SOME regional Australians may get a reprieve from the housing crisis as councils are offered interest relief to build more drains, roads, and other infrastructure. Though many parts of regional Australia have ample residential land, it often isn’t ready for development due to a lack of funding and planning for critical infrastructure, a 2024 national […]

A NEW online tool is available to help NSW farmers better prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters including fire, flood, and drought. The platform, called myStockPlanner, enables farmers to provide details of their farm, risks and resources to access tailored response options to consider and implement with their feed and livestock. Federal […]

Liz Stephens welcomes the neighbourhood to the Big Block Sale in 2024. Barry and Jenny Watson enjoying the community atmosphere at last year’s Big Block Sale. THE Garage Sale Trail began as a small community event at Bondi Beach 16 years ago and has grown into an Australia-wide event. It is being held this year […]

Laurieton RSL sub-Branch President Allan ‘Buster’ Beatty and sub-Branch Sport and Recreation Coordinator Fliur-Louise Genevieve. Photo: Kim Ambrose/SaltyFoxFotography. Casting, catching and cheers. Photo: Kim Ambrose/SaltyFoxFotography. Prize recipient Savannah Thomas. Photo: Kim Ambrose/SaltyFoxFotography. The many hooked participants enjoying the day. Photo: Kim Ambrose/SaltyFoxFotography. The many hooked participants enjoying the day. Photo: Kim Ambrose/SaltyFoxFotography. The many hooked […]

A NEW citizen science project led by UNSW Sydney is inviting beachgoers, snorkelers and divers to spot and share photographs of seagrass flowers along Australia’s coasts. The endangered seagrass Posidonia australis forms rich underwater meadows that capture carbon, support fisheries, and help stabilise shorelines. It’s one of the most important habitats in coastal ecosystems but […]

THE North Coast has been identified by the NSW Government as a region ready to harvest the economic benefits of the growing plant-based protein sector. Plant-based protein manufacturing is the process of turning crops such as chickpeas, soybeans, lentils and grains into high-protein food products like meat alternatives, protein powders, dairy-free drinks and snacks without […]

A QUIET life in the countryside appeals to nearly half of Australia’s city residents, but concerns about access to health care, housing and jobs are stopping them making the move. Country Australia is on track to become home to 11 million people by 2032, or 40 percent of the population, while 40 percent of people […]

THE Building Commission NSW has released the results of its three-day inspection blitz of worksites between Port Stephens and Port Macquarie. During August, a team of inspectors visited 41 sites across Nelson Bay, Forster, Diamond Beach, Bonny Hills and Port Macquarie. Inspections focused on identifying defective building work, monitoring for unlicensed or unsupervised specialist trades […]

THE chance of large-scale flooding in a specific catchment area can increase by as much as 700 percent if widespread deforestation has occurred. That is the finding of a new paper by academics who analysed decades of flooding data from regions in Australia which frequently suffer forest fires. The loss of forest canopy has long […]

DPIRD Senior Fisheries Management Officer Travis Morgan with Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty ahead of a FAD deployment. Photo: supplied, DPIRD. Three FADs have been deployed off Crowdy Head, Laurieton and Port Macquarie. Image, Google Maps. FISH Aggregating Devices (FADs) have now been deployed along the state’s coastline, giving recreational fishers a better chance of […]