News

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.

When Mic Eales sits at the potter’s wheel, he forgets the world. “When I throw, I switch off, it’s like a meditation,” Mic said. In his vast tin shed studio overlooking a lagoon and green hills, Mic loses himself in his art ... This month, he will share his joyful space when people are invited to visit the Mallanganee studio as part of the Australian Ceramics Association open days across the country.

With two dominant victories under his belt, Five Crowns is set to continue his unblemished record in the Gemlife Rainbow Beach Class 2 Handicap at Port Macquarie on Thursday 11 November. The son of Sacred Falls accounted for Charminton in an impressive debut victory at Muswellbrook a month ago before stepping up to Benchmark 58 class with a comprehensive win over Bravio by just over a length on the Beaumont track.

Preparations for the upcoming bushfire season are well advanced, with more than 150 people taking part in a multi-agency pre-season briefing in Launceston ... This year, a total of 217 fuel reduction burns treating over 32,000 hectares have to date been completed, and a successful “Red Hot Tips” Program has also supported farmers and large landholders to conduct 229 burns covering over 5,300 hectares.

An independent report with recommendations for how the planning system can address housing supply and affordability in regional communities has been released by the NSW Government.

Farmbot, a leading Australian agritech business, has now sold over 5,000 units, deploying to farms in every state and territory ... Farmbot gives farmers real-time insights into their water levels, consumption rates, flow pressure and more to improve overall water management on-farm via sensors which provide insights and alerts through an online dashboard.

Cook Shire mayor Peter Scott and two councillors have heard the concerns of residents living in the council’s smallest locality. Around eight Portland Roads residents – or Iron Range if you want to be technical about the actual locality – attended a community forum last Tuesday to voice their concerns ... One of the hot topics was the desire for better water access in the area.

Mining and cattle magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has become one of Cook Shire’s biggest ratepayers after he paid $42 million for Lizard Island. Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola’s private investment company Tattarang splashed $42 million for the Great Barrier Reef resort ... Tattarang declined to comment on the Lizard Island deal, but the vendor, Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed SEA Group, announced the deal in an investor statement.

This time last year, Athol Ryan was in hospital with severe facial injuries after an innocuous incident while preparing to gallop a horse at Mount Garnet ... “When you’ve got a horse like Macipenko it keeps you going,” he said of the horse that has now won four races this year. While seven winners might not seem like a lot, it’s not bad considering Ryan only has a few horses in work at any one time and has to travel more than 300km one-way for just about every race meeting.

The Australian Rural Health Education Network (ARHEN) today welcomed the Final Report from the House Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and the recommendations to improve access to services for people in rural and remote Australia.

The National Farmers’ Federation says a critical report released by the ACCC should be a wakeup call for governments, failing to curb the chaos on our waters. The 2020-21 Container Stevedoring Monitoring Report confirms Australian importers and exporters are struggling amid a perfect storm of extreme congestion and delays, reckless industrial action, and skyrocketing costs.

Queensland Government Minister for Tourism and Sport, Stirling Hinchliffe MP visited the South Burnett on Saturday 6 November 2021. Minister Hinchliffe opened Blackbutt’s new Bicycle Building School and Museum, the brainchild of renowned Penny Farthing historian, Mr Brett Richardson.

Wagga Wagga will have regular airline services flying direct to a third Australian capital city from early next year. Riverina travellers will have direct flights to Queensland when QantasLink starts flying between Wagga Wagga and Brisbane from 28 March, 2022.

A $300 million high purity alumina industrial plant is a step closer for Gladstone with Alpha HPA purchasing a 9.2 hectare site in the Queensland Government’s State Development Area.

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.

A new frog species has been discovered in Wollumbin National Park in northern New South Wales, and is one of only two known species that store their tadpoles on their bodies. Researchers from University of Newcastle and the South Australian Museum recently identified the species as distinct from its close relation, another ‘hip-pocket’ or pouched frog Assa darlingtoni, after genetic analysis.  

Minister for Agricultural, Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the Queensland Dog Offensive Group (QDOG) developed the new five-year strategy in consultation with stakeholders. “The Queensland Wild Dog Management Strategy 2021-2026 provides state-wide coordination and direction to wild dog management,” Mr Furner said.