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Rural

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

Outdoor life comes at a price for farmers as they face a greater risk of skin cancer

Living your best outdoor life could be putting you at risk of the "national cancer", health workers warn. Here's why annual checks should be part of everybody's beauty routine.
Bernard Atkins stands in a cap and green shirt, in front of silver cows and green pastures

Mick Hewitt says running a profitable business and being good custodians of the land go hand in hand.

Mick Hewitt says running a profitable business and being good custodians of the land go hand in hand.
ABC News Current
Duration: 28 seconds

Station hand Summer Snelling says working on the beautiful country reminds her of American television series Yellowstone

Station hand Summer Snelling says working on the beautiful country reminds her of American television series Yellowstone
ABC News Current
Duration: 29 seconds

Farmers vow to lock their gates against 'once-in-a-generation' power project

Some are cheering the extra income from a proposed renewable energy transmission line, while others are vowing to lock their gates against electricity provider Transgrid.
A man wearing a blue shirt and a hat looking displeased.

'Destroying the village to save the village': Why farmers like Grant are leading the renewables resistance

Ambitious climate targets are super-charging the race towards renewables in regional Australia, but in many communities, the pace and scale of change is causing anxiety and uncertainty.
Updated
Farmer sitting on a tractor in a field with cattle behind him.

Lack of oxygen could have caused fatal plane crash that killed three people: ATSB

A preliminary report suggests hypoxia could be the reason three aerial firefighting crew members, including 22-year-old William Jennings from the US, died when their plane crashed in rural Queensland in November.
Updated
An image of a young man smiling into a camera while wearing a tuxedo.

Queensland grazier says rural rates have risen so much, it's putting his family business at risk

Farmer Daniel Perry's rates have gone up 66 per cent in three years and, as the value of his land increases, he expects an even bigger rates bill in 2024.
Updated
A man in a workshirt and large hat standing looking sombre in front of a paddock of cows

Graziers describe 'unbelievable' rainfall in parts of far north-west NSW and south-west Queensland

Landholders in eastern parts of the country are still in shock after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily caused a year's worth of rain to fall in just two days, drenching their properties.
Updated
A sweeping view of an outback property with brown water covering most of it.

Mount Gambier man revives 113-year-old windmill brand to give local manufacturing another spin

Varcoe Windmills were first built in Mount Gambier in 1911 but after its doors closed last year, the brand seemed lost for good, until a local agricultural mechanic bought the rights at an auction.
A man wearing blue mechanic's clothes standing next to a large machine.

Flooding in outback Queensland a 'godsend' for grazier who has missed the rain

In any other situation, floodwaters spanning 6 kilometres would be a cause for alarm, but in the Channel Country, it is a welcome sight.
Updated
The sun rises over flooded channels in outback Queensland

Delay to fish kill investigation disappoints environmentalist in call for better monitoring

A Katherine resident is concerned about the quality of information collected by government investigators after it took four days for them to get to the site of a Northern Territory fish kill.
Dead fish among a reedy waterbank

Calls for investigation after pensioner charged $54k for home insurance on 'asbestos cottage'

There are calls for an ASIC investigation after an Indigenous pensioner was charged an annual insurance premium of almost $10,000 by QBE for an asbestos-clad home in a remote town in Western Australia.
A composite image of Leonard O'Meara and a drone shot of his house in Derby, WA.

Meet your 2024 Trailblazer winners determined to make a difference

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.
Updated
An image of a red dirt landscape, in front of it are five young people each with a different coloured outline around them.

Roman can't explain how he finds water with a bit of bent steel, but his services are heavily in demand

There is no scientific evidence that water divining works, so why are so many landholders still using it as a method to find water?
Roman Dubinchak in light blue workshirt and work pants holds two rods he uses for water divining

Zero cattle exports from Darwin as industry awaits Indonesian permits for 2024

The ABC understands there are a few thousand cattle held up in yards around the Northern Territory's Top End, and two live export vessels anchored off Darwin, as the industry waits for the permit issue to be resolved.
An aerial view of a wharf part of the Darwin Port, with the city of Darwin in the distance.

Outback Queensland cut off by intense floods from ex-cyclone with conditions to worsen

More rain has fallen in 24 hours than in a year at some locations as ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily hovers over Queensland's north-west.
Updated
a little girl plays in a large puddle

National Highway home to crocodile traps after floods close 350-kilometre stretch

About 350 kilometres of the National Highway are expected to remain closed for several more days, but the rail line between Adelaide and Darwin has reopened.
Crocodile trap sitting on the flooded Victoria Highway with small boat in the background

Don't let their size fool you, dachshunds love being muster dogs

Muster Dogs is back and Bluey's a viewing staple in many Australian homes, so it's no surprise some breeders have noticed an increasing demand for working dogs. But there are a few points to consider before deciding if a working dog is right for you.
Updated
A black and tan dachshund sits on a pile of hay in a wheelbarrow

Unregistered vehicles could be used to prevent 'catastrophic' bushfires in new trial

The NSW Rural Fire Service says the trial is an opportunity to improve its relationship with farmers and share resources and responsibilities.
Updated
A farmer holding a water hose leaking water.

How Max Jackson's asthma diagnosis put her on a path to the Golden Guitars

Now nominated for two Golden Guitar awards this coming Saturday, Max Jackson's life could have panned out very differently had she taken a different path.
A woman with blonde short hair wearing a white singlet and jeans with a guitar strapped around her standing in a paddock

Queensland records its hottest January day on record as mercury nears 50C in outback town

Birdsville locals say stepping outside is like standing in front of an open oven. An elder says he's seen crows falling from trees amid the near unbearable conditions, but the BOM says relief is on the way.
Welcome sign on the road to Birdsville in far south-west Queensland on December 24, 2019.

Pioneering family farmer and Maroochydore's largest landowner passes away on Sunshine Coast

Eighth-generation farmer Peter Wise, whose family had been working land on the Sunshine Coast since 1901, has passed away after a short stay in hospital at the age of 82.
An elderly man leans against a rusty old tractor

Rural residents told to 'get over' look of powerlines as Victoria's renewable targets face barriers

Andrew Balfour has seven transmission towers on his farm. He doesn't recommend it to others — but sites for new power infrastructure will be needed across the state as renewable energy projects take off.
Andrew is standing in a paddock on his property in front of a transmission tower

Agricultural societies innovating to attract new audiences to annual shows during cost-of-living crisis

Rural communities worried that the high cost of living will damage attendance numbers at their local shows are innovating to find new ways to attract wider audiences to the events.
Updated
A young woman smiles while holding a mic to her mouth. She's dressed in a fitted blazer wearing an akubra