Airnorth airlines magazine - Dec/Jan 2018/19

Dec 2018/Jan 2019

TAKEME E M HO AD TO RE

AusBiz.

A real Australian business magazine

STAYING HYDRATED in downtown Darwin

ART SPACE

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards

Melbourne walk this way

Since 1983, Hollick Estates has been producing some of the Coonawarra’s finest handcrafted wine. Come and enjoy an exceptional cellar door experience and indulge in our region’s fantastic culinary offerings at our award-winning restaurant, Upstairs at Hollick, with sweeping views over the vineyards.

+61 8 8737 2318 | www.hollick.com | 11 Racecourse Road, Penola, SA 5277

Welcome aboard Welcome to our Christmas and New Year edition of Together We Fly. What a year it’s been. This year, we have flown more than 330,000 customers across our scheduled and charter flight operations. We increased services between Darwin and Townsville, added extra Christmas services across our network and resumed service to Milingimbi, a key destination within Arnhem Land.

We celebrated a monumental 40 years in aviation on July 4th this year – a feat we owe to our loyal passengers and hard-working staff across the years. This birthday cemented our status as the second-longest running airline in Australia, and our connection to the Top End of Australia.

Throughout our 40-year history, we have long maintained a theme of supporting communities; not limited to providing safe, comfortable and reliable air travel. We are humbled to maintain a yearly sponsorship budget, allowing us to support causes and events across the destinations we fly to. Whether it be supporting large-scale sporting

events to drive tourism, such as Tour de Timor in Timor Leste’s capital city of Dili, or donating flights to help regional schools across our network raise funds, we are determined to give back to the communities who have been a part of our successful 40 years. You can read about these important community events later in the issue.

Looking forward to 2019, we aim to build on the success of this past year by offering increased services and convenient air travel for our customers.

On board, we look forward to rolling out our brand new Airnorth uniforms early in the year and introducing a fresh catering style shortly.

These changes highlight our commitment to continually improving our services and the overall customer experience with Airnorth.

For now though, I ask that you sit back and relax.

We thank you for your continued support, and wish you a safe festive season and prosperous 2019.

Daniel Bowden Chief Executive Officer, Airnorth DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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contents Summer Loving

Our wrap-up of great products to keep the good times rolling in all summer long.

AusBiz. Check out AusBiz. at the back of the magazine.

In this edition you’ll find: WORK IN MINING Water usage and conflicts with locals.

AGRIBUSINESS Tough times in the dairy industry means change.

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Darwin

This cool city is bursting at the seams with great food and drinking hotspots.

Upfront

Features

11 Airnorth News

22 Melbourne Getaway

BUSINESS Highland beef cattle farming in Tasmania.

Words of thanks from some of the amazing organisations we have supported.

INFRASTRUCTURE Hotels & resorts taking a walk on the wild side.

13 Regional News

PROPERTY Sydneysiders buy homes outside the city.

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We bring you the latest on what is happening around our rural and regional communities.

14 Events Calendar

Don’t miss what’s happening in Australia in Dec and Jan.

ArtSpace

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards celebrates 35 years.

Culture is never in short supply when you get lost in Melbourne's artsy eateries and hideaways.

26 Everyday Hero

Primary student Molly Steer founded the Straw No More project to encourage people to stop using plastic straws for the environment's sake.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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EDITORIAL

Publisher: Michelle Hespe publisher@publishingbychelle.com Art Director: Jon Wolfgang Miller Lifestyle & Travel Sales Manager: Sonja Halstead sonja.halstead@publishingbychelle.com AusBiz. Sales Manager: Effe Sandas advertising@publishingbychelle.com Sub Editor: Claire Hey Editorial Assistants: Sarah Hinder, Robin Kopf editorial@publishingbychelle.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Darren Baguley Kirsten Craze Katrina Holden Ian Lloyd Neubauer Jac Taylor Ryan Watson

publisher's letter

Here we are again, saying goodbye to another year and welcoming in a new one. Up in the Top End the temperatures have started to soar, so it’s time to hang out in the shade, go swimming in waterholes and backyard pools, and spend time with friends with the air con and fans on.

It’s also time to indulge in food and drinks in places that are cool and comfortable, so in this issue we thought it was a great time to cover two places on opposite sides of our country that are absolutely heaving with great places to eat and stay hydrated: Darwin and Melbourne.

Darwin and its ever-growing selection of restaurants, bars and cafes, is a great place to try modern Australian meals with an Asian infusion, and although there’s a big, appreciative market for steaks, seafood and pub grub, there’s also quite a few swanky spots, and anyone will tell you that you need to explore the hotels and eateries around one of the most popular places in town: the Darwin Wave Pool.

When it comes to Melbourne, we’ve also added gardens, galleries and areas to explore on foot, as you could wander for days in this Europeanstyle city and find a new little treasure around every corner. It’s the best place to get lost in alleyways brimming with art and culture.

We’ve also interviewed a caring 10-year-old girl from Cairns who has launched Straw No More — a charity organisation championing the ditching of straws. It’s a joy to see someone so young caring so much and getting out there and making a difference.

Enjoy the read, and from all of us at Publishing ByChelle, we wish you a Merry Christmas and we hope that you have an awesome new year.

MICHELLE HESPE

@AIRNORTH _ MAG

/AIRNORTHAIRLINESMAGAZINE

PRINTING SOS Print + Media 65 Burrows Road, Alexandria, NSW 2015

Dec 2018/Jan 2019

TAKE E ME HOMD TO REA

STAYING HYDRATED

in downtown Darwin

THE EON FOUNDATION

from the ground up

Melbourne walk this way Cover: Visitors gather around Federation Square, Melbourne.

Photographer: Kokkai Ng

Together We Fly is published by Publishing ByChelle, (ABN: 78 621 375 853 ACN: 621 375 853) Suite 2, Level 8, 100 Walker Street North Sydney, NSW 2060 (02) 9954 0349 publishingbychelle.com The reproduction of any content, in whole or part without prior written permission by the publisher is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed in the content are those of the contributors, and not necessarily those of the publisher. All information in this magazine was believed to be correct at the time of publication, and all reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders.

Publishing ByChelle cannot accept unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If such items are sent to the magazine, they will not be returned. We apologise if we don’t get back to your email, as we do receive a large volume of communication via various online channels. Some images used in Together We Fly are from istock and Getty images, and we make every effort to credit all contributors.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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airnorth news

Airnorth sponsorship feedback

GEBIE CHRISTMAS IN JULY

Airnorth is proud to support a number of organisations nationally and internationally every single year.

We are delighted to lend a helping hand to a variety of causes; including but not limited to community groups, charities, education programs, sports, music and arts associations and youth development associations.

Ranging from discounted flights for large group travel, free of charge flights for fundraising purposes, or transporting award nominees and other worthwhile recipients, we are committed to giving back to the communities that rely on us.

Here is a word from some of the amazing organisations, groups and foundations we have supported this year.

If you have a worthy cause we should know about for 2019, please reach out to marketing@airnorth.com.au

CAMP QUALITY NORTHERN TERRITORY We think you're amazing! Your decision to donate $2,956 to Camp Quality has brought us one step closer to being there for every Australian child impacted by cancer – be that their own diagnosis, or the diagnosis of someone they love. For that we want to say a massive thank you!

The generous support of people like yourself makes it possible for us to continue to provide our innovative programs and services completely free of charge to any child that needs them.

These programs and services all work to strengthen the wellbeing of children and their families in what is undoubtedly one of the toughest times of their lives.

This means that, thanks to you, we can be there for them.

Thanks again for helping us give our kids and their families the opportunity to unashamedly – and in the face of real challenge – laugh out loud and build the optimism to help them not only cope, but thrive.

You are one of our favourite people.

Kind regards, Kylea Tink, CEO Camp Quality

GEBIE CHRISTMAS IN JULY GROOTE EYLANDT On behalf of GEBIE, I would like to thank Airnorth for sponsoring the GEBIE Christmas in July. It really meant a lot to the Groote Eylandt Communities and it was so nice to see the families dancing and enjoying themselves.

Kind regards, Jill Simmons, Manager, Social Program DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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airnorth news DOWNLANDS COLLEGE TOOWOOMBA Thanks to Airnorth’s sponsorship, the members of Gryphonix travelled to Melbourne for the Vocal Australia Australian Acapella Awards 2018.

NHULUNBUY PRIMARY SCHOOL ROBOCUP TOURNAMENT GOVE I’m writing to thank Airnorth for the generous support of our Robocup and TOM projects.

I am really excited to let you know that our teams finished 1st and 5th (out of 37 teams) in the Robocup–­­Primary Line Rescue event. Further than that, they earned special mention during the presentation for their sportsmanship and spirit during the event. I can say with confidence that they were excellent brand ambassadors for Airnorth.

Michael Stimpson, Nhulunbuy Primary School

MATT RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY

P H O T O G R A P H : M AT T R YA N

OAKTREE GROUP BIGGEST MORNING TEA TOOWOOMBA Just a quick one to say a big thank you to Airnorth for being a part of our Biggest Morning Tea. From the ticket sales of the flight, we raised a total of $1,785, which took our total for the day to $5,703. With the lucky numbers payout of $225, we banked $5,478.15 to the Cancer Fund.

So once again, thank you to the company for helping out.

Sharon McManus, Village Manager

TOOWOOMBA HOSPICE TOOWOOMBA KIMBERLEY ECHOES TOUR

Firstly, congratulations to Airnorth for their 40th birthday!

I'm pleased to let you know we raised $50,000 for our ‘Hang Ya Boss Out to Dry’ fundraiser for the Toowoomba Hospice this year. The lucky CEO to win the Airnorth voucher for two return adult airfares from Toowoomba to Cairns was Steve Henley from Metro Tiles Toowoomba. I would like to thank you once again for your generosity!

Yours in partnership with the community, Mark Munro, Promotions and Fundraising Manager

KIMBERLEY ECHOES TOUR KUNUNURRA AND DARWIN We very much appreciate Airnorth’s support.

MUSIC NT ALICE SPRINGS MUSIC NT

Ripple Effect Band are in Alice and ready for our Bush Bands Program. We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Airnorth and West Arnhem Regional Council for their support in helping to get the band from Maningrida to Alice Springs. We could not have done it without you.

MATT RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY DILI I want to put out a huge thank you to the team at Airnorth for their support in my return to East Timor after 10 years.

The ground crew at Darwin airport and the team onboard the flights were fantastic. Five-star service. Better than any other crew I have experienced.

