AusBiz Magazine - Oct/Nov 2018

AusBiz.

NEWS+VIEWS | MINING | AGRIBUSINESS | INFRASTRUCTURE

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10 P.4 mining: future of work in mining P.10 agribusiness: the australian olive industry P.16 innovation in farming equipment P.22 infrastructure: regional urban development P.26 Man & Machine: Lamborghini P.30 win a south american adventure

Engineering Construction Automotive Electro Technology Information Technology Career Ready Introducing P-Tech Industrial IT in 2019

Townsville MACKAY CAIRNS MAIN Campus 54 Discovery Drive Douglas 4814 | reception@tecnq.com.au | 07 4779 2199

Business News+Views

Business News+Views Bringing you the latest insights and analysis. WORDS: Sarah Hinder Is hydrogen the future of Australia’s renewable energy sector?

Hydrogen has the potential to be Australia’s next multibillion-dollar export opportunity.

The falling cost of renewable energy production, alongside Japan’s commitment as a long-term, large-scale customer for hydrogen produced through low-emissions methods, are key factors that have influenced the profitability of producing and exporting hydrogen.

It is also an attractive low-emissions alternative for use closer to home. There is potential for hydrogen to be introduced into Australia’s existing gas network in the near future, and for it to replace diesel fuel in long-distance heavy transport.

Australia is a frontrunner in its ability to create hydrogen on a large scale, through methods of wind, sun, coal, methane and carbon sequestration, and the industry is currently boosting its credentials as a supplier of hydrogen alongside countries such as Norway, Brunei and Saudi Arabia..

Bodangora Wind Farm contributes to future power generation The Bodangora Wind Farm, run by leading renewable energy operator Infigen Energy, is the first large-scale wind farm in the area, just under an hour from Dubbo in New South Wales.

Currently in the commissioning phase, the project is expected to provide enough output to supply power for up to 49,000 homes across New South Wales each year.

Upon completion the wind farm will feature 33

turbines together capable of generating up to 113.2 megawatts of power, depending on wind speed.

Providing a valuable source of renewable energy across the state, the project will contribute towards meeting Australia’s 2020 Renewable Energy Target.

The expected completion date for the wind farm is by the end of November.

To find out more visit infigenenergy.com OCT/NOV 2018

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Mining

Darren Baguley An agriculture, tech, mining, energy and business specialist writer.

Are geeks in steel-toed boots the miners of the future?

THE DIGITAL MINE IS BECOMING A REALITY AND THE NATURE OF MINING WORK IS POISED TO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE CURRENT WORKFORCE, AND WHAT WILL THE MINER OF THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE?

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Mining

Science fiction writer William Gibson once said, “the future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed,” and there are few industries of which this is truer than mining.

While 'artisanal' miners in parts of Africa and South America use techniques that a Roman or medieval miner would recognise, top-tier mining companies in Australia’s Pilbara control haul trucks, drill rigs and other equipment from a remote operations centre in Perth, thousands of kilometres away. When Resolute Mining’s underground extension to its Syama gold mine in Mali, West Africa, begins production later this year, it will be fully automated, using Sandvik haul trucks, loaders and drill rigs.

According to Deloitte’s Tracking the Trends 2018 report, the way mining companies work is undergoing a major step change. The digitisation of every aspect of mine operations – big data, the Internet of Things – will improve staff performance at all levels by providing information and insights to make better decisions. Nevertheless, these trends will also cause great disruption as manual jobs are automated.

“On the positive side, this can translate into new employment opportunities as new roles are created,” says the Deloitte report. “It can deliver significant safety benefits for the mining industry by literally moving workers out of harm’s way, and boost productivity by reallocating those workers to more productive occupations. It can accommodate the realities of shifting global demographics by enabling more women and seniors to enter and remain in the workforce. It can position companies to achieve greater diversity by attracting workers from historically underrepresented populations.”

The advantages of having a more diverse workforce are considerable. According to management consulting powerhouse McKinsey & Company, “research finds that companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. More diverse companies are better able to win top talent and improve their customer orientation, employee satisfaction and decision making, and all that leads to a virtuous cycle of increasing returns.”

One example of how this is already happening can be found at South32’s

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Mining

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Mining

Worsley Alumina Boddington Bauxite Mine in Western Australia. By constructing a new drill rig “with improvements in ergonomics and functions to enhance its usability by a more diverse workforce,” the company was able to deploy an all-female drilling crew. According to South32 CEO Graham Kerr, “The benefits that result from a diverse workforce, and gender equity in particular, are largely about the diversity of thought and experience that differences bring.”

And it’s not just mine sites that are being automated: it’s the back office as well. One of the technologies that will drive this change is robotic process automation (RPA), a technology that uses software robots to automate repetitive processes such as data gathering and entry by working with the graphic user interface to replicate the user’s actions as they complete the task. The most frequently reported study, by the Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology, predicts that nearly half of all jobs in industrialised economies could be automated.

What this will mean is hard to say. Technoutopian commentators see automation greatly reducing or eliminating much of the drudgery of work, leaving workers to focus on the important value-added elements that drive efficiency and profitability. They argue that while some jobs may be eliminated initially, new, more interesting jobs will be created. In contrast, techno-dystopian commentators fear that a large proportion of jobs will be automated out of existence, and either not replaced at all or replaced with new jobs so slowly that there is widespread unemployment for a generation or more.

The ramifications of this trend are potentially massive for the mining industry. In many parts of the world mining is struggling to retain its social licence to operate, and the main argument advanced in favour of building a new mine is lots of well-paying jobs. If mines become mostly automated and managed remotely except for maintenance and management staff, why would local communities put up with the noise, toxic dust and risk to water and other natural resources a mine brings?

Deloitte’s report does not ignore this element and raises “concerns about companies’ social responsibility towards their existing workforce.

Traditional mining skills such as problem solving will remain hightly important, but today's mining professional needs to be digitally literate and able to think creatively.

