swim between the flags,” Mr Tarzia said.

Balranald Shire Mayor Louie Zaffina is actively balancing regional advocacy with local infrastructure progress. The Mayor recently toured the regional meeting circuit to tackle challenging policy issues while simultaneously overseeing significant developments across the Shire. ... The Bidgee Haven Retirement Hostel received a new wheelchair-enabled van ....

As a critic of the climate catastrophists—and someone who prefers a long-term, science-based view of climate change—I thought I’d share a basic understanding of the science and terminology behind the BoM forecasts we rely on ... Every time a farmer glances at the Bureau’s forecast, the same terms pop up: Indian Ocean Dipole, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode, cold fronts from the Great Southern, tropical moisture feeds, and the Leeuwin Current ...

The minister was impressed by the view of Toonumbar Dam at Bells Bay Campground. When Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig visited Kyogle on Thursday, October 9, Kyogle Council staff took Mr Hoenig to Bells Bay Campground. “It’s magnificent,” he said. “It’s like a loch in Scotland” ... “It’s a state asset,” he said. Unfortunately Mr Hoenig’s department does not deal with WaterNSW and its drive to dispose of the assets around Toonumbar Dam.

As October arrives, so too does the first flush of mauve from Australia’s beloved jacaranda trees. I trace the jacaranda’s journey from the dry slopes of the Andes to its spectacular springtime display in towns like Grafton, where more than 1,700 trees transform the streets into rivers of purple. With the bloom set to reach its dazzling peak in just a fortnight, it’s the perfect moment to celebrate this fleeting spring spectacle.