August 2025

The rise and fall of Hervey Bay’s swimming enclosures

29 August 2025 / 8 Comments

In the early 20th century, Hervey Bay was not the bustling regional hub we know today. Instead, it was a picturesque cluster of seaside villages along the foreshore, stretching from Urangan in the east westwards to Torquay, Scarness, Pialba and finally Point Vernon. As tourism grew, particularly during the long summer holidays, safe swimming became a serious concern for both visitors and locals.

Lighting the way – the fledgling colony’s early beacon

22 August 2025 / 10 Comments

In the years leading up to Queensland’s separation from New South Wales in 1859, the political mood across the continent’s northern reaches was restless yet hopeful. From the sunbaked cattle runs of the Darling Downs to the pine-timbered ridges around Moreton Bay, there was a low murmur that grew louder. Why should decisions for the north be made from distant Sydney?

Gregory’s boab: a sentinel of history

8 August 2025 / 6 Comments

While visiting the Victoria River region in northern Australia, it felt like stepping back in time. The land seemed as wild and untamed as when Augustus Charles Gregory and his men arrived 170 years ago. I set off toward their historic base camp, eager to be a part of where history unfolded.

A case study in folly #5: Firestorm of incompetence – what Yankees Gap says about modern fire management

1 August 2025 / 9 Comments

The fire that should never have happened

This is not just a story of a fire that got out of control — it’s a story of a system that was never in control to begin with.

On 9 August 2018, a landholder on Yankees Gap Road near Bemboka, on the south coast of New South Wales, did what many had done before him.