Sunday, May 19, 2024

CATEGORY

Travel

World first: EV fast charger on the Nullarbor fuelled by used chip oil – Plugging the gap between WA and SA

BiØfil is a world-first fast charging system for Electric Vehicles (EVs) that is fully off-grid, self-contained and powered by used chip (vegetable) oil, a waste product ... “We’ve been isolated from the rest of Australia for too long, so once borders open up, BiØfil means all vehicles can travel across the Nullarbor, EVs included”: Jon Edwards, BiØfil inventor and retired engineer.

Grampians Peaks Trail opens

Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan said he was delighted to launch the 160 km world-class hiking trail Grampians Peaks Trail, starting at Mt Zero in the north, passing through Halls Gap and with highlights including Redman Bluff, Major Mitchell Plateau and Mt Abrupt before reaching Dunkeld in the south.

Ay-oop! Now for something … Dalesish!

If you, like Kookaburra, have antecedents who hailed from the sheep and cattle country of the Yorkshire dales, you might well be interested in this fascinating website - Swaledale history. The website is put together by the appropriately named Will Swales.

19th Classic Yacht Race BBQ fundraising for Lord Howe Island Central School

For 19 years, the Lord Howe Island Classic race has just been growing stronger and stronger. It has a long and interesting history. The snag, of course (forgive the pun), is getting there. Australia’s best barbie is held on Lord Howe Island, 420 nautical miles from Sydney. To work up a hunger, most guests like to spend at least three days heading as close as possible to 060 degrees while making the best of the challenging breezes and currents.

Travelling on Tesla time – for next to nothing

Angela Tillier. We drove our Tesla on a holiday in WA in August and September after buying the Model 3 SR+ - a get to know the car and the charging options. A Plug Share app shows where to charge and I calculated the distances. Wanting to see wildflowers and visit some favourite coastal towns, the trip required careful planning as some areas had no chargers.

Regional flights and long-distance coaches locked in

Regional Queenslanders will soon benefit from improved air service frequencies between Charleville, Roma, and Brisbane and coach services with stronger route connections following the signing of new regional transport service contracts starting in December and January.

When it comes to EVs, a picture is worth a thousand words

This map is demonstrative of the unrelenting push by Australian bureaucrats and politicians to force rural and regional Australians out of the bush and into the cities and large regional centres.

Adventure: Making her own tracks with five camels and a rest stop in Bonalbo

The first thing Sophie Matterson does at a new camp spot, after she has unloaded the packs from her five camels, is to put the billy on and make a cup of tea. In April last year, the 33 year old Brisbane woman set off on a camel trek from Shark Bay in Western Australia. On Sunday night she was bedding down at the Bonalbo Showground in the chicken shed.

Lord Howe Island’s Sydney air services extended for another three years

Air services critical to the Lord Howe Island community are set to continue, with the NSW Government extending the existing QantasLink licence for another three years from 2022. Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the air service is vital for keeping the Island’s 350 residents connected to Sydney and to support the tourism industry.

New registration laws for short-term rental accommodation in NSW

From 1 November 2021, owners of short-term rental accommodation (STRA) will be required to register their properties with the NSW Government and will no longer require Council planning approval.

Stay alert and slow down for cattle when driving around the Central Highlands stock routes

Did you know Queensland stock routes cover around 72,000 km and 48 local government areas? Drovers are herding cattle along the stock routes passing through the Central Highlands at Yan Yan Road through to Lilyvale Road, Gregory Highway and Capricornia Highway through to Springsure and Rolleston areas. These roads are subject to change depending on conditions and motorists are urged to be patient and vigilant whenever they are driving along a stock route.

Slow down, koalas are about

Lismore City Council will install temporary signage to reduce the number of koalas being hit by vehicles at six identified koala-strike hot spots around Lismore. “Since the beginning of this year 33 koalas were killed on roads in the Lismore Local Government Area – this is 33 too many,” said Council’s Environmental Strategies Officer Angie Brace.