Thank you for supporting me and for an effortless flight in and out of Timor-Leste.

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regional news

Sharkbanz: New deterrent technology designed to keep both swimmers and sharks safe Sharkbanz are bands that can be worn around the ankle or wrist that create a magnetic field that deters sharks from swimmers and surfers at close range. They use patented magnetic technology that has been researched and tested by marine biologists on shark species.

Sharkbanz, the subject of ongoing tests, work by emitting a magnetic field which, when sharks approach, sends a signal that taps into their unique electroreception (powerful electrical sense) to cause an unpleasant, though harmless, sensation that effectively turns the sharks away.

Though not yet an entirely fail-safe method to end all shark attacks, the technology represents the first step in a possible new method toward providing a safe environment which will keep both our sharks and humans safe.

For more information visit sharkbanz.com.au

VISITORS TO THE PUBLIC OPENING OF FIELD OF LIGHT AVENUE OF HONOUR

PHOTOGRAPH: LEE GRIFFITH PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CITY OF ALBANY

Let there be light The recently launched art installation ‘Field of Light: Avenue of Honour’ by internationally acclaimed UK artist Bruce Munro has attracted more than 32,000 visitors since it opening to the public on October 4.

Commissioned by cultural organisation FORM, the installation consists of 16,000 glass spheres on fine stems powered by fibre optics.

This is Munro’s second installation in Australia.

His first light installation, Field of Light Uluru, has been luring visitors since 2016, and was so successful that it will be on show until December 2020. Field

of Light formed part of significant Remembrance Day commemorations in Albany, the site where 41,000 troops left for Northern Africa and Gallipoli or the Western Front. The project will continue to be a lasting legacy for Albany beyond April. People have been so moved by the experience that FORM has been capturing the project via reflection postcards. FORM’s front of house service manager Sue McMahon said, “Numbers have overwhelmingly exceeded our expectations and we’ve averaged between 800 to 900 visitors a night.”

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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What's on & what's hot Our pick of the very best gigs, festivals, and cultural and sporting events from around the country.

Compiled by: Sarah hinder

December 8 Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival

Manjimup WA Celebrating local food and wine, the town of Manjimup welcomes the local cherry season with a long table lunch, street parade, masterclasses, farm tours and art. cherryfestival.com.au

December 2

December 26-30

IRONMAN Western Australia

Boxing Day Test

Busselton WA Competitors swim, bike and run through the beautiful town of Busselton in this 15th anniversary IRONMAN event. ap.ironman.com/westernaustralia

Melbourne Vic Australia plays India at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground this Domain Boxing Day Test, in India’s first appearance in Australia since 2016. cricket.com.au

December 7

December 29 – January 5

Alice Springs Christmas Carnival

Hopman Cup

Alice Springs NT The Red Centre comes to life with Christmas festivities from bustling market stalls to roving buskers and street performers. alicesprings.nt.gov.au/events/ christmas-carnival

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Perth WA Tennis champions Serena Williams and Roger Federer are set to play against each other on New Year’s Day in this competition showcasing the top international tennis talent. hopmancup.com

December 27 – January 1 Woodford Folk Festival

Woodford Qld One of the oldest festivals in Australia, Woodford sees more than 2,000 artists take part in comedy, street theatre, writers’ panels, social debate and workshops. woodfordfolk festival.com

Events calendar December 28 – January 6 Falls Festival

Lorne Vic, Marion Bay SA, Byron Bay NSW & Fremantle WA One of the biggest events on the Aussie music festival calendar, this year’s Falls line-up features Toto, Vance Joy, Flight Facilities, Golden Features, Touch Sensitive and Tkay Maidza. fallsfestival.com

Fringe World Perth WA

January 5-13

January 26

Lancelin Ocean Classic

Yabun Festival

Lancelin WA From windsurfing and beach runs to jet skiing and dragon boating, Lancelin hosts one of the most popular watersports competitions in Australia. lancelinoceanclassic.com.au

January 14-27 Australian Open

Melbourne Vic Join tennis champions and enthusiasts from across the globe at this Grand Slam in our very own Melbourne. ausopen.com

January 19 – February 10 Midsumma Festival

Melbourne Vic Over three summer weeks, Melbourne is transformed into a spectacular program of queer performance, film, parties and social events. Don’t miss the signature St Kilda Midsumma Pride March on February 3. midsumma.org.au

January 18 – February 17 Fringe World

Perth WA This packed program of comedy, cabaret, musicals, theatre and circus is presented by local and international artists and will feature hundreds of individual events around Perth. fringeworld.com.au

Sydney NSW An annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, Yabun showcases Australia’s best Indigenous talent from across the country. Yabun’s Speak Out Tent holds panel discussions with members of Sydney’s Indigenous community on prominent issues that affect their lives. yabun.org.au

January 26-28 Festival of Sails

Geelong Vic With a history dating all the way back to 1844, Victoria’s oldest sporting event sees more than 3,000 competitors participating in the sailing regatta, while 110,000 visitors explore its accompanying fun-filled Shoreside Festival. festivalofsails.com.au DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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entertainment

Compiled by: Sarah hinder

ART Patricia Piccinini & Joy Hester: Through love…

November 24 – March 11, TarraWarra Museum of Art, Healesville Vic From two groundbreaking Australian artists, this exhibition on love and intimacy presents more than 50 works that underpin the diverse spectrum of human and non-human relationships. It includes a remarkable new sculpture

by Piccinini and rarely seen ink and paper works by Hester. twma.com.au

Sydney International Art Series

October 13 – March 3, MCA & NGNSW, Sydney Each summer, some of the world’s most astounding exhibitions come to Sydney.

See modern art greats, including Monet, Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and one of photography’s most influential artists, David Goldblatt, at the Museum of Contemporary Art. artpass.com.au

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FILM The Nightingale

Wassily Kandinsky Landscape: Dünaberg near Murnau 1913. The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg Inv GE 9098

In cinemas January 24 It’s 1825, and young Irish convict Claire enlists Aboriginal tracker Billy to help her venture far into the rough Tasmanian wilderness, seeking vengeance on a corrupt British officer.

books

TOURS

Hotter Than Hell

The Right Place, Carla Caruso

Out now, HQ, Fiction Nella inherits her Nonna’s house after she passes.

Driven by a longing to fit in, she dreams of moving away.

But when Nella comes across her Nonna’s cookbook and begins to learn about her old life in Italy and the new life she forged in Australia, Nella gains a new perspective on the reality of where the right place for her really is.

Germaine, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Out now, Knopf Australia, Biography One of the first researchers permitted access to the Germaine Greer Archive, Kleinhenz presents a nuanced account, underpinning both Germaine Greer's influence and the social and intellectual progress of the societies her legacy continues to shape.

Out of Range, John Rooth

Out now, Michael Joseph, Travel Along seven of the most iconic and rugged fourwheel drive trips around the country, John “Roothy” Rooth takes readers on a trip around rural and remote Australia, featuring 30 years of incredible photography of 'out of range' adventures, from desert to mountains to croc swamps.

December 1 – February 23 in Townsville, Gladstone, Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Frankston & Mt Evelyn, Adelaide, Dunsborough The Hotter Than Hell tour will feature ‘90s and ’00s Australian rock acts Spiderbait, Jebediah, Shihad, Magic Dirt, Killing Heidi and Bodyjar at awesome venues all around the country. hotterthanhelltour. com.au

OUTDOOR SUMMER CINEMA

The Red Hot Summer Tour

Sunset Cinema

November 28 – April 13 in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, North Sydney & Wollongong Sunset Cinema’s summer season kicks off with screenings of new blockbusters, including Bohemian Rhapsody, and classics such as Die Hard and The Big Lebowski. sunsetcinema.com.au

Moonlight Cinema

Dec-April from November 29 in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth & Sydney In spectacular locations around our capital cities, outdoor screenings of new and classic films are set to screen throughout Moonlight Cinema’s much-anticipated summer season. moonlight.com.au

January 12 – February 10 in Mannum, Swan Valley, Mornington & Ballarat, Launceston, Hunter Valley & Baulkham Hills, Bribie Island.

The tour features performances from Jimmy Barnes, Joan Jett and more. redhotsummertour. com.au

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Destination Highlight

TROPICAL

SPICE

HOW TO EAT AND DRINK YOUR WAY THROUGH DARWIN Every city has its eat streets and Darwin is no exception.

Thanks to its continuing foodie culture explosion, you can spread your edible adventures right across the Top End’s spectacular landscape, from the city to the sea.

WORDS and photography BY: Jac Taylor

Destination Highlight

Haute heart-shaped waffle brekkie at The Rabbithole.

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t’s a city named after the father of evolution, but even Charles Darwin may have been gobsmacked by the sheer rate at which our northern capital’s foodie scene has evolved. This melting pot of a city has had ingredients thrown in that could have clashed terribly, sitting as it does on the cusp of Asia, yet squarely in the cradle of Aboriginal home lands, and with a fascinating heritage of European settlement to boot. Yet somehow it all blends rather wondrously to produce a destination where you can have a breakfast laksa at the Nightcliff or Parap Village Markets, a classic lunch of wild barra and local bush pepper by the sea, and end the day with tropical cocktails and haute cuisine lit by the city’s famously vibrant sunsets. Choose your culinary adventure any way you like; here are five top ways to eat your way through the Top End food scene.

1. On the Waterfront

2. Café culture

Darwin’s favourite playground has that resort feeling, yet it’s open to all — just across the Skybridge from Smith Street. Catch the breeze in the Wave Lagoon until 6pm then prepare for a stroll along the boardwalk to choose a spot to eat, or spread out your evening into a moveable feast.

Local favourites include the always full-to-heaving CHOW! – ostensibly Vietnamese, but spanning a raft of Asian flavours – or the more formal, special-occasion-friendly Antiquity Greek Restaurant. Hot Tamale has a popular tequila bar full of colourful tipples and a lengthy Mexican menu, while the more sedate and stylish Oyster Bar has become something of a tradition here, pairing oysters with sundowners.

