Step inside one of the nation's most extraordinary new homes
'It was awesome,' recalls the owner, who requested to remain anonymous. He moved here with his wife and four children from Brisbane last winter. 'Tall trees were bent over and whipping about, but not only did we feel incredibly secure, we felt like this was an unparalleled experience of nature.'
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The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Disaster deadline: Who will save us?
Floods, fires, coastal erosion. They have all plagued the East Coast of Australia in recent years. Communities in the Hunter and along the Mid North Coast of NSW have faced unprecedented impacts by floods, fires, storms and damaging winds in the past decade. The question increasingly facing these communities is no longer how do we protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters, but how do we plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. While fires have destroyed homes and livelihoods in recent times, floods in May 2025 were just as unforgiving - in fact, they were deadly. We are prone to natural disasters where we live - we are no strangers to devastation. When we are faced with some of the worst days, weeks and months of our lives, we get on with it. We clean up, rebuild and move on. But in recent times, we are experiencing the wrath of Mother Nature more frequently, and for some, there's not much more they can take. We need help, we need disaster plans put in place, we need to prepare for the future, and most of all, we need to know we will be safe. But who will save us? Australian Community Media journalists from the Hunter and Mid North Coast have teamed up to present Disaster Deadline - Who Will Save Us? Today, we will start to roll out a series of stories about the impact on so many in our communities, how we can better protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters and how we can plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. We ask our councils if they plan to revisit approval policies to stop development in flood and fire zones and areas prone to coastal erosion. We will also push state and federal government bodies about what they can do. We will examine everything from the fickle and exorbitant pricing of insurance premiums, whether or not all power lines should be underground, whether we need to relocate town centres and what these disasters are costing local economies. And we invite the people of the Hunter and Mid North Coast to share their stories. Send your story to donnasharpe@ or Floods, fires, coastal erosion. They have all plagued the East Coast of Australia in recent years. Communities in the Hunter and along the Mid North Coast of NSW have faced unprecedented impacts by floods, fires, storms and damaging winds in the past decade. The question increasingly facing these communities is no longer how do we protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters, but how do we plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. While fires have destroyed homes and livelihoods in recent times, floods in May 2025 were just as unforgiving - in fact, they were deadly. We are prone to natural disasters where we live - we are no strangers to devastation. When we are faced with some of the worst days, weeks and months of our lives, we get on with it. We clean up, rebuild and move on. But in recent times, we are experiencing the wrath of Mother Nature more frequently, and for some, there's not much more they can take. We need help, we need disaster plans put in place, we need to prepare for the future, and most of all, we need to know we will be safe. But who will save us? Australian Community Media journalists from the Hunter and Mid North Coast have teamed up to present Disaster Deadline - Who Will Save Us? Today, we will start to roll out a series of stories about the impact on so many in our communities, how we can better protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters and how we can plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. We ask our councils if they plan to revisit approval policies to stop development in flood and fire zones and areas prone to coastal erosion. We will also push state and federal government bodies about what they can do. We will examine everything from the fickle and exorbitant pricing of insurance premiums, whether or not all power lines should be underground, whether we need to relocate town centres and what these disasters are costing local economies. And we invite the people of the Hunter and Mid North Coast to share their stories. Send your story to donnasharpe@ or Floods, fires, coastal erosion. They have all plagued the East Coast of Australia in recent years. Communities in the Hunter and along the Mid North Coast of NSW have faced unprecedented impacts by floods, fires, storms and damaging winds in the past decade. The question increasingly facing these communities is no longer how do we protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters, but how do we plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. While fires have destroyed homes and livelihoods in recent times, floods in May 2025 were just as unforgiving - in fact, they were deadly. We are prone to natural disasters where we live - we are no strangers to devastation. When we are faced with some of the worst days, weeks and months of our lives, we get on with it. We clean up, rebuild and move on. But in recent times, we are experiencing the wrath of Mother Nature more frequently, and for some, there's not much more they can take. We need help, we need disaster plans put in place, we need to prepare for the future, and most of all, we need to know we will be safe. But who will save us? Australian Community Media journalists from the Hunter and Mid North Coast have teamed up to present Disaster Deadline - Who Will Save Us? Today, we will start to roll out a series of stories about the impact on so many in our communities, how we can better protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters and how we can plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. We ask our councils if they plan to revisit approval policies to stop development in flood and fire zones and areas prone to coastal erosion. We will also push state and federal government bodies about what they can do. We will examine everything from the fickle and exorbitant pricing of insurance premiums, whether or not all power lines should be underground, whether we need to relocate town centres and what these disasters are costing local economies. And we invite the people of the Hunter and Mid North Coast to share their stories. Send your story to donnasharpe@ or Floods, fires, coastal erosion. They have all plagued the East Coast of Australia in recent years. Communities in the Hunter and along the Mid North Coast of NSW have faced unprecedented impacts by floods, fires, storms and damaging winds in the past decade. The question increasingly facing these communities is no longer how do we protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters, but how do we plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. While fires have destroyed homes and livelihoods in recent times, floods in May 2025 were just as unforgiving - in fact, they were deadly. We are prone to natural disasters where we live - we are no strangers to devastation. When we are faced with some of the worst days, weeks and months of our lives, we get on with it. We clean up, rebuild and move on. But in recent times, we are experiencing the wrath of Mother Nature more frequently, and for some, there's not much more they can take. We need help, we need disaster plans put in place, we need to prepare for the future, and most of all, we need to know we will be safe. But who will save us? Australian Community Media journalists from the Hunter and Mid North Coast have teamed up to present Disaster Deadline - Who Will Save Us? Today, we will start to roll out a series of stories about the impact on so many in our communities, how we can better protect ourselves and respond to natural disasters and how we can plan to ensure we survive into the future and not need to rebuild every few years. We ask our councils if they plan to revisit approval policies to stop development in flood and fire zones and areas prone to coastal erosion. We will also push state and federal government bodies about what they can do. We will examine everything from the fickle and exorbitant pricing of insurance premiums, whether or not all power lines should be underground, whether we need to relocate town centres and what these disasters are costing local economies. And we invite the people of the Hunter and Mid North Coast to share their stories. Send your story to donnasharpe@ or
AU Financial Review
09-07-2025
- AU Financial Review
Step inside one of the nation's most extraordinary new homes
As Cyclone Alfred lashed the coast of Byron Bay earlier this year, the inhabitants of the recently completed 'Lighthouse' residence marvelled calmly at the spectacle of Mother Nature in full cry. It was not just the fact that the house they'd commissioned from Brisbane's BVN architects is built like a fortress and able to resist the onslaught of a tropical storm; it was also that, being totally open to the north and surrounded by native forest, it offers an immersion in the elements. 'It was awesome,' recalls the owner, who requested to remain anonymous. He moved here with his wife and four children from Brisbane last winter. 'Tall trees were bent over and whipping about, but not only did we feel incredibly secure, we felt like this was an unparalleled experience of nature.'
7NEWS
03-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Gold Coast beaches to take years to recover from Cyclone Alfred
The Gold Coast 's iconic beaches are in crisis, with experts warning it will take at least two years for them to fully recover from the devastating impact of Cyclone Alfred. Four months after the storm battered Queensland's coast, some of the city's most popular stretches of sand remain badly damaged raising fears that major events could be disrupted or cancelled. The city has already lost the Pacific Airshow, which was expected to inject $33 million into the local economy, after organisers pulled out due to the poor beach conditions. At Narrowneck, fresh footage shows the beach still closed, with warning signs in place and large drops where sand has been washed away. Local beachgoers told 7NEWS the damage is like nothing they've seen before. 'There's a three-metre drop down a rock wall now, it's not like past times when it was just sand,' one visitor said. Another added, 'You can't really get down to the beach here, it's disappointing to see.' Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate initially promised the beaches would be repaired by April, even joking in March anyone who thought otherwise could call him out over a beer. But yesterday he delivered a much grimmer update. 'It's going to take two years to recover from what Alfred did to us,' Tate said. One local quipped it would cost the mayor 'a couple more beers than he promised.' Griffith University expert Dr Guilherme Vieira da Silva confirmed the extent of the damage is some of the worst he's seen. 'In terms of beach erosion, we've actually seen a fair bit of erosion, so this is up there with the most intense storms on record,' he said. The economic fallout is also mounting, with organisers warning ongoing beach damage could threaten future events and tourism. So far only the Pacific Airshow has been cancelled, but the potential for more disruptions is growing. In an effort to restore the coastline, a 7.7-kilometre underground pipeline has been switched on, pumping sand to Main Beach, Narrowneck and Surfers Paradise. A dredging barge is also operating offshore. Tate said 87 per cent of the beaches remain open and are still being enjoyed by locals and tourists. 'So as far as being an asset for people and tourists alike, it is useable,' he said.
