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Town's decade-long labour of love restores 131-year-old butter factory to former glory in SA

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.
A woman and two men on a deck built in front of a historic restored butter factory with a barrell roof

Pregnant women pushing for 'centuries' old water birth practice at Mount Gambier Hospital

Water birthing is in place at some public and private hospitals in Australia, but women on SA's Limestone Coast want more people to have access to the practice.
A woman sitting in a pool holding her newborn baby, with her husband behind her.

Mum's wish for diabetes kids as technology gives son brighter childhood

Anna Cozens says better treatment options for type 1 diabetes have given her son freedom to do more activities and she wants others to have the same access.
Updated
A woman with curly brown hair smiles, her young son has short brown hair and wears a red school uniform

Rise in extreme weather events putting huge strain on food charities helping struggling families

Food charities helping struggling families put food on the table can no longer rely on excess produce being available as farmers count their own cost of extreme weather events.
A handful of carrots.

Why farmers are being urged to make friends with venomous visitors

Usually snakes are unwelcome visitors on farms, but research suggests the benefits of their presence on agricultural land far outweighs the potential costs to farmers and graziers.
An eastern brown snake curled on the ground

Research centre opens to help Coorong and river communities cope with climate change

Work at the new federally-funded centre in Goolwa, SA will focus on climate change impacts and adaptation strategies for the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth.
Three children, wet with river water, pose on the banks with a long-necked turtle with algae on its shell

Almonds are now Australia's most valuable horticultural export, but one shelled nut takes 8 litres of water to grow

Experts warn a water shortage is inevitable as almonds become the biggest crop by area planted on Australia's longest river.
Updated
A hand holds almonds growing on a tree.

Coming out as trans can be tough in regional Australia. Here's how these three teens did it

Coming out can be a nerve-racking experience, but Adam, Eliott and Rowen did it and managed to find connection and community along the way.
An image composite of three young people, they all smile into the camera.

Bitter news for wine exporters as more people choose not to drink to save money — and health

Australian wine exports have been hit by a global trend in people drinking less alcohol and cutting costs, but hope remains for the re-opening of a major market.
A hand reaches for a glass of wine. A Harry Potter book is on the coffee table

Wine grape grower tractor protest

Growers in Australia's largest wine grape producing region drove their tractors, harvesters and trucks through the streets of their community.
ABC News Current
Duration: 35 seconds

Wine grape growers drive tractors through Riverland streets in protest against below-cost prices

Growers in Australia's largest wine grape producing region are calling for more government support, along with a mandatory code of conduct, to ensure the sustainability of their industry, as many let their fruit rot due to below-cost prices.
Updated
Dozens of tractors, harvesters and trucks lined the street outside the Renmark Hotel on a sunny day.

What is behind the longevity of the humble tourism brochure?

When keen travellers Ken and Judy Vorwerk arrive in a new region, they use tourism brochures rather than the internet to help guide them to local experiences, and they are not the only ones.
Updated
A middle aged man and woman stand in front of a iron cut out reading 'Muttaburra'

Meet the family fighting fires as well as misconceptions around female firefighters

Colleen and her two daughters are part of a growing number of female volunteer firefighters who have signed up, helping to dispel enduring misconceptions around what it takes to be a firie.
A mother and two daughters in protective gear

Mysterious bee deaths prompt beekeepers to get answers about the impact of fruit fly chemical sprays

Several beekeepers in South Australia's Riverland are calling for greater transparency on the potential harm of the state's fruit fly chemical sprays.
Updated
A fair-skinned brunette woman, Kerry, kneels beside green and white hives in full sun.

How Kirsty rebuilt her financial independence and credit rating after domestic violence and bankruptcy

Determined for a better life for her children, a regional South Australian woman has gone from bankrupt to home owner. Kirsty experienced financial abuse, and wants others to know it is possible to rebuild their lives.
Updated
A woman with strawberry blonde hair smiles in a field of flowers.

Wet summer threatens to create a shortage of Australian-grown dried fruit

Lovers of dried fruit could face shortages of some Australian-grown products this year as unfavourable weather conditions create a global decline in production.
Kris Werner's fair middle-aged hand fingers a dried apricot on a wooden pallet drying rack in the sun.

Students need 'all points of view' not 'shouting and yelling' about Murray-Darling Basin, author says

Adrian Wells aims to ignite a passion for the environment and break down stereotypes that city people might have about farming communities.
Updated
Adrian Wells holds a copy of his book while sitting in a garden.

Sharleen relied on data to save her slice of paradise, but one day she stopped trusting the numbers

Sharleen Lloyd's home in South Australia's Riverland became an island only accessible by boat during one of the state's biggest floods. But when the SA government's daily flow data lost meaning, she questioned everything.
Updated
a woman and man on a boat, with choppy blue waves below, and bright blue sky above. They are wearing lifejackets and look happy.

Paul's family is buried in a backyard cemetery shrouded in mystery. One day, he plans to join them there

Paul Kaesler isn't sure how many people are buried in the cemetery on his rural property, but experts say it's likely he is not the only one with graves in his backyard.
Updated
A bald tanned man smiles he wears a dark collared shirt, with gravestones and red dirt behind him

Egg farmer warns rising production costs will force another price hike in supermarkets

High egg prices are set to get higher as farmers pay more for feed and infrastructure, but a supermarket manager is confident grocery prices will soon plateau as inflation settles down.
A man hold a red chicken with green trees behind him, he has short grey hair and smiles

'Still living out the remnants of that anxiety’: Twelve months later, farmers still feel impact of floods

Farmers like Alexandra Westlake and Meiqing Lin were left devastated when the River Murray flooded. A year on, the emotional and financial toll is just being realised.
Updated
A smiling blonde woman, Alex, smiles, with beef cattle in the background on her lush paddock.

Jesse has run an online community forum for 12 years but threats and abuse have taken their toll

There are more than 22,000 people in the Riverland Forum that Jesse Norris launched 12 years ago on Facebook, but after moderating the busy page — while doing his best not to be affected by abuse — he's decided to step away.
A man has short brown hair and wears a colourful tshirt, he sits at a wooden table in a park and types at a black computer

Coldest Christmas Day in Adelaide in 17 years as the rest of SA had below average temperatures

The Bureau of Meteorology reported Adelaide recorded a maximum of 19.7C on Christmas Day while hail was reported in parts of South Australia.
Updated
White hail scattered on the ground seen through a car window on a rainy day

After selling the magic of Christmas for decades, pine-tree farmers hand seeds to a new family

The Mediterranean climate of South Australia's Riverland is poles apart from a winter wonderland, but one family is turning to a festive crop to future-proof their farm, with the help of old hands.
An older white man, Ed, makes a funny face while he strikes a pose in a red christmas shirt with a christmas tree.

Australian first green hydrogen project set to boost jobs and reduce emissions

The $425 million Riverbend Energy Hub proposal in Tailem Bend could turn 200,000 tonnes of landfill into green hydrogen every year.
A sand coloured brick town sign has black letters reading 'Tailem Bend' and a black steam train. It is on a country road