Safe haven for koalas opened in Warialda

With Warialda’s Koala Wildlife Reserve being bathed in stunning winter sunlight on Wednesday 7 June, the perilous plight being experienced by koalas in the area was highlighted. Having endured a lengthy drought recently, the marsupials are again feeling the effects of a lack of water.

Well-attended, the official opening of the Reserve took place amongst the very trees planted to assist the koalas in times of scarce shade and water.

The Reserve has been the culmination of care, thought and determination of both John Hodge and Leeah Daley, It has been offered as a place of hydration and comfort for local koala populations, and from John’s accounts, is very well utilised, particularly as we are experiencing low precipitation levels again. The ceremony was officiated by Shelley McDouall, from Northern Slopes Landcare, who thanked all contributors - from WIRES volunteers, to council staff, for their efforts towards the project.

The ribbon was cut by both John Hodge and Gwydir Shire Mayor, Cr John Coulton, and visitors were then invited to wander amongst the flora, making note of the effectiveness of the water supply for both trees and koalas.

Attendees were also encouraged to take home a koala habitat tree for their own space, to be watered and nutured and hopefully used as a space for koala populations down the track.

As a conclusion to the day, Coolatai local.Alex Dudley read his selfauthored poem about koalas, included here for your enjoyment. If you’d like to purchase one of his publications, you can do so at the Warialda Visitor Information Centre or through his website: https:// faunaverse.com.au/the-shop/

ARTC - INLAND RAIL UPDATE

New mobile network infrastructure at North Star and Gurley in north-western New South Wales, provided by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) as part of the Narrabri to North Star section of Inland Rail, has been activated by Telstra, providing improved connectivity for trains operating on the section and, in addition, for residents and businesses.

The new mobile tower at North Star will be further upgraded with a new high-speed backhaul link delivered in September to further improve service quality.

Another two local towers will be activated in the coming months at a total cost of $3.4 million to deliver operational connectivity for trains running on the track in the section and to also enhance mobile telecommunications in the rural locations.

The new 50-metre mobile tower at North Star, ninety kilometres northeast of Moree, and the upgraded Gurley base station, thirty kilometres south of Moree, will now deliver improved depth of coverage and performance to local homes and businesses, with the fibre backhaul to both also being upgraded to deliver additional capacity.

Telstra is expecting to turn on the new 4G small cell at Croppa Creek, sixty kilometres northeast of Moree, in early June and is also planning to begin work on a new mobile tower at Crooble, also around sixty kilometres northeast of Moree, in the coming weeks that will deliver new coverage for local homes and businesses.

All the new and upgraded infrastructure being rolled out is being fitted with 5G capable antennae, meaning that local homes and businesses will be able to receive 5G services without additional network upgrades being required in the future.

The work, which is funded by Inland Rail and being delivered by Telstra, will form part of the legacy the Inland Rail project will leave with communities along the alignment to benefit from the improvements for years to come.

As the mobile telecommunications enhancements are rolled out, Telstra will manage the ongoing operations and maintenance once the infrastructure has been delivered.

Rebecca Pickering, Acting Chief Executive Inland Rail, said:

‘ARTC Inland Rail is delighted to see these upgraded and new mobile base stations up and running.

‘We are committed to doing what we can to benefit communities beyond freight logistics and rail infrastructure – that includes providing additional opportunity for regional development.

‘Inland Rail is being predominantly delivered in regional Australia, meaning there is a prime opportunity for regional Australia to reap the immediate benefits that come with construction.’

Mike Marom, Regional General Manager for Telstra in NSW:

‘More than ever before Australians are relying on mobile coverage every day for work, education and connecting on social media.

- Media release from ARTC - Inland Rail

‘In partnership with ARTC Inland Rail, we are rapt to have upgraded our mobile base stations at Gurley and North Star to expand network capacity and improve performance to the local area for these communities.’

As an update to work from North Star to the NSW/Queensland Border section, ARTC advsises that in line with the Government’s response to the independent review of the Inland Rail program, we are now taking a staged approach to deliver Inland Rail. The sections of Inland Rail between Beveridge in Victoria and Parkes in New South Wales have been prioritised for completion by 2027. Work to complete construction works already underway on the Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project will continue.

Future decisions by the Australian Government on the delivery of Inland Rail sections north of Narromine will be contingent on gaining the required primary approvals and land required for the Inland Rail corridor. For the Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 project, work to secure the required state and Federal approvals will continue, through the collection of information needed to help inform the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.

Subject to the Narromine to Narrabri and North Star to NSW/ Queensland Border sections achieving Australian Government approvals, we’ll conduct further investigations, such as identifying utilities locations and investigating ground conditions, to help refine elements of the project’s design and provide more certainty on the delivery and cost of the full Inland Rail project.

Finally, the Australian Government has announced that the Inland Rail service offering of double-stacked trains will operate between the intermodal terminal at Beveridge in Victoria and a proposed terminal at Ebenezer in Queensland, with a single-stacked, dual gauge connection to be built between Ebenezer and Kagaru.

As such, the scope of the Inland Rail project now finishes at Kagaru. The Government also agreed a second intermodal terminal at Truganina be developed.

Environmental approvals

In February, we received environmental approval from the NSW Minister for Planning to progress the North Star to NSW/Queensland Border project. The project is now being assessed by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

What’s happening in the field?

We’ll continue holding community information sessions and be present at other public forums, because local feedback is helping us refine the Inland Rail design and informing how we plan for the staged delivery of the project.

Subject to the project achieving Australian Government approvals, we’ll conduct further investigations, such as identifying utilities locations and ground and hydrology conditions, to help refine elements of the design and inform a more detailed assessment of the cost of Inland Rail.

Visit our website to see all current and upcoming field investigations. Out and about

We wrapped up our ag show attendance with the Warialda Show on Saturday 13 May, and were proud sponsors of Goondiwindi Show Free Family Fun Day in April.

Our local ag shows are a great way to connect with our alignment communities to seek local input and knowledge and answer any questions about the project. Thank you to everyone who dropped by to say hi, it was fantastic to see you out and about.Future decisions by the Australian Government on the delivery of Inland Rail sections north of Narromine will be contingent on gaining the required primary approvals and land required for the Inland Rail corridor.