Given the imperative of mining companies to work in harmony with local communities, the industry’s shift to the future of work will need to be measured. Rather than eliminating jobs wholesale, this will likely translate into concerted efforts to retrain people to use technology or redesign jobs to take better advantage of people’s existing human skills. To this end, mining companies should think through how to reskill and retrain people to learn technology and tools faster, and how to design the technology so it takes almost no training to use.”

As automation becomes the norm rather than the exception, mining organisations will be forced to redesign most, if not all, jobs in response. On mine sites manual workers will need to learn how to integrate technology into their job functions, while at the management level a new kind of mining professional is emerging in response to the convergence of IT and IoT. Traditional mining skills such as problem solving will remain highly important, but today’s mining professional needs to be digitally literate and able to think creatively.

Mining companies will also find themselves having to hire systems, software, robotic and mechatronic engineers as well as analysts who can glean meaningful insights from the tsunami of data these systems produce. These sorts of skills will be in high demand, and mining companies will need to compete against more attractive industries to attract and retain key talent.

To meet this challenge, miners will have to innovate and change their culture. As Deloitte puts it: “the future of work has arrived and companies that fail to embrace this disruptive opportunity could find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in today’s digital age.”

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Agribusiness

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

Oils ain’t oils WE DELVE INTO THE EXTRAORDINARY RISE OF THE AUSTRALIAN OLIVE AND OLIVE OIL INDUSTRY. Many stories have been told about the stellar success of the Australian wine industry – heretics of the New World who learned to make wine on par with those of European vintners with centuries of experience at their fingertips. Yet very little is known about the Australian olive oil industry and the extraordinary trajectory of its growth.

“I’m old enough to remember the first Australian wines and I remember those wines weren’t the best – but now our winemakers are employed in France. So we looked at the wine industry and saw the only way for Australian olive oil to become a heavyweight in the industry was to make a really pristine product and develop the world’s toughest standards for testing,” says Robert Armstrong of Alto Olives in the Abercrombie wilderness of NSW, one of hundreds of Australian farmers who in a single generation took a niche product sold at markets and fetes to supermarket shelves and restaurants all over the world.

“Australia didn’t just enter the olive oil trade,” observed judges at the New York International Olive Competition. “It reinvented it and sent shockwaves through the industry.”

From humble beginnings

Olive oil has been one of the pillars of the Mediterranean diet since the days of Ancient Greece and Rome, loved

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Agribusiness

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Agribusiness

for its taste and lauded for its suspected health benefits, which are now proven by science. “Extra-virgin olive oil is the standout of all oils when it comes to effects on health and weight control,” says Dr Joanna McMillan, an Australian nutritionist and wellness expert. “There is a large body of evidence behind it.”

But most of the olive oil imported into Australia is no good. European producers keep the best stuff – “extravirgin” olive oil with a high pH and slight bitterness in the front end – for their own markets and export the dregs.

Stored in a shipping container for up to eight months and branded as “pure” and “extra light” olive oil, it is also devoid of polyphenols and antioxidants – the chemicals behind the health benefits – by the time it hits supermarket shelves.

In the late 1990s, hobby farmers started planting olives and pressing oil themselves. Consumers loved the taste, the freshness, and the fact it was Australian-made.

“But as the industry grew, margins became much tighter.

And when the Global Financial Crisis hit in 2009, a lot of groves were pulled out,” says Greg Seymour, CEO of the Australian Olive Association. “It kind of shook out all of those people who couldn’t survive. But it also saw reinvention and innovation.”

The Colossus

In 1997 Australia was producing 1,000 litres of olive oil per year – around five per cent of domestic consumption.

Today we produce 20,000 litres a year, 95 per cent of it extra-virgin, 60 per cent of which is sold domestically.

We are all consuming a lot more olive oil too – 45,000 litres a year infact – a result growers credit to an industrysponsored education campaign about the health benefits of extra-virgin. “There’s been a huge investment in the education of consumers on TV and at food shows,” says Armstrong. “People don’t automatically think Mediterranean olive oil is better anymore.”

The remaining 40 per cent of Australia’s olive oil is exported to North America and Asia. “Like most Australian food products, extra-virgin does well overseas because of our ‘clean, green’ image, highly regulated environment and ethical farming practices,” says Robert McGavin, CEO of Boundary Bend, the holding company behind Cobram Estate and Red Island olive oil brands, the biggest and most technologically advanced olive oil maker the country. Its people figured out how to extract 10 per cent more oil from a pressing than the Europeans and invented the Colossus, a 28-tonne, million-dollar mechanical olive harvester that’s the

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Agribusiness

Did you know?

Extra-virgin olive oil is the world’s healthiest fat.

105 litres

Staff at the Sydney Opera House use about 105 litres of olive oil per year to protect its bronze railings.

industry benchmark. “We’re now taking our way of growing olives and making oil to California,” says McGavin. “We recently bought a mill and land over there, and our oil is now stocked in 4,000 stores.”

Boundary Bend produces about two-thirds of Australia’s olive oil but it’s not a monopolist. “Their attitude is very open, they run seminars all the time,” says Armstrong.

Adds McGavin: “Everywhere you go in the world olive oil is for sale at vastly different prices with different flavours and aromas. So I think there is space in the market for lots of small producers.”

Love for oil

To get into the olive oil business, there are far fewer barriers to entry and regulatory hurdles than in the wine industry. “You don't have to buy a Colossus, you can buy picking equipment that is small or work in groups with other farmers,” McGavin says. “And it’s a relatively simple process getting the oil out.”

Peter Eicher of Saluté Oliva in Victoria agrees. A retired dairy farmer who established an olive grove in 2000, Eicher and his family do everything in-house – from

processing to packaging, marketing and distributing. “Once you start putting these different businesses together, it becomes a very sustainable business,” he says.

Yet hobby farmers aren't so sure. “It’s hard work. We only break even,” says Rhoda Kriek of Anatinus Olives, a 400-tree grove in Victoria.

Guy Ward, a Sydney-based property manager who spends his weekends looking after Arkstone Olives, a 400-tree grove in the Southern Tablelands of NSW, voices similar sentiments. “It’s constant work pruning the trees and picking – you need a lot of people or heavy machinery,” he says.