The steamy weather doesn't preclude a steaming cup of coffee (or local chai). The city’s coffee culture is just about set to boil over with hipster-grade cafes popping up in alleyways. Don’t feel self-conscious about ordering your morning joe just the way you like it, but open your mind to a cool new favourite, since many cafes offer iced lattes, short blacks or macchiatos on ice and a dozen other ways to caffeinate in the heat. Visit Alley Cats Patisserie to see their cold-drip coffee set-up, or try a house iced tea made with local berries and plant life, and pair it with waffles topped with Japanese fried chicken and Sriracha — or head to The Rabbithole for a fresh salmon breakfast bowl.  DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Destination Highlight

Little Miss Korea has urban chic down pat

Bubbles and the beach at Darwin Trailer Boat Club (above)

3. Wharf life Stokes Hill Wharf is easily accessible via a walk around the wide, arcing bay next to the Waterfront precinct, and is Darwin’s main jumping-off point for cruising its fascinating coast. You can shell out (pun intended) for the pearl lugger sunset cruise or be thriftier and try a super-fun fish and chips sunset cruise, but don’t ignore the wharf itself. Every day and night, alongside the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s enjoyable visitor centre, an incredibly casual, alfresco dining area catches the through-breeze from the open water, fed by two arcades’ worth of walk-up food stores, including a bar and two fancier seafood restaurant options: Crustaceans on the Wharf and The Jetty.

4. Big sky beaches The crocs and stingers of Darwin’s beaches may make swimming a dicey option, but that keeps this stretch of coastline pristine for locals and visitors to enjoy the stunning, wide vistas. The Sandbar at nearby SKYCITY casino makes a mean cocktail. Up the coast just a touch, the much-loved Darwin Trailer Boat Club serves a mean pub lunch, and in the evening Pee Wee’s at the Point up at East Point gets a gold star as the city’s best-known special-occasion fine dining.

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5. City beat The central area of Darwin shouldn’t be overlooked, as its arcades and alleys now feature some hideaways more than worth their salt. Little Miss Korea has got urban chic down to perfection, using its spot in a well-known graffitied alleyway as a feature rather than a detraction, and celeb chef Chung Jae Lee’s expertise more than matches the décor in terms of style. Just around the corner, PM Eat & Drink also keeps it hip, and the seafood super fresh – this is the place to sample Darwin’s famed fish, simply prepared in share plates best enjoyed with a glass of wine or two.

Airnorth flies to Darwin daily across the Airnorth network. For more information, head to www.airnorth.com.au AN

KIMBERLEY GRANDE HOTEL EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF THE KIMBERLEY

We have large rooms and three function rooms to cater for 20 to 200 people.

We are close to the airport and town centre, and we have scenic gardens and an enormous pool. We have corporate rates available and a free airport shuttle service.

20 Victoria Highway, Kununurra WA 6743 Phone: 1300 9555 49 | Email: reservations@kimberleygrande.com.au

Getaway

elbourne M Getaway WORDS: Robin Kopf

When you get lost in Melbourne, you never stop finding new things to see and do, from soothing seaside walks to curious cobblestone streets. Get lost in the endless culture of Victoria's capital and enjoy the street art, walking tours, gardens, grungy bars and hearty meals at hidden restaurants.

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Getaway

Places to experience Blender Lane and Hosier Lane While some like to roam museums, others roam the streets to see contemporary art at its most raw. You could spend hours checking out the murals, stencil art, posters, and spray paintings that colour the brick walls of Blender Lane and Hosier Lane. Whenever you feel like you need a break, just pop into a hole-in-the-wall cafe, bar or restaurant before continuing your exploration.

AC/DC Lane If you’re after a grungy, rock ’n’ roll experience, look no further than AC/DC Lane, the laneway lovingly named for the ultra-famous Australian rock band, AC/ DC. The world renowned Cherry Bar has free shows on most weeknights, and like most of Melbourne’s laneways, it is also a known hotspot for street art, with a variety of murals honouring rock ’n’ roll legends.

Australian Music Vault Be captivated by the stories of some of Australia’s music legends, as well as the history of genres, music journalism, design and Maton guitars. The exhibition is free, but you may choose to purchase a mixtape card, which lets you create a Spotify playlist based on your favourite songs mentioned in the experience that is emailed to you at the end.

Centre Place There’s every reason to get lost in Centre Place, Melbourne's most famous laneway. Marvel at the beautiful and unique street art, treat yourself to some boutique shopping, groove along with buskers and hop around to different cafes.

Once you’ve realised you’ve been there the whole day, it certainly won’t be difficult to find a place to eat dinner and have a drink or two.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Getaway

Places to walk

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Places to eat The Meatball & Wine Bar The humble, unassuming meatball gets its time in the spotlight at this meat-loving and fun establishment.

Comfort food in a homey atmosphere within a reasonable price range is a fantastic option after a long day of meandering the laneways. Needless to say, if you have a penchant for a glass of Italian wine with your ’balls, you know where to go.

Perfect for a few breaths of fresh air amongst the hustle and bustle of the city centre, an amble through Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens admiring the lush green lawns and lilyspotted lakes is a serene way to pass a few hours. If the kids are coming along, take them to the children’s garden, where they can enjoy plant tunnels and a bamboo forest. The gardens also host summer events, such as theatre performances and movies on the lawn.

HuTong Dumpling Bar This old-style Chinese restaurant takes its name from the alleyways, or 'hutongs', that characterise the most ancient parts of China’s cities – so it’s perfectly situated in Market Lane.

This is the place to go for dim sum and the kind of traditional dishes you might have found in everyday Chinese households long ago.

Pastuso Get a taste of the fresh and delicious flavours of the Peruvian coast, jungle and Andes mountains in a colourful and modern atmosphere.

Chef Alejandro Saravia leads the way, serving ceviche (think sashimi turned up to 11), grilled and smoked meats and his take on Peruvian street food. There is also an extensive, mostly South American wine list and inventive cocktails made with pisco, a Peruvian brandy.

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Williamstown Heritage Walks Take a gorgeous waterfront walk and feel the breeze coming in from Port Phillip Bay. While Williamstown is full of shops and restaurants to browse, try a self-guided walking tour of the seafront and gaze at beautiful views of historic buildings and the Melbourne skyline. The Williamstown Botanic Gardens are also a soothing place to take a relaxing stroll.

Getaway

Places to drink Madame Brussels Spend a sumptuous summer day getting a taste of the garden-party lifestyle at this cheeky rooftop bar.

Shareable jugs, cocktails with naughty names and fancy party food are the stars of this luxurious spot.

It’s the place for parasols, pastels and pursed lips from the afternoon until late.

The Workers Club This Fitzroy music hub is the perfect place to see an up-and-coming band and have a relaxing drink any day of the week. You can’t go wrong with daily specials, hearty and filling pub food, and an easy-going atmosphere. Multiple rooms mean you can choose to either rock out or chill out.

TRAPT Bar & Escape Room

Glamp Cocktail Bar

Have a little adventure by solving an escape room with a group of friends before getting to the bar. There are several themes from prohibition to espionage.

One you’ve finished puzzlesolving, make your way to the speakeasy-style bar for some commemorative themed cocktails.

This quirky and stylish bar is decorated with colourful patterns and canvas to give the appearance of a glamorous camping trip, hence its name. Start the evening with an East African dinner at Polēpolē downstairs, then head up to Glamp for African-inspired cocktails and snacks.

Airnorth flies to Melbourne from Toowoomba's Wellcamp Airport up to 7 times a week. For more information, head to www.airnorth.com.au

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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CHARITY

Don’t be a sucker Everyday hero Molly Steer, a 10-year-old school student from Cairns, has founded the Straw No More project, encouraging Australians to ditch plastic straws because of the damage they wreak on our planet. WORDS BY: Katrina Holden When Cairns primary school student Molly Steer watched the film A Plastic Ocean with her mum in February last year, she was shocked to learn for the first time that plastic never breaks down, and discover the devastating effects plastic pollution is having on our planet and oceans. During the car ride home, Molly, then aged nine, began to wonder what she could do to make a difference to this significant global problem.

“I started the Straw No More project because I didn’t like seeing the turtles being hurt,” says Molly,

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who has ambitions to one day become a marine biologist.

Living in Cairns at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Molly is motivated each day to help save and protect marine life. On the world’s largest coral reef system, right on her doorstep, more than 75 per cent of marine debris found is plastic.

Straws in particular, says Molly, are a “massive” problem.

“Every day humans use more than 500 million plastic straws, which is enough to go around the earth four times,” says Molly.

CHARITY

Straws are used once, and then are either incinerated – which releases toxic emissions – or end up in landfill, where they leach harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater. The rest find their way into oceans because they are light and can travel great distances.

Molly began in her own backyard, convincing her school's principal to ban plastic straws on school grounds. With the help of her mum Jules and the support of siblings Joseph (eight), Rosie (six) and Audrey (four), Molly rolled out the Straw No More project, attracting attention from local and national press, and soon receiving contact from schoolkids asking how they could help champion her cause.

“Australians have been very shocked and said they didn’t know what they were doing,” says Molly. “But now a lot of people don’t use plastic straws,” she adds proudly.

Molly admits that she finds giving speeches to be a nerve-wracking experience. “But I’m getting better at it,” she says.

Her publicity skills were put to the test earlier

JOIN STRAWNOMORE.ORG

this year when Craig Reucassel from the ABC program War on Waste visited Molly in Cairns for a segment about plastic straws. The pair went snorkelling. “We saw a big turtle!” an excited Molly recalls.

After the program aired, Molly’s mum Jules received 1,800 emails in 48 hours from all around the country, with more than twothirds of those from people interested in the StrawBassador program, inspiring others to continue Molly’s work in their own communities.

More announcements and resources will be made available at strawnomore.org, so check in regularly to see how you can get involved.

Back in the family car after school, with her mum behind the wheel and surrounded by her younger siblings, Molly doesn’t hesitate when asked who her hero is.

“My mum! She always inspires me and she’s never really afraid to do anything.”

Airnorth flies to Cairns from Darwin and Gove. For more information head to www.airnorth.com.au AN

Did you know?

• Plastic production has outpaced recycling by five times in the past decade.

• Straws do not biodegrade, creating pollution at every stage of their existence.

• 86 per cent of all sea turtle species are affected by plastic (Greenpeace report 2006 Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans).

• More than 75 per cent of marine debris found on the Great Barrier Reef is plastic.

Would you like to nominate an Everyday Hero who is doing something incredible to bring about positive change, either on a global scale or at a local community level? Please email editor@publishingbychelle.com if you have someone to recommend to us at Together We Fly.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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ARTSPACE

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards Now in its 35th year, the country’s most prestigious Indigenous art awards celebrate the richness and diversity of contemporary creative practice by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

WORDS: Sarah Hinder

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I M A G E : E R I C B A R N E Y.

Artist Peter Mungkuri with his artwork, Ngura (country).

