RECREATIONAL fishers are invited to have their say on which NSW dams and impoundments they would like to see stocked with their favourite freshwater fish species, as the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) develops its stocking program for the year ahead. DPIRD Aquaculture Director Ian Lyall said NSW is home to […]
Hunter LLS says it’s time for land managers to focus on practical strategies for managing a tough winter.
Talking tactics for the winter ahead with Local Land Services
RECORD-BREAKING saleyard numbers at Scone, Tamworth, and Dubbo signals that cattle producers are selling down, with Hunter Local Land Services (LLS) urging landholders to keep making these proactive decisions as conditions tighten moving into winter. Three key indicators point to increasing pressure on producers. Scone’s largest yarding on record, with more than 4,000 head, reflects […]
Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher are facing questions about the budget. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS.
Budget won’t be war between generations: treasurer
POTENTIAL changes to negative gearing or capital gains tax in the federal budget would not be breaking the trust of voters, the treasurer says. As Jim Chalmers prepares to hand down his fifth budget, the government faces accusations it is coming after “mum and dad” investors as family trusts join capital gains tax discounts and […]
Essential maintenance work underway to preserve the heritage listed Cooreei Bridge
MAINTENANCE work kicked off on Monday to upgrade the heritage-listed Cooreei Bridge over the Williams River east of Dungog. The NSW Government is investing $7.3 million to rehabilitate the historic landmark on Stroud Hill Road. Cooreei Bridge, which is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register, is the first Henry Harvey Dare-type timber bridge built […]
Stargazing: Fishing by the moon phases
EVERY fisherman dreams of catching the big one – the fish that turns an ordinary day on the water into a season-long bragging right. But what if I told you there’s a way to plan your fishing trips like a pro, know when the bite will be at its best, and head home feeling like […]
Settlement Point Road, Port Macquarie during the May 2025 floods on the Mid North Coast. Photo: Port Macquarie SES.
Warning after extreme weather’s financial toll revealed
AUSTRALIANS are counting the ballooning cost of extreme weather events after they caused almost $5 billion in insured losses in 2025, more than 700 percent up on the previous year. And the financial toll is only expected to get worse, with independent analysis indicating it could blow out to $35 billion annually by 2050. The […]
The technology is assisting firefighting forces to monitor more areas and predict the spread of more bushfires. Photo: NSW Rural Fire Service.
AI cameras spotted more than 1000 bushfires over summer
ARTIFICIALLY intelligent cameras detected more than 1100 bushfires in Australia over summer, including some that would have been missed by humans until they posed a greater risk. One fire outbreak caused by lighting strikes, for example, could have damaged a pine forest if cameras had not alerted firefighters. Pano AI revealed the findings on Tuesday […]
Dungog writer awarded prestigious fellowship
DUNGOG writer and emerging novelist Shannon Benton has been awarded a fellowship with the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) and The Copyright Agency. Shannon is developing her novel Fragmented, a work of literary fiction that engages with themes of memory, authorship and myth, set between Victoria’s Mulberry Hill and Hanging Rock. Her […]
Education for landholders facing pasture dieback, tight winter conditions
LOCAL Land Services (LLS) is hosting workshops in Paterson and Gresford to support producers to adapt to current conditions and issues. The first session, to be held on-farm in Paterson on Wednesday 6 May from 9–11am, explores pasture dieback. Pasture dieback is a condition causing premature death of high yielding tropical and sub-tropical grasses. It […]
Data shows Australian horticulture experiences average food loss rates of about 20 percent per farm.
Farmers hit hard by food waste
AUSTRALIAN fruit and vegetable growers are missing out on the sale of up to a million tonnes of produce annually that never makes it to market. That’s a whopping $2.5 billion a year but a figure dwarfed by the costs linked to such a huge loss. Data shows Australian horticulture experiences average food loss rates […]
