Latest news with #Moranbah
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tradie stunned by bizarre animal discovery along remote Aussie road
A tradie who works in the mines thought he was "hallucinating" after spotting a rarely seen native Australian animal standing in a rural field for consecutive days, explaining to Yahoo News he couldn't make out "what the hell" it was. Ollie Fenwick-Ross, originally from New Zealand, was travelling along a remote Central Queensland road near Moranbah last week after work when something in a field of cows caught his attention. "I'd driven past this field of cows, and I glanced over and thought, that one looks a bit weird. I kept driving, and then, the next day, the one that looked a bit weird was still there," he told Yahoo. "I thought I must have been out at work for too long. Am I hallucinating? Maybe it's a tree stump." The following day, it was still there. However this time Ollie wasn't alone in the car. He pointed out the "weird cow" to his companion, and they pulled over, eager to get a closer look. "I couldn't tell which part was the head. I thought I had it, then its tail popped up," Ollie recalled. "It tripped me out again." Although they were about 100 metres away, his mate was able to identify what it was — a bustard. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ollie & Amy | From The Road, With Love (@fromtheroadwithlove) 🙊 Driver in hysterics after spotting strange sight in ute 🔦 Officer makes 'rare' discovery hiding in grasslands 😟 Couple's 'heartbreaking' discovery on rural road One of Australia's largest ground-dwelling birds Bustards are a native Australian animal and are one of the largest ground-dwelling birds in the country. They are found on dry plains and, despite once being widespread across the mainland, they are becoming increasingly rare in the south, according to BirdLife Australia. There are estimated to be under 100,000 of the birds left in the wild. During the mating season, males inflate a large sac in their throat to produce a loud, guttural noise and strut around with their tails cocked high to attract female attention. Only one large egg is produced and takes 24 days for the female to incubate. This behaviour was on display when Ollie passed the bird last week, and he had convinced himself that it couldn't be "an animal on earth" so had discredited it as one. "I hadn't seen anything blow up like that. It was like a Pokémon," he said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tradie stunned by bizarre animal discovery along remote Aussie road
A tradie who works in the mines thought he was "hallucinating" after spotting a rarely seen native Australian animal standing in a rural field for consecutive days, explaining to Yahoo News he couldn't make out "what the hell" it was. Ollie Fenwick-Ross, originally from New Zealand, was travelling along a remote Central Queensland road near Moranbah last week after work when something in a field of cows caught his attention. "I'd driven past this field of cows, and I glanced over and thought, that one looks a bit weird. I kept driving, and then, the next day, the one that looked a bit weird was still there," he told Yahoo. "I thought I must have been out at work for too long. Am I hallucinating? Maybe it's a tree stump." The following day, it was still there. However this time Ollie wasn't alone in the car. He pointed out the "weird cow" to his companion, and they pulled over, eager to get a closer look. "I couldn't tell which part was the head. I thought I had it, then its tail popped up," Ollie recalled. "It tripped me out again." Although they were about 100 metres away, his mate was able to identify what it was — a bustard. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ollie & Amy | From The Road, With Love (@fromtheroadwithlove) 🙊 Driver in hysterics after spotting strange sight in ute 🔦 Officer makes 'rare' discovery hiding in grasslands 😟 Couple's 'heartbreaking' discovery on rural road One of Australia's largest ground-dwelling birds Bustards are a native Australian animal and are one of the largest ground-dwelling birds in the country. They are found on dry plains and, despite once being widespread across the mainland, they are becoming increasingly rare in the south, according to BirdLife Australia. There are estimated to be under 100,000 of the birds left in the wild. During the mating season, males inflate a large sac in their throat to produce a loud, guttural noise and strut around with their tails cocked high to attract female attention. Only one large egg is produced and takes 24 days for the female to incubate. This behaviour was on display when Ollie passed the bird last week, and he had convinced himself that it couldn't be "an animal on earth" so had discredited it as one. "I hadn't seen anything blow up like that. It was like a Pokémon," he said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
07-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Inspections begin on fire-stricken Grosvenor mine ahead of full re-entry
Inspectors have entered an underground coal mine in central Queensland for the first time since an explosion sent miners fleeing to the surface more than a year ago. A Queensland Mines Rescue Service team took the first steps into Anglo American's Grosvenor mine on Wednesday, wearing protective equipment and respirators to carry out "preliminary reconnaissance inspections". The mine was evacuated and sealed after methane gas ignited, creating an underground inferno on June 29 last year. Black plumes of smoke blanketed the nearby town of Moranbah, where residents were told to stay indoors and keep windows shut. A similar explosion at the same mine in 2020 seriously injured five workers. The brief reopening of the mine follows approval by the industry regulator. The Mining and Energy Union has also lifted its ban on entry. Anglo American said it finished safety preparations last week. That included the unsealing of mine shafts, which were first closed last year to starve the underground blaze of oxygen. Mine general manager Shane McDowall said the first re-entry was a "significant milestone." Mr McDowall said staff would re-enter the mine once safety inspections were finished, but mining would not restart for some time. "Our crews have stepped up in amazing ways — solving problems, adapting technology in innovative ways, and rethinking how we do things underground," he said in a statement. Mining and Energy Union industry safety and health representative Jason Hill said while some sites had recovered from similar levels of damage, no-one on the ground believed mining would restart at Grosvenor any time soon. "There's nothing to say it can't return into a full production. It's just a matter of identifying what happened," he said. Mr Hill said one of the hazards would be the lining around mine shaft, which had deteriorated in the fire, damaging the surrounding structure. "It's a matter of monitoring and ensuring that there were no issues that were going to pop up," he said. Mining is also on hold at a neighbouring Anglo American mine, which was also damaged by an underground fire last year. The Moranbah North mine was first evacuated in April 2024, after reports of a dangerous carbon monoxide leak that was later confirmed as an explosion and fire. Nobody was injured in the incident. Anglo American chief executive officer Duncan Wanblad told investors this month it was costing $55 million a month to pay staff and maintain operations at both Grosvenor and Moranbah North. He said the company planned to restart operations at Grosvenor "later this year", with Moranbah North to follow in 2026. In November 2024, Peabody Energy entered a $5.7 billion deal to buy Anglo American's four steel-making coal mines in Queensland, including the two that remained out of action. But the restarting of longwall mining at Grosvenor was a condition of the final sale price. Mr Wanblad told investors he believed both companies still wanted the deal to go ahead. However, Peabody described the explosion at Moranbah North as a "Material Adverse Change" to the deal, saying it would provide an update on its position later this month. Mr Wanblad said any decision to go ahead with the purchase would "ultimately be a Peabody decision".