“Just the press costs $50,000, and then you have to bottle it, design your labels and sell it. We make money but I wouldn’t say it’s profitable in small quantities.”

So why do it?

“Well, we love the area and take pride in making oil that’s as good as it can get, and has won awards all over the world,” Ward says. “We’ve got a good group of family and friends who help us pick the fruit at harvest time. I think that says a lot about how much people love making olive oil.”

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Loaders scales that increase productivity In the ever-changing marketplace, project managers need to ensure that they’re focused on generating the maximum productivity from their site and equipment. One way to do this is to ensure that all equipment is operating efficiently.

The Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scale is an investment in productivity.

This loader scale from Position Partners has the adaptability to go on a range of heavy vehicles around your site, enabling you to keep your technology purchases to a minimum while still increasing your productivity.

In its basic form, the Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scale is a tool to indicate the weight lifted by the loader and loaded into the truck, hopper, pile etc.

From there it evolves into a complete management tool with data storage, Wi-Fi and internet connections to send the captured data anywhere in the world.

The Loadmaster loader scale was the first loader scale in Australia to gain a pattern approval to allow it to be used for trade purposes. This loader scale can help project managers overcome the following challenges: • Load record keeping • ‘The Chain of Responsibility’

legislation • Under-utilisation of plant • Equipment matching for productivity.

The key benefits of the Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scale are its ease of use and that it can be configured to be a basic scale or a fully featured load management recording tool. It’s also a key tool in the compliance of ‘The Chain of Responsibility’ legislation.

While the drivers and operators of heavy vehicles have been the focus of road laws, breaches are often caused by the actions of others.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has introduced ‘The Chain of Responsibility’ legislation to ensure that anyone who has control over the transport task (not just the driver or operator of the heavy vehicle) can be held responsible for breaches of road laws and may be legally liable.

The Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scale can work for you to ensure that you are not overloading your vehicles.

The Load Record Keeping feature of this loader scale means that you can keep track of all your loads within a certain time period. This data is then on hand if you need to prove that you have not overloaded a vehicle.

Position Partners Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scale is adaptable enough

to be installed on a range of machines including front end loaders of any size, telescopic handlers, fork lifts and container lifters.

“We aim to make the integration between the Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scales and your machine as seamless as possible,” said Chris Nussey, RDS Business Development Manager, Position Partners.

“The Loadmaster is the best value for money loader scale on the market today. Along with increased logging ability of jobs – to be able to recall one particular truck load loaded in the past, say six months, to prove no overload, or just the weight loaded if an accident happened, is invaluable,” said Nussey.

The Loadmaster Alpha 100 loader scale has a range of stand-out features that set it apart from its competitors.

Its user interface is extremely straightforward which ensures that new users can be trained to use these loader scales in a very short amount of time. It also improves the efficiency of operators by removing manual inputs with GPS, barcode reader and RF tag reader. These attachments allow the operator to automatically select products, trucks and locations without touching the screen. An integrated reverse camera will improve safety on the site while improving efficiency.

“The Loadmaster also has the ability to be controlled from any computer in the world with an internet connection,” said Nussey.

The team at Position Partners recognises the important part they can play in ensuring the successful and efficient implementation of new technology on your site. “'Local’ support is critical and with Position Partners branches in each state, we are well positioned to assist,” said Nussey.

“We can supply after sales support and training packages depending on customers’ requirements. From basic telephone, on-site and remote internet to the Loadmaster, ongoing support and training is not far away.”

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Agribusiness

Agricultural shift Darren Baguley An agriculture, tech, mining, energy and business specialist writer.

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AusBiz.

AUSTRALIAN FARMERS HAVE ALWAYS RISEN TO A CHALLENGE. AS PARTS OF THE COUNTRY FACE THE TOUGHEST DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN A CENTURY, INNOVATION TO SAFEGUARD THE FUTURE OF FARMING IS ALIVE AND KICKING. Australian farmers are an innovative crew: the stump-jump plough, the Sunshine combine harvester and the Harrington Seed Destructor are all Aussie inventions.

Today we are still among the most innovative farmers in the world. And now we are leveraging that ingenuity through the launch of the SproutX Accelerator program. Backed by $10 million in venture capital, SproutX is an agtech focused incubator that offers agtech start-ups support in

the form of $40,000 capital funding, mentoring, six months' office space, access to media and PR resources, and distribution opportunities via Ruralco and Findex.

Funding rounds for 2017 and 2018 have concluded with 19 start-ups securing funding, with a broad range of varied inventions. For example, FarmGate MSU aims to produce ethical branded paddock-to-plate meat by designing and building a “truly mobile, onfarm slaughtering service that incorporates the highest standards of animal welfare, state-ofthe-art processing methods and environmentally sustainable practices.”

IoTAg is developing a “smart cattle ear tag [that will] enable cattle farmers to track cattle over large distances, monitor for key breeding-related events, as well as alert them to illnesses and births.” Farmapp has developed an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) software-based service that can be used for broadacre crop, market gardens and greenhouse applications. The software includes a combination of scouting and fumigation apps with soil sensors and weather stations.

The Edible Bug Shop is Australia’s first farmer of edible insects. A world leader in insect protein farming techniques, it has developed a range of products including ants with dark chocolate and fingerlime and chilli-flavoured crickets. Platfarm combines normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) imagery from drones with satellite property maps in an app that enables tractor operators to vary inputs according to the needs of the plant.

AgMesh provides, designs and builds internet of things (IoT) sensors and hardware aimed at improving productivity and animal welfare. Its pilot product is the Smart Trough, a sensor that allows farmers to remotely monitor livestock trough water levels. It also includes an inbuilt RFID scanner to allow farmers to remotely

Agribusiness

Energy is a big cost for the agricultural sector, so it should not come as a surprise that Australian farmers are innovating in this area as well.

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Agribusiness

monitor their grazing animals using ear tags.

A more established example of Australian agricultural innovation is BlockGrain, a blockchain based logistics platform that connects farmers, grain brokers, trucking and logistics companies, agricultural input suppliers and customers such as grain buyers, food manufacturers, importers and exporters.