Since 1984, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) has played host to the best works of contemporary Australian Indigenous art, as part of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA). Wide-ranging in form and content, NATSIAA demonstrates the complexity and diversity of Indigenous art.

This year’s awards welcomed more than 300 individual artist entrants — from bark painting to multimedia to stoneware and porcelain — from every state in Australia, with the best 66 entrants selected for this year’s NATSIAA exhibition which ran at MAGNT from August 11 to November 11. From intimate sculptural pieces to enormous and striking paintings, an exploration of the exhibition took visitors on a visceral journey throughout Aboriginal Australia.

Selected by an experienced judging panel, with a focus on unearthing new artistic developments within contemporary Aboriginal arts, the winners for each eight individual categories were announced in August, receiving a collective $80,000 to be put towards individual career development.

Each year sees an increasing diversity of art and media forms, partly in response to the adoption of new category awards including the Telstra Multimedia Award and the Telstra Emerging Artist Award in 2017.

“This year’s Awards attracted entries of a truly extraordinary artistic calibre, from diverse geographic regions, highlighting the continuing growth of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts sector,” says Luke Scholes, MAGNT Curator of Aboriginal Art. Described by the judges as a powerful and commanding

ARTSPACE

IMAGE: FIONA MORRISON

Images Left ro right: Buyku

by Gunybi Ganambarr; Artist Gunybi Ganambarr with his artwork, Buyku.

work, this year’s overall winner is remote Top End artist Gunybi Ganambarr, from the community of Gan Gan in East Arnhem Land. His work Buyku, involving intricate large-scale etching on aluminium board, is indicative of Ganambarr’s deep knowledge of culture and ceremony.

Ganambarr explains that the differing directions and flow in the work are representative of multiple grandfathers (mari) from the one Dhalwangu clan. The arms come together to form a fish trap (buyku) as seen in the ceremony performed by his Yirritja ancestors. The waters from Gadarrpa to Gulutji come together to form a family connection.

“Great work has to sustain you, it has to call you back,” says Kelly Gellatly, director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne — one of NATSIAA 2018’s three judges. “And we found ourselves circling through the space and returning time and time again to [Ganambarr’s] work. It’s both the command of scale and the kind of rigour within that scale; the incredible command of materials, but also the beautiful movement across the work, the sense that you have the flow of water and his grandfathers come together in that image.”  DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Dream the days away at Frenchman’s River.

Beauty, luxury, serenity. Come and stay. book@frenchmansriver.com.au | 0466 790 142 @frenchmansrivercygnet | www.frenchmansriver.com.au

ARTSPACE

Images Left to right: Artist Peter Mungkuri; Ngura (Country) by Peter Mungkuri

IMAGE: RHETT HAMMERTON

Winner of the Telstra General Painting Award, Peter Mungkuri’s Ngura (Country) exudes energy and flowing movement, both quietly tender and powerful. Of his work Mungkuri explains, “This is my painting about the country where I was born. It was traditional way, none of us had any clothes, we’d never seen houses, we lived in the bush, slept in the warm sand and we lived on the bush tucker. That place is where it all started. This country is my home. We grew up a little bit over there, a little bit near Mimili, and over at Amarouna. I’ve got good knowledge of horses, stockmen, and the country. These things, everything, is my memory — my knowledge, I like painting my country, I like to paint the memories of my country.”

Attracting more than 65,000 visitors each year, NATSIAA is aptly described as a diversity showcase that reveals to audiences the depth and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artistic practice and art making. The Awards provide a platform for Indigenous art and for Indigenous artists to aspire to. magnt.net.au/natsiaa.

Airnorth flies to 10 destination within the Northern Territory.

For more information head to www.airnorth.com.au AN DEC 2018/JAN 2019

31

Stay connected with us for the best in regional people, places, travel and experiences FOLLOW US

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Summer Products

Fabulous & Fresh

We’ve put together some cool new products to jazz up your life over summer. compiled by: robin kopf

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1. JOCO 8oz Cup 100% plastic-free with artisan blown glass and a thermal silicone exterior strip for easy gripping, the JOCO Reusable Cup is an ideal way to enjoy your coffee sustainably. $27.95, jococups.com

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2. Southern Wild Co. Scented Candles These thoughtfully made scented candles are inspired by the Australian bush. They are produced with paraben- and phthalate-free fragrances and single-origin essential oils and are encased in recycled glass. They burn for more than 70 hours. $65, southernwildco. com.au

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3. Walter Wallet Walter Bamboo Wireless Charging Dock This funky wireless charging dock wirelessly charges Qi enabled devices and is the perfect space to store keys, coins and wallets. $79.95, isgift.com

4. Finlayson Alma Vase An exotic, modern vase that will seamlessly blend into any type of decor.

RRP: $49.95, albi.com.au/

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5. Eva Solo My Flavour Carafe This water carafe includes a skewer for attaching your favourite fruits, vegetables or herbs to flavour your water in a healthy way. The skewer is detachable and both the skewer and the carafe are dishwasher safe. $89.90, top3.com.au

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

Summer Products

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9. Pool Float Drink Holder Keep your drink close at hand when you’re lounging in or out of the water with this inflatable and Instagram-able addition to your pool. $24.95, sunnylife. com.au

6. AmphibiGlass Floating Glass

7. Avanti hydration bottles

8. Ice pop moulds

Perfect for the pool, beach or picnic, these glasses float in the pool or stick into sand or grass to avoid spilling your drink no matter where you are.

Available in blue and clear.

12.95, isgift.com

Fabricated from high quality stainless steel, Avanti Hydration bottles feature double wall Aircore technology that keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12 hours. $26.95ea, avantihomewares.com

Help the kids cool off this summer with homemade icy pops created in these fun mermaid shaped moulds.

They’re BPA free and dishwasher safe for super easy cleaning. $19.95, sunnylife.com.au

Summer Products

10. Luckies Scratch Map Scratch off the gold foil layer to reveal beautifully vibrant colours and detail. Scratch Map make a truly thoughtful and personal gift for the globe trotter in your life. $39.95, isgift.com

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11. BioLite CampStove 2 This light, efficient camp stove can boil a litre of water in less than five minutes, it’s rechargeable, can store a full phone charge, and it uses twigs, sticks or pellets as fuel to create a smoke-free cooking experience. $269.95 seatosummitdistribution. com.au

12. Norm Salt & Pepper Bottle Grinders For the movers and shakers out there, the powerful ceramic mechanism in these grinders makes them easy to operate and perfect for salt, pepper or even your favourite spices and grains, nuts, seeds or dried fruits. $139.95, huntingforgeorge.com

13. Honeycomb wine rack With one piece of designer ‘honeycomb’ holding up to three bottles of wine, the Honeycomb wine rack makes storing your favourite wines easy and stylish. And the more wine you collect, the more pieces you can add to the ensemble. $29.95, saltandpepper.com.au DEC 2018/JAN 2019

Voted the

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Summer Products 15

14. ALBI CUSHIONS The Amalfi Native Botanica Cushions are 100% cotton covered. Celebrating Australian wild flowers in subtle tones, they will complement an array of living spaces. $59.95, albi.com.au

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15. JOCO 20oz Flask With artisan blown glass, antibacterial olive wood lid and no-slip grip, say no to plastic this summer with the sleek JOCO eco-friendly bottle. $59.95, jococups.com

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18. Oliver Bed

16. Roamer Roll Up Picnic Rug This compact and easy to carry picnic rug is perfect for picnics, outdoor cinemas, concerts or just relaxing in the sun.

The back is waterproof, and the front is made of comfortable fleece. $29.99, kathmandu. com.au

17. black devil cider Black Devil cider is made from 100% fresh apples sourced from hand-tended Tasmanian orchards. The fruit is hand-picked, handsorted and milled before undergoing a long, cool fermentation. It’s benchblended with fresh apple juice. $109.99 per case of 24, blackdevilcider.com.au

This Scandi-style bed frame is the perfect base upon which to relax. Made in Melbourne from Tasmanian Oak veneer and powder-coated tube steel frame.

From $1,899.00, huntingforgeorge.com

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

Summer Products

19. Bond Collection This uber-cool bar collection includes glasses and decanters ideal for that evening scotch. $9.95-$99.95, saltandpepper. com.au

20. Basil Bangs Love Rug Wildflower

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This padded and waterproof picnic mat ensures a comfortable and spill-proof seat anywhere outdoors for everyone. The vibrant mat includes a pocket for your phone and keys and folds into its own carry bag. $155, top3.com.au

21. Cloud Weather Station 22 21

The formation of the crystals within the Cloud Weather Station predicts the weather forecast. $34.95, isgift.com

22. The Australian collection eCup Keep the environment clean and healthy one coffee at a time with IS GIFT’s collection of reusable eCups in gorgeous Australian botanical prints.

These porcelain and silicone cups hold 415ml and are dishwasher safe. They are available in three designs.

RRP: $15.95 isgift.com DEC 2018/JAN 2019

What’s on for the weekend?

T h i s i s w h a t e v e r y w e e ke n d l o o k s l i ke i n a P a t r i o t C a m p e r

TO F I N D O U T M O R E YO U T U B E “ PAT R I OT C A M P E R S F R A S E R I S L A N D ” O R V I S I T PAT R I OTC A M P E R S . C O M . AU

AusBiz.

NEWS+VIEWS | MINING | AGRIBUSINESS | INFRASTRUCTURE

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28 P.4 Agribusiness: Dairy Industry Innovations P.10 Mining and water management P.16 New Hotels P.22 Business: Highland beef P.26 Season's Savings P.28 Property: Escape the City

K9 Sport Sack Australia The original dog carrier backpack that is safe, comfortable, easy and fun.

Allows you to take your dog anywhere, to do anything.

Never leave your dog behind again.

Friends.

Together.

Always! www.k9sportsackaustralia.com k9sportsackaustralia

Business News+Views

Business News+Views Bringing you the latest insights and analysis. WORDS: Sarah Hinder Season’s first tray of South Australian strawberries sold for $17,500 in charity auction For the first time, South Australia has held a charity auction to launch the start of its spring and summer strawberry season. In similar fashion to the annual mango auction in Queensland, the South Australian strawberry industry decided to hold the auction in response to the struggle strawberry farmers have faced following more than 100 incidents of needles found in Australian strawberries earlier this year.

The strawberry auction was held on I Choose SA Day, October 27, which promotes South Australian produce and suppliers and encourages locals to support South Australian producers and businesses. All proceeds from the auction were donated to Variety SA, which support children who are sick, disadvantaged or living with special needs.

For more information visit variety.org.au/sa.

