Community Development

Thousands of donated hours, countless sausage sizzles and a donation to assuage a former scout's conscience over a stolen cheese wheel, have breathed new life into this historic South Australian butter factory.

Mick and Ben Hewitt often do business in boardrooms, but it is clear the brothers are truly content in the dust and dirt.

It has been eight years since a small group of volunteers joined to form a street art project, and now 13 murals don the walls of the buildings in this small town.

A comic writer, an Indigenous artist and an app developer are just some of the inspiring young Australians who have won this year's Heywire Trailblazer competition.

On a trip to the West Australian town of Boyup Brook, musician John Matthews was searching for a guitar, but found much more.

Swifts Creek in Victoria's high country lost its major industry when native logging ended, but some community members hope gold mining could help replace lost jobs.

Michelle Turvey's teenage son was fatally assaulted on his way home from school. Since then she has been advocating to improve the treatment of victims of crime and has been awarded the 2024 WA Australian of the year for her work.

Central Queensland's Deborah McGee and other residents in the region went without a Telstra mobile service for weeks following storms in December, a situation a telecommunications academic says can be helped with domestic roaming.

Once a constant swarm of activity, the Euroa Goods Shed now stands unused and in disrepair. But the fact it still stands at all is what intrigues many people.

When Justin Coburn first came to Narrandera in search of a workforce to build a solar farm, he was met with scepticism and questions. Soon a unique partnership formed and the project brought an overwhelming sense of pride for the 30 First Nations men and women who worked on it. 

The Royal Flying Doctor Service has become synonymous with helping rural and remote Australians. Now, it's helping an entire town and, for Condobolin locals, it's "like winning lotto".  

It's been more than a year in the making, and now, hundreds of Top End residents have some respite from the scorching heat.

A festive season disco for people of all abilities has provided some with a rare opportunity to hit the dancefloor.

Australia's iron ore industry goes hand-in-hand with China. But it is a South Korean company looking to stump up billions of dollars for this green iron facility. 

A Tasmanian minister's request for "positive consideration" for a distillery with ties to the Liberal party to receive a grant was flagged by the government department who assessed such applications as "not acceptable practice or normal protocol".

The Shetland pony escaped a remote SA station shortly after arriving, but it was only once bush trackers arrived to that he was found beneath a black oak tree 30 kilometres away. His owners are now making his yard "Cheeto-proof".

Bec Climie tries to make every mail run special. When she realised that Julia Creek didn't have a traditional agricultural show, she took it upon herself to create a "show day" for the people she delivered mail to.

In a place where the temperatures can soar above 40 degrees Celsius, children and adults alike are cheering the long-awaited return of their community pool.

A community garden in Collingwood is being forced to close because a government department wants its land back.

Nine Queensland infrastructure projects have been cancelled after a budget blowout on Commonwealth spending. One resident whose property was resumed says he may have lost his beloved home for nothing.

Harvey community members are concerned that the sudden closure of Forestry Road bridge for urgent repairs could cut the town off from supply trucks and emergency vehicles.    

Concerns have been raised at a NSW budget estimates hearing about the proposed sale by the Kiama Municipal Council of one of the state's largest publicly owned aged-care centres.

When 28-year-old Mick Elliott left his office job for the wine industry he picked up a palate for the perfect drop and left behind a sense of dread.

As fibre-to-the-premises internet arrives in far-flung pockets of Queensland, some in the regions want to bust the "urban myth" that all bush broadband is bad.

The federal member for Calare Andrew Gee says while the funding announcement is a positive step, many residents have fallen into considerable debt due to delays in such assistance.