Put simply, BlockGrain allows farmers to sell product direct from on-farm storage systems to domestic or international buyers with end-toend visibility.

Using BlockGrain’s smartphone apps and web-based portal, producers can create an immutable blockchain record of the grain’s journey from paddock to plate. As a load is picked up and delivered to the end user along key nodes in the supply chain – farms , silos, trucks, delivery locations – data is collected and time-stamped at each point. BlockGrain records key commodity data such as the weight, type of product, the varieties, grades, specifications and inputs, and all parties are updated in realtime at each transaction point. As a result, both producers and end users improve productivity, increase visibility, automate freight orders and

eliminate manual paperwork. Because of the transparency and traceability of blockchain, farmers are more easily able to access bank finance and insurance. By using BlockGrain’s SEED token producers are also able to easily enter into forward contracts to hedge their risk.

Because BlockGrain provides a single, industry-wide system to track and manage the end-to-end supply chain, buyers and end users benefit from greatly improved data accuracy and completeness. If a product is found to be contaminated or any other product safety issue occurs, the affected products can be quickly identified and recalled. This greatly adds to consumer confidence in the integrity of Australia’s food production without disrupting the entire supply chain.

Energy is a big cost for the agricultural sector, so it should not come as a surprise that Australian farmers are innovating in this area as well. Nuffield scholar and fine-wool merino producer Michael Inwood, from near Bathurst in NSW, was frustrated by the lack of an electric tractor on the market – so he built his own. After converting a Mitsubishi Triton ute with a 150kW 500Nm Netgain Warp11 Series wound DC

Agribusiness

motor, Café Electric Z1K LV1000 amp, 156-volt controller and 45 x Thunder Sky TS-LFP200AHA 3.2-volt lithium-ion batteries, he can now work for three to four hours before needing to head back and recharge.

Electric vehicles are something the owners of off-grid Moores Hill winery in Sidmouth, Northern Tasmania, know all about. When building their new wine-making facilities they calculated going off grid would cost 20 per cent more than upgrading the site’s domestic power source to three-phase, but be far cheaper in the long run. So, after installing a 30-kilowatt solar array with 81 kilowatt hours of battery storage, they also put in an EV charging station.

This innovation has put the winery on the Tesla destination map, and it’s not unusual to see a sleek Model S charging while its owners do a tasting and a recharge of their own.

And it’s not just boutique vineyards that are embracing solar: one of Australia’s oldest wineries, Yalumba, has installed a 1.4 megawatt solar system – the largest at an Australian winery and one of the country’s biggest commercial installations. Consisting of 5,384 panels, the system is installed across three locations in the Barossa Valley: Angaston Winery, Oxford Landing Winery and the Yalumba Nursery.

Yalumba’s owners took advantage of AGL’s solar Smart Plan initiative, whereby the system was installed and is owned by AGL, while they purchase the power at a reduced rate for a defined period – also known as a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The system produces around 1,050 MWh of electricity per year, which has reduced the three sites’ energy consumption by 18 per cent annually.

With parts of Australia going through one of the most intense droughts in 100 years, farmers need to be innovative as well as resilient to survive and prosper. Whatever the technology, Australian farmers have shown there is no doubt they are up to the challenge.

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Infrastructure

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

Region to celebrate CITY LIVING IS NO LONGER THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN, WITH AFFORDABLE HOMES AND LIFESTYLE BENEFITS DRAWING HOUSEHUNTERS OUT OF THE CAPITALS AND INTO THE REGIONS A sea change, tree change or push to the bush: whatever you call it, regional real estate is hot right now. At a time when many investors and first-home buyers are feeling priced out of Australia’s metropolitan centres, and even homeowners are second-guessing mammoth mortgages and long commute times, developers are reaping the rewards of regional growth.

Across the eastern states developers are building in the hope they will come – and they are.

Buyers’ agency group Propertyology has analysed ABS data that estimates around 20,000 people moved away from Sydney last year due to expensive housing and congestion.

The figures also showed that regional Australia’s population had increased by almost 78,000.

According to CoreLogic data, the best performing regional market in the year to April was Geelong in Victoria (up 9.8 per cent), while in NSW it was the Southern Highlands and

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Shoalhaven regions (up 9.2 per cent), the Central West, which includes Bathurst and Orange (up 7.3 per cent), and the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area (up 7.1 per cent).

While such regional data does not differentiate between existing and newly built homes, anecdotal evidence shows developers are making a bee-line for these centres with property price potential.

Simon Pressley, managing director of research firm and buyer’s agency group Propertyology, said regional areas get forgotten in a sea of capital city data.

“That means there starts to be a misconception by the public about the regions. They’ve got this image that ‘regional’ means a mine or a vacant paddock with some cows in it. That describes some parts of regional Australia, but we feel there are between 30 and 40 regional cities that have all of the essential infrastructure a capital city has, it’s just on a smaller scale,” he said.

Infrastructure

THE DESIRE FOR A SEA CHANGE HAS LED MANY SYDNEYSIDERS T O C H E A P E R C O A S TA L T O W N S SUCH AS COFFS HARBOUR.

Fast facts

2.4%

Over the 12 months to April 2018, dwelling values across Australia’s combined regional markets increased by a modest 2.4 per cent, while values fell 0.3 per cent across the combined capital cities.

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There are 42 regional property markets outside of the capital cities. Of these, 25 have recorded an increase in dwelling values over the past year.

I M A G E S : D E S T I N AT I O N N S W

WAGGA WAGGA HAS BEEN A HIGH PERFORMING REGIONAL TOWN IN RECENT YEARS.

This shift of former city slickers looking further afield for their new dream lifestyle, coupled with an oversupply in Australia’s three biggest cities, has lead developers to look beyond the big smoke.

“Some developers are asking: ‘Where can we keep our workforce busy? Where can we make profits?’ And the big cities – and we’ve warned people about this for years – have gone through a residential construction boom which is a lot bigger than what we need. Many of our cities are at their tipping point now,” he said.

Pressley said developers building in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane are recognising that if they get something approved today, by the time construction is finished sales could be poor or prices could be weaker due to lack of demand.

