Latest news with #Greenvale
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- The Guardian
Hit by a sonic boom, locals say the RAAF went quiet: Guardian 10 News First investigation
At 10.37am on 26 June 2023, the sleepy Queensland town of Greenvale was rocked by a gigantic blast in the sky. The 'blast' was an F-35, the most advanced aircraft in the Royal Australian Air Force, breaking the sound barrier directly overhead. Locals told the Guardian's Andrew Messenger the shockwave in its wake shattered windows, smashed light fittings and shook roofs. In a joint Guardian and 10 News First investigation, they say the RAAF has been quiet ever since
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Queensland town in limbo after sonic boom; Australian universities drop in rankings; and river swimming in Europe
Good afternoon. Residents in a tiny north Queensland town say they have been ignored for two years by the RAAF after a sonic boom from a fighter jet shattered windows and damaged roofs. In June 2023, an F-35 fighter from the nearby Townsville RAAF base broke the sound barrier over Greenvale, causing what locals say was a 'bloody terrifying' explosion initially mistaken for a car crash or gas bottle eruption. When the dust settled, about 14 homes in a straight line across the town of 192 people were damaged. But since then there's been silence from the air force – and unable to afford replacements, and with no local tradespeople – shattered windows are still replaced with temporary timber boards. The Department of Defence said the episode occurred 'within an area where overland supersonic airspeeds are approved', but the local MP, Robbie Katter, has described the defence force response as 'indifference at best'. Israel attacks Iran's Arak heavy water reactor as Iran hits Israeli hospital NSW Labor's anti-protest laws protecting places of worship have 'chilling effect' on democracy, court told Victoria's crime rate surges with young offenders contributing to record arrests Bruce Lehrmann pleads not guilty to stealing four-wheel drive in Tasmania Cambodia bans fruit imports and soap operas from Thailand as border dispute sours New Zealand halts millions of dollars in aid to Cook Islands over deals struck with China As the threat of war looms, are these four horsemen out of a job? It's all looking a bit apocalyptic, reckons Fiona Katauskas. 'Behind the filters and followers was a sophisticated criminal enterprise exploiting digital platforms to sell counterfeit luxury goods.' NSW police charged three men in Sydney on Wednesday as part of what Det Supt Peter Faux alleged was a $10m scheme to sell counterfeit luxury goods on social media. Police seized nine cars worth about $3m, more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, $270,000 in cash and a gel blaster imitation firearm. Twenty-five of Australia's 36 ranked universities have dropped in this year's QS World University Rankings, and just seven moved up – the third-biggest percentage drop in the world behind Austria (88%) and Russia (85%). The University of Melbourne, Australia's highest performer, dropped seven places to 19th, while the University of Sydney dropped from 18th in the world to 25th. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Across Europe, emboldened by a nine-year plan to clean up the Seine River in time for last year's Paris Olympics, city residents are pushing authorities to make their waterways swimmable. From Berlin to Oslo, Guardian reporters detail some of urban Europe's swimming hotspots – both those that are coming, and those that have been delighting city swimmers for years. Today's starter word is: KIER. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- The Guardian
Greenvale was rocked by a sonic boom that shattered windows. But locals say the silence from the RAAF has been deafening
Greenvale, population 192, is best known for a Slim Dusty song about the local pub, the Three Rivers hotel. Located about 250km west of Townsville, the median age of residents is 20 years older and $1,000 poorer each week than the state median; it could be fairly characterised as a quiet, sleepy retirement community. At 10.37am on 26 June 2023, that quiet was shattered by a gigantic blast in the sky. 'I was at work at the hotel, and we just heard this massive noise, blast, boom-type thing. It was scary,' says Dinka Marovic, a Three Rivers hotel employee. 