Scenic Rim couple left ‘heartbroken' after landslides damage ‘forever home'
The Radunz's say they weren't told prior to purchasing their block that the area was prone to landslides. In Queensland, however, the onus is on the buyer to do such checks.
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Thousands take a nude plunge for Dark Mofo winter solstice swim in Hobart
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ABC News
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Major winter storm to bring gales, rain and snow to southern Australia
A series of three cold fronts will spread an intense burst of wintry weather across southern states during the next five days. The fronts are predicted by modelling to become more powerful than typical early winter systems, and will generate damaging wind gusts, heavy showers, isolated thunderstorms and pockets of small hail. While wind speeds have the potential to exceed warning thresholds, farmers will rejoice with a solid soaking likely from the Western Australian west coast to north-east Victoria. The alpine region will also welcome another dump of snow, which will make 2025 one of the best starts to a ski season this century. The ongoing frontal activity, which was noticeably absent last winter, has laid the platform for the first wetter-than-average month along the majority of Australia's southern coastline since July 2024. The first front in the series already brought showers to the WA west coast on Friday, including over 30 millimetres in Busselton by sunset. Widespread showers will continue across WA today near and behind the front, with up to 20mm likely near the south-west and lower west coasts, and possibly up to 10mm over the wheat belt. As the first front weakens in the Bight on Sunday, a trailing second front will maintain showers along WA's south coast. Front number two will then rapidly cross the South Australian coast on Monday, before sweeping across Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales on Tuesday, bringing widespread showers and the odd storm or two with small hail. Totals by late Tuesday should exceed 20mm in coastal areas exposed to a westerly airstream, including around Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Warrnambool. The final front will then follow on Wednesday across south-east states and generate further heavy showers, storms and small hail. After several days of showery weather, this series of fronts will deliver an average of 20 to 40mm of rain to southern agricultural SA, along with much of southern and mountain Victoria, and the southern slopes and ranges of NSW. For Adelaide, another 32mm will make this June the city's wettest month in two years. Unfortunately, though, repeating the trend from previous fronts, only light rain will reach north-west Victoria, the western Riverina and the SA Murraylands and Riverland. The continued absence of genuine drought relief across areas further inland is the result of fronts not linking with plumes of tropical moisture — which from their origin favour rain in areas further north. Daytime temperatures will climb as much as 5 degrees Celsius above average across south-east states during the coming days, thanks to a mild northerly airstream — a common pattern preceding vigorous fronts. The passage of the fronts will then drop temperatures back to average for winter, with the colder air reaching Adelaide on Monday, Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra on Tuesday, and Sydney by Wednesday. Initially, the unseasonable warm northerlies will lead to rain across the Alps on Monday, but temperatures will quickly fall below freezing on Tuesday. Once the cold air arrives, near continuous snowfall should last around 36 hours, accumulating to around 50 centimetres at major resorts, although Mt Buller may receive slightly less. An additional dump of heavy snow arriving soon after the opening weekend storm will make 2025 one of the best starts to ski season this century. The snow depth by Thursday should challenge previous high late June depths measured in 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2022. In terms of non-alpine snow, Tasmania will be the main beneficiary with snowfalls possible to very low levels on Wednesday below an elevation of 500 metres. A strong westerly airstream is a characteristic attribute of most major winter cold fronts, and this series won't disappoint, bringing strong to gale-force winds over a wide swathe of southern Australia. A warning for damaging gusts has already been issued for southern WA this weekend, and multiple warnings should follow for south-east states into the new week. Winds will strengthen across south-east states through Sunday and Monday ahead of the fronts, which could whip another dust storm across the parched regions of inland SA. For most of SA and Victoria, though, the strongest winds will arrive on Tuesday when maximum speeds reach around 90 kilometres per hour although exposed parts of the coast and ranges could see gusts above 100kph. The fierce winds will also lash NSW on Tuesday, and peak across eastern NSW on Wednesday, again with gusts possibly near 100kph. Winds at this strength often bring down tree branches and can become destructive in heavier showers and storms, a scenario which may lead to isolated power outages. Current modelling indicates calmer weather will return to southern Australia by Thursday.
ABC News
2 hours ago
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Mid North Coast floods led to a month of isolation for Cundle Flat residents
For the past month, Kristina and Ollie Strat have had their groceries delivered by a helicopter or a makeshift pulley system rigged up over the Manning River. They're among five residents at Cundle Flat isolated when devastating floods hit the Mid North Coast in May. Ms Strat estimates about two hectares of her land was washed away, including a campground the couple ran on the banks of the river. "It's just rock city," she said. "What was once beautifully manicured lawn, grass, river flat … it's [now] just indescribable," she said. Ms Strat said Cundle Flat Road itself was left "virtually non-existent" in parts. Essential items like food, fuel and vet supplies have been flown in by helicopter and drone. Ms Strat said fuel was invaluable for the first 12 days of isolation, when they relied on a generator for power. But while the power was restored, the only access road remained blocked, so some innovation and cooperation were needed. "About three weeks ago we managed to organise a small boat at the end of the road to the other side of the river," Ms Strat said. Neighbours would also lend isolated residents their cars so they could get to town. Pip Hamersley-Everett is waiting for the road to be repaired so she can get an excavator in to stabilise eroded land on her sheep stud. She lost thousands of dollars worth of fencing and dozens of animals, including her benchmark ewes, but she said fixing erosion would be the biggest cost after the water carved a cliff "which is actually quite dangerous". "That'll be the most expensive thing to do ... getting an excavator in to try to stabilise that embankment, because at the bottom end it's like six metres," she said. While limited 4WD access has been restored for residents, it could be months before they are able to get materials and machinery in for repairs. Mid Coast Council Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Robert Scott said Cundle Flat Rd was one of the region's hardest hit, leaving it like "a war zone." "In some areas we've just basically re-established a track through the debris and disaster to allow people in and out," he said. He says full restoration of the road could take six-to-18 months. Ms Strat said their elaborate grocery delivery system might remain in place for another week while crews worked to make the road more accessible. Despite more than four weeks of isolation, residents say Cundle Flat was only this week assessed as an eligible locality for the state government's personal hardship grants. "My true understanding is that it's an oversight," said Ms Hamersley-Everett. "There's only five of us in this valley, so it's easy for them to overlook us. "But we have alerted them to the fact that we are here and we have been severely affected." Ms Strat said the delay in receiving financial assistance, coupled with damage to her property and the loss of her business, has compounded the mental weight of being isolated. "We live in a beautiful environment — or it certainly was before the flood — [but] it is an isolated environment and you do treasure that. "But when you know that you are actually isolated and you have no time frame on when that is going to cease, it gets a little tiring after a while. She said the support of friends, family and long-term campers has been invaluable as they deal with the aftermath of the flood. A spokesperson for NSW Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin said SES data and evacuation orders were used to identify an initial 142 suburbs and localities for grant eligibility. The spokesperson said further suburbs and localities had been added as the government consulted with local representatives.
