For more than 30 years, Don Rowlands has been the ranger in charge of Munga-Thirri National Park, in Queensland's far south-west corner. But the time has come for him to hang up his uniform.
Birdsville, a pilgrimage point for outback travellers, navigates the ripple effects of flood, fuel fears and the cancellation of a massive music festival, when the surrounding country has rarely looked so green and alive.
In one Queensland town, a wildlife carer is so concerned about the Indian myna's threat to native species, she has self-funded a bounty program that offers $5 for every bird humanely caught.
A south-west Queensland town's school, service station, hospital waiting room and several homes are closed for testing after children found liquid mercury vials at the tip and took them to school.
The C-27J Spartan aircraft took off from Darwin, and the ABC understood it was heading towards Brisbane and near Longreach when personnel observed "signs of smoke" onboard.
This festival usually sees people go all out, spending thousands of dollars and travelling thousands of kilometres, but a potential change in location and fuel concerns have deterred ticket holders.
