Georgia Loney
The loss of a much-loved institution hits home in Townsville, amid a growing appreciation of — and nostalgia for — older-style Chinese restaurants. 1h ago 1 hours ago Sun 25 May 2025 at 12:17am
Another person has died from a rare tropical disease in North Queensland, bringing the state's death toll to 31, but doctors say the number of cases is slowing as the weather dries up. Wed 14 May Wed 14 May Wed 14 May 2025 at 5:04am
Queensland's police union says the state's policy is allowing car thieves to operate "almost without consequence" as frustration grows over crime. Sat 10 May Sat 10 May Sat 10 May 2025 at 2:57am
Melioidosis claims another two lives in Queensland, bringing the state's death toll to 28 from more than 200 infections following record wet weather. Wed 30 Apr Wed 30 Apr Wed 30 Apr 2025 at 2:46am
Police are working to identify remains found in a backpackers' hostel that burnt down in Bowen in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Wed 30 Apr Wed 30 Apr Wed 30 Apr 2025 at 11:12am
A 15-year-old boy has appeared in court after a stolen car delayed Anzac Day commemorations in Townsville, Australia's largest garrison city. Mon 28 Apr Mon 28 Apr Mon 28 Apr 2025 at 6:49am
A Queensland historian has researched the stories of Australia's military "rejects" and how they made vital contributions to World War I efforts. Thu 24 Apr Thu 24 Apr Thu 24 Apr 2025 at 3:13am
Dustin's mum says he is "just a normal bush kid", but the 12-year-old has been unable to enrol in school due to his autism. Thu 17 Apr Thu 17 Apr Thu 17 Apr 2025 at 8:45pm
An investigation into the sexual assault of a nurse at Townsville's public hospital found some clinical staff view unsafe patient behaviours as "just part of the job". Thu 10 Apr Thu 10 Apr Thu 10 Apr 2025 at 4:40am
North Queensland towns sweating on benefits from a $13.9 billion transmission line say they need certainty in the face of major changes and delays. Tue 8 Apr Tue 8 Apr Tue 8 Apr 2025 at 9:16pm
The Queensland government will seek private investment to deliver a power grid expansion in the state's north-west after another cost blowout. Tue 8 Apr Tue 8 Apr Tue 8 Apr 2025 at 5:48am
Australia's largest northern city has recorded its wettest year on record, and heavy rain is forecast to continue today. Sat 5 Apr Sat 5 Apr Sat 5 Apr 2025 at 2:40am
Raw sewage is running through properties in Australia's largest northern city as infrastructure buckles after months of record-breaking rain. Fri 28 Mar Fri 28 Mar Fri 28 Mar 2025 at 11:51pm
Residents of a flooded outback town will be evacuated and flown to safety as outback floods continue in western and northern Queensland. The rain band is expected to head east in time for the weekend. Thu 27 Mar Thu 27 Mar Thu 27 Mar 2025 at 10:40pm
The Bureau of Meteorology says people in Giru, south of Townsville, should expect the Haughton River to top its major flood level — again — and keep rising as slashing rain continues across Queensland. Wed 26 Mar Wed 26 Mar Wed 26 Mar 2025 at 9:26am
The death toll from Queensland's unprecedented melioidosis outbreak continues to rise with another five fatalities reported in the state's north in the past week. Tue 25 Mar Tue 25 Mar Tue 25 Mar 2025 at 8:28am
Inland parts of Queensland have recorded hundreds of millimetres of rain over the past few days, with the wet weather set to continue. The Bruce Highway is closed north of Ingham. Tue 25 Mar Tue 25 Mar Tue 25 Mar 2025 at 7:34am
The weather bureau says heavy falls are still possible with storms forecast across the northern and western parts of the state. Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar 2025 at 11:31pm
As north Queenslanders cope with the second flood in as many months, frustrations are growing over yet another closure of the Bruce Highway. Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar 2025 at 9:42am
North Queenslanders have again been smashed by heavy rains with homes damaged and cars destroyed just weeks after the last floods. Wed 19 Mar Wed 19 Mar Wed 19 Mar 2025 at 8:47am
Health authorities are on high alert after another melioidosis death in North Queensland amid fears the disease is occurring in places where it was previously all but unheard of. Tue 18 Mar Tue 18 Mar Tue 18 Mar 2025 at 6:40am
Army veteran Mathew Whitbread, 49, was fit and healthy when he contracted melioidosis while mud crabbing in north Queensland. It nearly killed him. Thu 13 Mar Thu 13 Mar Thu 13 Mar 2025 at 6:50pm
A Townsville man has been charged with assault after police say they had "no choice" but to shoot him during an incident two weeks ago. Wed 19 Feb Wed 19 Feb Wed 19 Feb 2025 at 1:23am
A crucial part of the Bruce Highway has reopened, allowing more trucks to get through to flood-ravaged communities in North Queensland. Fri 14 Feb Fri 14 Feb Fri 14 Feb 2025 at 6:48am
A series of thunderstorms battered the Gold Coast this morning, dumping 100mm of rain over the course of two hours.
