NSW

Xavier Jacobs-Twain. After a worrying week of torrential rains and local flooding, Grafton Sporting Car Club welcomed  a near capacity field of almost 70 cars and drivers with two fantastic blue-sky days for the running of the club's 5th and 6th rounds. The field  got off to a flying start as the track dried out and heated up.

Rodney Stevens. Booming boat sales and above 90 per cent occupancy has Yamba Marina looking to expand its berths from 95 to 145, enhancing the Clarence River’s reputation as a premier boating destination. Yamba Marina owners Peter Sutton and Kay Cottee said they are looking towards their biggest expansion since they took over the marina.

Age is no barrier to doing what you love. Artist Anthea Moffat turned 90 as her exhibition  The Painted Years  opened at the Roxy Gallery in Kyogle this month. There is still time to see her work ... The Painted Years  is a body of paintings that are “partly my background of where I have lived and an exposition of the joy of life,” Anthea said.

Here is a survey about the floods that isn’t being conducted by a government department. This flood survey has been designed by locals and the information gathered will be used by residents to inform future decisions in the flood recovery. Evans Head resident Hanabeth Luke found the stories she was hearing after the floods heartbreaking.

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Back in May, NSW’s Natural Resources Commission and Department of Primary Industries, as well as three universities, quietly published a report about forest monitoring. It states that north coast koala populations have been stable for the last five years, despite 30 per cent of koala habitat being burnt by the disastrous Black Summer megafires ... NSW bureaucrats obviously know that the koala population wasn’t adversely affected by Black Summer. So, one wonders why they’re not shouting the good news from the rooftops.

Picton District AH&I Society

This year we are excited to reveal our recently completed new pavilion ... The new pavilion will enable us to create one large display including art, craft, needlework, cooking, horticulture, floral art, fruit/vegetables, farm produce, school work, Lego creations, wool and photography.

Years of drought in northern New South Wales led Gunnedah region’s Sam Conway to establish an innovative ‘co-farming’ business model to reduce production risk for small to mid-sized broadacre farmers ... The Co-Farm model revolves around small to mid-sized “passive” landholders contributing their land into a joint venture, where operating expenses and profits are shared on a percentage basis.

A great appreciation for his home circuit and the ability to manage rain affected conditions provides Laphroaig with strong prospects to take the next step in the Stowe Australia Port Macquarie Cup Prelude at the track this Sunday ... The Paul Shailer trained gelding has amassed four wins and three placings with two local victories being on the heavy ground and the extra distance seems suitable for the upcoming campaign.

Overcast skies and cold dismal weather did not deter the public from celebrating Narrandera’s free-ranging koalas at the inaugural Koala Festival on Saturday. The indoor/outdoor event was held at the Narrandera Showground with families arriving en mass to participate in the festivities, all of which were free, courtesy of a NSW Government grant. Almost 1000 festival-goers attended the event.

Like a shining beacon of fun and entertainment, the new cluBarham bowling facility lit up the night sky at the official opening on Friday, September 16. Members, invited guests and bowling dignitaries made up the 170 strong crowd in attendance ... What unfolded was a team of local trades and services that shared a common goal of building a facility that can attract regional, state and even national competition.

After the release of OBE Organic's Sustainability Report 2022 earlier this year, Australian Rural & Regional News found out a little more about what's involved in farming organic beef in the vast Channel Country and how it came to be Australia's oldest organic beef company from OBE Organic's Managing Director, Dalene Wray.

Jeff Hanson. Saturday's Riverina Football League (RFL) grand final at Narrandera Sportsground lived up to expectation, with the Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong (GGGM) Lions and Collingullie-Glenfield Park (CGP) Demons engaging in a low-scoring and finals-like slugfest. In a game dictated by momentum swings, both sides had their chances, but the Lions kicked away to score three majors in the final quarter, setting up a 6.12 (48) to 4.7 (31) victory, giving the club their first premiership in 11 years.

Farmers in the state’s south say water authorities are failing to prepare for severe flood risks in the Murray Valley as La Nina conditions threaten to fill major dams and rivers. NSW Farmers Conservation and Resource Management Committee chair Louise Burge said while authorities may not be able to prevent all risks of flooding this year, they should “absolutely” avoid making flooding conditions even more extreme.

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Kendall Jennings. Residents around the district supported the Kerang Orchid Show blooming in the Kerang Basketball Stadium over the weekend, hosted by the Mid-Murray Orchid Club. After a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19 restrictions, judges from Melbourne travelled to Kerang to award displays designed by local growers.

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Motorists are urged to take care on the roads, particularly at dawn and dusk, following a horror spate of koala deaths and injuries so far this active season. Since mid-July,  at least 30 koalas have been reported to have been hit by cars or attacked by dogs across the Northern Rivers.

After hovering around 99% capacity for 4 weeks, the largest water storage in the Murray–Darling Basin is expected to be flowing over the spillway tomorrow thanks to inflows from last weekend's rain. MDBA Senior Director of River Management, Joe Davis said water would begin flowing over the Dartmouth Dam spillway at low rates and contribute minor flows to the Mitta Mitta River downstream, with water also still being released through the valves at the base of the dam.