“Some are moving outside their normal patch and developing in regional locations," he added.

New South Wales

GJ Gardner Homes has long been building across the state’s key regional areas as well as in the ACT. Right now they’re located in Tweed Heads, Tamworth, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, Wagga Wagga and Albury.

“It’s no secret that Sydney residential property prices have had significant growth over the past few years. People are looking to the more affordable markets,” said business development manager Jason Allen. “Terry Ryder, the founder of hotspotting,com.au, states in his NSW report that regional NSW is number one in the nation for growth property markets.”

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Infrastructure

Allen said the key drivers for regional areas are strong population growth, affordability and lifestyle factors, low vacancy rates, government investment into infrastructure projects, and urban renewal.

“Affordability is driving population growth through migration into key regional centres and towns offering value for money and lifestyle options,” he said.

“House and land packages are a great way to secure a fixed price and a new low-maintenance home in a growing community. Building new homes creates jobs and supports population growth by providing affordable housing options for owners and investors,” he added.

Allen also said that solid government investment in an upand-coming regional hotspot is vital. “Good infrastructure and commercial development creates economic vibrancy in any local economy. We pride ourselves on being local builders, building for locals.”

Victoria

Metricon’s general manager for regional housing in Victoria, Phil Barrett, said that the group had just celebrated the construction of its 7,500th new home in regional Victoria.

“We have been building in the Albury/Wodonga,

IMAGE: VISIT VICTORIA

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Ballarat, Bendigo, Cowes, Geelong, Gippsland, Macedon, Shepparton and Warrnambool regions for over 14 years,” he said. “In that time the regional market has expanded dramatically.”

Barrett said the exponential growth came down to a number of factors on par with the rest of the country.

“Affordable housing, strong job prospects, access to health and education services, and of course an unbeatable lifestyle makes regional Victoria very attractive for tree changers, sea changers, commuters and investors,” he said, adding that regional househunters are looking for more bang for their buck.

“They can get a bigger home on a bigger block and can perhaps get some features that might be beyond them financially in a metropolitan setting. Geelong has been the big winner of price pressures in Melbourne, but suburbs of Ballarat are now starting to appeal to first-home buyers from Melbourne too,” he said.

The doubling of the First Home Owner Grant for regional Victoria, which allows eligible first-home buyers to access $20,000 when building new homes, makes it even more attractive for those trying to get their foot on the property ladder.

GEELONG IN VICTORIA HAS BENEFITTED FROM PRICE PRESSURES IN MELBOURNE.

AusBiz.

Infrastructure

O C E A N S I D E ( B I R T I N YA , S U N S H I N E C O A S T )

BY STOCKLAND QUEENSLAND.

Good infrastructure and commercial development creates economic vibrancy in any local economy.

“However, price is just one of the drivers, with elements such as strong local employment, good health and education facilities, a lack of traffic congestion, regular train services and upgraded highway links from the regions to Melbourne are also adding to the appeal,” Barrett said.

Queensland

David Laner, Stockland’s residential regional manager for Queensland, said the group has had a 40-year history of building on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

“But we have another significant development in what we consider to be the jewel of the north – a major masterplanned community in Townsville,” he said.

The 5,500-property estate will become home to almost 20,000 people and will include a town centre, business and industrial opportunities, an aged care facility and schools.

Stockland is known for operating on a large scale with its masterplanned communities, and Laner said the company does its homework before breaking ground on a new neighbourhood.

“Diversity of economy is an important factor for us.

Townsville, for instance, is a location that does have a really diverse economy with strong elements of state government administration, education facilities, defence, you can tap into the resource sector up there, have the health and tourism opportunities, plus there’s also the port and manufacturing industries. So in terms of regional cities outside of the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Townsville is the next biggest diverse and robust economy, and that’s what gives us confidence to invest like we have,” he said.

Laner added that what gives confidence to their buyers is two-fold.

“Affordability plays heavily into the equation. The median house price in Brisbane at the moment is around $670,000. If you look at the Gold Coast that’s closer to $600,000, and on the Sunshine Coast that’s around $560,000 – but in Townsville it’s $305,000,” he said.

“So that’s a 50 per cent discount on Brisbane’s median house price. That affordability is also helped along when people have confidence in employment – if they can see a good, stable job and career growth. Then couple that with the lifestyle benefits that come with some of these regional areas and they become really attractive propositions.”

NORTH SHORE WILL BECOME A SUBURB IN ITS OWN R I G H T W I T H A R E TA I L P R E C I N C T, N I N E PA R K S , 3 0 0 H A O F B U S H L A N D , 9 K M O F WA L K I N G T R A I L S A N D T H R E E E D U C AT I O N FA C I L I T I E S .

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Man & Machine

Stiff competition FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT CONVERTIBLES, LAMBORGHINI’S CHEAPEST DROP TOP IS ACTUALLY ONE OF ITS BEST.

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN SPYDER LP580-2 SPECS • Engine: 5.2-litre V10 petrol • Transmission: dual clutch, seven speed • Power: 426kW • Torque: 540Nm • 0-100km/h: 3.6 seconds • Top speed: 325km/h • Price: $429,000

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Man & Machine

Fast fact The forged composite material used in the Huracan Spyder is the same product as found in the wings and fuselage of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Apparently Lambos really can fly…

The skateboarder’s brain is working overtime, navigating the tarmac, looking ahead, trying to account for tiny imperfections in the road. It tries to keep him going straight but a slight over correction of the board’s attitude with his feet requires another correction the other way. As the speed builds, these errors become larger and more pronounced. At around 40km/h it’s too much for the board, which shimmies itself into oblivion, and the skateboarder is launched into the air.

Plenty of skin has been lost over the years, embedded into the blacktop as these daredevils of the streets try to become more adept at keeping their feet planted and the board straight. Sad to say, speed wobbles aren’t fun for anyone.

There’s a similar shimmy that happens when makers of cars decide customers would benefit from an open-air experience. Like a shoebox without a lid, convertibles miss out on the bracing that having a roof brings. As a result any slight imperfection in the road sends a jolt through the cabin and the car twists slightly. It’s called “scuttle shake”, and anyone with an old Saab convertible will be able to tell you all about it. In some cars it’s so bad that the windscreen visibly wobbles.