'Some ran to the gas bottle thinking that the gas bottles blew up. I thought that a semi had hit the front of the pub … we came all back together, and that's when we noticed the ceiling starting to come down.' The 'blast' was an F-35, the most advanced aircraft in the Royal Australian Air Force, breaking the sound barrier directly overhead. The shockwave in its wake shattered windows, smashed light fittings and shook roofs. But since then there's been silence from the air force, locals say. For two years phone calls have gone unanswered. Repeated complaints have resulted in no action. Unable to afford replacements – and with no local tradespeople – shattered windows are still replaced with temporary timber boards. The local MP, Robbie Katter, says the lack of response by the defence force has 'really got my back up'. 'It almost seems as though they're that remote, that no one's going to listen to them,' he said. Louise Fletcher, the owner of the Three Rivers hotel, has lived in Greenvale for 19 years. 'We actually did have CCTV footage of it, you can see our ceiling drop,' she says. 'It drops probably 15cm. And then it goes up and down.' The suspended ceiling was knocked off its clips. Only quick repairs kept it from collapsing to the ground. When the dust settled the damage appeared to be contained to about 14 homes in a straight line across town. At the time, Paula Ransom was the treasurer of the Greenvale Progress Association. She says about 21 windows were shattered, out of 133 dwellings in the area. In the years since, some homes have started to leak. She is in no doubt that the huge boom was caused by a supersonic jet. The sound is different, she says: you'll hear an ordinary plane coming, but this one didn't crescendo or decrescendo – it was suddenly loud and then instantly over, like an extremely loud gunshot. 'I lived in Townsville when the jets first came to the RAAF base in Townsville,' she says. 'In the 70s and the 80s, the boys all wanted to play games with their jets. 'It was a definite boom.' One resident says the noise caused her such a shock she called for medical help. 'I went close to a second heart attack,' she said. 'It was bloody terrifying.' Ray Smith said the jet came over 'hard and fast and low'. 'The whole houses shook,' he said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Smith had a window shatter and another damaged. He's left a hole where the damaged one used to be because he can't afford to replace it. A spokesperson for the Department of Defence said the episode occurred in the Townsville restricted airspace 'within an area where overland supersonic airspeeds are approved'. 'Defence received eight noise complaints and reports of property damage, with three of these complaints referred for compensation,' the spokesperson said. 'The Department is committed to working with communities that are impacted by Defence operations, including compensation where liability is evident. 'Where possible, air force avoids known noise sensitive areas, townships and other areas of significant activity; however, the conduct of flying operations is vital for Defence preparedness. Air force operates under control measures to minimise the impact of aircraft activity on local residents where reasonably practicable.' A sonic boom is caused when an object breaks the sound barrier – travelling faster than the speed of sound. The speeding jet aircraft carries a wave of sound behind it like a wake, which breaks on a relatively narrow 'carpet' of ground after it passes over. It's so loud it can even be used as a weapon; a high-speed pass designed to intimidate or suppress rather than kill. It's for this reason that supersonic flight over land has been banned in the US since 1973. Peter Carter from Carter Capner Law says there is no similar legislation prohibiting supersonic flight in Australia, even over a major city like Sydney or Melbourne. But he says Defence could be sued for causing building damage through a civil action 'and there is no liability exemption unless the aircraft was engaged in active military operation which necessitated that flight path'. If flying over Greenvale was an operational necessity, it should have been done at an altitude well above the risk of damage to the ground, he says. Ransom estimates that she contacted the defence force to demand an explanation within weeks. Two more complaints have led nowhere. Katter describes the defence force response as 'indifference at best'. 'Maybe I'm paranoid, but I can't be blamed for thinking that they've taken advantage of the fact that these are people without means that aren't often heard.' Ransom says nobody is wealthy enough to book tradespeople to drive out from Townsville or Charters Towers. The matter simply would not be swept under the carpet in a big city, she says, where a sonic boom would leave thousands windowless. 'You would not get away with it,' she says. 'This is a small town of a couple of hundred people at the most where we do tend to have a lot of the outback attitude of 'she'll be right, mate'. But this, this won't be right.' Watch TenNewsFirst at 5pm to see the residents of Greenvale tell their story.