New technology will improve Australian producers’ defence against top biosecurity risk Technology start-up RapidAIM, founded by researchers from the CSIRO, is at the forefront of curbing one of the world’s biggest biosecurity barriers to trade: the fruit fly.

The company recently received a $1.25 million boost from the Federal government toward their effort in providing Australian producers with an improved early detection system against fruit flies — which cost Australia’s fruit and vegetable industry more than $300 million each year.

The first reliable form of pest ‘radar’ to support growers against pests such as the fruit fly, RapidAIM delivers real-

time detection and monitoring in an effort to assist against the devastating affects the pests can cause. The technology uses low-powered sensors, which can be distributed in thousands, to detect the insects by their characteristic movements and provide real-time data back to growers through an app.

RapidAIM’s technology can provide early warnings of future pest hotspots and reduce the time spent checking for the pests by 35 per cent, allowing for a more rapid response to contaminated areas.

Fast facts

304,200

As of 2016-17, there are 304,200 people employed in Australian agriculture. The agricultural supply chain, including the affiliated food and fibre industries, provide over 1.6 million jobs.

Every month Variety Australia delivers more than $1 million to children and families in need Who can’t afford specialist care and equipment.

$200 million Variety Australia has raised more than $200 million for children in need over the last 30 years.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Agribusiness, Dairy

Darren Baguley Darren specialises in the fields of technology, mining, agriculture, energy and business.

When the going gets tough, the tough get innovative TIMES ARE TOUGH IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY BUT PRODUCERS ARE RESPONDING WITH INNOVATION. 4

AusBiz.

Agribusiness, Dairy

LITTLE BIG DAIRY IS A FA M I LY F R I E N D LY FA R M

Even the most infrequent follower of current affairs knows that dairy farmers are doing it tough. It started off with Coles and Woolworths offering $1-a-litre milk at the same time as processors predicted burgeoning demand from Asia and urged suppliers to increase. Many dairy farmers responded to the urging to “make sure they didn’t miss out on the China rush” by scaling up their business – buying more land in some cases, buying in feed in others – to increase herd sizes.

Mostly, the expansions were paid for with borrowed money.

The world economy, however, didn’t follow the dairy industry’s vision. Demand from China plateaued and then came a true ‘black swan’ event, the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 by Russian-backed Ukrainian separatist rebels. Russia responded to the ensuing sanctions by imposing import bans, which resulted in Europe being awash with milk, cheese and other dairy products that were dumped on traditionally Australian markets at cost or below.

In April 2016, Australia’s largest milk processor, Murray

Goulburn, slashed the farmgate price for milk to below the cost of production for most farmers, and announced it would seek to claw back past payments made at the previous higher rate. The Australian dairy industry was a house of cards built with debt and it all came crashing down when Murray Goulburn’s largest rival, Fonterra, followed suit.

The cuts drove the price below the cost of production for most producers and the clawbacks left many dairy farmers in debt to the processor – as much as $100,000 in some cases – plunging the industry into crisis. Already debt-laden due to expansion, many farmers didn’t have cash reserves to pay the processors’ bills. Then came the drought.

Some parts of Queensland had been in drought for more than six years, of course, and for the rest of the country, one dry winter and spring was just part of life. But by the second dry winter in NSW, an already weakened dairy industry was in trouble. With little or no rain there was no grass for their cows and the price of feed skyrocketed – hay up by 59  DEC 2018/JAN 2019

5

Agribusiness, Dairy

per cent and grain up by 40 per cent – as did transport costs. NSW had run out of fodder, which then had to come from Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

Some producers responded by selling up completely or moving to different enterprises such as beef cattle, but Aussie farmers are an innovative bunch and many were determined to survive no matter what the market conditions. In Jamberoo, NSW, dairy farmer Jason Maloney launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign which raised $269,283 for his farm and others in the area.

The historic sixth-generation Country Valley at Picton took to social media asking people to ‘adopt a cow’. While both these campaigns were highly successful, Queensland Dairyfarmers’ Organisation vice-president Matthew Trace pointed out that there were more than 100 pleas for crowdfunding on GoFundMe alone.

“While crowdfunding can provide a quick injection of cash to a farm, it is not a long-term solution,” he told the North Queensland Register. “The only way we can have a sustainable dairy industry is by getting a fair farmgate price.”

Although prices from the major processors are edging back up due to record-low production levels, some producers say the way to achieve a fair farmgate price is to cut out the middleman completely.

Companies such as The Little Big Dairy Co (Dubbo), Peel Valley Milk (Tamworth) and Gippsland Dairy (Eastern Victoria) are going to market in local areas with premium quality milk that carries their own brand.

The Little Big Dairy Co was set up because Steve and Erika Chesworth’s daughter Emma (and her husband Jim) wanted to come back to the family farm and they all felt it would be best for them to have their own enterprise to run. Most of the family-run-andowned business’s milk from its 800 Holstein cows goes to major processor Parmalat, but a proportion is sold as the Little Big Dairy Co’s prize-winning single source premium milk.

Steve manages the cows and knows every single one of the 800 by name. Erika raises the calves and, unlike on some dairy farms, male calves are raised to maturity.

The Chesworths’ Holstein stud is one of the most highly regarded in the country, so many bull calves end up in other dairy herds while those that don’t make the cut

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AusBiz.

Agribusiness, Dairy

go to feedlots. The emphasis is on animal welfare, not only because it is the right thing to do but also because, as Erika says, “Happy cows produce the best milk.”

For the Chesworths, the Little Big Dairy Co brand has been a resounding success. “It’s been absolutely wonderful,” says Erika. “Not only has it brought our daughter and her husband back to the family farm, but we have met so many passionate people through the creation of the brand. It’s been well worth doing.”

Despite the positive experience the Chesworths have had, Erika is cautious about the future. “When we started I did a lot of research and found that about 20 per cent of Australians care enough to buy a premium-branded milk. So there is no doubt that it can work and work well but I think that in NSW the boutique market may be getting close to saturation. The last thing any small processor wants is to be competing with other small processors in the same market.”

Erika is even more concerned for the industry as a whole: “Between deregulation and $1-a-litre milk, there is no fat left in the dairy supply chain to give producers a buffer when there’s a market downturn or a drought. We need profitable farms and processors so there can be investment in R&D and infrastructure. The way consumers can help with that is by buying branded milk.”

P H O T O G R A P H S : H I S Y LV I A

F E AT U R E D D A I R Y P R O D U C T S AT D A I R Y A W A R D S N I G H T 2 017

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Goodbye Dust Hello Revegetation A huge undertaking by Adelaide-based company Spray Grass Australia sees the implementation of a new dust suppressant on the Port Augusta Ash Dam with a focus on long term vegetation.

150 ha of high risk dust area was applied with dust suppressant HydroBond

100%

safe for vegetation

Advertorial

Port Augusta Ash Dam

“We knew that research and development was going to be a vital part in making this project a success.”

Glenn Sullivan - Environmental Consultant

F

linders Power awarded Adelaide-based Spray Grass Australia to provide the decommissioned Port Augusta Ash Dam with a new dust suppressant that is specifically designed for revegetation.

The former power station site has undertaken multiple initiatives to control the risk of dust pollution and to revegetate the area since the announcement of its closure back in 2015. Tonnes of top soil has been applied to the 270-hectare site and seeded with the aim for rehabilitating the bare land. A lack of average rainfall and harsh environmental conditions has made this extremely difficult, resulting in high-level dust risk.

Spray Grass Australia is confident that HydroBond will address the short-term dust control requirements while simultaneously achieving a positive impact on existing plant life and improving the environment for germination of seedlings. HydroBond is particularly suited to projects that require revegetation due to its permeable crust forming features that allow water and air to infiltrate the surface.

Specialised HydroTruck spraying over 870 litres per minute

HydroBond was rated against the following criteria: • Health, safety & environment •

Dust control including crust thickness, durability, soil strength and functional longevity

•

Revegetation outcomes including germination, soil moisture, water-holding capacity and water penetration

The germination trials and live plant studies concluded that the application of HydroBond did not impede on existing vegetation. In fact, the suppressant proved to be beneficial for plant growth.

Spray Grass Australia will continue to partner with Flinders Power throughout 2019 to achieve success in the environment.

Independent ecology firm Succession Ecology performed a detailed analysis including ecotoxicity studies to confirm suitability for application on the ash dam.

A series of tests were conducted to cover a range of criteria including impact on seed germination, plant survival, water movement and soil-surface binding.

All tests were conducted on site specific soil and on landscape soil (sandy loam) and ranks were generated based on performance relative to control samples with no product added.

spraygrassaustralia.com.au

HydroBond produces a protective crust to lock in dust while allowing air and water to permeate the surface, vital for revegetation.

Mining

Darren Baguley Darren specialises in the fields of technology, mining, agriculture, energy and business.

Whisky’s for drinkin’ – water’s for fightin’ MINES USE A LOT OF WATER, AND ON A DRY CONTINENT THAT CAN LEAD TO CONFLICT WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.

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AusBiz.

Mining

As miners chase lower-grade ores, they have a greater impact upon the water table and use more water for processing. This is increasing the possibility and intensity of conflict with local communities, agricultural producers and other stakeholders.

Indeed, this potential for conflict has become so severe that Deloitte’s Tracking the Trends 2018 report includes water management as a critical issue for the mining industry.

According to the report, “water demand is rising globally, driven by population growth, industrial development, expansion of irrigated agriculture, and increases in per capita water consumption.

“Critically, this growing demand is not offset by available supply. According to the United Nations (UN), water scarcity now affects more than 40 per cent of the global population and is expected to worsen. Currently, over 1.7 billion people live in river basins where water use exceeds recharge, and by 2050 at least one in four people are likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring freshwater shortages.”

As BHP recently noted, “[E]thical water stewardship is expected increasingly to emerge as a competitive advantage for those operators that get it right. For those that do not, their ability to maintain their social licence to operate may come into question.”

At different stages of the production process, mines produce and use a lot of water. As excavations delve into the water table, dewatering is often required for open-cut and underground operations. Even if dewatering is not required, groundwater remains a critical water supply source for processing operations. In addition, managing seepage from waste rock landforms and tailing facilities on aquifers is a key component in meeting mining regulations.

According to the CSIRO, processing “water use is quite high – for example, around 1600 litres of water are used to obtain the 19 kilograms of copper found in a medium-sized family car.” Put another way, Monash University research found that, on average, it takes around 1690 litres of water to process a tonne of gold ore, and about 773,000 litres to produce a kilogram of gold.