It makes you wonder why Lamborghini would take its wonderful Huracan supercar and then chop the roof off. Sure, some people want to be seen in a drop top, but surely this is bad news for a vehicle that’s supposed to embody Italian racing passion. You’d be forgiven for thinking so – until you spent just five minutes behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder LP580-2.

Overly wordy name aside, the convertible Huracan is actually one of its most impressive offerings. Part of that is down to its drive layout.

The Huracan hit the roads as an all-wheel drive machine initially,

but after the success of the rearwheel drive Gallardo, Lamborghini decided the Huracan needed the same treatment. The car went back to the drawing board to redesign everything from the steering through to the suspension. The weight distribution was also altered from a 43/57 per cent front/rear split, to a 40/60 front/rear balance. Doing this allows more traction from the rear wheels on take-off, as well as giving a sharper turn-in. The suspension has been slightly softened, allowing for more weight transfer and promoting more progressive movements at the limit.

And while softening the suspension would normally reduce the dreaded scuttle shake, the Huracan Spyder’s design means the suspension was only altered to improve the drive experience.

The Spyder’s body is so stiff that nothing else was needed to stop those infamous speed wobbles.

Lots of aluminium, plenty of carbonfibre, forged composites and clever bracing through the chassis has created a convertible supercar that doesn’t flex or twist, and is able to hold up to the rigours of Australia’s rubbish roads. Well, until you come across a kerb that’s a little too chunky. Then you can just press a button and the nose will lift enough to stop it scraping. A small price to pay for the wedge-like design.

Open the doors (which open normally, unlike the Aventador’s scissor doors) and you’re greeted with a cabin that looks exactly like you’d expect a Lambo would. Black leather, yellow stitching, the “raging bull” emblem emblazoned on the headrests, and a fighter-jet start button, replete with flip-up cover just like a missile launcher.

There are more air force touches, too, with toggle switches across the centre stack, and a digital instrument panel that looks reminiscent of an F-22’s head-up display. The

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Man & Machine

steering-wheel mounted indicators are annoying, especially on roundabouts, and having to press the nose-up button every 10 minutes around town is also infuriating. The storage is woeful, and there’s only one space under the “bonnet”, which will only take a small bag if you’re lucky. But these are small prices to pay for what is surely the most engaging drop top you can buy.

It’s not a high-tech, smooth, quiet machine that embodies 21st century tech. Rather it recalls racing cars of yesteryear, having stiff springs, heavy shunts from the gearbox in Corsa (or race) mode, and an engine that sings a raucous metallic note. It howls to the heavens with a classic V10 timbre, creating a symphonic beat that makes your spine tingle and your mind forget that CO² emissions are actually a bad thing. And then there’s a wonderful

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AusBiz.

crackle on the overrun which will annoy the hell out of your neighbours. Which is why you’ll do it again, and again.

It can be civilised, especially in Strada (street) mode, where it feels less urgent, a little quieter, and the gearbox shifts smoother. There’s even a stop-start mode to save some fuel.

But where the Huracan Spyder really shines is when you point it toward your favourite string of corners.

There are seemingly endless levels of grip, and freeing up the front wheels to just deal with steering has also basically eliminated understeer, allowing for much later braking into corners and the ability to carry more speed throughout the apex. It never feels like it will bite you, and there’s always the stability control to rein things in if you’re getting too out of shape.

The weighting of the steering will

put a smile on your face, with none of the artificial feedback so many vehicles today suffer from. It turns into the corners sharply, and the brakes feel progressive enough to keep you from getting into trouble. That said, the steel discs can fade when they’re really, really hot. Carbon ceramics, therefore, could be a wise option for track use.

The Huracan Spyder is definitely a heart car, not a head car. It speaks to your soul as it launches down the road, hitting the national limit in under four seconds. The sound of its naturally aspirated V10 is now a rare joy, with almost every supercar maker turning to forced induction. And its cutting-edge styling is admired universally.

Let’s be honest here: no one really needs a $429,000 Lamborghini. But if it saves you from getting the speed wobbles, who are we to argue?

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WIN! chiloé - ocio territorial hotel

A 10-day trip through Chile and Peru, worth $20,000 One thing is for sure — prizes like this don’t come about every day!

We want to get to know you a little more, so that we can create the kind of content that you love. To do this, we are giving away the trip of a lifetime in South America. Fill out the survey here or visit www.nomade.com.au/ultimatechileperu to enter online.

sacred valley peru explora valle sagrado

santiago - luciano k hotel

Terms & Conditions: by clicking ENTER THE COMPETITION you accept to be contacted by Nomade Unique Experiences South America & Publishing by Chelle for this and future travel opportunities and news. To win the “Ultimate Chile Peru Experience” you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident 18 years of age or older. Hotels stays and tour bookings are valid between May and September 2019 (blackout dates: June and July 2019), hotel bookings at explora Valle Sagrado, Luciano K Hotel and OCIO Territorial Hotel are subject to availability in standard room categories. AIRLINE TICKETS CONDITIONS: Valid for travelling between May & September 2019 in economy (‘O’) class, from Sydney. Blackout periods may apply. This prize ticket must be taken as offered and cannot be sold, bartered or exchanged for cash. Once the ticket is issued changes are not permitted. Tickets are non-transferable.

In the event of a no-show, tickets may not be changed or reissued. Bookings to be held and confirmed by the airline. Flights must be requested, at most, 90 days prior to departure and at least, 45 days prior to departure. Tickets are subject to availability. AIRPORT TAXES and processing fees are the responsibility of the winners. Arranging travel dates with Nomade Unique Experiences South America is the responsibility of the winners. Winners will be announced by Nomade Unique Experiences South America at www.nomade.com.au and its facebook page

by November 30th 2018. Travel arrangements such as passports, visas, meals and transfers not included in the prize, and any special conditions are the responsibility of the winners.

