Grace Nakamura

It's often more than 40 degrees when this group of runners hits the track for its weekly run meet. The group's members say running in a collective is the best way to exercise in the outback heat.   

As major airlines face a Senate inquiry and airfare rise across Australia, outback residents are paying the price of an international ticket to travel to their nearest capital city.

Behind Alpha's empty storefronts are the remnants of a once-bustling Queensland town with multiple industries and a thriving social scene. It's a familiar story across the country, but not everyone has given up hope.

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning that a heatwave in Queensland coupled with gusty winds could create an extreme fire risk in parts of the state.

There was never any question Michael Pitt was going to work on the land. But a mustering accident triggered a long-held desire to become a doctor, and now he and his nurse wife Katie use their agricultural backgrounds to connect with rural patients.

At the edge of the desert in outback Queensland, two French-Australian sisters giggle as they roll down red sand dunes. Their backyard is the 215,000-hectare nature reserve where their parents moved for work six years ago.

From races and rodeos to festivals and fairs, event tourism is the lifeblood for many businesses in outback Queensland, but towns are bracing for a bleak tourism season next year as the cost of living crisis puts the crunch on iconic events.

The Big Red Bash, which injects millions of dollars into the western Queensland economy, has been cancelled for 2025 with organisers saying they are "taking a breather".

Opal miners are concerned about the future of their industry as the Queensland government buys a former cattle property used for mining. With 50 per cent of the region's opals coming from this one property, it's raising alarm bells.

A teachers' union wants these incentives expanded to help deal with crippling teacher shortages in regional schools.