Nevertheless, leading mining companies that retain a strong social licence are often those that follow the best practices when it comes to water management. Writing in the AusIMM Bulletin, Golder Associates managing director Ralph Heath says, “Often the water balance for a mining operation results in an initial excess of water (during pit dewatering), but a long-term deficit where a sustainable water resource is required for processing. [Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR)] provides a tool to help balance the water budget over the life of mine operations.

“The regulatory environment concerning water management in mining operations is also becoming an impetus for the inclusion of MAR as a possible method of  DEC 2018/JAN 2019

11

Mining

Mining companies can make a significant contribution to the provision of safe water supplies to communities. excess water management. In Western Australia, there is now a requirement to have least investigated the potential for MAR as a method of excess water management where the water balance, hydrogeology and environmental constraints allow it.

“Generally, the adoption (or at least the trialling) of aquifer replenishment as a method of excess water management will gain the support and approval of regulators and provide a licence to practice in challenging groundwater environments.

“Similarly, the adoption of MAR techniques in mining will gain the support of the community and traditional owners who are focused on the long-term sustainability of the catchment and groundwater environment.”

One of the largest MAR projects in the world is Fortescue Metals’ award-winning Cloudbreak scheme. Situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the deployment of MAR both “conserves valuable groundwater for future redraw and mitigates the environmental impact of mine dewatering.”

Other measures mining companies are taking to improve water management include building dams for water storage and operating dedicated water treatment plants to process water into usable quality.

Leaching from waste rock can contaminate surface and groundwater so miners have been using techniques such as building upstream dams to reduce risk of water contamination from waste rock and exposed ore, and covering and lining waste rock and ore piles.

Similarly, ore processing also contaminates water, so mining companies are looking at various ways to recycle the water used to process ore and reduce the amount used overall. These measures include building evaporation ponds, capturing drainage water through liners and pipes and directing it into tailings dams, and treating the water.

Desalination plants have become extremely popular, with more than 50 small plants operating in South Australia alone.

Research institutions and companies are also working on ways to purify contaminated water. The CSIRO, for example, has developed a technology called Virtual Curtain, which uses hydrotalcites to trap metal contaminants in waste water.

Adelaide-based company Micromet is taking a different approach, using electrolysis to remove pollutant materials.

In some instances, mining companies can take water management a step further and use it to build social capital in the mines’ operations. According to International Council

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AusBiz.

Mining

on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Report, Water management in mining: a selection of case studies, “…mining companies can actually make a significant positive contribution to the provision of safe, clean and adequate supplies of water to neighbouring communities. For example, eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant in South Africa (operated by Anglo American in partnership with BHP Billiton) treats the contaminated water from its own and other mining operations and delivers treated water directly into the local municipality’s water system.”

Water use conflicts have the most impact on miners’ social licence to operate, but there are also economic impacts from poor water management. According to SRK Australia’s Perthbased principal consultant (hydrogeology), Brian Luinstra, “The impacts of failing to adequately understand the groundwater system can result in reduced mill throughputs, increasing drilling and blasting costs and regulatory issues related to water disposal from excess dewatering.

“All these factors can have profound impacts on project economics, and in rare cases have resulted in some operations coming perilously close to failure.”

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

13

Precision Solar Farm Technology

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AusBiz. Promotion

Does your mine need a technology health check?

There is a misconception about data that the more you have, the more productive your mine operations will be. More information theoretically leads to more informed decisions, however if there is such an abundance of information that you don’t know how to pick out the meaningful parts, it can lead to frustration and inefficiency as you try to wade through data that is invisibly piling up around you.

A report is only useful if it contains information that is wanted, delivered in a timely manner to the individuals and teams that can make informed decisions after reading it. So many software programs and Fleet Management Systems (FMS) promise all manner of reports, but how many do your mine site supervisors, mine surveyors, mine operations managers and operations team actually need, let alone read?

Essential to a meaningful report, of course, is also a factually accurate one. How do you know that the data your mining software is churning out faster than you can file it away is giving you correct information?

Position Partners has recently introduced a Technology Health Check service for Fleet Management Systems and machine guidance on mine sites. “We’ve seen an increase in the demand for our health checks to assist mines with change management and customising technology to suit customer needs,” explained Andrew Granger, Business Development Manager for Mining.

“The service includes an in-depth look into the current systems used by different stakeholders in the mine site, what’s working for them, what’s causing frustration or lacking in the technology, where there are gaps in the workflow and so on,” he added.

Position Partners technicians can validate data to ensure that the reports being generated are accurate, as well as consolidate the number of reports into something more meaningful.

“Thousands of reports are useless if none of them are getting read,” Andrew adds.

“We worked with a mine site recently where different supervisors were reading different reports, so we

consolidated them into a single, central report with a traffic-light colour code that gave them an immediate visual representation of where they needed to focus attention.

“It’s a simple way of making a cumbersome and difficult to understand report something that all mine supervisors could easily read, and more importantly act on,” he said.

In another example, a customer had already invested in an FMS solution, however the machine guidance technology was proving ineffective and difficult for operators to use.

“Operator confidence in the system was extremely important, so we initially set up one dozer and one excavator with a new machine guidance option,” Andrew said.

“Within a month, the customer had ordered another seven machine guidance systems because the operators were really embracing the technology. It solved that particular pain point for the mine without them having to reinvest in an entirely new FMS.” Mr Granger explains that change management is key when onboarding any new technology, or even to make use of technology that has been on site for some time but that isn’t quite working to your site’s needs.

“Every site operates in a slightly different way, requiring different information delivered at certain points in the team’s workflow,” he says, adding “our Technology Health Checks are a way for mine site supervisors and operations managers to step back and ask for everything that would add true value to their day-to-day tasks.

“Ultimately, data is supposed to make your life easier, not harder, so it’s important to get it working just the way it needs to, so that it enables productivity not hinders it,” he said.

To book a Technology Health Check for your mine, speak to your local Position Partners mining technology expert today by calling 1300 867 266 or visit positionpartners.com.au DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Infrastructure

HOTEL 2.0 STYLISH, OFFBEAT AND SUSTAINABLE HOTELS REPLACE THE COOKIE-CUTTER ACCOMODATIONS OF THE PAST.

IAN LLOYD NEUBAUER

With nearly 20 years’ journalism experience, Ian is abreast of global news as it happens.

C L O U D R U N N E R R O O M AT THE COLLECTIONIST

Right now, the Australian accommodation sector is undergoing its largest growth phase in history, with 200 new or upgraded hotels and resorts scheduled to launch across the country over the next seven years.

New-generation properties are pushing the envelope in every conceivable direction – with innovative new features and services such as keyless room entry, properties where no two rooms look alike, and hotel restaurants so bloody good they’ve become dining destinations in their own right.

“The new wave of hotel development is covering all price

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points – from economy to luxury,” says Carol Giuseppi, CEO of Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA), which last month released the country’s first Hotel Innovation Report. “The changes are being driven by changes in travellers’ demands, particularly the Millennial generation, and influencing new hotel design with an emphasis on localism, individualism, art and sustainability.”

Here, Ausbiz visits properties leading the charge to see how innovation is driving growth in Australia’s multibilliondollar tourism industry.

Infrastructure

SHOCK OF THE NEW During previous phases of growth in the Australian accommodation sector in the late 1980s and just prior to the Sydney Olympics, the focus was on “brand fidelity” – ensuring internationally branded hotels looked and felt like their counterparts in Europe and the US. The first kink in the armour appeared a decade ago with the launch of Art Series Hotels in Melbourne, with properties inspired by and festooned with the works of notable Australian artists such as Adam Cullen and John Olson.

But the hotel group credited with breaking the mould is QT, which designed and manages a magazine of luxury hotels across Australia that are not only individually styled but reflect the heart and soul of their particular destination.

The group’s first property, QT Gold Coast, which opened in 2011, is a five-star take on a 1950s beach-style art deco hotel that embraces

the city’s highly sexualised past. A year later they launched QT Sydney, a 200-room property set in two neo-Gothic sandstone buildings in the CBD, and which offers a thespian service model that replaces traditional concierges with 'directors of chaos', who dress like characters from A Clockwork Orange and satisfy, analyse and predict guests’ needs. As for QT's food, the West Australian recently rated Santini, an Italianstyle restaurant in the new QT Perth, as a “rock star ... larger-than-life … [and] one of the finest, most welcoming temples to dining” in the city.

“We have a pillar in our strategy called ‘Loved

by Locals’ that’s about creating awesome F&B experiences,” says director of brand strategy Victoria Doidge. “If you look at QT Melbourne, it has one of the city’s most popular rooftop bars, while Yamagen in QT Gold Coast is regarded as the strip’s best Japanese restaurant.” 

C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T: QT PERTH'S SANTINI BAR & GRILL; T H E P E N T H O U S E AT T H E C U L L E N ; QT MELBOURNE'S ROOFTOP; THE OLSEN'S EXTERIOR

Fast Facts

1975

Australia’s first major internationally branded hotel, the Hilton Sydney, opened in 1975.

10%

Tourism in Australia is projected to grow 10 per cent per annum over the next decade.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Infrastructure

TOP TO BOTTOM: JETSET ROCKET ROOM AT T H E C O L L E C T I O N I S T; A L I A S R O O M AT T H E C O L L E C T I O N I S T; Y O U R P H O N E A S A K E Y AT T H E CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL

NEW DISRUPTORS While it’s still considered one of the city’s most innovative hotels, QT Sydney is now facing a tough new competitor: The Collectionist, a “custom-design” hotel set in a repurposed warehouse in inner-city Camperdown.

Highlighting the move away from uniformity, The Collectionist features 39 individually themed rooms designed by seven architects, four design firms and nine artists. Guests select their rooms based on their preferred style, much the same way they choose their cars.

“I realised people are very particular about the car they drive, the colour they choose, the style they want,” says CEO Daniel Symonds. “It’s a very personal choice with cars, so why didn’t we make hotel rooms that catered to these different tastes rather than offering standardised rooms and no choice in the room type a guest prefers? By providing guests with a more tactile way of choosing their room, they are directly involved in their stay experience.”

Innovative technology is another cornerstone of The Collectionist, with a digital booking process that sees check-in access codes sent directly to guests via email and SMS. But hotel baron Dr Jerry Schwartz has taken the idea one step further at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley with “mobile key technology”. The system allows guests to bypass the reception desk by downloading the hotel’s branded app.