WIN!

a $20,000 trip in Chile and Peru

Publishing ByChelle and Nomade Unique Experiences South America are giving you the chance to win a 10-day journey through Chile and Peru. Simply fill out this survey and you will automatically be entered to win the trip of a lifetime.

Name: Email Address: Postcode: Gender Male Female Other Age Group: Under 21 21-35 36-45 46-55 55-65 65+ What is your income bracket?

Less than $50,000 Between $50,000 and $90,000 Between $90,000 and $130,000 More than $130,000 Please tick the category which relates to your current circumstances: Young single Young couple Young parent Mid-life families (aged 40 and up) Mid-life households (aged 40 and up) Older households (aged 55 and upwards) When on a flight, do you…

Read the inflight magazine always / sometimes / never Read your own material eg: book, device etc. always / sometimes / never Work on a laptop or iPad always / sometimes / never Listen to your own music on a device always / sometimes / never Sleep always / sometimes / never Chat to other passengers always / sometimes / never

Do you ever take the inflight magazine home with you?

Always Sometimes Never In an inflight magazine, which categories would you be most interested to read about?

Business topics and interviews Travel destination stories Philanthropy and social conscience/ethical pieces Lifestyle (food, wine, fashion, bars, restaurants etc.)

Celebrity interviews and profiles Arts and culture How many times do you travel a year for business: 0-6 6-12 More than once a month How many times a year do you travel for leisure: 0-6 6-12 More than once a month Are you planning a holiday in the next 12 months within Australia?

Yes No Are you planning a holiday in the next 12 months overseas?

Yes No How much do you usually spend on a leisure holiday?

Less than $2,000 Less than $5,000 Between $5,000 and $10,000 More than $10,000 How often do you make luxury purchases Every week Every month Every few months Once or twice a year OCT/NOV 2018

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chiloé

What styles of Australian leisure holidays interest you Tick any that are applicable

Beach Health and wellness Sport/action/adventure Art and cultural Gourmet food and wine Family Outback Nature and wilderness

Do you own your own home (including having an existing mortgage on the property)?

Yes No Which state do you live in?

NSW VIC Qld Tas ACT NT WA SA

sacred valley Which of these airlines do you regularly fly on?

Rex Alliance Airnorth Other (please specify) How did you come across this survey?

On Rex On Alliance On Airnorth Facebook Instagram Nomade.com.au Somewhere else (please specify)

Are you planning a holiday to South America in the next 12 months?

Yes No Are you familiar with these destinations in SA? Sacred Valley in Peru Chiloe in Chile Santiago in Chile

Do you live in a regional or metropolitan area?

Regional Metropolitan Do you own or have a business interest in rural, regional or outback Australia?

Business in rural Australia Business in regional Australia Business in Outback Australia Would you be open to receiving emailed newsletters from AusBIZ about travel and business stories, and special offers?

Yes No

32 TrueBlue

Please visit www.nomade.com.au/ultimatechileperu if you would prefer to enter online. If you have completed this survey please send to: Publishing ByChelle Suite 2, Level 8, 100 Walker Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060

The Aboriginal Artists Project combines the fashion accessory designs of Catherine Manuell with the artworks of many wonderful women artists from remote Australian communities. Shown here is the Bush Yams artwork by Evelyn Pultara from the Utopia region of Central Australia. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of these products goes directly to the artists.

Call us on 03 9486 4066 for help or a little personal service, or email: info@catherinemanuelldesign.com

www.catherinemanuelldesign.com

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Supporting Rural Australia With our growing number of rural assistance focused programs, we’ve got your back rural Australia!

niche programs, big hearts

ruralaid.org.au | 1300 327 624 DONATE OR GET INVOLVED TODAY

Education Special Feature

Global citizens

Stuartholme School is a Catholic, independent day and boarding school for girls in Years 7 to 12. With a focus on the individual, Stuartholme promotes an education that stimulates creative learning and leadership, enabling every girl to reach her full potential.

For boarders, Stuartholme is their ‘home away from home’.

Built at the base of Mt Coot-tha, only 6km from Brisbane’s CBD, Stuartholme is close to everything yet provides the girls with a quiet, safe environment where they can live and learn.

As a progressive international Sacred Heart School, Stuartholme School is committed to educating the whole person. Their rigorous academic program together with a supportive learning environment teaches resilience and self-value where every student feels confident in her ability to contribute to a global society.

Stuartholme is small enough for each student to be personally known, yet large enough to offer an extensive, ever-changing and dynamic range of opportunities. The School’s long tradition of academic excellence reflects the dedication and hard work of their teachers and students.

To find out how your daughter will belong at Stuartholme School visit stuartholme.com

St Ann’s College Inspiration Through Learning

Accepting applications for 2019 www.stannscollege.edu.au

St Ann’s University Residential College Affiliated with The University of Adelaide University of South Australia Flinders University

187 Brougham Place, North Adelaide SA 5006 (08) 8267 1478 info@stannscollege.edu.au

Education Special Feature

SAMUEL ARTHURSON.

Transforming school leavers into young professionals St Ann's University Residential College provides accommodation in a safe, inspiring environment where opportunities for education are promoted. Students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to contribute to a happy social atmosphere in which academic excellence, development of judgement, personal responsibility and consideration for others are high priorities. The notfor-profit college is proudly culturally diverse, tolerant, welcoming and non-denominational.

The college is part of an international community inspired to excellence through learning, where students’ safety and security are top priorities.

St Ann’s prides itself on its academic results with 95 per cent of subjects passed with the help of 56 academic tutors.

Ten residential tutors provide academic and social leadership, as well as pastoral care to our students.

Practical academic help is also available to students including tutoring, mentoring, academic monitoring, project materials and a library.

All rooms at the college are single and air conditioned, and more than 60 per cent of our rooms come with an ensuite bathroom. From the kitchen, fresh, nutritious and tasty meals are tailored to students’ requirements.

A new ‘Enterprise Deck’ is specially designed to encourage collaborative study, learning and innovation with free and unlimited WiFi throughout the college.

Well-maintained gardens of lawns, trees and flowers are designed to assist with student wellbeing.

The minimum stay for the academic year is 30 weeks — meaning fees are 25 per cent less than anywhere else. All students are subsidised and applications are handled on a

‘first-come, first-served’ basis.

