Tom Forbes
Mermaid Beach, QLD
Tom Forbes joined the ABC's Brisbane newsroom in 2004 and after two years covering general news and courts decided on a sea change and relocated to the Gold Coast. He works across multiple ABC platforms and files stories to ABC TV, radio and online. Tom obtained his journalism degree at Bond University on the Gold Coast and began his career in 1998 at a commercial television news service in Townsville. Away from work, Tom is an avid cyclist and a voracious reader of crime novels. He tweets from @tomforbesGC.
Latest by Tom Forbes
Turning 40 while sleeping rough on the Gold Coast, Joanne's milestone wish is to find a home
Joanne knows she will soon be moved on from her latest sanctuary beneath a park shelter at a popular Gold Coast beach, as a local charity says it is feeding more homeless people than ever.
Ibis add toxic cane toads to the menu with clever technique to eliminate poison first
Citizen scientists report the much-maligned ibis has an ingenious method of making sure poisonous cane toads don't cause them a problem.
Food swapping takes off, reduces waste and builds community
As many families struggle to make ends meet, an edible exchange program is reducing the cost of living pressures in a Gold Coast hinterland community.
Main Beach residents lament return of Gold Coast 500 after two-year hiatus
Locals leave as Supercars return to Gold Coast streets.
Queensland residents left uninsured amid 'change in appetite' for flood risk
After seven years with the same insurer, Collette has been told her Gold Coast property is now "embargoed", leaving her without contents insurance as summer storm season looms.
Huge fence erected on major Gold Coast road to keep bin chickens at bay
Fences are being erected to protect drivers and a large colony of ibises nesting metres away from one of Australia's busiest roads.
Andrew was on holiday when 'the most horrific thing' transformed his life
It's been 20 years, but Andrew Csabi says not one day goes by that he doesn't remember what happened to him while on a Bali holiday in 2002.
Public warned not to rescue whales after surfers attempt to free animal trapped in shark net
Surfers risked big fines — and their lives — by attempting to untangle the 8-metre-long whale off the Gold Coast before an official rescue team arrived, according to authorities.
International entries among 'lit up' sculptures expected to draw record crowds to Gold Coast festival
From milk crate installations to copper blasted with a shotgun, artists are placing their finishing touches on works ahead of Queensland's Swell Sculpture Festival, which begins on Friday.
Gold Coast has a new $5m Wonder Reef with fish aplenty, but where are the visitors?
A veteran Gold Coast diver says the tourist city's new $5 million Wonder Reef is attracting plenty of fish species, but he's surprised more people aren't visiting the "world-class" attraction.
Gold Coast couple's 40-year quest to restore a banana farm to pristine rainforest habitat
With no previous experience and only a desire to return their 10 hectares of land to its original habitat, Wal and Heather Mayr set about undoing the damage to this pristine environment, one weed at a time.
Volunteers recognised for giving foster children hope during 'horrible situation'
Often foster children arrive at a carer's home with "the clothes on their back or a few items shoved in a plastic bag". This couple is doing something about that for Queensland kids.
Queensland snake catcher inundated by calls from 'nervous' interstate migrants
One in three Queensland homes have a python living in the roof cavity, according to a reptile catcher, and warmer daytime temperatures mean they're starting to move around.
Runaway chooks make 'unexpected' new home in Gold Coast tip
Mystery surrounds the origins of two backyard chickens, dubbed Plucky and Foghorn Leghorn, that have moved into the waste depot.
Shooters set sights on feral species in NSW following rise in fox and hare numbers
Shooters and trappers are called in to deal with increased feral animal activity recorded by monitoring cameras in the state's north.
'No laughing matter': Kookaburra numbers declining in capital cities
A new study finds that Australia's iconic kookaburras and galahs are being forced out of our biggest cities by competition for food and habitat.
Long COVID fears lead to discovery of coronary heart disease in 'super fit' 70-year-old
Chris Stear turned 70 in June and celebrated the milestone by doing 70 push-ups non-stop on a Gold Coast beach. A few weeks later his health took a sudden turn, and an angiogram detected blockages in his coronary artery.
Wild dog fears grow as residents warn of attacks on domestic animals
Scenic Rim residents are being told to carry sticks to protect themselves, their pets, and livestock from packs of wild dogs after a spate of attacks.
Online porn blamed for spike in gonorrhoea infections
Scientists are racing to find a vaccine for the sexually transmitted infection as case numbers continue to climb among the young.
A buffalo walks into a pub, and trainer says the beast's intelligence is no joke
A pair of buffalo that bucked their circus destiny are set to star in a different kind of show as a former polar bear handler unlocks their intelligence.
Police officer injured, luxury vehicles allegedly stolen in teen crime spree
Teenagers running "unsophisticatedly coordinated" crime sprees targeting luxury cars on the Gold Coast have been tracked down by the dog squad and charged, police say.
Grazier in a spin after discovering two sets of twins on Queensland farm
A leading veterinarian says the chance of beef cattle having multiple births is less than 1 per cent, which has shocked one grazier who found not one, but two sets of twin calves within the space of a week on her property.
'They've been pumping out babies': Plovers make great lovers — until winter sets in
Plovers have been enjoying a breeding boom in south-east Queensland brought on by a warm, wet start to 2022, but a recent cold snap has ended that.
First whale of the season entangled in shark nets off the Gold Coast frees itself
A whale entangled in a shark net off the Gold Coast is free, after untangling itself before rescue crews could intervene.
Gold Coast's 'idiotic' beach bar call opens Pandora's box, critics say
The council's decision to allow Kurrawa Beach Club to operate on a trial basis over the next three years has been slammed by opponents who fear there may be more venues to come.