On the day of check-in, the hotel team digitally generate a keyless function and send it to guests’ smartphones along with the allocated room number, which allows them to access their room simply by waving the phone in front of the corresponding door.

“I’ve always been passionate about the use of technology that enhances guest experiences,” says Schwartz. “We’ve received excellent feedback from the innovation and are now working to extend keyless entry to our other hotels.”  DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Infrastructure

GREEN REVOLUTION A keen environmentalist, Schwartz is also adding solar panels and electric car battery charging stations in his hotels in Sydney, the Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains. And that’s just the beginning. In the future, the use of smart materials will see the introduction of window blinds that open and close automatically according to the position of the sun, walls that ensure optimal room temperature, and furniture that acts as a power source, according to TAA’s Hotel Innovation Report.

To see a property that’s taken environmental sustainability as far as it can go, one must travel to Picnic Island in Tasmania’s pristine Coles Bay. Last year the island’s owner Clem NewtonBrown opened Picnic Island Resort, a luxury five-cabin property that’s 100 per cent off-thegrid. On check-in, guests are allocated a certain

quantity of water and solar-generated electricity for the duration of their stay, and taught how to use the compost toilet in accordance with sustainable lifestyle principles.

“Many people will go to a place of great natural beauty, go on a hike, but then stay at a big hotel and disconnect from nature again,” Newton-Brown says. “But here Mother Nature never gets switched off because we’re right on the high-water line and you become hypersensitive to the wind and tides.

“We don’t ask guests to empty the compost toilet tanks but we prove that you can stay at a very flash place while being off-the-grid. There are not many places in Australia or the world that can charge nearly $1000 a night for rooms with funny-looking toilets, but we do here and it’s really taken off.”

C L O C K W I S E F R O M L E F T: P I C N I C I S L A N D R E S O R T; T H E B E A C H AT C O L E S B AY; PICNIC ISLAND RESORT R O O M O N T H E WAT E R

Fast Facts

96%

per cent of Australian hotels now offer some level of free WiFi to their guests.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Business

Land of Plenty

DOWN IN TASMANIA’S DERWENT VALLEY, JUST 40KM OUT OF HOBART, IS A LITTLE HAMLET CALLED PLENTY. ON THE FACE OF IT, THE NAME ALONE INVITES WOULD-BE “TREECHANGERS” TO COME AND FIND THEIR FORTUNE – AND THAT’S EXACTLY HOW THE STORY OF BIG RIVER HIGHLAND BEEF BEGINS. PHOTOS: ANT ONG Bec Lynd, born and bred in Tasmania, was living in Darwin in 2010, but dreamed of returning to her home state, finding both enough room to keep her horse and a way to live off-the-grid.

“Initially I wanted at least 100 acres,” she says, “but I saw this place and just fell in love.” The property she fell for and ultimately purchased had more than enough room at 220 acres, with a north-facing slope and a pleasing ratio of 60 per cent bush, 40 per cent cleared land. “I was trying to design the lifestyle I wanted,” Lynd says. “The actual progression was pretty pragmatic.” The property had no infrastructure when she bought it, missing both fencing and driveway, so there was a significant time investment needed. The area and its slope, while stunningly beautiful,

Jac Taylor Jac Taylor is a Sydneybased lifestyle and travel storyteller who loves covering the best of Australian leisure and food businesses.

Business

“Sustainability means environmental, but it also means emotional, economic and financial sustainability."

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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experiences some of the highest highs and lowest lows of Tasmanian weather patterns. It’s a bushfire-prone zone, with rocky slopes, so this made the choice of livestock quite specific.

“She investigated different options,” says her partner, Bec Tudor, “and ended up with Highland cattle. They keep the grass down, and they’re very hardy. They’re not daunted by slopes, hills or dales, and they can handle weather extremes because their coats act as insulation, so they’re very robust.”

An added and very important bonus is how little extra farming interference is required by Highland cattle; they tend to breed and feed quite independently, which was essential given that Lynd started her farming concern entirely solo.

However in 2013 she met Tudor, who was living in a small apartment in Hobart at the time. Cue treechange no.2.

“When I moved out to the farm in 2014 it was a huge lifestyle change,” says Tudor. “I’d lived on hobby properties in rural areas and I loved visiting farms when I was a kid, but going 100 per cent off-grid was all a bit different.”

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By this time Lynd was running a significant fold of Highland cattle – as their herds are named – including calves born in 2011. Her pragmatism governed what happened next.

“I only want animals with purpose, not just as fluffy pets,” she says. “When I did more research and found out how good the meat is, I grew it.”

So Big River Highland Beef was launched in 2015, just as those 2011 calves came of slaughter age. The fact that Lynd and Tudor let the animals mature for four years before slaughter is markedly different from bigger, supermarketgrade beef concerns that may send to the abattoir at one or two years of age – and that’s the first of many differences that identify them as an ethical, sustainable and very much boutique business.

“That was part of our ethic from the beginning: market demand wouldn’t change our philosophy about how we manage the cattle,” says Tudor. “We have a strong sense of sustainability, and we care about the best welfare for the cattle and what works for us.

“We only supply to southern Tasmania – that’s how boutique we are. The gourmet food market around this region is so strong that that’s enough for us, and the chefs seem to appreciate it. We deliver our own beef to our customers, who are not paying for marketing or branding, just for the quality of meat itself. As for the animals, they’ve had the benefit of free ranging for those years, eating a variety of foods. It’s not practical with our landscape to be sowing different grasses – the cows eat weeds and native

Business

and introduced grasses of their own accord, and are 100 per cent grass fed, all of which flows through into the flavour of the meat.”

Highland cows are famously visually striking, and come in a huge variety of colours, from red through to brindle, fawn, black and mahogany. Lynd and Tudor are passionate about minimal waste, and get the hide of each slaughtered animal tanned by a northern Tasmanian grandfather-granddaughter team. Even the horns and skull sets are sun bleached and marketed as art. “The horns can be really quite spectacular objects in their own right,” says Tudor.

Their “hands off” way of raising the cattle is born of the surprising fact that both women still work full-time jobs – Lynd in the state ambulance service and Tudor at a museum.

But they purposely keep the fold limited in number to suit the amount of feed available on the land. Although they can go up to 100 head of cattle, they are currently running just 60 head, which suits the current state of the property with the prospect of a long, dry summer ahead. Having a higher slaughter age additionally means it’s essential to look years ahead. However, the intentionally limited scope of the business also brings something vitally important to the mix.

“Sustainability means environmental,” says Tudor, “but it also means emotional, economic and financial sustainability.

We don’t want the strain of debt on our relationship, and we want to be on this land for many decades to come, so we won’t design systems that aren’t sustainable on a personal level. We want to have work-life balance, to enjoy our farm as well. People talk about farmers burning out so often, and we think holistically as it’s much more productive for yourself.”

With the business running at capacity and a new baby now, Lynd and Tudor are very comfortable, though juggling as much as any new family. So has Lynd found the fairytale of Plenty she was looking for? She barely pauses. “Yeah, absolutely yes,” she says. And pauses, and says a happy “yes” one more time.

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Season’s Savings As we all know, Christmas is a time of excess (both in terms of food and financial spending).

But it doesn’t have to be this way – at least not when it comes to your spending! Here are my top 8 tips for surviving the Christmas holiday season 'unscathed'.

1. Decide on your budget... and stick to it!

It’s extremely important that you take the time to understand what you can afford to spend. What you can afford is basically the money you have saved throughout the year to buy Christmas presents, plus what you might be able to spend out of your pay packet. Just as importantly, you must stick within the budget you’ve set.

2. Set up automatic savings transfers

If you don’t trust that you’ll be able to stick to a budget, automatic savings transfers might become your new best friend. Set up an automatic transfer to move funds into a separate “holiday spending” account each time you’re paid. The best time to do this is in January – this way, a year’s worth of holiday savings will be waiting for you in time for next Christmas!

3. Avoid spending on your credit card

Spending on your credit card during the Christmas season is a common trap, but this will come to hurt your household finances in January when the money needs to be paid. And as we all know, if you can’t pay the money back you will incur anything up to 20% interest on top of the money you already owe the bank.

Ryan Watson Tribeca Financial's CEO knows all about money management.

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4. Quality over quantity

Instead of overspending, employ the philosophy "it’s the thought that counts". Often a well-thought-out and inexpensive present (such as an experience) is even better received than a traditional present.

5. Kris Kringle

For big families, try to organise a Kris Kringle. This means you will have to buy only one Christmas present for that part of your family.

6. Buy vouchers to spend strategically

Vouchers can be a great way to “stretch” the value of a present – that is, if they are spent during a sales period, the recipient will generally get a lot more for their money. Giving your friends or family a voucher and then taking them out to spend it over the Boxing Day sales is a great way for them to get the most value out of your gift.

7. Plan in advance for additional spending on food and alcohol

We all know the festive season means people and parties. Hence, planning to buy the additional food and alcohol you’ll need when it’s on sale in the preceding months can be a great way to keep a few extra dollars in your pocket.

8. Start forming good habits this January

On the off-chance that you do financially “overindulge” during the holiday season, it’s important you begin the next year with good habits.

This all starts with getting back into conscious spending habits and ensuring that you have a savings plan in place. Set a goal for yourself and have a reward in mind as your goal – this will help maintain your motivation during times of temptation.

These steps will help you to avoid a long-lasting Christmas hangover without having to be a Grinch or cutting the fun out of the festive season!

Learn about the history of the Huon Valley apple industry

Enjoy a Willie Smith’s cider paddle

Take a tour of the Charles Oates Distillery

Visit the Saturday Artisan & Produce market

Visit the home of Willie Smith’s cider where you can enjoy a great meal and a cider paddle, visit the Huon Valley apple museum, get up close and personal with a working distillery, peruse the Saturday Artisan & Produce Market.

Hobart Hobart Huonville

Contact

25mins

Huonville

www.williesmiths.com.au appleshed@williesmiths.com.au (03) 6266 4345 2064 Huon Hwy, Grove, TAS, 7109 25 minutes from Hobart

Property Biz

Escape the City THE REGIONAL CENTRES OF NEW SOUTH WALES OFFER ALL THE BENEFITS OF A RELAXED, AFFORDABLE LIFESTYLE WITHOUT THE TRAFFIC, EXPENSE AND CHAOS OF SYDNEY’S BIG SMOKE. Tell Sydneysiders that they can cut their daily commute by a quarter and slash their mortgage by a third while still having access to great coffee, and they’ll probably ask: “What’s the catch?” But an increasing number of former city slickers are discovering the only obstacle to a cheaper lifestyle is actually deciding to take the plunge.

