Land & environment

An additional 100 homes in the Vale View area of the Toowoomba Region will soon be connected to the Bulk Water Supply network, meaning the existing bore will no longer be needed.

Hay is set to welcome a new chapter for its local flower shop as Centrespot Flowers prepares to become Bidgee Blooms this August. Marg Bisset, who has been at the helm for 20 years, is gladly handing over the reins of the business to Emma Laracy ... Being a florist is what Emma calls the 'ultimate girl dream'.

Spiny Burrgrass. It's gnarly and sounds like it would win a fight against the cats eye burr. It's not from round here but it will grow well in the type of conditions we have. We must be careful not to help it spread.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Assurance Riverland irrigators will receive 100 per cent water allocations will provide business certainty amid pressure from low rainfall across the state, says a senior local industry figure ... "It's very positive news for the Riverland that SA Murray Class 3 irrigation allocation is 100 per cent for the coming water year": Renmark Irrigation Trust CEO Rosalie Auricht.

Following the devastating floods in January and February, Centacare FNQ officially opened its Tully Disaster Recovery and Resilience Hub this month, with a community morning tea that gathered local leaders, residents, and service providers.

Michelle Daw. An algae toxic to marine life has been detected in water samples collected from Edithburgh and Coobowie ... The PIRSA spokesperson said the algae could cause mass deaths of marine life and particularly affect the gills of fish. "This is a dynamic situation as the bloom travels depending on weather and water conditions, and the impact therefore is unpredictable."

Professor David Lindenmayer AO and Associate-Professor Philip Zylstra. Dr Tony Bartlett's recent article contains serious flaws in logic and misrepresents scientific evidence. Understanding the empirical data is critical for safeguarding communities and preserving native species.

New mildew-resistant and drought-resilient grapevines have been planted in South Australia’s Coonawarra wine region to help safeguard the future of Australia’s wine industry against a changing climate and disease threats.  

Residents in Wilcannia, Tilpa, and Menindee are being urged to prepare for potential flooding as floodwaters from upstream Queensland make their way downstream.

It has been a long summer, resulting in dry dams and yellow paddocks that are visible to everyone. And in an unusual development, agriculture has featured recently in world headlines thanks to discussions of world trade and tariffs.

Dr Lachlan McCaw AFSM. Federal environmental approval recently granted for expansion of the South 32 Worsley bauxite mine has given the green light to clearing of a further 3855 hectares of native forest around Boddington south-east of Perth ... the community should question how much bauxite mining is enough, and whether closure of the native forest timber industry is simply a convenient smokescreen for increased mining in the jarrah forest.

Andrew Morgan. For more than two decades, SFM has worked at the intersection of forestry, agriculture and investment ... In recent years, we’ve witnessed a structural shift in what drives value in plantation development — and it’s been driven by something invisible, yet incredibly powerful: a real, regulated and recognised price on carbon.

The 2025 Forest Carbon Summit commences today, April 10, and continues tomorrow, April 11, at the National Press Club in Canberra, spotlighting the pivotal role of forests and carbon management in Australia’s net-zero future.

Madison Eastmond. The South Australian Youth Forum (SAYF) All Voices Tour made its most-recent stop in the Riverland last weekend, with their local workshop hoping to further understand the shared passions, hopes, and struggles of regional youth ... the afternoon workshop hosting conversations on climate resilience, mental health resources, and the importance of agricultural wellbeing.

...Bendigo Bank Agribusiness’ Monthly Commodity Update finds that US tariffs should have less impact than initially expected, however dry conditions across key cropping regions still have grain producers on edge. Lamb markets are stable with wool a bright spot, while supply chain issues for fruit and vegetables have seen a lift in wholesale prices on the east coast...

Dead sea creatures are being discovered along the east coast of southern Yorke Peninsula, believed to be linked to a microalgal bloom ... "We saw 30 to 40 dead octopus, and normally you have to really look to see one octopus during the daytime ... It was the saddest and most emotional dive I have ever had": diver Paul Macdonald.

Chris Davey. Through this semi-regular column, I hope to share insights into the beauty and rarity of our local orchids — some of which are found nowhere else. Four species exist only on YP and are classified as endangered, with fewer than 100 plants remaining.

Paddie and Cliodhna held a community working bee at the Warrali St garden. Adults and children planted out seedlings, weeded, built up the compost piles and celebrated the healthy soil that’s been created from the old compost piles ... we learnt how to create an Indigenous Microorganism soil trap ...

Steve Posselt lives on a property at Swan Bay. He describes the impact of the latest flooding on farmland ... Thearles Drain had gone from black to green and now back to black ... This dead cane is the area to the left of the drain ...

Major flood warnings have been issued for multiple rivers, including the Thomson, Barcoo, Bulloo, Paroo, and Warrego ... Stock losses are expected to reach into the hundreds of thousands, compounding the already difficult conditions caused by ongoing droughts.

The Snowy Valleys community will today celebrate the grand opening of new tourism facilities in Bago State Forest, near the towns of Tumut, Batlow and Tumbarumba. The ‘Enhancing Nature Based Tourism’ project … has delivered new and upgraded visitor facilities serving as a drawcard for the regional tourism industry.