Thu 13 Feb Thu 13 Feb Thu 13 Feb 2025 at 12:08am
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Backyard takeover: Homeowner wins epic five-month battle
A five-month backyard battle has ended for a pair of shocked Aussie first home buyers, but the uneasy peace in their new neighbourhood has a hidden twist that has some on edge. The couple cautiously bought their first home in about nine months ago, wary of it having an 'absolute monstrosity' in the backyard – towering more than 20m and some 'as thick as my leg', but felt they could handle it. Now five months later, an uneasy peace is in place as they watch for fresh shoots. Palaszczuk scores insane 684 per cent return on Brisbane property The 'absolute monstrosity' in this case is bamboo out in their new backyard which had overrun not just their entire backyard, but had put neighbours off-side – blocking sunlight from nearby houses with its leaves also littering gutters and backyards all around it. Some observers said there was so much bamboo he could 'build a bridge or skyscraper with it. A couple of knots with string and you could make a 6 storey building'. The new homeowner said they assessed the situation before purchase and found it was a clumping, not running, type of bamboo – which means they had a shot at removal, taking a massive 22 weeks to rid the neighbourhood of it. 'Well after about a day a week since Christmas we finally cut the last piece down,' the homeowner said. 'Some were 20m + and as thick as my leg. Now to find an excavator to dig it all up.' '+1 to having awesome neighbours who let us take down the fence and have full side access via their property the whole time,' the homeowner said. 'Wouldn't have been able to do it without that so we are very grateful. Although they are just as stoked it's gone themselves.' But that's not going to last long, others warned, saying removing the top is the easy part over for the couple – with much more vigilance and brutality required to make sure it's not going to be causing more damage in future. Inside slumlord's crumbling empire: derelict, unliveable, worth millions One who had the same thing around horse stables, said the rhizomes were a nightmare to remove: 'ohhh my heavens!!!! Could you get a smallish bulldozer in, to lift what's left, out of the ground?? I really want you to win this war, cause that's what it is!'. Another warned: 'Don't look now, but there are probably 20 shoots coming up amongst all that. In two weeks, they'll be a metre tall or coming up in your neighbour's yard. Ask me how I know'. Among the advice dished out was that 'unless you get weed killer on the cut within about 10 seconds, the wound has self-sealed and the herbicide is useless'. The homeowner was very aware of the challenge to come though: 'yeah saw that online so we pretty much sprayed each shoot the second we cut it. Seemed to work quite well. Within a week they'd lost all colour and gone hard. If we missed one it was back in days.' The challenge is so overwhelming for some homeowners that they've even sold up and moved elsewhere bamboo-free: 'I had a big clump of bamboo something like that at a house I once owned. Took about six months of hard yakka cutting it, digging out roots with a pick axe etc. Got to the point where I had it not quite totally eliminated, but well controlled, then I sold and bought elsewhere.' An arborist chimed in saying 'we cut down / kill bamboo clumps and other hard to kill plants almost every day. It definitely works just takes a few months with some species of bamboo. There are other chemicals that are more effective but you don't want that — the good thing about roundup is it's only just strong enough to kill things. You don't want to salt the earth — presumably one day you'll plant something else there. Roundup will allow that.' Digging up the mass underground had three solutions the arborist said: cut the stump/roots away with a mattock once it's dried, wait longer then use a shovel or hire a stump grinder if you want it gone quick. 'Just beware if you hit a rock or metal, the stump grinder could have to be repaired. That's the main reason stump grinding companies are so expensive. If you hire a grinder and DIY the job, they'll check for damage and the bill will be really high if you've hit anything.' Others have suggested just brutalising it with an excavator instead: 'I had some in my backyard but most were only 15-30mm thick. After cutting them down to ground level I used a 1.7t excavator with teeth on the bucket and it did alright. Would probably recommend a 2.7t if you have the access and use a ripper. Do all the hard work sitting down.' Not everyone agreed with the homeowner's choice to tear it down, with one playing devil's advocate to say 'landscape designers pay big dollars for mature specimens like that. Clumping bamboo is the best type of bamboo you can have'. 'They need to be pruned and maintained so people don't become overwhelmed and insecure. Now you've lost all that wonderful shade and windbreak. Oh well. It's your property. It's your Castle. You can do what you want. I just thought I'd put it out there for the bamboo lovers who are probably in tears.' Those bamboo lovers agreed it looked better before it was cut down, saying it 'makes the most serene sounds in the wind', 'we have two sides very happily privatised with clumping Nepalese Blue' and 'it looked good... now it looks sh*t'. The home owner stuck to his guns though, saying 'the whole neighbourhood was sick of the leaves going everywhere and filling everyone's gutters. It killed everything around it. And our house is now full of natural light. It won't be getting left as it currently is. nice fence, Tropical garden and a pool going in.'