A favourite Mt Archer view point is ready to re-visit

The Grass Tree Lookout at Mount Archer is ready for visitors once again, following upgrades completed by Rockhampton Regional Council and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) ... “In addition to the amphitheatre and the skywalk, we are really pleased that residents and visitors can once again enjoy this beautiful vantage point, taking in the incredible views Mount Archer has to offer."

Tennis SA State League All Stars kick off 2021/22 Tennis SA State League season in style

The 2021/22 Tennis SA State League season has been officially launched by the Tennis SA State League All Stars on the Eyre Peninsula ... The state’s highest level competition visited regional South Australia for the first time, with eight Tennis SA State League players joining six local tennis players to create Team Red and Team Blue.

State invited to co-invest in SA tourism with Tumby Bay jetty refurbishment

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has been presented with a ground-breaking opportunity for the State to work with the District Council of Tumby Bay on significantly refurbishing the Tumby Bay Jetty to benefit cruise ship tourism on Eyre Peninsula, as well as tourism and the community at large.

Regional quarantine facility well under way at Wellcamp

Queensland’s first dedicated regional quarantine facility is moving ahead quickly with the first concrete poured at the Wellcamp site today ... “Construction is moving ahead swiftly and Wagner Corporation has confirmed we are on-track for the first stage of the quarantine facility to be delivered for use by the end of 2021": Steven Miles.

North coast MPs seek protection from ‘70 percenters’

Geoff Helisma. Five north coast MPs – Janelle Saffin, Chris Gulaptis, Geoff Provest, Ben Franklin and Tamara Smith – have jointly written to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier John Barilaro, expressing their fears that the government’s Covid 19 policy is a threat to the health of their constituents. “We are really concerned that, without policy changes, our region will suddenly become deeply vulnerable to a major influx of newly freed Sydneysiders, while we are still short of the 70 per cent safety target,” the MPs write.

State lockdowns pull handbrake on bumper harvest

Continuing COVID border restrictions are making life difficult for farmers and harvest workers at the start of a bumper season. For the second year in a row, farmers are scratching their heads on how to harvest fields full of crops with limited access to workers and COVID testing facilities that have limited hours of operation. NSW Farmers Grains Committee Chair Justin Everitt said there needed to be a coordinated effort from governments to make sure the season wasn’t wasted. 

Home visit for PS Emmylou

Kendall Jennings. Koondrook Barham was graced with a visit by the paddlesteamer Emmylou on Tuesday afternoon, September 14. Built in Barham in the 1980s and named after American country singer Emmylou Harris, the vessel is a small motel catering for 16 passengers and a small crew of three or four. This was the first visit from PS Emmylou in 38 years and was shadowed by the Pride of the Murray on its Echuca return leg. The Pride of the Murray is returning from Swan Hill, where it was in the dry dock for maintenance.

Tell us about: parkrun

Kirstin Nicholson. Regardless of the weather, runners and walkers can be seen pounding the paths of Garden and Gilrule Parks in Cohuna every Saturday morning. They are part of a global organisation called parkrun. parkrun is a free, timed 5km event held every Saturday morning, not just in Cohuna, but all over the world, originating in England in 2004. Runners and walkers of all ages and fitness levels are welcome and it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are.

Worker reforms welcomed by NSW Farmers

NSW Farmers welcomes efforts by the Australian Government to streamline the Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) and the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) under the new Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, providing a simplified process for farm businesses to access the schemes.  The Government’s commitment to bring an additional 12,500 workers from the Pacific region by March 2022 to work in Australian sectors including agriculture will help alleviate the workforce shortage crisis continuing to threaten the productivity of farm enterprises.

NSW/ Queensland border bubble reinstated

Northern border residents will be able to cross the Queensland border from 1am on Monday 13 September for essential work and essential reasons with the reinstatement of the border bubble, following discussions between the NSW and Queensland Governments.

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