Like one big family, the college fosters friendships between students for support and inspiration, as well as arranging many social and sporting activities with leadership opportunities available at many levels.

Samuel Arthurson from the Barossa Valley completed his third year of civil and structural engineering at the University of Adelaide.

“In early 2015, I was both nervous and excited for the transition from high school to university,” recalls Samuel.

“Reflecting upon my tertiary education thus far, I can wholeheartedly say that residing at St Ann’s College was the greatest decision I have made to support me in this change.

“I still remember my first days living at college, where I was quite sick. The amount of care and support that so many new faces provided truly was wonderful, and since then living at St Ann’s has been eye-opening, exciting and naturally comfortable. It has provided ample opportunities that have enabled me to further develop my leadership and interpersonal skills. As someone who takes my education quite seriously, St Ann’s sustains my motivation and aspirations to strive for high academic success.

“More importantly, the greatest thing about college is that after the first week, you can sit back, reflect and realise that in the short space of just seven days, you feel more than welcome into the ‘Ann’s Family’, having made more than 100 friends who all come from different walks of life. Personally I know that I have made some of my lifelong best friends here, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

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N U D G E E

C O L L E G E

BOARDING YEARS 5-12 “We knew that Nudgee College could provide so many more opportunities. Not just in normal everyday education, but in a way that would expose Tom to new challenges, that could help him to grow into a young man who will leave an indelible footprint on his surrounding world.” - Boarding parent

www.nudgee.com 2199 Sandgate Road, Boondall, QLD 4034 Australia Tel: 07 3865 0555 Email: enrolments@nudgee.com CRICOS Provider No. 00572G

Education Special Feature

The Nudgee College Veggie Garden Project Environmental sustainability has been the focus of St Joseph’s Nudgee College’s strategic vision — a vision that has seeped into the day-to-day lives of students with the creation of the Nudgee Veggie Garden.

Year 11 Longreach Boarder Kobie Smith is at the forefront of this project, after developing the concept on the back of an assignment he completed in Year 9.

“We were asked to come up with ways to make Nudgee College a more sustainable place,” he said.

“We discussed different ideas, but the common suggestion that kept popping up was developing a vegetable garden for boarders.”

From this start, Kobie took action and approached a teacher to try to get this initiative off the ground.

“I still clearly remember sitting in Mr Toovey’s office for the very first time, trying to get my message across of how the garden could be a place of encouragement, happiness, passion and, overall, a place where we can give back to others in a different way.”

After the plan was approved, the next step was building the foundations for the garden. This involved pulling apart old lockers, to be used as garden beds, and wheelbarrowing mountains of gravel and soil to the garden’s location at the back of the campus.

Kobie praised the efforts of the boarders who put in many weekend hours on the job.

“This could not have been possible without the help and support of the boarders who spent many Saturdays and Sundays helping out,” he said.

“This project has been in full swing for an entire semester, and there has not been a day where we have had to go searching for students to come and take part.”

Kobie credits fellow boarder Sigi Beschel, particularly, as being a great support since the project’s inception.

“Sigi has been involved since day one, has given advice when I needed it and helped when final decisions needed to be made,” he said.

From planting the first seed, to harvesting the first crop and then expanding the planting spaces, Kobie said the initiative has had countless rewards.

Looking to the future, Kobie said the goal of the Nudgee Veggie Garden is to go beyond serving the College, and eventually make an impact on the wider community.

“Our hope is to supply fresh fruit and vegetables on a

weekly basis to Third Space, an organisation that cooks food and caters for those who are less fortunate,” he said.

“To do this, many boarders are coming together every second afternoon to tend to the garden.”

The students have already delivered produce to Third Space on several occasions.

“It is something that not only examines the environment on a broader scale, but it also integrates into our social justice programs that focus on us as a Nudgee College community giving back to our brothers and sisters in the wider community,” Kobie said.

With the addition of a greenhouse, as well as new seeds being planted all the time, the Nudgee Veggie Garden project is continually expanding and adding to the culture of sustainability at the College.

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Puzzles

CROSSWORD

A L O A C C P I E Z C C L

C E U L C E E C L A E A U

E T O K F E A C L E P L P

N T R A C T R P R A C P O

H R C A S S E A L E W A P

S E P U S R K A T W A O F

E S R O H E C A R E Q M I

S C F L J E C A L K C E N

SOLUTIONS:

N T R A C T R P R A C P O

H R C A S S E A L E W A P

S E P U S R K A T W A O F

E S R O H E C A R E Q M I

S C F L J E C A L K C E N

AusBiz.

E T O K F E A C L E P L P

REPLACE SPACE TYPEFACE

C E U L C E E C L A E A U

LACERATE MENACE NECKLACE PALACE PLACEMAT

A L O A C C P I E Z C C L

CARAPACE COALFACE CRUSTACEAN FACE CLOTH FACE CREAM

L E L W A E F Y D A A E A

T C L F A T C J T A N M C

O A C O A L F A C E E A E

O R E C A N R U F W M T P

L E L W A E F Y D A A E A

POPULACE RACEHORSE

B B P N C A R A P A C E Q

T C L F A T C J T A N M C

FACE-LIFT FURNACE

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: ACE WORDS

O A C O A L F A C E E A E

BOOTLACE BRACELET

WORD SEARCH

O R E C A N R U F W M T P

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DOWN 1. Renew membership of 2. Beer colour 3. In advance 4. Feed from breast 5. Water scooter (3,3) 6. N American tribe 10. Edge of hat 11. Great Lake 12. Animal physician 13. Humans, ... sapiens 14. Castro’s land 15. Eases off 16. Back of eye 17. Recaps (4,2) 18. Large property 19. Adder 20. Imprisoned

B B P N C A R A P A C E Q

ACROSS 1. Child absconders 5. Indonesian isle 7. Post of doorway 8. And so forth (2,6) 9. Congenital 12. Mode of transport 15. Seat divider 19. Lyrics 21. Makes shipshape (6,2) 22. Carnival 23. Lengthy story 24. Eden