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bowen Coking Coal enters voluntary administration
Bowen Coking Coal has entered voluntary administration, a move that has heightened concerns regarding the future of the coal industry in Queensland, Australia, and the security of more than 500 jobs at the Burton Mine near Moranbah. The company had previously sought a royalty deferral from the Queensland Revenue Office, which was rejected on 29 July. Mark Holland and Shaun Fraser of McGrathNicol Restructuring have been named the voluntary administrators. 'The administration process is expected to provide a window which will allow for a sale or recapitalisation to be completed,' the company said in a stock exchange filing. Bowen Coking Coal has attributed the introduction of Queensland's high royalty rates, peaking at 40% in 2022, as a factor impacting the profitability of coal producers in the state, stated The royalty regime, which was introduced during a period of record coal prices spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic, has been maintained by the new Queensland Government under Premier David Crisafulli. Despite being more aligned with the resource industry than its Labor predecessor, the government has chosen to keep the royalty rates unchanged, with many state spending measures depending on the revenue generated from these royalties. Over the past three years, global uncertainty and challenging operating conditions have affected the viability of coal companies along Australia's eastern seaboard. The Australian newspaper highlighted the administration of Dartbrook Mine, owned by Australian Pacific Coal and Tetra Resources, earlier this month due to debt issues. Glencore has declared its Mount Isa copper smelter in Queensland unsustainable and is seeking support from state and federal governments to continue operations, reported Reuters in June. "Bowen Coking Coal enters voluntary administration" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
ABC News
14-07-2025
- General
- ABC News
Specialist crews sent to Moranbah coal mine to hunt for more fire ant nests
Specialised crews have been deployed to hunt for more fire ant nests at a central Queensland coal mine as authorities work to determine how they got there. The invasive species was found at the Broadmeadow Coal Mine, a joint venture between BHP and Mitsubishi Development (BMA), last week. The mine near Moranbah is at least 700 kilometres outside the existing biosecurity control zone meant to contain the "super pest" in south-east Queensland. The National Fire Ant Eradication Program's general manager of operations Marni Manning said more crews arrived at the site this week. "We do have some plausible idea of where they've actually originated from, but at this point in time, it's subject to an investigation." For materials that can carry fire ants, such as plant matter, soil, turf and quarry materials, movement from inside the biosecurity zone is restricted. Ms Manning said experts would use genetic testing to determine where the ants came from and how they got to the mine site. "We're concerned that there's been a human-assisted movement," she said. The eight nests already destroyed were found close to the middle of the mine site and Ms Manning said testing would show if they were linked or originated separately. She said characteristics of the ant colony itself would determine the nest age, how long they had been on the mine site and what the risk was for surrounding properties. In a statement, a spokesperson for the mine's operators said keeping the community and their team safe was a top priority and they were working with the experts to support eradication efforts. Ms Manning said that included exploring the use of drones for treatment. "It's quite a significant area, it's got some long grass," she said. Alongside the destruction of the nests, the treatment includes the spreading of a pesticide designed to target any ants that were not in the nests when they were destroyed. "We undertake very strict surveillance out to 500 metres from the nest," Ms Manning said. "[We] treat as we go and then what we do is a targeted surveillance out to 2 kilometres." Surveillance and eradication work at the mine site will continue for at least the next two to three years before it can be declared fire ant free, and a program to help locals identify fire ants will also be rolled out. Aggressive and with a nasty sting, fire ants have the potential to cause severe allergic reactions, and further spread could cost the the economy billions. Part of at least 10 south-east Queensland council areas are now part of the eradication zone, which was first detected in Brisbane in 2001. Funded by federal, state and territory governments, it stretches from Caboolture north of Brisbane, west to the food bowl of the Lockyer Valley and south to near the New South Wales border. Within that area is a 650,000-hectare "suppression zone" funded solely by the Queensland government, which announced a $24 million boost in funding for that effort in March. Greenlife Industry Queensland represents the nursery and garden sector, which has faced significant challenges as a result of the movement restrictions placed on businesses inside the zone. Chief executive Colin Fruk said the discovery of pest in central Queensland was alarming. "The industry is really threatened by the expansion of fire ants across the regions … it is a very concerning thing," he said. "I think there's a lot more money and resources that need to go into solving the fire ant issue. "I don't think we'll get there under current funding unless there's some kind of radical new approach to eradicating the pest." Genetic testing is also underway on nests found at a property in Tweed Heads, south of the Queensland border, in early July. In June live fire ants were intercepted in Perth in Western Australia on a pallet from the biosecurity zone in Queensland, which had been expanded the same month.