According to Evocities, a NSW regional resident attraction campaign, more than 3600 new households have migrated to their seven partner cities and surrounds since 2010.

One of the main drivers attracting people to those destinations – Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga – is affordable real estate.

In a report being prepared for Evocities by .ID Consulting, figures show the median house price to income ratio in the last Census was 4.7 per cent, compared with a huge 8.4 per cent in Sydney.

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Making the move

Jason and Karen Triggs moved to the Bathurst region with their two young children in January 2018, after spending years tackling traffic and dealing with skyrocketing property prices.

“Everything was just becoming harder than it needed to be,” Jason explains. “We lived in Sydney’s Northern suburbs and I was working on the other side in Alexandria. The kids spent their time in car seats, and sometimes we were too busy to even have breakfast at home, so they’d be eating toast in the back of the car.

“Plus, for our new place we ended up paying about a third of the total cost of our home in Sydney, so it’s been completely transformational,” he adds.

Kirsten Craze Kirsten Craze is a freelance journalist who has been writing about property in Australia and overseas for more than 15 years.

PHOTOGRAPH: EVOCITIES

Property Biz

Today the Triggses are not only closer to work and the dream of living mortgage-free, they are connecting with the community.

“You actually get to know your neighbours,” Jason says. “In Sydney we’d been living in the last place for about five years and I couldn’t tell you the first names of the people on one side, and we’d only see the ones on the other side at Christmas. It’s completely different here.”

He admits that before heading west he, like many other Sydneysiders, had preconceived ideas about regional life.

“I thought I’d have to re-train and I was uncertain about what work I could do, but there’s actually no shortage of jobs here.”

Now working with a local start-up, Jason has seen firsthand that a regional area can provide better work opportunities than the overcrowded Sydney market.

“Being a smaller community, it’s actually easier to get stuff done. You can get involved

with key regional stakeholders in your field, or even get a meeting with the mayor,” he says.

Albury Mayor and Evocities chairman Kevin Mack is living proof of that regional reality.

“Anyone who wants to move to Albury will get a personal tour with the mayor,” he says enthusiastically.

The scheme is successfully educating people about life in regional NSW: “People in Sydney can be guilty of living in their own bubble.

They’re too busy doing what they’re doing and don’t see the forest for the trees.

“These are vibrant regional cities that have evolved to offer a lifestyle as good as, or better than, Sydney’s. I think regional living now far outstrips city living,” Mr Mack says, adding that other misconceptions about regional life are low earning potential and volatile property prices.

“If you do the numbers – add up the time and money you save in terms of transport, and the money you save on a mortgage – I’m sure that 

UR, QUISTIAE QUI AUT V I D U C I A Q U AT Q U I S S E D M O L U P TA S V O L U T U T U T A S D O L U P TA TEMPERCIANI IPSUNT ENT ET MAGNIS MAXIMI, SINULLA TENESTURIBUSDANDUNT

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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PHOTOGRAPH: EVOCITIES

Property Biz

A BEAUTIFUL AND AFFORDABLE HOME IN DUBBO

in 10 years in a regional city you’ll have saved a lot more money, and get more return on your investment, than you would in Sydney,” he says.

Crunching the numbers

Cameron Kusher, senior analyst at CoreLogic, says that despite significant residential house price growth in regional NSW over the past five years (some Evocities locations have seen values rise by as much as 20 to 30 per cent), a cooling Sydney property market will spread elsewhere.

“A lot of what happens in regional NSW is dictated by what happens in Sydney,” he explains. “However, you haven’t had the deterioration in housing affordability in regional cities like you’ve had in Sydney – but now with tighter credit and fewer investors out there in the marketplace it will affect other parts of the state as well.

“I don’t think these markets will experience the same conditions Sydney is going through, the sort of falls that we’re seeing in Sydney.

But certainly I think there will be an impact on demand, and that’s going to, at the very least, slow down the rate of growth in those areas.”

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When new Tamworth resident Neil McLennan thinks about how long it would have taken him to buy his first property in Sydney he laughs awkwardly. “I would have been well into my late 40s before I could have even entertained the idea,” he says.

Last year the single 28-year-old bought a onebedroom apartment in Tamworth outright for $132,000.

As a community aged care worker, Neil’s salary did not permit him to buy anywhere near family or friends in Sydney. “Where I used to live in Roseville, a unit would have cost me about $800,000. Here a really good two-bedroom unit would be about $180,000,” he says.

“I was sick of fighting with traffic in Sydney, but for me the big motivator was being able to afford a place of my own. The job and the social life I knew would just come naturally after that.”

He adds that while it is often young families or retiring couples who tend to make a treechange, singles can have just as much success starting over. “I think it’s easier to fit in here because everyone is so laidback and approachable, and there’s so much going on,” he says.

Property Biz

Looking to the future

Growing regional cities are a natural way forward as Sydney’s population hits breaking point according to Geoff Brailey, a social demographer with McCrindle.

“Wages just aren’t keeping up with property prices, particularly in Sydney, so that challenge is impacting those trying to enter the housing market. People who are younger, with young families, or maybe in those pretty secure jobs around teaching and nursing, are looking towards rural, regional options,” he says.

In its 2015 Future of Sydney Report, McCrindle asked people what their five greatest challenges living in Sydney were. First it was the high cost of living, then the cost of housing, followed by traffic and commute times, then employment prospects and, finally, the overall stress of life.

“I think the misconception of life in regional areas being limiting is now worth challenging.

These towns offer a real quality of life. The time savings, the cost savings, the enhanced social capital: they’re the advantages regional areas have over urban areas, and yet they’re not disadvantaged in terms of a lot of the lifestyle and cultural aspects,” Geoff says. “And they’ve also got some of the most beautiful terrain in their backyards, so we really need to celebrate their stories.”

He adds that as the population of NSW continues to grow, urban areas and regional areas need to come closer together.

“For NSW there’s an opportunity to really think through that connection, which would involve accessible flights, train and road connections, as well as that digital infrastructure to make sure we’re able to live and work and play well together,” he says. “We need to ask ourselves: How do we help that synergy across a state where we have five million people living in Sydney, which is just a tiny geographical footprint of this beautiful and large state?”

Change in median house prices SYDNEY • Median house price $980,000 • Three years - 18.8% • Five years - 56.8% ALBURY • Median house price $330,000 • Three years - 8.2% • Five years - 17.9% ARMIDALE • Median house price (council - Armidale Dumaresq) $350,000 • Three years - 1.6% • Five years - 7.7% BATHURST • Median house price (council - Bathurst regional) $434,500 • Three years - 20.4% • Five years - 27.4% DUBBO • Median house price $362,000 • Three years - 9.7% • Five years - 30% ORANGE • Median house price $400,000 • Three years - 17.6% • Five years - 21.2% TAMWORTH • Median house price (council - regional) $350,000 • Three years - 12.1% • Five years - 25%

PHOTOGRAPH: EVOCITIES

“If you’re thinking about moving, get out there and visit the Evocities over a weekend and see what’s on offer – then hop online and see how much properties cost compared with what you’d have to settle for in Sydney.”

WAGGA WAGGA • Median house price $359,000 • Three years - 12.2% • Five years - 18.8%

DEC 2018/JAN 2019

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Puzzles

CROSSWORD

D O M D K N E I R O Q U N

H F R O T C I R T S N O C

E N O A F H I A O N P M T

A I R J T T D S D U A A I

D A P G O E K J K W S C V

S R N R R E P T I L E S E

S E Y P W O O D L A N D S

L X G R A S S L A N D S I

SOLUTIONS:

A R J O R G V T M E R F I

O E S B N E R M J W T L T D O M D K N E I R O Q U N

H F R O T C I R T S N O C

R S D A N E O A K A O A S E N O A F H I A O N P M T

A I R J T T D S D U A A I

D A P G O E K J K W S C V

S R N R R E P T I L E S E

S E Y P W O O D L A N D S

B T D O E C V L S K Q G I

A R J O R G V T M E R F I

L X G R A S S L A N D S I

N S M S G N I K R A M E D

O E S B N E R M J W T L T

AusBiz.

REPTILES TERRITORY TREES VENOM WOODLAND

Find all the words listed hidden in the grid of letters. They can be found in straight lines up, down, forwards, backwards or even diagonally. Theme: SNAKES

R S D A N E O A K A O A S

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DISTINCTIVE GRASSLANDS LENGTH MARKINGS PREDATOR RAINFORESTS

WORD SEARCH

B T D O E C V L S K Q G I

ANTIVENOM BROAD HEAD CAMOUFLAGE COMMON CONSTRICTOR DANGEROUS

DOWN 1. Unload (suitcase) 2. Italian sparkling wine 3. Rock-pool crustacean 4. Military student 5. Communicative 6. Heaven’s ... Gates 9. Movie performer 11. Segregates 13. Large antlered animal 15. Comedian, ... Murphy 16. Shouted 18. Actor, ... Pattinson 19. Rot 21. Nauseous 22. Settles (debt)

N S M S G N I K R A M E D

ACROSS 1. Normal 7. Fracture 8. Trattoria staple 10. Polar vessel 12. Collapse (4,4) 14. Command to dog 16. Period of time 17. Sport parachutist 20. Ability to govern 23. Golfer’s two under par 24. Grace 25. Resource

GO YOUR

OWN WAY

OVER A CENTURY OF ISUZU RELIABILITY DRIVES A DECADE OF SUCCESS Over 100 years of product development and reliability have underpinned Isuzu UTE Australia’s decade of success, meaning that Aussie drivers have been able to count on Isuzu UTE vehicles to get them wherever they want to go for over 10 years. Since launching locally in 2008, our products have continuously evolved on the back of customer feedback, resulting in vehicles which are specifically designed for the tough Australian environment. Our ability to deliver honest, reliable products that are not only fit for purpose, but exceed our customers’ expectations, has resulted in more Aussies than ever preparing to go their own way.

Discover what makes Isuzu UTE so successful at your Isuzu UTE Dealer or isuzuute.com.au

INDUSTRY LEADING EQUIPMENT FOR ANY JOB

QUALITY EQUIPMENT Top brands, consistently serviced and maintained

SAFETY COMPLIANCE Instant access to safety documentation and service records

EXPERIENCE

Our staff have the knowledge and expertise to provide solutions

ALICE SPRINGS • BROOME • CAIRNS • COOLALINGA • KARRATHA • KUNUNURRA PALMERSTON • PORT HEDLAND • TOWNSVILLE • WINNELLIE

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