“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The place becomes a circus.”
Old Turkish Proverb
By the 1830s, white settlers from the Monaro, Canberra, and Goulburn districts were driving cattle into the Snowy Mountains each summer.
Kosciuszko’s managed decline: how politics and bad science burned the high country Read More »
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Streets with trees come to hold a cherished place in the hearts and minds of those living with them … recollections of growth from seedling to maturity, of gracious light and shade, brilliant young green of spring-time, dignified shade in the heat of the day.
Every spring, as October fades and the heat of the coming summer begins to crackle in the air, something magical unfurls across parts of Australia.
A purple reign in an Australian spring Read More »
Some say Australia runs on prawns, and during our travels around Australia, I saw a hint of truth to that statement.
The prawn has come a long way from humble beginnings in the shallow waters of Sydney Cove to vast aquaculture farms in Shark Bay and bustling trawler fleets off Karumba.
A crustacean chronicle Read More »
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.
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?
Lighting the way – the fledgling colony’s early beacon Read More »
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.
This story explores the transformation of the humble Australian tea tree (Melaleuca spp.), which thrives in swampy areas, into an essential oil and other various health care products sold globally.
The burgeoning tea tree industry began in a remote, swampy area of the Richmond River Valley district in northern New South Wales.
The good oil – from swampland to super remedy Read More »
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.
A billion-dollar exercise in looking virtuous, while watching the bush go to ruin Read More »
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.
Wathumba’s Shark Factories – a forgotten history of Fraser Island Read More »
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.
Australia’s Amphibian Apocalypse Read More »