SBS Australia
7 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Descendants of Japanese war brides honour family history
Descendants of Japanese war brides honour family history Published 9 June 2025, 7:59 am Australian servicemen were stationed in Japan after the end of World War II. It paved the way for relationships between these servicemen and Japanese women, despite an official marriage ban. Now, Australian descendants of these so-called 'war brides' are paying tribute to their family's legacy.
ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
King's Birthday honours
Annie Guest: 830 Australians have been recognised in this year's King's Birthday Honours for contributions to the nation. Among this year's recipients are an Indigenous activist who's worked through all levels of the education system and an avid stamp collector who's traced some of Australia's postal history. Kimberley Price reports. Kimberley Price: Dr Geraldine Atkinson has dedicated almost 50 years of her life to improving the education system for Indigenous students. She started out as an Aboriginal teachers' aide at Wanganui College in Shepparton, Victoria in 1976. Geraldine Atkinson: All schools were given money to employ Aboriginal teacher aides to get students into schools so they said we would see an Aboriginal face. So I'd visit families of the children and I'd go in classrooms with the children. Kimberley Price: Going the extra mile for students and their families is something the Bangerang-Wiradjuri elder continued to do as she saw the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Geraldine Atkinson: A lot of them were leaving school as soon as they turned 15 and that really worried me. I really thought something needed to be done. Kimberley Price: Throughout Aunty Geraldine's career, she's worked across all levels of the education system, including starting a childcare centre in her local Rumbalara community to her role as President of the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association. She's travelled to Canberra to lobby governments to do more for Indigenous education. As an inaugural co-chair of the First People's Assembly of Victoria, she's advocated for a treaty between the state government and Indigenous communities. Geraldine Atkinson: We were teaching those children about their culture, about their identity. We wanted them to be children that were going to be proud of their Aboriginality. Kimberley Price: Growing up in 1960s Australia on missions and communities along the Murray River, Aunty Geraldine says she was always proud to be Aboriginal. Geraldine Atkinson: I think it was where I'd lived, lived in Leighton, that had made the house out of tin from the tip and there would be other families. So we were all together and we had each other and we all knew we were Aboriginal. Kimberley Price: Today she still lives along her beloved Murray River in Barmah and Aunty Geraldine says she's proud to receive the National Award of Officer of the Order of Australia. Many others have received an honour today. In Lismore, near the northern New South Wales coast, Geoffrey Wotherspoon admits he had a bit of imposter syndrome when he found out he was receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia. Geoffrey Wotherspoon: I did think at the time, have I done enough to deserve this and all that sort of stuff, but yes, certainly an honour. Kimberley Price: Geoffrey Wotherspoon began collecting stamps in high school and it's led him down a path of researching his local history. Geoffrey Wotherspoon: There's a close friend of ours, Lloyd Newton, he was an incredible collector and he took me under his wing and I've been collecting ever since. He specialised in the early series, the King George and the Kangaroo series and that's where I specialised. Kimberley Price: As president of the Richmond River Philatelic Society for over 30 years, Geoffrey Wotherspoon has worked with many community members to record Lismore's history. In 2019, he wrote a book detailing Australia's first official airmail flight and led the re-enactment of the event for its centenary in 2020. Geoffrey Wotherspoon: It started from just looking at our own local history, finding something and then it just basically got out of hand on a full blown investigation, took me across Australia and different places, all the national archives, everywhere, tracking down all this information on this aeroplane flight. Kimberley Price: And through his passion for stamps and history, Geoffrey Wotherspoon continues to engage his community. He'll soon start passing his knowledge on to the next generation with school holiday programs. Annie Guest: Kimberley Price with that report.
