Author name: Robert Onfray

Oh, the irony

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Timber is one of nature’s most versatile and enduring materials, offering numerous applications unmatched by any other construction substance. From structural beams and posts to decorative wall cladding, ceiling linings, furniture, joinery, and expansive decking, timber’s indoor and outdoor possibilities are endless. Beyond its structural strength, timber transforms living spaces with its warmth, texture, and depth, creating a natural sensory connection that manufactured materials cannot replicate.

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The rise and fall of Hervey Bay’s swimming enclosures

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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.

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Lighting the way – the fledgling colony’s early beacon

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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?

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

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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.

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A billion-dollar exercise in looking virtuous, while watching the bush go to ruin

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Conservation in Australia is largely a matter of pious intentions.

Germaine Greer

When Anthony Albanese’s Labor government came to power in May 2022, environmental groups quickly pressed their wishlist onto the incoming ministers. Near the top was a global conservation commitment to protect 30 per cent of Australia’s land and oceans by 2030, part of a United Nations-endorsed pledge to halt biodiversity decline.

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Wathumba’s Shark Factories – a forgotten history of Fraser Island

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A false start: Captain Kent’s grand plans

Many might be surprised to learn that Fraser Island, famous for its pristine beaches and towering sand dunes, was once suggested as the location for a shark factory. Not just once, but on two occasions.

The first proposal came from an unexpected entrepreneur. Captain Herbert C.

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Australia’s Amphibian Apocalypse

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Ninety years ago this month, Australia embarked on an ambitious but ultimately ill-fated experiment in biological control.

In 1935, Queensland sugar cane farmers faced a relentless enemy—the cane beetle. These voracious insects burrowed into sugarcane roots, devastating crops and threatening an industry vital to the nation’s economy. Desperate for a solution, scientists at the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations (BSES) looked to overseas biological control methods for inspiration.

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